Also is playing style. Some like pick, others thumbing and slapping, while I tend to like fingers. Again personal style is a subjective matter nobody can really answer for you. You will just have to find out for yourself by trying. It won't take too long to find out which style of playing you like best. It just sort of happens on its own. So again a matter of personal preference.
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Am I too old to get started in this?
- Thread starter ski_rush
- Start date
I guess what I am saying is, playing bass, playing music in general, is NOT just a matter of music and learning music, but a journey into developing your own identity as a person, and while can make suggestions, it is really something you have to dive into and find out for yourself. Only you can become you and the only way to do this is by your diving into it, putting effort into it, and then sort of letting your own identity develop as a result.
As for gear?
Again a very subjective matter.
It can also become an expensive subjective matter.
This is one you probably shouldn't worry about too much unless you want to become a gearhead.
For now I won't recommend much other than to say for a beginner a decent 115, that is to say a One Fifteen combo will work, and it does NOT jave to be very expensive. While I have a certain amount of gear, which I went to a fair amount of effort to get, I do have a 115, and from experience a 115 is usually a good starting point. I could also recommend a good headphones amp for practice. I tend to use a compact mixer with two self powered monitors, but for a beginner more elaborate, and unless you are already up to speed on gear, a good 115 is a good starting point. You can branch out from there as you get more into it and learn more. A 210 is good but honestly I would in this area recommend a 115 as a good starting point.
Again a very subjective matter.
It can also become an expensive subjective matter.
This is one you probably shouldn't worry about too much unless you want to become a gearhead.
For now I won't recommend much other than to say for a beginner a decent 115, that is to say a One Fifteen combo will work, and it does NOT jave to be very expensive. While I have a certain amount of gear, which I went to a fair amount of effort to get, I do have a 115, and from experience a 115 is usually a good starting point. I could also recommend a good headphones amp for practice. I tend to use a compact mixer with two self powered monitors, but for a beginner more elaborate, and unless you are already up to speed on gear, a good 115 is a good starting point. You can branch out from there as you get more into it and learn more. A 210 is good but honestly I would in this area recommend a 115 as a good starting point.
Once you get into it, you will begin to develop, and grow, and learn more, and through it all begin to develop your own identity as a player.
A sort of learn by doing process.
NO Do then NO Learn.
The More you Do the More you Learn.
Enjoy.
A sort of learn by doing process.
NO Do then NO Learn.
The More you Do the More you Learn.
Enjoy.
I personally tend to be a little bit of a gearhead, over time have acquired a little something of some gear, and wirh a bit of humor I say, this is voluntary, something I enjoy, but for a beginner a good basic 115 is a good starting point. Voluntarily getting into The Gear is another matter. Play a while and then see what you want to do.
My main guitar player has Absolutely No Interest in gear.
Zero.
He has one Acoustic and one Electric guitar, a smaller mixing console, and a 110 speaker monitor. That's it. The mixer has some effects on it, and this is all he uses for gear.
Beyond that, trying to get him interested in gear has proven frustrating, and a total excericse in futility.
Whenever is comes over to play he always plugs into one of my amps.
I have seen some phenomenal guitar amps which I have tried to get him interested in but he literally has Zero Interest in the gear.
I however am a bit if a gearhead, I really enjoy getting into the gear, and over time have made a few investments in this area.
So again it's up to you. I like gear while my guitarist has Zero interest in it.
We both are about music and we can easily burn up the hours playing. We both are also into reading music and we have spent a lot of time practicing in this area.
But when it comes to gear, I am the gearhead, and he just has Zero interest in gear.
Zero.
He has one Acoustic and one Electric guitar, a smaller mixing console, and a 110 speaker monitor. That's it. The mixer has some effects on it, and this is all he uses for gear.
Beyond that, trying to get him interested in gear has proven frustrating, and a total excericse in futility.
Whenever is comes over to play he always plugs into one of my amps.
I have seen some phenomenal guitar amps which I have tried to get him interested in but he literally has Zero Interest in the gear.
I however am a bit if a gearhead, I really enjoy getting into the gear, and over time have made a few investments in this area.
So again it's up to you. I like gear while my guitarist has Zero interest in it.
We both are about music and we can easily burn up the hours playing. We both are also into reading music and we have spent a lot of time practicing in this area.
But when it comes to gear, I am the gearhead, and he just has Zero interest in gear.
For example, some bass players like tube amps, others solid state, and others into Class D.
I have all three.
Again this is Voluntary.
I just like gear.
Now my guitarist has Zero Interest in gear. He just plugs into whatever, dials in his sound, and we play.
However, my daughter in law's boyfriend is strictly into tubes. He has a nice tube amp. When he visits he plugs using a tube DI Preamp I have. He only likes tubes and tubes is all he uses. That is just the way it is.
So again this is stuff you will figure out as you go along and it is kind of anybody's guess what you will like the best, and again with a bit of humor, will become.
I have all three.
Again this is Voluntary.
I just like gear.
Now my guitarist has Zero Interest in gear. He just plugs into whatever, dials in his sound, and we play.
However, my daughter in law's boyfriend is strictly into tubes. He has a nice tube amp. When he visits he plugs using a tube DI Preamp I have. He only likes tubes and tubes is all he uses. That is just the way it is.
So again this is stuff you will figure out as you go along and it is kind of anybody's guess what you will like the best, and again with a bit of humor, will become.
You know you can use the edit feature to make one long post rather than 20 seperate posts?
And Actually, one thing I like about both guitarist is they are Different. I Actually Dred the idea of their being the same. And NOT to overwhelm you at this stage, when one guitarist has Zero interest in gear, the other is Only into Tubes, what I am personally into is bi-amping. I tend to use Two Channels, with the Low Strings dialed in for a Warmer Driving sound, and the Upper strings dialed in for a more Defined sound. NOT a brittle clear sound but a Defined sound.
But this is just me.
Aside from the 115, which is plenty for practicing, I have one amp which is solid state and another which uses 5 tubes in the pre running into an A/B power amp. Both have unique sounds, both are good, but it depends on my mood, playing situation, and music as to which one I use.
Running into the mixer I always use bi-amping.
I prefer it this way.
So everybody has what they like.
Now it is up to you to find out what you like.
This is all part of the journey and fun in music and bass playing in particular.
It is all up to you.
.
But this is just me.
Aside from the 115, which is plenty for practicing, I have one amp which is solid state and another which uses 5 tubes in the pre running into an A/B power amp. Both have unique sounds, both are good, but it depends on my mood, playing situation, and music as to which one I use.
Running into the mixer I always use bi-amping.
I prefer it this way.
So everybody has what they like.
Now it is up to you to find out what you like.
This is all part of the journey and fun in music and bass playing in particular.
It is all up to you.
.
You know you can use the edit feature to make one long post rather than 20 seperate posts?
I didn't know this.
Thank You.
Bass is the place!Oh, go on, say it: it's the bass that keeps us young
I wish I was 43 again.
Just started learning BG after a life of low brass in British Brass Bands and Wind Bands. I played rhythm years ago but realised the guy that taught me hadn't taught me anything except the chords to fill the songs we played.
I also realised that I transposed music so much I didn't actually read Bass Clef so re-learning and learning TABS - OMG have I made some sillies but I have loved the challenge and the progress.
Now I just need some similar Old Farts that want to form a Zepp cover band LOL LOL (ps Im 63)
Just started learning BG after a life of low brass in British Brass Bands and Wind Bands. I played rhythm years ago but realised the guy that taught me hadn't taught me anything except the chords to fill the songs we played.
I also realised that I transposed music so much I didn't actually read Bass Clef so re-learning and learning TABS - OMG have I made some sillies but I have loved the challenge and the progress.
Now I just need some similar Old Farts that want to form a Zepp cover band LOL LOL (ps Im 63)
Everything except wishin I was 43 again. I would liked to have kept playin when I bought a precision and a strat when I was 43. 62 now.
That’s an odd assertion. The bassists I’ve known who play both have no shortcomings on either. Preference for one above the other is quite separate from skill on either.
I seem to recall some young lady singin it's all about the bass... or was it 'that' bass, though I'm not sure which one...
Chords? We don't need no steenkin' chords ... most of the time. (But there are exceptions.)
I played guitar as a teenager, let it go for a few decades, picked up an acoustic again in my late 40s, then got my first bass at age 51. I took some lessons, learned a bit from then, and started playing along with recordings of my favorite songs and bands. I'm having a wonderful time now, at age 70 ... which is just a little younger than a lot of the musicians I "play" with.
I also started building computers, went back to riding a motorcycle, got married (and divorced) for the first time got serious about digital photography and learned hypnosis, all after age 50.Learning-and-doing new things helps keep me young.
Age should never be a barrier. It might be a little past your peak for doing some things (like running a marathon or joining a hair band), but you can still become pretty dang good at almost anything you set your mind to.
I played guitar as a teenager, let it go for a few decades, picked up an acoustic again in my late 40s, then got my first bass at age 51. I took some lessons, learned a bit from then, and started playing along with recordings of my favorite songs and bands. I'm having a wonderful time now, at age 70 ... which is just a little younger than a lot of the musicians I "play" with.
I also started building computers, went back to riding a motorcycle, got married (and divorced) for the first time got serious about digital photography and learned hypnosis, all after age 50.Learning-and-doing new things helps keep me young.
Age should never be a barrier. It might be a little past your peak for doing some things (like running a marathon or joining a hair band), but you can still become pretty dang good at almost anything you set your mind to.
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It may be a bit “off” in many songs and situations to play chords on bass but to know and understand them is essential and will take a player a long way toward being a first call player.
she went to high school with my nephew. is that less than 6 degrees of separation? where’s kevin bacon?I seem to recall some young lady singin it's all about the bass... or was it 'that' bass, though I'm not sure which one...
43? You're still a pup. Look at it this way: the destination you are attempting to reach is the same distance away whether you start walking towards it today, tomorrow or fifty years from now. Just because you didn't start out on the journey last year or thirty years ago doesn't matter. You would have been closer had you started sooner, but if you can walk, the journey is possible. The destination is in the same place in relation to where you are now. Start walking.
You can get feedback from many bassists on their progress. The first few weeks are the hardest (DON'T QUIT!!!), then the first few months. By the time six months rolls around you should be comfortable enough with the instrument to at least get through a basic I-IV-V song without stopping or slowing down. By the end of the first year you should be good enough for a gig with a simple set list. These numbers are dependent on your effort. Sixteen hours of practice a day, every day will accelerate the process significantly as will fifteen minutes of half hearted noodling every other month will result in hardly any progress at all. It depends on you.
You can get feedback from many bassists on their progress. The first few weeks are the hardest (DON'T QUIT!!!), then the first few months. By the time six months rolls around you should be comfortable enough with the instrument to at least get through a basic I-IV-V song without stopping or slowing down. By the end of the first year you should be good enough for a gig with a simple set list. These numbers are dependent on your effort. Sixteen hours of practice a day, every day will accelerate the process significantly as will fifteen minutes of half hearted noodling every other month will result in hardly any progress at all. It depends on you.
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