I think there are four important words missing in the "easy to play" debate. They are.. "to it's full potential". When these are included, then no instrument is easy to play.
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Anyone Can Play Bass
- Thread starter Zachthebassplyr
- Start date
I think there are four important words missing in the "easy to play" debate. They are.. "to it's full potential". When these are included, then no instrument is easy to play.
- Jul 8, 2009
- 1,612
- 11
- Disclosures
- A&R, Soulless Corporation Records
I no longer get that much - of course, I now play a Dingwall... I suspect those with fretless basses don't get that much, either. I just give them the 'easy instrument to play, difficult to master' line, though. As far as 'easy,' well, it's easy if all you are going to do is plunk a few strings without knowing which notes to fret, just like you can on guitar, or piano, or.... And if you want to be a good, solid bass player you need to know a fair amount of music theory, how chords are constructed, etc. which a guitar player doesn't really HAVE to know (mind, if you have a killer guitarist, he/she probably has a working knowledge of music theory...) I don't really think either guitar or bass is inherently HARDER to play, but they are DIFFERENT. A bass isn't 'just a guitar with four / five strings,' and normally it isn't played like guitar...at least, I haven't heard too many bass players play nothing but power chords on their basses all night!
I think we all know the answer to that one... because there are big egos who like to strut their stuff on stage, and generally that is not what bassists do. They are quite content to stay in the background with the drummer, holding the whole thing together making the guitarist sound good.
I sort of agree, but I've found that even though I've never solo'd live (not my thing, I love the low notes too much), that I seem to get a lot of attention from the crowd. I really get into what I'm doing, my right hand starts going spastic... I've even hit myself w/ my forearm under the chin
. I just can't stand still when I'm loving what I'm doing 
.As for the "anyone can play bass" thing... everytime I give a bass to a guitarist, they have trouble playing clean: string buzz, not holding down the string directly behind the fret causing the note to fart out, sympathetic string humming, etc etc...
It usually ends w/ them handing it back to me w/ a "How do you play that thing?" especially if it's a 6 string bass LOL.
I should say that I have similar issues when I try to play guitar. Of course, if I LIKED playing guitar, I'd work on technique, but I've never even been tempted to play w/ the trebly thingies. For me, it's all about the power of the thunder!!
Well, I've had it said to me a few times. Never by any of my band members though (they practically worship me). I usually don't reply or just say "Yeah... ok" and leave.
My drummer did try playing my bass once and handed it back to me saying "holy crap, how do you do this?"
My drummer did try playing my bass once and handed it back to me saying "holy crap, how do you do this?"
J
jhan
Guest
I've NEVER heard a comment like this from a guitarist who actually knows anything about music. It's more the hassle of dealing with guitarists who think the world revolves around guitar. Interestingly enough - at least IMO - such players have awful timing, can't write songs worth a crap, and have spotty technique. Normally, these dudes are prog-metal types who stopped listening to new music somewhere around 1990.
A long time ago, one guitarist did denigrate bass players to my face. I told him to go screw himself. That's about you can do with jerks, unless they happen to be the ones signing the big checks.
A long time ago, one guitarist did denigrate bass players to my face. I told him to go screw himself. That's about you can do with jerks, unless they happen to be the ones signing the big checks.
I went to see my buddy's band play last night, and both his bassist and the bassist for one of the other bands hardly left the E and A strings....we're talking RARELY. Plus, they were playing with a pick and the guy in the other band fretting the neck like a guitar player....
BTW....I'm not saying playing with a pick is bad.....but out of the 3 bands I saw, they ALL were playing with a pick....granted, I'm far from great and still learning, but I just wanted to shake my head.
It's funny to watch me pick up a guitar....I hold it and try to play it like a bass....
Waste of time. He'd shred it like a guitar and then tell you how great that "bass playing" was and how you should be impressed with it compared to your own.
If your heart and soul is into it might be possible. But not everyone can just play it. I have always loved the sound of bass before I even knew what made that beautiful low growling sound! So it was in my heart and soul and it was meant to be.
