Bass is Easier?

[Shovel]

I was at school, and was jamming with some people during lunch. One of them kept on insisting that bass was easier. I quote:
"It just takes no skill to play, it's only got four strings,"
He kept this up for around ten minutes until I had enough.
I went over to his acoustic guitar with wire cutters, and cut the last two strings off, telling him to try playing guitar without the last two

 

[Thick McRunfast]

That was a pretty ignorant thing to do

 

[offhand35]

Sounds like something I might have done back in my evil days. Hopefully that kind of thing won't happen too often, it may come back to bite you.

...hmmm....you had wire cutters with you at lunch?

 

[Jazz Ad]

Bass IS easier. Get over it.

 

[FretNoMore]

I call BS - that happened only in your dreams.

And yes, bass is easier. Deal with it.

EDIT: I see you're 14 ... so that explains this thread.

 

[String Theory]

Bass guitar is easier than guitar, keyboards, drums and singing.

 

[Plectrum72]

I'm doubtful things went down as the OP said as well, but I'm curious about the posters piling on that bass is easier (as opposed to different). Would harp be the most difficult stringed instrument because it has the most strings? Or do you mean bass is easier to get started on than guitar because you typically don't focus on learning chords first? Just trying to understand your point of view about any one instrument being more difficult than another.

 

[wild4oldcars]

Its a lot easier to suck at, since you don't ever really have to be that good.

 

[Mushroo]

Bass is easier because Jaco.

 

[lfmn16]

Bass IS easier. Get over it.

And yes, bass is easier. Deal with it.

Bass guitar is easier than guitar, keyboards, drums and singing.

Is there any wonder why bass players don't get the respect other instruments get? We are our own worst enemy.

As wild4oldcars said, it's easier to suck at bass, but if anyone thinks its easier to be a good bass player than be good at any other instrument, then I don't think they understand how to play bass.

 

[rickwebb]

My flippant response to THOSE PEOPLE is, "Yeah, and I make more money too."
That usually irritates them so much that they leave...

 

[MegaSwing]

It IS easier—to stay busy and get more gigs.

 

[Greg Jones]

Its a lot easier to suck at, since you don't ever really have to be that good.

^ This ...

LOL.

I see a new club forming.

"Chuckleheads of the Easier than Clan"

 

[nicopiano]

I'm primary a keyboard player (and also a bass player), and I'm not telling that bass playing is easy, but most of the time I find keyboard much harder to play, at least for pop, rock, country, blues, and light jazz.

Some kind of music require really advanced bass skills (jazz fusion, or any music with technical bass line/solos/slap). In those case, i would say it's almost equal.

 

[boombloom]

Bass IS easier. For me. But not for everyone.

 

[hover]

if anyone thinks its easier to be a good bass player than be good at any other instrument, then I don't think they understand how to play bass.

8th note kings are a dime a dozen.

 

[Danomo]

I started playing bass as a favor to our HS band director who had no one to play for Jazz band for the following two years. Getting up to speed to play Chick Corea and Duke Ellington sure didn't seem easy... by comparison playing in my other various bands was easy... except for....
Bass is one of the hardest instruments to play and sing lead vocals with; the bassline's rythym is often so different from the melody, it is VERY hard to master (which is why McCartney & Lee deserve your respect) doing both.
After years of playing ONLY bass, about 15 years ago I started playing guitar so I could finally sing while playing... THAT is much easier (for me anyways).

 

[lancimouspitt]

I think it's all relative. Depending on the song,the style,what techniques are involved and the person playing. I don't think Bass is easier because I've heard too many people not sound good at it for it to be easy.
Most the time this comes to the whole 4 strings thing.
You then bring out a bass with more strings.
Then it's,"well you don't play chords!"
Then you start playing chords.
Then they say,"Well you can't tap!"
Then you tap
Then they shut up.

 

[sxaxsx]

Emphasis on you and the other guy being young enough to be at school!!!

Now for the argument at hand, it is easier to play the bassline to Get Back by the Beatles than it is to play the guitar part.
But on the other hand it is easier to play the guitar part to Long View by Green Day than it is to play the bassline.

The truth is that they are different instruments and in different types of music those instruments are used differently. Starting out there is more of a learning curve playing guitar because you need to learn chords before you can do anything, so its a lot of working on muscle memory. But saying one instrument is easier than another instrument is silly. Do you think trumpet players make fun of trombonists? Do pianists get to be the ultimate badasses because they have hundreds of strings?

 

[MegaSwing]

I think it's all relative. Depending on the song,the style,what techniques are involved and the person playing. I don't think Bass is easier because I've heard too many people not sound good at it for it to be easy.

Yup. And you definitely know it when you hear it.