• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Bass is Easier?

#21
lfmn16 said:
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.
Click to expand...

It was simply the reply these threads deserves. ;)

Truth is beginner to intermediate level bass is easier then many other instruments in that you can get away with quite easy bass lines and the song will sound completely fine.

Playing bass expertly is another matter, in some respects (more physical with thick strings and big distance between frets) arguably more difficult than guitar.

But who cares, if you have any self confidence you just smile and agree when someone makes the silly statement in question.
 
#23
Okay, so if you take the line In arguing that bass is easier because it has fewer strings I guess that would also mean that violin and cello are easier than guitar. I don't think this is a line of discussion you'd want to share with the likes of Itzhak Perlman, Jascha Heifitz or Yo Yo Ma.
If the argument becomes bass is easier because you don't drive the melody or need to play chords (1. This certainly isn't always the case) and I guess that makes drums the easiest instrument of all because you don't even need to know any notes.
Lastly, if "bass is easier to suck at" then I think there a lot of guitar players that certainly get by knowing three chords that could be taught to a 10 year old within half an hour.
Bass is a different instrument, not easier or harder nor is it easier to suck at. Nearly anyone can pick up any instrument and within an hour learn enough to coax sounds out of it that could be assembled into a song. This shouldn't be used as a measure of how difficult or hard it is to play any instrument.
Any statements about easier or harder are quite honestly pretty ridiculous.
 
#24
ImageUploadedByTalkBass1396192778.377485.jpg
 
#27
everyone that says bass is easier must be a lazy player only hitting 8th note roots all day. guitar can be easier as well if all you play is power chords on 3 strings. expand your horizons people, and you will see how challenging any instrument can be.
 
#28
The good ol ' 'Bass is easier' discussion. :P
When people say that I always try to explain it depends on what you're gonna play. To truely master the instrument is, in my opinion, just as difficult as mastering the 6 string guitar. If you wanna be a good bassplayer, it will take just as much practice slapping the bass as learning some chords. If not more.

Try playing, for example, some Tool basslines and compare them to strumming chords...
 
#29
Lefty923 said:
Exactly, that's why guitar players out number bass players 10 to 1. ;)
Click to expand...
This!!!:D:D

i have been a drummer for over 25 years, Rocksmith ( i know, facepalm!) has permitted me to finally realize my dream of entering the string section with relative ease (no formal lessons yet, and no travelling, lol). I have gravitated more towards the bass, as i have massive hands and the percussive background. Plus, guitarists are a dime a dozen. Bassists........drummers, not so much. Loving the bass, and yea, i do like having to choose between 4 strings vs six, and i like the bigger spacing. lol. Easier? not sure, as there are so many different techniques out there for bass playing. My point? i dont know, im just rambling now. Cheers guys.
 
#30
Do you think trumpet players make fun of trombonists?
Click to expand...
Hell no, those guys were always smaller than me. Always.:D

Its an apples to hand grenades comparison in the end. Really great bass lines are obviously conceived of from an entirely different place that they're not comparable.

Heavy rock and metal has made it easier to suck at guitar and get by. Have 'em click the distortion off and listen to what they got goin' on. It's often comical. :D
 
#31
As a novice you can play the root notes on bass and it will work.

However, playing bass at an advanced level is as hard as any instrument. For example, soloing on bass can be tricky because it can be tough to get "on top" of the music due to the low register of bass. Also, when you start playing more technical lines you have to stretch your hand further. Playing chords on bass is certainly more difficult then guitar. Playing bass as a lead instrument is probably more difficult then guitar too.
 
#33
I think you are spinning up over a complete non-issue,Shovel. You should be so involved in your instrument and learning to play it better,that you can`t be bothered by weenies making unverified assertions.Now...that wire cutters story...chest pounding and machismo bravado,young man?Don`t think somebody who puts time and effort into learning to play an instrument would ever damage or disable the musical instrument of another...any instrument for that matter.May as well slander somebody`s mom.
 
#34
Bass is not easier, it's different. It's like saying clarinet is easier than sax. Two related but different instruments. I know plenty of great guitarists who can't play bass.
 
#35
Going by the logic here....then intruments such as trumpet,flute, etc. should be easier to play because they have less notes than a bass neck.

Guitars aren't hard to play. Thousands of people buy them every day. Most music shops would go out of business if people didn't buy guitars.

People wouldn't buy them if they were hard to play.

My brother is an expert piano player.......but he can't play my bass.
 
#37
Is it really about the instrument after all?
The instrument is exactly that... an INSTRUMENT.
The actual music comes from within the player.
The instrument is simply the interpretive vehicle.
You can be a technical virtuoso and have crappy musical ideas and concepts.
A kazoo in the hands of a soulful master can be much better than a tenor saxophone in the hands of a well practiced, technically proficient hack.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back