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Bass is Easier?

#41
Can we try to make a distinction between "easier" and "simpler"? Simple vs. complicated rather than easy vs. hard. Many bass parts are simpler than many guitar parts. That is the nature of the role of the bass in creating a particular ensemble sound. Alternating roots and fifths with an occasional scale up or down between chords on the bass is simpler than playing a lead solo on guitar, but that is the nature of bluegrass and many other country music styles. Adam Clayton playing steady eighth note roots has a simpler task than the other members of U2. That does not make him a bad bass player. He has a role to play and he does it very well. His role is to supply the pulse and the harmonic foundation. There are also simple guitar roles, such as strumming rhythms. There are also less simple bass roles, such as the role James Jamerson created for himself at Motown. Still, even Jamerson used simpler parts for certain types of songs, such as most of those by the Supremes.

It might be true that it is easier to play most bass parts than it is to play most guitar parts, since it is generally easier to play simpler parts than more complicated parts. This has nothing to do with how many strings each instrument has and everything to do with the role of the instrument within particular types of musical ensembles. It means that a bass player may reach a certain level of competence faster than a guitar player, because he is called on to play simpler parts. Mastery of the simple role of the bass is not so easy, however. Mastery of this role requires confidence in the harmonic changes, absolute accuracy and fine control of timing, as well as careful listening to the other members of the ensemble.
 
#42
If bass was easier, my guitar player wouldn't be asking me to lay down bass tracks on his stuff. He could play them himself, but he wants a "real bass player", and readily admits it's not the same without one.

This is the same dude where if I'm showing him chord progressions, with him reading my left hand, I have to stick to the roots, otherwise, if I do something like through in a B on the way from G to C, he'll play a B chord, instead of recognizing it as a 3rd from the G chord or a passing tone. :)
 
#44
Shovel said:
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 :D
Click to expand...


That's awesome.
I would've loved to have seen that
 
#46
When I picked up bass it was surely "easier" than when I started piano years before...

I played a little bit of guitar and was playing the piano for almost 10 years before I had to learn bass to get in a band (~40 songs to learn in less than 2 weeks). I got in the band, but my chops were really bad, I could do root/5th lines only.

Now 6 years after I first picked up a bass I think that I've really improved my playing, but it is harder and harder to get better than where I'm at now...

I'd say that bass is easier than other instruments if you want to play badly, but it is quite challenging if you want to be really good at it.
 
#47
to be a really good bassist, one has to have a deep understanding of melody and harmony as well as great rhythym. good bassists should know at least as much as any other musicians in a band situation. in my experience, I have never heard a remark like that from a fellow musician.
 
#48
will33 said:
If bass was easier, my guitar player wouldn't be asking me to lay down bass tracks on his stuff. He could play them himself, but he wants a "real bass player", and readily admits it's not the same without one.

This is the same dude where if I'm showing him chord progressions, with him reading my left hand, I have to stick to the roots, otherwise, if I do something like through in a B on the way from G to C, he'll play a B chord, instead of recognizing it as a 3rd from the G chord or a passing tone. :)
Click to expand...

I totally hear you-when that happens, its time to find better players to make music with.
 
#49
4 string, 88 keys there is a million ways to skin a cat. Ukelele, 6 string bass or a tuba it's all the same when it comes to simplicity and difficulty. It's music man, the hardest part is putting your soul into something that sucks. The most difficult thing in music is making a living :)
 
#50
I believe a lot of people think bass is easier because we typically play only one note at a time instead of chords. It may appear easier but what those people don't understand is that bass requires a sense of rhythm and timing that a lot of guitar players don't have.
 
#51
Shovel said:
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 :D
Click to expand...

So buy a six-string bass, woodshed your assterisk off, shred at the next school jam session 'til their faces melt, then hand your six string bass to the guitarist and say "Your turn, same number of strings as you're used to, go ahead show us what you can do. It takes no skill, it's only got six strings."

Better yet, just get an extended range 16-string bass, woodshed your patooney off...

Better still, get a one-string Whamola, woodshed your butteriniki off...
 
#53
I wouldn't say bass is really easier. I can strum chords and sing all day, but I cannot for the life of me play a solid bass line while singing. Bass may be easier to learn at first, but once you get your muscle memory developed, it is much easier to strum chords while playing rhythm on guitar, than it is to hold down a solid groove in the bass line.
 
#54
Hopkins said:
I wouldn't say bass is really easier. I can strum chords and sing all day, but I cannot for the life of me play a solid bass line while singing. Bass may be easier to learn at first, but once you get your muscle memory developed, it is much easier to strum chords while playing rhythm on guitar, than it is to hold down a solid groove in the bass line.
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YESSS the acid test. Get that guitarist to sing and play bass at the same time.

My latest, greatest most favourite quote:

"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity." – Mingus
 
#56
Shovel said:
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 :D
Click to expand...

I have serious doubts that this story is true, but if you took a set of wire cutters and cut the strings on my acoustic we would have had serious problems.
 
#59
Playing bass is easy. It's playing it well that starts to get difficult. It's the difference between Bobby Dall and Jaco. Bobby Dall is a very successful musician in terms of finances, and he's a decent enough bass player.

That being said, having the skills, compositional command, and understanding of music theory to do some of the things that Jaco did is not easy.

And waddya know? I didn't even have to cut the strings off of anyone's guitar at school to know that. :D
 
#60
mellowinman said:
I had a horn player tell me bass was easier, so I cut off his lips.
Click to expand...

I don't want to be around when someone says, "Urology is easier than Gynecology"
---

If anything, it's a lot easier to impress non-musicians with a guitar than a bass. No one cares how well I can hold a tempo, or my tasteful use of thirds. Two-hand tapping and slap can only go so far. And I'm pretty sure no one has ever gathered around me playing bass to sing along to "Redemption Song."

By the way, if anyone damaged my guitar...
EL+KABONG+(1).png
 

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