Can I call myself a "bassist"?

[Demonator]

When you sell your last guitar to fund a bass, come back and ask.

hahahahaha Id do that. If it meant getting a Dean V.

 

[J. Crawford]

hahahahaha Id do that. If it meant getting a Dean V.

Then get a Dean V.

Whoa, I just solved a problem.

 

[Demonator]

Its not that easy bro. I own two basses and my parents wont let me buy another. I have a job but I have to pay insurance on my truck and gas etc..

 

[J. Crawford]

Its not that easy bro. I own two basses and my parents wont let me buy another. I have a job but I have to pay insurance on my truck and gas etc..

Oh. I see.

 

[Demonator]

Yeah, but if I sold a guitar and got a bass then whats the difference. To my parents bass and guitar are the same, so if I sold a electric guitar and bought a bass guitar they shouldnt be to mad. That may work. Plus I could save for insurance and put about 25 dollars aside every paycheck and get the bass.

 

[Demonator]

I think its time i invest in a better amp. I need something that will rock the house. Would it be ok to ask in this thread. Or do I have to start another one?

 

[UncleFluffy]

Yeah, but if I sold a guitar and got a bass then whats the difference. To my parents bass and guitar are the same, so if I sold a electric guitar and bought a bass guitar they shouldnt be to mad. That may work. Plus I could save for insurance and put about 25 dollars aside every paycheck and get the bass.

Get a six-string bass the same colour as your guitar. They'll probably never even notice

 

[Demonator]

its black with a white pickguard. simple.

 

[MattAT]

If you can play any instrument decently then you can call yourself what ever you want. What ever your playing at that moment then that is what your are. It is called a bass GUITAR for a reason. Though I prefer the term musician over any other.

 

[Zureta]

I would say that you are a "musician." a lot of musicians play multiple instruments. Drumnmers play piano, violinists play flute, pianists play guitar. Lots of musicians have a primary instrument that they focus on and augment their knowledge of music by learning and playing other instruments. Doing this usually makes them better at whatever they do because they learn that each instrument is important and contributes its own voice to the song. I meet lots of musicians who play guitar in one band, bass in another, and drums in a third. then again some musicians learn and play only one instrument. In my opinion these types tend to believe that their instrument is the most important in the band and don't respect the other members and their talents causing a lot of stress and turmoil within the band. As was said above, don't get caugfht up with labels. We are multidimensional beings. We can be a son, brother, husband, father, sinner, and saint all at the ame time. Play what you want, and enjoy every minute of it.

Fully agree.

People always seem to admire most the super-focused Mozart personality types. As in, he knew at four years old what he wanted to do with his life, and then spent his every waking moment being awesome in that one thing he loved. To the exclusion of all else.

Sure, that works. Unending passion is the first step to never becoming bored with what you do, which is the best way to never give up practicing. Which in turn is the only path to becoming a master of any human activity.

But there's nothing wrong with being a more "multiclass" kind of person (is my nerd vocabulary showing?), with multiple interests and that prefer to be good at many things rather than being eternally bound to just one. Da Vinci was no less of a genius than Mozart just because he didn't care only about painting or inventing or whatever.

So you can be a "true" bassist even if you're also a guitarrist. It just depends on your passion and dedication! There's no shame in it, nor is it a breach of contract or anything.

Here's a favorite quote that this discussion reminds me of:

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein

 

[irishryno]

play bass? enjoy it? have uncontrolable bouts of GAS? if yes to all three, then u r a bassist.

 

[Chunk-O-Funk]

Fill out the blanks on this and pass them around

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Ta da! You're a bassist.
If somebody say's you're not a bassist whip out one of these bad boys.



EDIT:
Oh yeah. I totally ripped that picture from a business card company.

 

[Zureta]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Nice bass, generic fill-in-the-blanks business card company! Pretty amateurish typography, but very tasteful photo. Six out of ten.

 

[NickInMesa]

If you play bass, then you are a bassist.

'xactly.

I show up with a stack and a bass, plug in and play.

I am a bassist.

 

[bassplayer7768521]

There is an international standard set by the Musician's Union Conglomerate to help regulate usage of terms like 'bassist'. In order to legitimately call yourself a 'bassist', you must bass the three-tier certification process as outlined in the 'Charter for Musician Nomenclature' (Revision 7). I suggest you book your initial audition as soon as possible because the certification process is taking exponentially longer due to a backlog of requests generated by the 'Guitar Hero' industry.

Good luck!

This post is by far the best thing I've ever read on this forum.

 

[Demonator]

You guys are very helpful and understanding. If I ask this on UG i would get flamed most likely. But you guys are awesome.

 

[zagralin_arf]

I just call myself a drop tuned 4 string guitarist. Thats all I am.

 

[Holy War]

I started on alto sax, then tenor sax, then the oboe, and then the bass...can I be a bassist?

 

[lunarpollen]

You are both a bassist and a guitarist.

When you are playing bass lines on a bass guitar, you are a bassist or bass guitarist. When you are playing standard guitar parts on a standard guitar, you are a guitarist.

 

[odin70]

You can call yourself The Fuhrer of the third reich, if you want to. I prefer to call you a bass player.