I play guitar well enough to amuse myself and small children....anyone older knows I'm just trying but not really playing
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Can you also play guitar?
- Thread starter Bass_Poet
- Start date
Can play guitar. Not that great at it, but good enough to make it a serious hobby. As in my band and at most jam sessions I'm playing guitar. Most of my playing is rhythm. Timing on bass and guitar are, to my way of thinking, the same thing.
Hey Bass_Poet: Play whatever instrument works for you.
I've been playing bass since 1984. I twice took a series of guitar lessons, but found the strings too skinny and too close together.
I even bought a skookum electric guitar (1980 G&L F-100) and paired it with a nice Fender tube amp and a Crybaby wah pedal, thinking that an investment in cool guitar gear would convert me to guitar. Nope. I still found the strings too skinny and too close together.
Despite being able to play guitar, I gave up, sold my guitar gear, and still consider myself a confirmed bassist.
I've been playing bass since 1984. I twice took a series of guitar lessons, but found the strings too skinny and too close together.
I even bought a skookum electric guitar (1980 G&L F-100) and paired it with a nice Fender tube amp and a Crybaby wah pedal, thinking that an investment in cool guitar gear would convert me to guitar. Nope. I still found the strings too skinny and too close together.
Despite being able to play guitar, I gave up, sold my guitar gear, and still consider myself a confirmed bassist.
Not as good as I once was, but yep, I can play guitar. I actually played it first, so I had the mechanics pretty well worked out when I started bass.
I've played guitar for 51 years now, beginning when I was eight. Started on bass as a preteen. Piano when I was 24.
I've no real music heroes except maybe Ted Greene. He was a massive influence on my guitar playing as a kid, and then young adult. His playing and publications helped form my style. Definitely someone to emulate if you like to tie your fingers into knots. Gone way too young.
Lately I've been stealing Tommy Emmanuel's moves. Dudes got chops.
I've no real music heroes except maybe Ted Greene. He was a massive influence on my guitar playing as a kid, and then young adult. His playing and publications helped form my style. Definitely someone to emulate if you like to tie your fingers into knots. Gone way too young.
Lately I've been stealing Tommy Emmanuel's moves. Dudes got chops.
I'm a pretty good guitarist. Understanding chords definitely helps my bass playing.
Hopkins
Commercial User
I'm not much of a lead player, but I am a pretty good rhythm guitar player. My fingers are not long and not skinny, so I don't really think short and fat is all that much of a hindrance, its more about positioning your hand so your fingers are perpendicular to the fret board.
I play enough piano to learn most stuff thrown my way though it takes a while. I know enough guitar to play lead for a basic rock set. I know enough mandolin to have a good time. I know enough drums to pretend I can lose the beat. That's what drummers do right?
I am a guitarist as well as a bassist.
I understand the allure of using distortion as a mask but suggest some practicing without it so that you strive for chord and single note clarity. You can achieve it!
I understand the allure of using distortion as a mask but suggest some practicing without it so that you strive for chord and single note clarity. You can achieve it!
I've been a bass player for about 13 years now... It all started when I had just bought my first axe... a new fender MIM double fat strat (on special cause it had a dent). I was having fun and I was looking to jam. My buddies all played guitar we quickly got together to jam. I was stoked to learn some skills.... not 3 days after that purchase, my one friend guitar player (the best in the group) gave me his yamaha bass and as quickly as I was a guitarist I turned into a bass player... and I lived happilly ever after.
Though I do love guitar.To me the equipment is way more sexy than bass gear, you cant break out a bass around a camp fire and sing a song ( well maybe "the joker"), and guitar players definitely get the most attention. But without bass the band just doesn't sound right... and who else is going to practice with the drummer? THE GUITAR PLAYER????? Yeah right.
Though I do love guitar.To me the equipment is way more sexy than bass gear, you cant break out a bass around a camp fire and sing a song ( well maybe "the joker"), and guitar players definitely get the most attention. But without bass the band just doesn't sound right... and who else is going to practice with the drummer? THE GUITAR PLAYER????? Yeah right.
"I dont play the guitar so much as torture it". I started playing guitar at age 11 and couldn't form chords, so switched to bass at 12. I'm 43 now and started teaching myself guitar about 5 years ago. I'm a pretty good rhythm player
and often impress friends who didn't know I play guitar as well as bass, but can barely pull off a convincing solo.
and often impress friends who didn't know I play guitar as well as bass, but can barely pull off a convincing solo.
I came to the conclusion early on...40+ years ago...that No Matter how I tried, there were always going to be so many guys who played guitar SO much better than me that I'd never feel satisfied. If, on the other hand, I focused on becoming the best bassist I could be, I would stand out in a crowded room full of musicians. Toward that end, if you were to put a gun to my head I couldn't make a D chord on a guitar. That's what my autoharp is for!
I have a big collection of world percussion, which I play at least as much as I practice the bass. I haven't been in a gigging band for 6 or 7 years now, and that fits me well.
I have a big collection of world percussion, which I play at least as much as I practice the bass. I haven't been in a gigging band for 6 or 7 years now, and that fits me well.
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I've played guitar since 4th grade, trombone since 5th. Took up bass "seriously" about seven years ago. Should have done it many years sooner. Knowing both other instruments has helped my bass playing a lot. Knowing the note relationships inside of different chord shapes translates directly to bass, as does reading bass clef from trombone. Still working on equating notes on paper to fingers on instrument, but like everything else, it's getting better with practice.
I took up guitar at age 10, bass guitar at age 13, played both about 50-50 until I was in my mid-30s, and was good on both. Then took 20-something years off to raise kids. Came back about 8 years ago on bass guitar, upright bass and mandolin. Figured that would be the best combination to get gigs and it has been. Don't miss guitar at all, but if I had to play it I could. Would be a little rusty now, though.
Hopkins
Commercial User
I bought a guitar first, had it for a few years and never really learned how to play it. Then I bought a bass and really learned how to play music. After a few years and more than a few occasions of being at parties where a random acoustic jam secession would break out, I got kind of tired of not joining in because I was just a bass player. So I finally decided to learn some chords, and it made me a better bass player. Personally I think every bass player should learn the basics of guitar.
Go for it. Some great pianists had smallish fingers. Schubert in particular. Other than stretches it should pose no problems. There probably is no better educational instrument.
I started learning guitar about 5 years after bass. I love both instruments and, in regards to overall musician development, feel that they compliment each other very well.
Although my skill level is closely matched on both instruments, bass and guitar, in regards to gigging, I primarily promote myself as a bassist.
Although my skill level is closely matched on both instruments, bass and guitar, in regards to gigging, I primarily promote myself as a bassist.
Thanks for all the replys guys. This was just my 2nd post! I took away a lot of info. Some people are multi talented and some people just wanna make thunder! This confirms another idea I always had. I think if you put a bunch of musicians in room, the drummers would be slamming down shots, the guitarist would be talking smack to the other guitarist about who is better, the leading singers would be busy making out with two or three different girls and the bassists would have snuck out through the kitchen and out into the ally to have a smoke and tell stories from their lives.
Actually I used to be the guy getting the girls many years ago
. Now I'm too old and married! I just bought an acoustic guitar about a year ago. Started playing bass in the early 70's and that's all I ever played. Thought it was time to learn guitar. I learned the basic cowboy chords and the basic bar chords and thats about as far as it went. I pick it up about once a month and run through the chords then I hang it back up for another month. It did help me in some ways. My pick playing that I sucked at on bass got a lot better and I like using it now although still use fingers most of the time. The other thing it has done was help when I'm playing with others if I get lost or don't know the key or something I can look at what the guitar player is doing and all is good. Couldn't do that before.
