Can you learn Bass on a four-string Guitar?

[Nickweissmusic]

Hello,

I've got a Guitar that's missing two strings but has four-strings in a row still intact. I really want to learn Bass Guitar as I've never had much luck learning instruments and want to give this one a try. I learnt Guitar for a few months but can't remember any of that, learnt Clarinet for two years but can now only remember one note and I learnt Piano for about 4 years or so but stopped a couple of years ago and now can't play a single song on it. Not sure if Bass would be any easier, but I think it'd be more my thing and I'd like to give it a go.

So, I was just wondering, is it possible to learn Bass Guitar on a Guitar with four strings? I don't have a Bass Guitar and won't be getting one anytime soon and, to be honest, no matter what y'all say I'll probably end up giving it a try someday but I'm just curious if it's been done before or something?

Thanks!

Sure, whatever you have on hand to learn on is always worth trying. Obviously the techniques will need refinement when you actually get a bass, but there's no reason you couldn't learn to put together basslines on a guitar. Jazz guitarists do it all the time.

 

[wishforbass]

answer Yes

some cheap bass
Ibanez gio
dean edge (saw one in local shop around 80$)

aria ,not recommend but some start from 70$ .

used ones if available near you .
the real bass is much better because help you work on style and playing .

 

[navijaz]

The elephant in the room is:
An electric bass is a guitar with four strings.

Pretty much every guitarist will be able to at make a bass work. Just like any trumpet player can make a French horn work.

But if someone had this much music education and still can't play an instrument then maybe music is just not their forte...

 

[tbz]

Nope. You're just learning how to play a guitar that's missing two strings in that case.

Just buy a Squier or something.

 

[AztecViking]

It's absolutely possible. I started on a cheap Mexican nylon string guitar with 4 strings put center on the neck. The kind you can pick up in Tijuana for about $30.00 USD. I first learned to play along with ZZ Tops's Tres Hombres and then moved on to these Lenny White albums. Just LOVED the bass playing by Marcus Miller and Alex Blake!

Once I had no doubts that I truly wanted to play bass I shelled out for a dirt cheap Electra Precision copy that first looked like this. Soon I tricked it out with a new DiMarzio pickup, Badass bridge and brass nut. Then immediately started playing in local bands. That was in 1979 or so.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[AndreasR]

No, but it will teach you to play a gimped guitar.

 

[MojoPenguin]

Nope. Can you learn guitar on a 4 string Ukulele ?

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

What about this | Taylor Guitars

Introducing Taylor’s Small-Scale Acoustic Bass

Is it a 4 string guitar or a mini Bass?

See for yourself!

 

[madbass6]

Hello,

I've got a Guitar that's missing two strings but has four-strings in a row still intact. I really want to learn Bass Guitar as I've never had much luck learning instruments and want to give this one a try. I learnt Guitar for a few months but can't remember any of that, learnt Clarinet for two years but can now only remember one note and I learnt Piano for about 4 years or so but stopped a couple of years ago and now can't play a single song on it. Not sure if Bass would be any easier, but I think it'd be more my thing and I'd like to give it a go.

So, I was just wondering, is it possible to learn Bass Guitar on a Guitar with four strings? I don't have a Bass Guitar and won't be getting one anytime soon and, to be honest, no matter what y'all say I'll probably end up giving it a try someday but I'm just curious if it's been done before or something?

Thanks!

Yeap!! infact thats how i started on Bass!
my dad gave me a guitar one Xmass (many years ago) he then noticed my attention was always on just 4 specific strings! Being a guitar player himself he says to me
My son youre a Bass player! Next day took me in to trade the used guitar in for a used Bass !
I mean it took him a year or two to figure it out ! but better late then never!

Hopefully the remaining strings on your guitar are
top to bottom
4th=E.
3rd=A
2nd=D
1srt .G
Or from bottom to top
1.G
2.D
3.A
4.E

 

[rogerb]

I think bass lines on a guitar are easier as the scale is shorter. Go for it! Kind of a short term solution you'd want to get an actual bass pretty quickly as you can't really use your fingers on the right hand on a guitar, so you'd probably use a pick (don't read this Jeff Beck!). Nothing wrong with a pick, just bass players often do finger plucking and maybe some slapping as well. I had a cheap bass years ago, and it kind of turned me off the bass, I think now cheap basses are probably much better. Squires and such seem to be pretty good these days from what I read.

Some musical instruments might be easier to get started, but all require a lot of commitment, conga's, bass, guitar, flute, harmonica. You need to find one you like, I started on bass then trumpet, saxophone, violin, piano for years, now back to da bass.

 

[SteveHeissner]

Yes. I did. That was all I could afford.

Same here. It helped later when I got a real bass although I had to get used to the fatter strings and wider spacing. But it didn't take long.

 

[Joybass]

You can learn a lot of things on a 4-string guitar that you will need on a bass. Scales, note positions on the fretboard, progressions. When you're fluent with that, the transition to a real bass won't take long. Unless you will have trouble with the ergonomics of it. But then there will be (ultra) short scale basses. Good luck either way.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

That's how I started - a buddy loaned me his beater "Made in Japan" guitar strung with four really fat guitar strings back in summer of '76. Got my first base in spring of '77

 

[fenderman1202]

Not really Imo. The stretch on your fingers on the first four frets will be nothing on a guitar compared to a bass. Need the real thing to learn I think, even if it's just a cheap one to get you started.

 

[Ox Boris]

is it possible to learn Bass Guitar on a Guitar with four strings?

Yes, but you'll have to re-do your callouses.

 

[TyBo]

Starting with whatever you've got to work with is better than doing nothing IMO. You can get yourself in a bass player's frame of mind and learn basic fingering and patterns on just about anything with frets and strings that can be tuned in ascending 4ths. So until you can score an inexpensive bass somewhere, I say go for it. The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Ideal? Hardly. But it's something. And that's enough to start.

Yes. The first "group" that I played with was 3 guitars and drums, not an optimal lineup. So I turned down the treble on my guitar and amp, stuck to the lower strings, and played "bass". It worked, though not as well as a real bass would have. It's a starting point. Whether or not it's the best place to start can be argued, but to me that's secondary. The best place to start is where you are. So yeah, try it out and see how it feels.

 

[David Jayne]

Your problem isn't the instrument; it's your level of commitment. That's not meant to be a slight. Music isn't easy. It's not for everyone. But it's worth it.

 

[antonspon]

Hello,

I've got a Guitar that's missing two strings but has four-strings in a row still intact. I really want to learn Bass Guitar as I've never had much luck learning instruments and want to give this one a try. I learnt Guitar for a few months but can't remember any of that, learnt Clarinet for two years but can now only remember one note and I learnt Piano for about 4 years or so but stopped a couple of years ago and now can't play a single song on it. Not sure if Bass would be any easier, but I think it'd be more my thing and I'd like to give it a go.

So, I was just wondering, is it possible to learn Bass Guitar on a Guitar with four strings? I don't have a Bass Guitar and won't be getting one anytime soon and, to be honest, no matter what y'all say I'll probably end up giving it a try someday but I'm just curious if it's been done before or something?

Thanks!

Playing bass is more a state of mind than a property of the instrument itself. Yes, you can learn to play bass lines and to play the supporting role of bass on a 4 (or even a normal 6) string guitar, it's all in the mindset and approach you use: it's just an octave up. You can also play "guitar" on a bass guitar, although chords in the lower registers can get a bit muddy. Just bear in mind that if it works for you, you will eventually have to move over to a real bass guitar...but to learn bass-style playing (and thinking) it should be fine.

 

[sikamikanico]

With some imagination, it can totally work. You just need to stop thinking about it as a guitar, and start thinking of it as a bass instrument. Try to make it sound as fat as possible, to give you a sense of what a bass would sound like. Learn some good basslines, and work on making it "feel" like a bass. If you like it, trade it for a bass.

In terms of your instrument, if the remaining strings are not EADG (the four bass strings), I would consider finding some - they can be had for quite cheap. Do you have a classical, or nylon string guitar? Those imo sound pretty good as a bass instrument (I still use mine as a bass sometimes). If not, I would consider downtuning for maybe half a step or full step. Strings will sound bassier, but you'll have to play everything a little further up. For example, if you downtune a full step, the E string will become the D string, so you can play E at the 2nd fret. If you have a capo, you can also just use that to get it back to "standard tuning".

 

[onosson]

I don't understand all the statements about them being completely different instruments. Of course they are different, but not completely different. Basses and guitars have far more in common with each other than they do with most other instruments. Obviously an actual bass is ideal for learning to play bass - but not an absolute requirement at the beginning. As already noted, there are tons of skills that will transfer between both, and also as noted, playing bass has as much to do with your mindset and approach than the instrument itself.

Many musicians have started on seemingly unsuitable instruments and gone on to become renowned players. Legend has it that Buddy Guy started on a homemade 2-string guitar... Good luck!