Convince me to join the low end?

[xXColaXx]

Check out Rush, Protest The Hero, King Crimson, and Charles Mingus.

+10000

Also
Les Claypool, Victor Wooten, Anthony Wellington, Bill Dickens, etc.

 

[martyman5000]

I have two Vintage Ibanez bass guitars that I would never sell and sold my GSR200 that I bought for my daughter.

 

[Relayer71]

Late to this party but...

I thought bass was boring too when I was 15 which is why I got a guitar. But I was listening to U.2., R.E.M., Journey, and other bands where the bass didn't really stand out, at least to me.

A few years later I got into RUSH. I still thought bass was boring because I was only paying attention to the guitar and especially drums at that point. I got a bass anyway to record demos at home but it was just to add some basic low end to my guitar/drum tracks. I didn't understand that a bass can be as melodic, musical, adventurous as a guitar - to me it just played the "low notes" in a song.

But then the more I started listening to RUSH and got into other progressive rock bands like King Crimson, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Yes and others the more I started to realize how amazing a bass can be in the right hands. And getting into jazz and fusion really made me appreciate the instrument more.

Chris Squire and Geddy Lee both blew my mind. So did Stanley Clarke and Charles Mingus. At that point I became a closet bassist - still playing guitar but always paying more attention to bass (and drums) in music I listened to.

After MANY years of playing guitar, I decided 2 years ago to finally get another bass (sold the original one over ten years ago) and dedicate myself to it.

But how I regret not giving the bass a chance all those years ago. Had I done that, I could have been an amazing bassist by now. Or at least, pretty darn good! Or maybe not but I would have been proud to say "I've been playing bass since I was 15!" And well, I can't

So pick up the bass and don't let anyone tell you that it's limited or one dimensional or "for noobs". That can be attributed to the PLAYER, not the instrument.

Bass rocks.

P.S. I still listen to R.E.M., U.2., Journey and also appreciate the bassists in those bands. Because growing up I also learned that music is supposed to grab and move you whether you play 2 notes or 1000 and the music those bands made did move you and the bass wasn't central but was still an important part of that equation.

 

[bassbenj]

Okay so recently I posted a thread asking what the best newb basses were. (I'm gonna decide between the GSR200 and ESP B-50, don't suggest to me to buy anything else, it's final.) But lately i've been having second thoughts and thinking I should just spend the money on an electric guitar instead. I love the low end, and im aware that bassists are in demand waay more than guitarists...

but bass just seems a tad boring to me, maybe once I start playing it will be different, but.. Also, there's just something about guitar that is alluring (maybe the two extra strings? ). I play acoustic now so it seems like the bandwagon approach. I don't want to start playing bass just because its not guitar.

PLEASE, can anyone convince me otherwise? If I can get experienced bassist's views on the situation, it would help a lot.

I play both guitar and bass (and drums). They are TWO DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS. In a nutshell, guitar players wear leather pants, bass players don't. What I mean is that these two instruments have two different jobs and positions in a band. They are NOT interchangeable (hard as some guitarists try to make it so).

The job of a guitar player (especially lead guitar) is to grab and hold the AUDIENCE! You crank up your force of personality until you reach right out from that stage and GRAB the attention of everyone sitting out there. You grab them, hold them and then force them into YOUR vision of the music. It's what you are there for (similar for a singer). But the truth is if you walked off stage taking your overbearing personality with you, the audience would yawn and go back to talking to each other. In that sense you are really an "appendage" to the band.

The purpose of a bass player is to grab and hold the BAND! The bass sets the groove, the rhythm, the root harmony. The bass player can make everyone on the dance floor move their booty any way he decides! He can make the guitar player do the licks he wants. He can get the drumber into a groove that brings down the house. And when the bass stops...the MUSIC stops! The POWER of the bass is absolutely astounding! The control the bass exercises is amazing and it's all done musically right from your fingers no fancy outfits (Bootsy being an exception) needed.

Until you really figure out what I'm talking about, you'll never be a bass player, but just one more guitarist trying to play bass.

So why play bass? Well, bassists are in demand (if they are reasonably good). And quite frankly it gets a little tiring always having your personality cranked to the max to bring in the audience. And sometimes it's really nice instead of just having it all be up front for SHOW, to actually really have some musical authority in the band and make the band bend to YOUR musical vision.

And the most important reason to learn ANY new instrument: It is to better understand the place of the instrument you already play in the music. Music is rhythm, harmony, and melody. And playing bass will give you better understanding of at least two of those. And the more you understand music the better player you'll be. It doesn't matter if you never set the world on fire playing bass. What matters is that you'll have MUCH better understanding of how music goes together.

Personally, I studied piano for years. I SUCK on keys...STILL. But that was Far, Far from wasted time. A piano has it ALL. To study piano is to study music. And that is what it's all about.

OK?

 

[Duke21]

Okay so recently I posted a thread asking what the best newb basses were. (I'm gonna decide between the GSR200 and ESP B-50, don't suggest to me to buy anything else, it's final.) But lately i've been having second thoughts and thinking I should just spend the money on an electric guitar instead. I love the low end, and im aware that bassists are in demand waay more than guitarists...

but bass just seems a tad boring to me, maybe once I start playing it will be different, but.. Also, there's just something about guitar that is alluring (maybe the two extra strings? ). I play acoustic now so it seems like the bandwagon approach. I don't want to start playing bass just because its not guitar.

PLEASE, can anyone convince me otherwise? If I can get experienced bassist's views on the situation, it would help a lot.

Boring?? You should start to actively listening to music!

 

[Apocalypse Dude]

When I was around your age I had to make the same decision and decided that I wanted to play bass. I still play guitar a little but in a band setting I'm a bass player and I'm glad I chose it. If I were you I wouldn't purchase a bass yet. I would go in a music store and play one to see how it feels. If it feels right I would buy the Ibanez. If not I'd buy a guitar. See which one feels the best and then make your decision.

You were smart to ask for help but next time chose your words more carefully, especially on a forum dedicated to bass. If you decide to play bass I'd keep visiting this site. You may think you walked into a hostile environment but believe me, the people here are great and you can learn a lot on this forum. Good luck.

 

[Duke21]

I play both guitar and bass (and drums). They are TWO DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS. In a nutshell, guitar players wear leather pants, bass players don't. What I mean is that these two instruments have two different jobs and positions in a band. They are NOT interchangeable (hard as some guitarists try to make it so).

The job of a guitar player (especially lead guitar) is to grab and hold the AUDIENCE! You crank up your force of personality until you reach right out from that stage and GRAB the attention of everyone sitting out there. You grab them, hold them and then force them into YOUR vision of the music. It's what you are there for (similar for a singer). But the truth is if you walked off stage taking your overbearing personality with you, the audience would yawn and go back to talking to each other. In that sense you are really an "appendage" to the band.

The purpose of a bass player is to grab and hold the BAND! The bass sets the groove, the rhythm, the root harmony. The bass player can make everyone on the dance floor move their booty any way he decides! He can make the guitar player do the licks he wants. He can get the drumber into a groove that brings down the house. And when the bass stops...the MUSIC stops! The POWER of the bass is absolutely astounding! The control the bass exercises is amazing and it's all done musically right from your fingers no fancy outfits (Bootsy being an exception) needed.

Until you really figure out what I'm talking about, you'll never be a bass player, but just one more guitarist trying to play bass.

So why play bass? Well, bassists are in demand (if they are reasonably good). And quite frankly it gets a little tiring always having your personality cranked to the max to bring in the audience. And sometimes it's really nice instead of just having it all be up front for SHOW, to actually really have some musical authority in the band and make the band bend to YOUR musical vision.

And the most important reason to learn ANY new instrument: It is to better understand the place of the instrument you already play in the music. Music is rhythm, harmony, and melody. And playing bass will give you better understanding of at least two of those. And the more you understand music the better player you'll be. It doesn't matter if you never set the world on fire playing bass. What matters is that you'll have MUCH better understanding of how music goes together.

Personally, I studied piano for years. I SUCK on keys...STILL. But that was Far, Far from wasted time. A piano has it ALL. To study piano is to study music. And that is what it's all about.

OK?

I think it is a bit wrong to think like that, i.e. The lead guitar hold the audience, while the bass hold the band. I always fell for bands where the bass did a measure of both.
Regarding piano, Marcus Miller was asked once what he recomends for a bass player to do in order to be a better bass plsyer. He said "learn to play piano"

 

[millsbass5]

"but bass just seems a tad boring to me"-quote


You're gettin' off to a bad start here,buddy!