Do you play guitar too?

[slobake]

I was a mediocre to poor guitar player for years. Two years ago some friends asked if I wanted to play bass with their band. It was first love as soon as I picked up that Precision. I knew I had found my instrument. I still play some guitar, mainly to write songs. I have an 1990 American Standard telecaster, a 58 tweed champ, and an old Takamine acoustic.

 

[basslifter]

I started teaching myself guitar about 2 years ago, but was never really that good and just did it for fun. I picked up the bass about a year ago and got much more serious with lessons and the whole deal. I played guitar last night for prob 15 minute, but bass for prob 45. So, bass is the main thing and what I play in a band and I have 2 guitars that my skills don't justify.

 

[cleary]

...

Playing both won't harm you. There's a lot of stuff that crosses over and some stuff that may make the other more easily understood.

+1
The same can be said for many instruments. I played guitar on and off for about 15 years, once I took up bass I realised all I ever did on guitar was noodle. Bass, and particularly the styles of music I'm playing is getting my musicianship up to scratch, which in turn is helping my guitar. Not to mention the rhythm improvement, hand strength/flexibility etc.

 

[wraub]

No fair, you guys have nice guitars! Alls I have is a Squier Strat w single humbucker.
However, it does play well, record nicely, and sound really good.
Plus, at loud volumes, it kills.

Never mind, I guess I am ok with this.

 

[MJ5150]

I never figured out how to play the bass guitar right, so I am impressed by you guys who can play more than just the bass guitar.

-Mike

 

[warwick.hoy]

I can play a bit of piano too.

I've been trying to teach myself how to play drums as well but it's hard for me cause I'm trying to learn to play really softly but it's still hella loud and I'm not sure if I'm upsetting the neighbors or not.

 

[duff beer]

I was a bad guitar player that switched to bass. Once I became competent on bass I started playing guitar again and suddenly I became competent on guitar, lol. Last week in one of my bands at the end of rehearsal we were picking new songs. I knew how to play one of them so I picked up a guitar (they had never heard me play guitar before) and played the song for them. This band has two guitarist, but it turns out that I'm a better guitar player than one of them and after hearing me, they now want to replace him.

 

[deeptubes]

I can play some guitar. I'm 43, been playing bass since I was 16. I bought my first guitar at about 37, an Ibanez 540S Custom, after my cervical disc fusion. I had substantial numbness in my right index finger. I was freaking out about not being able to feel my strings. So, I bought it to teach myself to play with a pick. Yeah, I know, I could've just started practicing with pick. Perhaps I just wanted an excuse to buy a git. I also have a sharp Variax JTV-59 and an old-ass Maier that I think is from the 60s. They went out of business in the late 60s. That one looks kind of like a Jaguar knockoff. My little one gravitates toward that one. Think I'm going to fix it up for her when the time comes. I think being able to play more than one instrument allows one to experience a different facet of the music and helps to expand musical horizons.

 

[bolophonic]

No, no, never-ever. I cannot even comprehend why anyone would want to even pick one up. I am serious... 27 years of playing bass and I have maybe touched a guitar a handful of times. Even the amps kind of gross me out.

 

[BboogieXVII]

I'm an OK to fairly mediocre rhythm guitarist and can belt out a few campfire tunes with vocals, nothing wrong with that! I have always felt that whatever time I put into guitar has always helped my bass playing, as long as I didn't let the guitar time cut into my bass playing time very much.

 

[MazingerZ]

Yup. I also do rhythm guitar back-up duties once in a while;

 

[Webtroll]

Started out on guitar with a book of songs that had the name of the chord and the finger charts. As I got better I could play more complicated songs, but never wanted to be a guitarist, it was just something fun to do. A few years later I was asked to play bass in a band and from what I knew about guitar I was able to play basic parts right off the bat, feel in love and now... still stink at both. Yay!

 

[wmheilma]

Bass has always been my main instrument, but recently I pulled out my guitar. Apparently I left it in the case to long! The foam had rotted and stuck to the thing. I have been doubling to get some duo work. Having fun with that tiny little oddly tuned not quite a bass!
Long ago I learned some jazz guitar to help with chord theory. It is good to play both instruments!

 

[avvie]

I started on guitar, got to be a good rhythm player. Got a bass to record lines to my songs with, got asked to play in a band with it and found my calling. Stillove guitar but haven't jammed it in a while. Quite rusty by now I'm sure.

 

[Munjibunga]

I'm a strummer. I know five, maybe six chords.

 

[Chainsaw Willie]

I started on guitar in the late '70s and dabbled a little on bass. Played guitar exclusively '79 to '85. Spent a year in a blues band on bass in '85. Guitar only '86 to 2011. Was offered a bass player position in 2011, so I picked it up again an have played bass again for the last two years.

Playing both has been helpful in both spots. More guitarists should spend some time on bass. More bassists should spend some time on guitar.

 

[neo 7]

I played drums for a few years and messed around on guitar a little bit. Then a friend asked me to play bass in his band. I hated it. After about a year I realized the neck on my P-Bass was just too big for me, so I got a Jazz neck on ebay, put it on my P and never looked back. Sold my drums and guitar shortly afterward.

 

[mellowinman]

Hint: You can play more than one note at a time.

Hint: It helps if they complement each other.

Hint: If they don't, you can always call it some kind of genre.

 

[petrus61]

I keep telling myself I'm going to grab a guitar and learn more than the few bar chords I know, but I always wind up buying another bass instead. I've borrowed friends guitars with the same intention, but they just kind of sit around while, yep, I play my bass.

 

[Dave W]

I'm a guitarist turned bassist. No I don't think it slowed anything down, other than not being able to dedicate 100% of my time to one instrument or the other. I played guitar for 13 years before picking up the bass full time.