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Do you play more than just a bass?

#84
Bass is my main instrument today, been playing for almost 30 years. But sax was my first "real" instrument... I've been playing for almost 40 years now. I also play clarinet and try real hard on flute.

I've started dabbling in keyboards and I have basic skills on many more... brass, drums, guitar. Would love to pick up banjo and mandolin, just don't have the time.

Absolutely no skills on double-reed instruments like oboe and bassoon or bowed string instruments.
 
#87
Bass is my forte...I also started on bass

I play keyboards and Ive been the keyboard player in bands

I also play guitar but prefer not to
I also play Chapman Stick but have a long way to go to competency
 
#89
I have loads of instruments, some of similar to others of course need a different mindset, Mandolin and Irish Tenor banjo are reverse tune to bass and of course in a different octave but notes are the same. I also play a little concertina and plan to add keyboard. I also play Upright bass. Bass guitar will always be the true love, but chilling and enjoying music for what it is makes all them 100x more fun to play IMO.
 
#90
I played guitar for maybe 50 years from southern gospel to heavy metal , then I moved up by a friend of mine I played guitar with for years and he had a little band going play country and some folk. But he told me he didn’t need another guitar player. He asked me if I could play bass said never have but would give it a try. Well I played bass in that band 4 years are 5 and liked it, and now I have been playing bass on the worship team at church for 15 years still doing it but I still play a little guitar here and there and a little keyboard. I don’t read music I play mostly by ear at Church we use Tabs
 
#91
Yeah, I started on guitar, picked up bass a few years later for a garage band. My family always had a piano, so I learned enough to make it sound like I could play a little ... but not really. Also vocals, I always sang along with guitar (not so much with bass, harder there).
 
#92
wazzel said:
Rhythm guitar and sax are the only other instruments I practice on in addition to bass.

I am no longer competent on the following, but was at some point in time

double bass
Piano
French horn
Baritone
Tuba

I started on bass, rhythm guitar and sax at the same time.
Click to expand...

Obviously a lot of hard rock then?
 
#95
I signed up for a group guitar class taught by the band teacher in Junior High School. All the other kids in the class started learning the chords, but chords didn't make sense to me so I just played the root notes. The teacher noticed, went into the back room and came out with a beat up Fender Musicmaster bass, which he put in my hands. That was 45 years ago, and I've been a bass player ever since. Bass is my first love and primary instrument. But along the way I did learn how to play guitar, mandolin and ukulele. I can also do basic drums and percussion.
 
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#96
devnulljp said:
...
And I'm learning Chapman Stick, which is bloody hard.
Noodled on mandolin and lapsteel.
Basically, if it has strings I can usually get something out of it. No use with keyboards, percussion, reed or wind instruments at all.
Click to expand...

Now, Chapman Stick, that's a different beast, methinks.:woot: It's one of those instruments who I think are really too complicated for me... Do you think playing both guitar and bass is of help here?
It had always thought some keys experience would help, just because the training to play different lines with each hand...
(FWIW, I played piano in my youth but finally hated my piano teacher...)
 
#97
Instruments I would confidently take on stage:
Electric Bass
Upright
Trombone
Mandolin
Tenor Banjo
Bouzouki
Acoustic Guitar
Voice

Instruments I have and can make some noise on:
Tinwhistle
Fiddle
5-string banjo
Piano

Instruments on which I also have recording credits (in addition to the above):
Tuba
Electric guitar
Steel pans
 
#99
Piano first at age 5, and I did studied thru my late teens. I'm a competent, but not great, keys player and I use that skill mostly in arranging and demo tracks.
Started bass as an upright player at age 7 in school orchestras and regional kid symphonies.
Started bass guitar at age 9, did my first paying bass gig at 12 and been at it ever since (over 50 years of gigging, sessions etc.)
I picked up a bit of mandolin along the way ... primarily just for fun but I have done a few gigs on mando too.
Filled a lot of MD roles in bands over the years.

I consider myself a musician who primarily plays bass and sings.
 

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