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Guitar or No Guitar?

#21
In my last band I started off as the bassist, but switched to guitar when the original guitarist left and after a year we still hadn't found a suitable replacement, by which time I'd learned all the guitar parts anyway. Finding a replacement bassist took less than 2 weeks after that!

On the whole though I'm a much better on bass than I am on guitar...
 
#23
I like to play some guitar every now and then it gives them something easier to play. I go from a log neck strung with 6 cables to a slim neck with 6 itty bitty strings and I only have to use a pick instead of all of my fingers.

But for real it's something else thats musical so its fun to play.
 
#25
I enjoy playing both! I compose a lot of music on acoustic guitars. I actually started out playing guitar, at about 10 years old. Got bored with it, switched to drums. Got bored with that and started bass! Now I do all three.

And the whole thing about bassists being failed guitarists: Not true, I play guitar just as good as bass.
 
#26
I'm a drummer who plays bass. I've been saying that for 15 years. Now it's becoming "I'm a drummer who plays bass and bad guitar". I'm teaching myself guitar because I want to be well-rounded.

I also want to be independent. For most of us, you can't play a solo gig on either bass or drums. You are pretty much going to be in a band. It's also _MUCH_ harder to sing and play bass than it is to sing and play guitar and I also think the guitar lends itself better to songwriting. Singing is important to me because it's so valuable and it will help you connect with a much larger range of people. Playing guitar and having that chord right there with your voice really helps you hone in in intonation. As someone who wants to write songs, keys or guitar are just shy of a necessary to truly internalize the sound of various chord voicings.

As somebody who doesn't want to be without options when the band breaks up and who would like the option to play solo gigs, learning guitar or keyboards is just shy of "a must". I like guitar because it's portable.

I don't really have aspirations to be a great guitarist. I know lots of really good guitarists and I'm not going to be able overtake them. If I need a guitarist, I'll ask. Too many other goals depend on me playing either guitars or keys. Right now it's guitar.

KO
 
#27
StevieT said:
My bass teacher in high school (many, many years ago) said gun slingers (guitarists) are a dime a dozen. If you want to always have a job musically just play your bass.
I have stuck with his philosophy, and for the most part I have always had a gig of some sort.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call them a dime-a-dozen, but I definitely have more work now, as a bassist, than I *ever* did as a guitarist. Even better is being able to play both, and even better than that is being able to play both, plus upright, piano, and sing! (I'm working on the the rest, haha).
 
#28
I started on bass. Picked up a bit of acoustic. Enough that I can learn songs if I cared enough. Since my lil' bro has picked it up and he's a bunch better than me. I'm considering getting a Rondomusic guitar (Agile, the Les Paul with the maple board) to mess around with. If I find I don't stick to it, I can give it to my little bro and be pretty content it's in good hands.
 
#29
I used to hate guitars but some months ago I picked up my brothers old Ibanez and started messing around while browsing the good ol' internet. While browsing I thought I might as well learn few chords. Then I noticed it's pretty useful for a bassist to know what chords the guitarists play. And my note ear got better as well. Plus now I know few songs for the campfire. And I wanted to sing while playing. I just can't do that while playing bass. So I bought my own acoustic. Actually I had few other guitars before that. Piece of crap Harley Benton electric guitar and one "prepared" acoustic. It was a nylon stringed which we turned into metal stringed version. It's in low C tune because higher tuning would break off the bridge (which we screwed own) and probably cut off my head. Damn scary, that guitar.

So yeah. I'm not good at playing guitar but I do it for me. I want to learn stuff. I need to vent when the bass is boring. Don't look at me like that, sometimes the bass IS boring.
 
#30
I play both, although bass much more than guitar these days.

I still play guitar when my band does our stripped down acoustic sets, even though people primarily think of me as a bass player. I'll weave parts of the bass lines in with the rythum parts, all the while trying to keep a similar feel to the fully electric studio recordings. It's a challange to try and pull off, and a lot of fun.
 
#31
I write on guitar and use a baritone guitar sometimes for doubling parts in the studio.
I think it's valuable but not essential for a bass player to play a bit of a chordal instrument like guitar or keyboards.
It's also cool to have a guitar around for spontaneous jams with visiting guitarists that don't have a guitar with them.
 
#32
i started with a bass and im gonan die with a bass
but my brother gave up guitar so i got a ibanez acoustic sitting in my room aswell as a very trashy epiphone sg with like 5 strings and bowed neck that robin hood would be proud of

whenever i pick up a guitar i end up just playing bass lines on the top 4 strings :D

i dont think ill sell it cause i take it to the beach/camping cause i dont have the desire to get a acoustic bass
 
#35
Began by figuring out bass lines on the only instrument available -- my older sister's acoustic guitar.

Always wanted a bass, but by the time I could afford one, I had already learned the guitar and started down that road.

I played both in my first band, but went exclusively bass soon after. I still own an acoustic and do play it.

The 3 best advantages to knowing guitar have been:

1) reading the guitar player's hand
2) my kids relate to the guitar and I can play for them
3) better understanding of melody and harmony (probably)
 

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