Guitar players as bass players......

[adamrobertt]

I'm a guitar player turned bassist and I have a pretty melodic style - although it's intentional. I try not to overplay and I can definitely hold down a groove when I need to.

The main problem is that people seem to think that there's a "right" and "wrong" way to play the bass, which is just stupid.

 

[JimmyM]

Anyways, JimmyM, thanks for your thoughtful response.

Same to you...I suck at making quote brackets so I can't go over everything in detail like you did, but I will say that McCartney played a lot of guitar and piano onstage in Wings. He always has a guitarist who doubles on bass in the band lineup. I'm sure he likes it and does it because it's what he does best, but I think if he could wail on guitar like Hendrix he'd rather be playing guitar and not bass. Plays a good rhythm, though.

And I still don't think you need to be all wrapped up in the kick. A lot of music does have the bass wrapped up in the kick, but I think it sounds boring to lockstep with it all the time. Depends on the song, though. I'm just saying be aware of times where not going along with the kick sounds cool.

 

[JimmyM]

I'm a guitar player turned bassist and I have a pretty melodic style - although it's intentional. I try not to overplay and I can definitely hold down a groove when I need to.

The main problem is that people seem to think that there's a "right" and "wrong" way to play the bass, which is just stupid.

No, there IS a right way and a wrong way. The wrong way is to play badly. The right way is to play well.

 

[adamrobertt]

Right, but playing "well" is also extremely subjective.

 

[JimmyM]

Right, but playing "well" is also extremely subjective.

Not for me. What was that old Huey Lewis song..."sometimes bad is bad."

 

[adamrobertt]

Not for me. What was that old Huey Lewis song..."sometimes bad is bad."

But, you realize that that in itself is a subjective statement?

 

[JimmyM]

But, you realize that that in itself is a subjective statement?

I could show you a thousand Youtube videos that say it's not

 

[adamrobertt]

I didn't know that a series of YouTube videos was capable of redefining words from the English language.

 

[JimmyM]

OK, you win. My brain hurts.

 

[nothumb]

started on guitar, switched to bass around 9 years ago and have played both since, but primarily bass. i didn't find that being a guitar player hindered me at all. if anything, the fact that i had to switch to a larger, harder-to-fret instrument helped me calm down and stop trying to shred every two seconds. and the fact that i was used to being able to play all kinds of melodies, runs, even chords on the guitar and think melodically meant that i was ambitious to be able to do more interesting things on bass, to make my fingers work as fast as i felt they should, etc.

being a melodic player such as a guitar player really helps from a counterpoint perspective if you are actually trying to write a bass line that is melodically independent and interesting as well as fitting in with the groove and structure of the song. all of the pseudo-purist dreck in this thread sounds to me like an excuse for not being able to write parts that are melodically interesting as well as able to hold down the low end. it's not an either-or scenario and bassists are not required by law to play root notes in unison with the kick. if that's your idea of brilliant bass playing then it's a trivially easy, boring and uninspiring musical path to follow and it's no wonder you spend half your time berating, envying or complaining about guitar players.

 

[fastback]

any tips for guitarist turned bassists you can give?

i'm a big fan of robert deleo's playing from stone temple pilots.. so the only thing currently that ive been doing is learning his lines..

any other resources to help my playing along?

 

[MtManiac]

any tips for guitarist turned bassists you can give?

i'm a big fan of robert deleo's playing from stone temple pilots.. so the only thing currently that ive been doing is learning his lines..

any other resources to help my playing along?

Keep doing that, and play with other people as often as you can, even if you and they think you suck. It's the best way to learn.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

any tips for guitarist turned bassists you can give?

i'm a big fan of robert deleo's playing from stone temple pilots.. so the only thing currently that ive been doing is learning his lines..

any other resources to help my playing along?

Deleo's lines are usually fantastic even when the songs are dull. The thing he does most often that stands out in my mind is to use passive tones all over the places. He rarely sticks with the standard pentatonic rock bass role, and plays mostly eighth notes, but plays them in groups with little spaces between each group. The result of those rhythms with all the passing tones are basslines that have constant movement and give a melodic statement just as much as a rhythmic one.

 

[MtManiac]

Deleo's lines are usually fantastic even when the songs are dull. The thing he does most often that stands out in my mind is to use passive tones all over the places. He rarely sticks with the standard pentatonic rock bass role, and plays mostly eighth notes, but plays them in groups with little spaces between each group. The result of those rhythms with all the passing tones are basslines that have constant movement and give a melodic statement just as much as a rhythmic one.

I agree - he's not one of my faves, but just because I'm not a huge STP fan in general - I like some of their songs, just not a fan - but he's definitely an overlooked bass player IMHO.

 

[SKATE RAT]

i've been a bass player for 18 years.i've owned a guitar maybe half that time but only played at home never in a band,mostly for writing songs.that is untill 3 months ago when i joined a band on guitar.its a cool role reversal.but i still find my self keeping with the kick.a bass player is like a "bra" its a support role (we make everyone else sound good).in this band only our bass player is on her main instrument.our drummer is a guitar player,our singer/guitarist is a drummer and i'm a bass player on guitar.i think learning other instruments and understanding their approach and role in a group can only further your understanding of music and songcraft.it's like walking a mile in someone else's shoes.i would like to get better at drums.but i have a hard time seperating my feet from my arms.i would also be curious to jam with a keyboard player since they can cover so much ground,rhythm,melody even lead and bass.

 

[sears]

I'm a violin player turned bass guitar player

 

[fastback]

Keep doing that, and play with other people as often as you can, even if you and they think you suck. It's the best way to learn.

Deleo's lines are usually fantastic even when the songs are dull. The thing he does most often that stands out in my mind is to use passive tones all over the places. He rarely sticks with the standard pentatonic rock bass role, and plays mostly eighth notes, but plays them in groups with little spaces between each group. The result of those rhythms with all the passing tones are basslines that have constant movement and give a melodic statement just as much as a rhythmic one.

cheers thanks

 

[The Golden Boy]

any tips for guitarist turned bassists you can give?

i'm a big fan of robert deleo's playing from stone temple pilots.. so the only thing currently that ive been doing is learning his lines..

any other resources to help my playing along?

Listen.

Listen to what you're doing, what the drums are doing, what the guitars, keys, vocals, etc are all doing AND YOUR RELATION TO THEM.

Listen to what's going on and don't just focus on your lines. Know your limitations. Don't be afraid to 'dumb it down' to make things work. I'd rather hear a well played "safe" note or run instead of a trainwreck of a complicated part that isn't done so well.

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

 

[LilMissStrange]

I think it depends on the person, cause remember some are rythym guitarists, some are lead, so that alone can affect the way the approach the bass. I started off playing guitar, and naturally since I couldnt blaze up the neck like of Page or Hendrix at first, I stuck to the main rythym and powerchords. Believe me, I sucked! I had a friend at school who needed a bassist for his band, I agreed to try it out, so when I picked up the bass, I took to it like a duck to water, it was so natural to me. But I've played with other musicians who were INCREDIBLE lead guitarists, but they played the ryhthm and grooves like they should have. They understood they are 2 different instruments. Im a huge Jack Bruce fan. He played a little rhytym guitar on the side, and what I love about his bass playing so much is that he played melodies and leads on the bass instead of doing the stripped down, bare minimum. So again, I think it just depends on the player.

 

[overdrivethree]

my $0.02

i started on drums at 10. picked up a guitar at 13. always had a bass laying around, but didn't really get into it in earnest until around 19-20.

i'm proficient at all three. i've played in bands on each instrument. bass is the hardest, but the most rewarding.

i was never much of a lead guitarist. more of a Townshend/Lennon thing going on. so there's plenty of rhythm and melody happening there. so that sensibility transfered to my bass playing. and since Mike Watt and John Entwistle are my favorite bass players, i realize now that i developed a weird hybrid rhythmic and countermelodic bass style.

i think i treat bass like some guitarists would treat the blues style: with emotional impact and using only the notes necessary to convey that. but it's also fun and sounds badass to get all Entwistle once in a while.

i can't slap to save my life and don't lose sleep over that. as far as i'm concerned, some bass folks take that too far and have turned it into a cliche, just like guitarists have overused Eddie Van Halen's tricks.

so i think bass is a pretty righteous instrument, and commands respect from the player. easy to learn, hard to master. but the musicians that play it (both so-called "real" bassists and guitarists who've picked it up) can do it a disservice when their egos and musical muscle get in the way.

i'm tired. don't know if any of this makes sense. g'night.