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Help! Am I becoming a Guitard?

svenbass

svenbass

Dec 12, 2002
452
21
Boston
www.facebook.com
#1
I think I have a serious problem here - I'm a professional bassist, and have a day of bass students at an area store. Over the past year I've found that giving bass students a point of reference is very helpful to their growth, so I started bringing an old Telecaster and learned a few chords. One thing led to another and I have become somewhat proficient on the guitar :eek: Even worse, I am actually digging it to the point of practicing a bit :eek::eek: (with the lights off, in the basement, and at very late hours) BUT what I'm into is rhythm playing:bassist: - the Motown stuff, James Brown funk grooves, bluegrass chunkin' etc. etc. Am I in danger of this leading to ... gulp .. tapping, shredding, and spandex? As of now very few melodies and never even attempt to solo, so am I disqualified as a Guitard? Please say yes :D
 
#4
you're only a guitard if you start throwing your bass GAS money at expensive guitars :bassist:

you can be a guitar player too, you wont be much different from the many of us who started out on guitar and crossed over to bass. You might learn a thing or two about harmonics and solos on the bass from playing a guitar too.

About the spandex - Cant rock without the spandex. You can always hide cover it with some clothes or dim the stage lights, if people stare :D
 
#5
I picked up my guitar for the first time in a while after considering my self semi profficient as a rhythm guitarist years ago (Ie I knew the basics of how to play and decently) now the thing feels like a tiny toy in comparison to my bass, im cramped trying to put my fingerson frets for songs I still know how to play, my speed has diminished with a pick (I'm working alot more on fingers and slapping on bass!),...

im finding bass a lot more "me" at the moment, and all the rhythm stuff I used to play, pretty much bass lines anyway hah!

I'll stick with bass, too hard to try and get two instruments going at once tho it does help me to know the guitar side of chords and what not :) so if someone does an open string A chord or G chord I can go badda bing badda boom and work along side it ( looking at a guitarist who is chugging an open E or A is hard tho, or especially when theyre doing fast power chord stuff... still I guess thats when u can ask them if cant hear what theyre playing too hehe)
 
#11
i know plenty of guitarists, but only a few guitards. its all a matter of how they approach themselves, their instrument, other musicians, other instruments and music in general. i think most people at least dabble in other instruments and my experience with guitar and other instruments has only helped my playing and writing. so guitar away, but keep it in your pants.
 
#16
svenbass said:
I think I have a serious problem here - I'm a professional bassist, and have a day of bass students at an area store. Over the past year I've found that giving bass students a point of reference is very helpful to their growth, so I started bringing an old Telecaster and learned a few chords. One thing led to another and I have become somewhat proficient on the guitar :eek: Even worse, I am actually digging it to the point of practicing a bit :eek::eek: (with the lights off, in the basement, and at very late hours) BUT what I'm into is rhythm playing:bassist: - the Motown stuff, James Brown funk grooves, bluegrass chunkin' etc. etc. Am I in danger of this leading to ... gulp .. tapping, shredding, and spandex? As of now very few melodies and never even attempt to solo, so am I disqualified as a Guitard? Please say yes :D
Click to expand...


I'm a bass player first and foremost and always will be
but I play a lot of guitar as well on the side. I prefer playing bass
in a band context, but I've found being able to play some
guitar to a fairly competent level to aid in songwriting as well
as recording when I can't find a real guitar slinger to play.

I say enjoy learning guitar as much as you want to as it will
round you out as a musician.Heck I even play bottleneck
slide blues and lapsteel as well. It's fun to play more than one
instrument. Look at Paul McCartney who is a fine guitarist
and keyboardist in his own right besides being a bass playing
icon.

You won't become a 'guitard' but rather a better musician.
So have fun learning guitar as well.:)
 
#17
Bah. You're just evolving from solely being a bassist to being a musician. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying being a bassist isn't being a musician, or that you have to learn to play other instruments before you're considered a musician. I'm just saying that when you listen to music you enjoy, there are many factors that make the music enjoyable (usually). Example: I don't care how awesome a song's bassline is, if the rest of the song stinks (i.e. juvenile lyrics, terrible guitar, incomprehensible vocals, annoying beat, etc....) I won't listen to the song.

I happen to like guitar when it's played well. There are a lot of bands that I got into because the guitar work was really good. Gov't Mule is possibly my favorite band, period. It just so happens that all their songs have awesome basslines. I ended up getting into them NOT because of their basslines, but because of Warren's voice, songwriting, and guitar playing. Don't get me wrong, I love Matt Abt's drumming and definitely love Woody's lines (as well as Andy Hess' stuff), but those factors were secondary.
 
#20
svenbass said:
BUT what I'm into is rhythm playing:bassist: - the Motown stuff, James Brown funk grooves, bluegrass chunkin' etc. etc.
Click to expand...

That's what I play when I have a guitar in my hands;).

I see no problem with playing and owning a guitar, other than it cutting into bass time. That's why I ultimately got rid of my guitar, I would just noodle around on it instead of getting over the latest challenge on my bass.

It helps to expand your songwriting though. Setting up a basic rhythm and chord chart can make for a more cohesive song.
 

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