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How long did you play before going live?

A

AddSomeRiddim

Sep 23, 2011
27
0
#1
Hi TalkBass,

Just a quick question: How long had you been playing Bass before you joined a band?

I hadn't played at all and was brought in a fortnight before a gig (long story) so obviously have little theory knowledge but we regularly practice covers so I don't feel I'm properly learning.

So just wondering if you learnt-as-you-went or got yourself to a good level before rockin' out :bassist:
 
#2
I joined a band in high school playing keyboards, but the bass player was unreliable. The guitarist heard I got a little cash for Christmas and talked me into getting a bass. We went to the store together, bought something cheap I could afford, went to his house and jammed. Played a party that weekend. The rest is history.
 
#8
How long before joining a band or how long before playing out?

I joined a band before I played bass..me and my friends decided we wanted to play in a band so we all went out and bought instruments and started playing together.

It was a while before we played out anywhere. It was a while longer until we played out anywhere and sounded good.
 
#10
I had owned my bass for about a year, but had really only been playing it for about 5-6 months before my first live performance. Before then, I just owned it but never really used it. I actually was in two bands at the time and both bands played on the same night. One band did covers (Funk49 and White Room), and the other did originals.

That said, I had been playing alto sax for about 3 years before then and had had my typical middle school band concerts, so I wasn't completely new to live performance.
 
#12
I had been playing 2 weeks

I had no idea how to work a bass. These 2 d-bags I knew needed a bassist (they were a singer/guitarist and drummer). The guitar player just told me, "when I play C chord... you play C note.. "..and he'd poined to the A string, 3rd fret, on my bass.. that's how I learned bass...
 
#14
my first public performance was backing a friend up at an open mic After I had been practicing& learning 3 years. I started Gigging with a full band after 6 years.

Live performance has less to do with general theory and learning and more to do with command of the specific material (except for improv/ jazz)
 
#16
bluewine said:
I played for a couple of weeks, and played in my 6th grade talent show in 66.

I'm 59 now and have no plans on stopping.
Click to expand...

This is great! Hope this happens to me :)

Generally people seem to have only played bass a short while before before playing live. To play original music and write my own basslines I think a you should go in with some sound knowledge but that's just me
 
#17
I think the biggest mistake any beginner of bass playing is doing is not playing fast enough in bands (or a lot of band playing). You could become the YouTube video hero of bass playing but most likely you crumble when sitting in in a band with a flakey bass player and a leader that re-arranges songs on the flight.

If you purchase a bass, first thing you should do is to get into a band. Period.
 
#18
AddSomeRiddim said:
Hi TalkBass,

Just a quick question: How long had you been playing Bass before you joined a band?

I hadn't played at all and was brought in a fortnight before a gig (long story) so obviously have little theory knowledge but we regularly practice covers so I don't feel I'm properly learning.

So just wondering if you learnt-as-you-went or got yourself to a good level before rockin' out :bassist:
Click to expand...

I've been playing for a few years and have yet to play a gig as a bassist. Just haven't found any like minded cats that I would be willing to play in public with yet. I guess time will tell if I ever do. At any rate, I'm in no hurry.
 
#19
...in addition.........in my case, by the time I did start playing out, I knew just about every damn song on the radio so I didn't have to learn anything! Ended up playing in numorous bands in the neighborhood! Gained quite a reputation as 'The guy who knows everything'! I'm still that way. Anything that hits top40, I'm on it!
 
#20
I started in 1965, ten minutes after I got my first bass, I played in a pick up band at a party. Do you know how many songs you can play using C, F and G? The guitarist would yell, move to the bigger string and wow, there where twenty more. You may think I am kidding but this is true. Thank God for the Kingsmen.
 

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