How long have you been playing?

[Rich600]

Been playing/practicing non stop for about 2 years.

 

[keb]

14 years. A relative latecomer, as I didn't start on bass (started on piano/guitar much earlier) until I was 20, but hey, better late than never!

Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and Exit, Stage Left, baby!!!!

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My "Holy Trinity" back in the day!!

+1 to that!

 

[cassanova]

Christmas day will make 19 years to the day.

 

[lonote]

Gulp...40 years...there must be some mistake here! My playing certainly doesn't sound like it ought to...40 years...wow.

 

[hieronymous]

I think I started playing in 8th grade - I think NIB was the first thing I plunked out (not the bass solo before it though!). I learned a lot by playing along with Rush albums - I remember Moving Pictures in particular. I took some time off from bass a few years ago, but came back to it recently. Basically I've been playing for 22 years...

I thought it would be fun to post a sample of my playing, even if it's outdated! Here's an MP3 from twelve years ago:

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The band is Jiggle the Handle, the tune was written by Gary Backstrom, it was recorded at Union St. in Newton, MA. I'm playing my Fender Japan '62 Jazz RI (pictured below with my cat), probably through my old "Acetone" bass amp and crappy Carvin speaker or speakers (don't remember - it was a long time ago!)

I've actually never been that satisfied with my playing until recently. I never played a solo I was even vaguely happy with until a couple of years ago! I guess that's what I'm working on now, playing what I hear and expressing myself. As long as you're doing your best and being true to yourself and having fun then I think you're doing alright! It's not about being better than anybody or being able to play a certain speed or technique. LISTENING is the key...

 

[teej]

I may not be super awesomely good, or have 31 years experience (just over three), but I can play.

Some friends and I played at a pool party, and Chris (guitarist) asked to hear something from me (this was the first time we've EVER played together), so I did and he said he wishes he had a bass. Then, we did a version of "Gay Bar" by Electric 6, but without guitar (bass only) and everyone went nuts.

So I guess I play well enough, to satisfy myself and others, for the time being.

 

[Frank Louis]

Gulp...40 years...there must be some mistake here! My playing certainly doesn't sound like it ought to...40 years...wow.

Yea, me too bro, it will be 40 years in '05. Started on guitar then got a Hofner Beatle bass for Christmas in '67.
Back to guitar in the 70's, loud screamin' guitar. Back to bass in the 80's cause I needed the bread. In the past four years been playin' everything from five and six string to electric upright, now real upright.
Wouldn't trade this music experience for anything, it makes life so much better . . .

 

[j-raj]

31-13= 18 years... But I like Fuq's quote better than thinking how long it has been since I started.

 

[Anti_Wish]

5

 

[iamthebassman]

Since 1976
Go here:
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Check out #12

 

[Krisfield]

17 yrs. Most of my learning has been in the last 4 yrs though.

 

[dunamis]

I started playing bass in 1977-- a Squier I think it was, then pretty quickly a Ric (had to try to be more like Geddy!).

 

[LizzyD]

I'm at about 20 years, and a few years longer playing guitar. Yup, those 3 Rush albums are my holy trinity too! They are the reason I'm a musician.

Samples at my site.

 

[Raven]

I started learning bass at age 10, I'm still learning at age 56... OMG I feel soooo old.....

 

[Mike Flynn]

It will be my 20th year as a bass player next July - I know because I got my first bass (a half-size red, plastic, Kay bass) when I was 13 - and I'm 33 next July 15th...damn, I'm getting old!

Oh well, at least I can play bass pretty well now...

 

[Bard2dbone]

Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and Exit, Stage Left, baby!!!!

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My "Holy Trinity" back in the day!!

And that is exactly why my first good bass was a Ric.

I also started in '79. May of my freshman year in high school. I bought my first bass with lunch money that I saved for the whole school year up to that point. A dollar a day, every day from September to mid-May.

 

[Joe P]

About a year, I'm nowhere near the ability of most here. For most of that time I felt like I really sucked bad, and I should just give up. But I didn't, and over the last few weeks, there's been a drastic improvement in my playing (at least from my point of view). I've been able to learn some basslines from some of my favorite bands pretty damn well, and I've even made a few of my own that are pretty funky in the last few days. I'm buying a recorder just so I don't forget them.

This is great to hear, Man. I'm tellin' ya: that's how it goes - I know just what you're talking about - I'll practice for weeks, feeling like I've hit a brick wall, and then one day it'll be "heeeey... somthing's happening here, Man!"

Get that recorder, Dude!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh - as for me, I bought my first bass in '78 - a Rick 4001 in black-on-white; then a year or so later traded it for a Travis Bean in natural Koa; then I got more into audio, and bass playing tapered-off over the next couple years until I sold the 'Bean. I spent several years on the road doing live audio production for bands.

While I was on the road I used to strum a guitar just for pleasure once in a while (there was always someone around to show me 'where to put my fingers' for some song I wanted to learn), and I've sung and played some old flat top or classical or electric off-and-on for this whole intervening twenty years - just solo, like blues and country/western and cowboy and folk, and a couple standards and gospel tunes.

Then a little less than two years ago I designed a small studio for an old buddy of mine who was in a local band (he was Joel, the drummer from the band I was in with my Rick' back in highschool). Once the studio started getting together we needed to start 'testing it out' - this was just about the time the band he was with started having problems, and he quit. Now one of the main reasons he built the studio in the first place was ka-put, so he called in another old highschool buddy of ours to play guitar, and I sat in on his old bass, so that we could 'pretend we're a band', and see how good the studio worked, and make final acoustic, equipment, and procedural adjustments. Well it was all working pretty good, so we figured "why pretend? Let's be a band!" So there we still are: 'The Mole Patrol' (I think that name sucks, but Joel and Andy think it's the greatest, so... -I wanted to call us Moonmobile).

I got quite obsessed with the project, was practicing all the time, and started doing quite well on bass. One day the Guys just went out and bought me my five string US-made Peavey Foundation to replace Joel's P-bass copy I was using; another time Andy showed up with the Hartke head I'm using now; another rehearsal he lugs-in a 4X10 Hartke bottom for me.

Needless to say - with these old best freinds putting so much investment and faith into me and my playing, I'm making it my buisness for these guys to end-up with one of the hottest bass players around!

Joe

 

[Derek Smalls]

I've been playing for 22 years now - played my first gig about 2 weeks after I started playing along to "Aah the name is Bootsy Baby"..
Borrowed a shortscale piece of crap and haven't looked back!

In those days it was punk-funk-metal - the Kawai Sleekline that was my first bass was perfect for that..

Now it's free jazz and serious funk...
Thank you Ornette Coleman!!!

 

[Yogi Bear]

Been playing for @ 17 years.

 

[fenderjazz68]

Started in the '80's, around '85. Played for about 5 years then quit for a while when the band disolved. Came back about 3 or 4 years ago.

I am in for the long haul this time. I will never be without a bass again!

I love it too much.