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How'd You Get Started on Bass?

#41
Actually, I should also mention this:

The only time I ever played in a band was over 20 years ago in Germany (I was in the Army stationed there at the time). I knew another "Yank" who had been kicked out of the service but was still living there and would go by his appartment and play guitar with him. Well, he was startting a band with some German guys and they needed a bass player. So he got me to do it and I played a Hohner stick bass (licensed from Steinberger) that they supplied for me. Didn't much like the music, but it was fun to do. Didn't last longer than one short gig, though, and I went back to playing git-tar.
 
#43
Mudfuzz said:
I was walking by this lake and suddenly a woman arose from the depths and bestowed me with the large sunburst object that said Fender Precision Bass on it and told be to go forth and conquer.
Click to expand...

Ok, ok, so replace the woman with my Dad and the lake with my parent's studio and the dialog with "if you want a instrument to play you can either play this Ovation guitar or this Pbass" and add to the fact that my sister had given me a copy of Kill'em All :bassist: I chose the bass and haven't looked back; I still have that 74 P bass too [well I actually had to buy it from my dad, but he sold it to me for what he paid for it in 1990 -$200.00 :bassist:] so there you have it.
 
#44
Mudfuzz said:
Ok, ok, so replace the woman with my Dad and the lake with my parent's studio and the dialog with "if you want a instrument to play you can either play this Ovation guitar or this Pbass" and add to the fact that my sister had given me a copy of Kill'em All :bassist: I chose the bass and haven't looked back; I still have that 74 P bass too [well I actually had to buy it from my dad, but he sold it to me for what he paid for it in 1990 -$200.00 :bassist:] so there you have it.
Click to expand...

very cool sibling. pic? :ninja:
 
#46
I always wanted to play bass my whole life thought it was too expensive when I was younger so I played instrunments the school would loan out. we where pretty poor but my mom would try to get us things. wish i under stood that back then. after middle school I took a break from music. i played contra bass in orchastra and bass clarinet in jazz band. I want bout to march with a bass clarinet though lol. Flash foward I am at work and a friend is moving to join the police department. And he is getting rid of a bassfor 50 bucks. SO I bought it and the obsession begain that was about 3 years and almost 20 basses ago lol
 
#47
Mudfuzz said:
Ok, ok, so replace the woman with my Dad and the lake with my parent's studio and the dialog with "if you want a instrument to play you can either play this Ovation guitar or this Pbass" and add to the fact that my sister had given me a copy of Kill'em All :bassist: I chose the bass and haven't looked back; I still have that 74 P bass too [well I actually had to buy it from my dad, but he sold it to me for what he paid for it in 1990 -$200.00 :bassist:] so there you have it.
Click to expand...

Your sister is cool.
 
#52
I started out a guitarist at about age 12, changed to drums, went back to guitar. Band broke up and I owned all the sound gear so I went into the audio business. After 8 years of that I quit and quit playing while I went to college. During that time a friend with an original band called up asking if I knew any drummers and bassists that were available. I had a drummer in mind but suggested I play bass. We had a good laugh.

Then I borrowed a bass, learned the songs and auditioned. Not sure I was very good at it but they took me on and I played with them for over 7 years.

That was about age 30 and I'm 52 now and just got into another originals band.....

--Kevin
 
#53
Mudfuzz said:
I was walking by this lake and suddenly a woman arose from the depths and bestowed me with the large sunburst object that said Fender Precision Bass on it and told be to go forth and conquer.
Click to expand...

:D haha

My parents started me out on piano doing classical music, recitals and the whole nine till I was about 14 when I decided I'd had enough. They told me i could quit piano (wish i would have kept up with it a little, my piano chops suck now days) as long as i played another instrument. My first choice was drums but my parents said they we're to loud. I wanted to play guitar but my uncle, who's a rockin guitar player, told me there's too many guitar players out there and everyone needs a good bass player. So i went and picked out an ibanez bass and an amp and started taking lessons that summer. Didnt taker me long to fall in love. I joined the jazz band in the 8th grade and played till i graduated high school. Since then I've played in pop bands, jam bands, rock bands, blues bands and reggae bands. I'll play bass for as long as I'm able. I love bass. Everybody always listens to the guitar player or the singer, and there's no way you can ignore the drums because there usually the loudest. A bass line can be subtle and it can go unappreciated, but theres nothing like a great bassline. It ties the rhythms and the harmonies together. Its the foundation. Its the pulse.
I think my favorite thing in the world is locking in with the drummer and finding that spot on stage where you can stand and feel your amp pushing air behind you while the whole room vibrates to your rhythms.
 
#54
My older brother is a big fan of punk rock and when I was 8 years old, once I was hanging out with him in his room and he was listening NOFX "So Long and Thank for All the Shoes", its last track Falling in Love had a great bass, and I was hypnotized by that sound. Two weeks later, he gave to me a friend's old Squier and that's what is all about.
 
#55
I wanted to play some sort of guitar-like intrument so I got a tiny, cheap acoustic guitar for Christmas when I was young. I never really wanted to play guitar and all I played on it were basslines so eventually I saved up and got a bass.

Also my favourite Beatle used to be Paul when I was young so I always liked the bass. My first bass was a violin bass I got from a music shop in Liverpool becuase I loved the look so much because of him.
 
#57
At age 8 I started on guitar, but never learned notes, only tabs. In the 6th grade I started tenor sax and continued the guitar. In 7th grade, I played bari sax and tenor for the school band, and played guitar at home. In my current grade 8th (i'm 14) I realized that on guitar there was always that missing bass sound that I loved. On sax, I could achieve that bass sound out of a bari, and then I thought that a bass would get me that sound from a string instrument. So, I a bass earlier this year. I love it! I learned to read the notes and find where they are on the fretboard. Within a year, I have my first performance at graduation in a few weeks.
 
#58
In junior high I was told that there were at least two kids more proficient on piano than me so I should choose a different instrument to play in the jazz band.

The upright bass just looked so cool. And then when I walked over and plucked that E string and heard the sound that came out, I was hooked.

That was 20 years ago. At this point I don't own a keyboard OR an upright bass (though I wish I did) but I am a bass player through and through.
 

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