I'm Curious

[two fingers]

I'm a relative newby to bass. I played guitar since I was a kid but only picked up bass a couple years ago. And if I'm honest it's because the praise band I'm in had 3 guitarists and the bassist quit and someone had to fill the hole. So I picked it up and muddled through. Two years later here I am still trying to get it down and have a whole new appreciation for bass. So my curiosity lies in how many people started on guitar and eventually took up bass for whatever reason?
And yes I'm that guy playing the short scale bass with a felt pick because some things die hard.

Welcome to TalkBass!!!!

Actually, playing with a felt pick is a tried-and-true "old school" approach to playing bass. Either way, you do you.

That being said, I played low brass in high school. Band director asked me to pay TUBA in the JAZZ band. I said something like "No way dude." Couple weeks later he called me into his office and pointed into the corner. "Jazz band starts in a couple weeks. Better get ready."

In the corner was a brand new Fender Precision bass and an amp.


The rest is history.

 

[Redaxes]

Played guitar since the late 70s. Was always more of a rhythm player. Never had to be the star of the show. Dabbled on drums a bit. Have always been more a rhythmic than melodic musician. Had had a number of guitars and a couple bases since the 70s. Never did much with the basses. Bought a P-bass in 2007 but did’t do much with it until a couple years ago. I decided that I would focus on bass. I thought I would have a better chance of finding people to play with as a decent bass player than as a average guitar player. Bass is both rhythmic and melodic. That suits me better.

 

[Chad Michael]

….That bass felt so cool in my hands!....

Yes, they do. Whether one is playing fretted or fretless or upright, there is something about the feel <c:

 

[rd2rk]

Does any kid start out WANTING to be a bass player? We want ATTENTION! Who even sees the bass player?
I started on guitar at 10. By the time I was 12 I wanted to be Duane Eddy. My friend's band (the only band in town in my age group) already had 2 guitars, needed a bass. My parents must have been flush that month, they took me up to W.48th St (NYC) and got me a Zim-Gar bass and a funky DIY amp. Played my first paying gig that night at the Officer's Club at Ft Wadsworth. We played (early '60s, no vocalist - sax lead) Green Onions, Walk Don't Run, Perfidia, Tequila, Night Train and anything that went I-IV-V.

I still play guitar. I still suck. Bass just worked for me!

 

[Munjibunga]

I went from trumpet to tuba to bass. Once I started playing bass, I also started playing guitar and and keys. Since starting bass however, that has been my main focus.

Strange - same succession for me.

 

[trevcda]

Dude, bring the tuba back to rock! (and while you're at it, bring back rock).

I started on drums, followed by most band/orchestra instruments, guitar, piano/keys, etc. We moved around a lot and I landed at a new high school my sophomore year. I met a group looking for a bass player, so I lied and said I could play, knowing that the EADG on guitar were the same but an octave up, and that my equipment got left behind in the move. No problem, they had equipment. I wood shedded the song list, which had a lot of Iron Maiden in it and got the job. Been playing ever since. But I've always felt that because I play all the other stuff, it's easier to write and understand the song as a whole and not just how the bass goes.

 

[Paulabass]

I'm going to guess. 65% of you were one, in a band with multiple guitarists. You were the one who couldn't barre an F chord. In a secret meeting, in a garage in suburbia, you were voted 'Bass Player'.

 

[Rogatien]

Started with the guitar, I was a solid rhythm player, did some "light" lead work. Due to shortage of bass players in my area, due to getting tired of interviewing so-called "bassists", well I decided to pick up the bass and do the work myself. Not a single regret. I still play guitar in one band but play only bass in other projects. Plus, no more volume wars with the other guitar player, I'm the only bass player in my bands

 

[Gyver]

Played drums for four years, then picked up guitar after my family moved to a much smaller house and drumming became to loud for the family to bear. Considered myself a guitar player for the next six years even though every one I played with said I was really a bass player. Then in 1992 I saw the video for "Jerry Was a Racecar Driver" and have been a bass player ever since! The ability to play a bit of drums and lead guitar helped tremendously in become a bass player...the bass has come much more naturally than the drums or guitar ever did.

 

[Koog]

Similar path. Long story. Picked up guitar in 1963. Started dabbling in bass in 1964. Started playing bass pretty exclusively around 2000. My guitars don't get much time with me anymore , although I do occasionally sit in on guitar at jam sessions in clubs.

I always enjoyed bass more, don't know why it took so long to get serious about it.

 

[tradernick]

I was taking guitar lessons for about 3 months when the "band" got together the first time. I was one of three guitar players to show up. I was also asked to play bass because I had the least experience.

Same here. 14 years old and I had been taking classical guitar lessons for a few years. My friends were getting a band together so I asked my Dad to buy me a guitar and amp. Showed up at the first practice and they looked at me playing electric guitar with my fingers instead of a pick and said 'We need a bass player and you can play with your fingers so you have to switch to bass'. Wanted to be in the band so bad, I asked my Dad to take me down that afternoon and trade the guitar in for a bass.

 

[Ross W. Lovell]

I'm a relative newby to bass. I played guitar since I was a kid but only picked up bass a couple years ago. And if I'm honest it's because the praise band I'm in had 3 guitarists and the bassist quit and someone had to fill the hole. So I picked it up and muddled through. Two years later here I am still trying to get it down and have a whole new appreciation for bass. So my curiosity lies in how many people started on guitar and eventually took up bass for whatever reason?
And yes I'm that guy playing the short scale bass with a felt pick because some things die hard.

I'm a guitarist originally.

I record a fair bit and wanted to be fluent in bass.

Originally worried about sounding like a "guitarist playing bass", I took lessons from our bass player who is superb.

Almost thirty years on, she says I'm competent and don't sound like a "GPB", she is proud of that.

I consider that high praise.

Don't "short sell" the short scale, they fill the bill for some people.

I like long scale, but I tend to pull the neck to a tighter angle as the night wears on, especially if I'm getting tired.

Weirdest thing...........I only used a flanger a handful of times, no pedal board, the first 25 or so years and never used a mute. Since joining TB, that seems to be changing. Don't know if it's good or bad yet, though I tend to be a Luddite regarding equipment

 

[40Hz]

I went the opposite way. Started on upright and gradually moved over to electric bass. I only started more seriously picking up some guitar (and banjo) about five or six years ago.

 

[red_rhino]

I wanted to be a drummer, but couldn't afford a set. My friend took a spare six-string, pulled off the B and high-E strings and said, "Play bass instead." It changed my life. I've since learned how to play piano and guitar well enough to form chords, but not really well enough to where I'd want to perform on them in public. (I never did learn how to play drums.)

My friend passed away a few years ago, and his wife gave me his guitar. It sits in my music room, taunting me to learn how to play it. Maybe it's the next part of my musical journey.

 

[Charlzm]

I'm a relative newby to bass. I played guitar since I was a kid but only picked up bass a couple years ago. And if I'm honest it's because the praise band I'm in had 3 guitarists and the bassist quit and someone had to fill the hole. So I picked it up and muddled through. Two years later here I am still trying to get it down and have a whole new appreciation for bass. So my curiosity lies in how many people started on guitar and eventually took up bass for whatever reason?
And yes I'm that guy playing the short scale bass with a felt pick because some things die hard.

First I wanted to be a drummer. My mom said no, so I started learning classical guitar when I was 16. Six months of lessons, one embarassing and disastrous jam session and then some guys I knew contacted me and asked if I could play bass for their jam session. I could, I did, it became a band and... here I am, 37 years later.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I'm a relative newby to bass. I played guitar since I was a kid but only picked up bass a couple years ago. And if I'm honest it's because the praise band I'm in had 3 guitarists and the bassist quit and someone had to fill the hole. So I picked it up and muddled through. Two years later here I am still trying to get it down and have a whole new appreciation for bass. So my curiosity lies in how many people started on guitar and eventually took up bass for whatever reason?
And yes I'm that guy playing the short scale bass with a felt pick because some things die hard.

I was originally a trumpet player much like many of my bass hero’s including Flea, Ryan Martinie and Janek Gwizdala. Me in 1994 or so

Bass actually was my second instrument, guitar was my third. These days though bass is absolutely my main instrument and keys is my second. I picked up keys mainly for songwriting purposes so I could contribute more to my original band but also as years went on I actually have gotten more into playing keys because no one else in my band can and we wanted to be able to add piano and string parts to our songs in the studio like this.

 

[Iwreckinso]

Ok i wanted play bass as a teen my other guitar player said id b bored....so i continued on guitar but im over that ..picked up bass 5 years ago.wish i had a bass player friend back then so he would have encouraged my bass hunger.any ways welcome to the bass world.people who play bass are way cooler

 

[Ostie]

I started on guitar when I was around 14. Then I started jamming with a couple friends who both played guitar. Since they were both better than me I switched to bass to fill out the sound. Then we got a drummer and started a band. I still jam with those guys and we’ve had several iterations of bands over the years: punk, new wave, rock, blues, acoustic. Etc

 

[Richie Se7en]

I have to disagree with some comments made here but I don't have an hour or so to list the reasons.

When done the right way, playing guitar or bass is an apple/oranges deal and all this thread will generate are opinions. What's harder to learn, etc. are all subjective and a clear answer isn't gonna happen. I love all musical instruments, but I always wanted to play the bass from the first concert I saw in the late 60's - and unlike today, there weren't a few dozen well-known bass guitar players for kids to aspire to become.

Gimme a tight drummer locked with a bass player who can groove and we're thisclose to having a better-than-average band. My 2 pennies


~R7~

 

[Kipp Harrington]

I'm a relative newby to bass. I played guitar since I was a kid but only picked up bass a couple years ago. And if I'm honest it's because the praise band I'm in had 3 guitarists and the bassist quit and someone had to fill the hole. So I picked it up and muddled through. Two years later here I am still trying to get it down and have a whole new appreciation for bass. So my curiosity lies in how many people started on guitar and eventually took up bass for whatever reason?
And yes I'm that guy playing the short scale bass with a felt pick because some things die hard.

Played guitar 30+ years. Life happened. Didn’t touch my guitar for a few years. Wife thinks I’m in a musical “funk”. Christmas 2018, I open a large gift... wife bought me a bass! Played it like poop for a couple months but I kept picking it up every chance I got. On many occasions, stayed up until 2-3 am (on work nights) playing and practicing. Probably averaged 5-6 hours a day playing... every day. I had to admit that I had a problem... an addiction. How sweet it is! What an amazing instrument. And like you, I have a whole new appreciation for it. Dive in and enjoy!