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Let's face it: bass guitar isn't that hard
- Thread starter Mantis Tobaggan
- Start date
And it's only opened a dialogue cause that's what all posts do. The only part that makes it lamer than other posts is the op intended to get people fired up.
In some ways I am less good than 20 years ago. When I started slap bass was a common style, so I learned how to do it. In the last 15 I have barely practised it so that skill has died away and my current basses aren't even so ergonomically good for it as my first bass.
guitars have (mostly) over the top compression with overdrive, distortions and fuzz... even "soft" overdrive squeezes the sound. as i play both guitar and bass, guitar does require more work at first (chords are a bit tricky) but learning curve is easier after a few initial bumps. guitar is easy to hear, cuts trough like knife trough hot butter and is more forgiving in some things. bass on the other hand is a different beast when compared to guitar; it's dynamics can be a bit over the top, you need to learn to control it, does not forgive even slightest slips in rythm and is sometimes had to cut trough the mix of the band.
and then there's the difference is how it's played in different styles... that's another pair of socks.
and then there's the difference is how it's played in different styles... that's another pair of socks.
Why is this thread 16 pages long so far? Muddslide won the thread with post #4.
It's interesting. A lot of the responders here seem to be smoothing their ruffled feathers by invoking various bass virtuoso's such as Wooten, Jaco, Stu Hamn, et al.
While this is all nice and good, I'm not sure that this represents the technical skill level of 95 percent of the bass-playing community.
After playing guitar for 6 years, sometimes up to 8 hours a day (I dropped out of high school and didn't have internet at the time...) learning scads of theory, and having become decent at a plethora of styles ranging from metal, to bluegrass, to Latin It hen picked up bass.
I picked up bass after I had finally got my sh*t together, got a BA and was about to enter law school. As my time dwindled, every time I picked up the guitar I noticed that, due to lack of practice, I was getting progressively worse and this depressed me suh t hat I pretty much stopped picking it up entirely.
At the same time, my musical tastes were progressing into Jazz and Fusion etc. I listened to Bela Fleck and Flectones all the time, as well as weather report, and absolutely fell in love with the bass.
I figured that while I got progressively worse on the guitar, I could only get progressively better at Bass as a beginner.
10 years later I can say this. Technically speaking, playing bass well (not incredible, but well) is easier than guitar. However, laying down a proper bassline requires a lot more creativity, sensitivity, and a good amount of "looking forward."
To illustrate. I play along with songs a sync up on Go Playalong (best thing sincesliced bread) and I can play even fairly difficult songs without too much practice time. However, when I play in a live situation when I have to come up with something interesting and supporting on the fly, with just the right amount of notes, and getting those fills to land just right...Well let's just say that sometimes I want to rip the guitar out of the guitarist's hands and play something with a lot more notes and feel a lot more comfortable with it.
While this is all nice and good, I'm not sure that this represents the technical skill level of 95 percent of the bass-playing community.
After playing guitar for 6 years, sometimes up to 8 hours a day (I dropped out of high school and didn't have internet at the time...) learning scads of theory, and having become decent at a plethora of styles ranging from metal, to bluegrass, to Latin It hen picked up bass.
I picked up bass after I had finally got my sh*t together, got a BA and was about to enter law school. As my time dwindled, every time I picked up the guitar I noticed that, due to lack of practice, I was getting progressively worse and this depressed me suh t hat I pretty much stopped picking it up entirely.
At the same time, my musical tastes were progressing into Jazz and Fusion etc. I listened to Bela Fleck and Flectones all the time, as well as weather report, and absolutely fell in love with the bass.
I figured that while I got progressively worse on the guitar, I could only get progressively better at Bass as a beginner.
10 years later I can say this. Technically speaking, playing bass well (not incredible, but well) is easier than guitar. However, laying down a proper bassline requires a lot more creativity, sensitivity, and a good amount of "looking forward."
To illustrate. I play along with songs a sync up on Go Playalong (best thing sincesliced bread) and I can play even fairly difficult songs without too much practice time. However, when I play in a live situation when I have to come up with something interesting and supporting on the fly, with just the right amount of notes, and getting those fills to land just right...Well let's just say that sometimes I want to rip the guitar out of the guitarist's hands and play something with a lot more notes and feel a lot more comfortable with it.
As an aside, when I first learnt how to play 12 bar blues, I hated playing it at jam sessions. So repetitive.
At some point I started really listening to some of the greats (no need to list them here) and studying the tabs, measure-by-measure, and I realized the amount of variations and approaches they took, and I was simply blown away.
Truly the unsung heroes!
At some point I started really listening to some of the greats (no need to list them here) and studying the tabs, measure-by-measure, and I realized the amount of variations and approaches they took, and I was simply blown away.
Truly the unsung heroes!
Anyone notice the E pitch coming from what the bottom string? Haha thanks for sharing this one
I have played in a few bands with top notch guitar players. They were better Guitarists then I was a bass player but like Ian Hill I was too solid to discount. And had they tried to find a bass player to match them they simply would be of luck. Not that there was not a few of them but they were not available. So I didn't feel that bad about it. You can be just the bass player or you can also be a song writer and more.
Let's be honest. Yes. Playing bass is not hard to do decently. Probably one of the instruments that you can get playing fastest. You only have 4 strings and not many options (in most popular music bass does not play solos, shred licks, or do 10 min slap interludes).
However, playing bass WELL is VERY HARD for the same reasons. You only have 4 strings, you don't play solos, you cannot play over the other instruments and must play complimentary or in between everyone else while keeping the song moving, you generally don't have heavy distortion or other effects to cover mistakes or make stuff sound more interesting that it is. Playing bass to make it sound interesting with all those limitations and requirements is VERY DIFFICULT. That is what separates decent bass players from great bass players and separates guitarists who play bass like guitar vs bassists.
It's like an artist that has only 2 colors vs. multiple colors and effects (glitter, chalks, texture paints). Sure painting with 2 colors to get a basic outline is easier than with 10 colors. But creating something INTERESTING with only 2 colors is way harder than if you have lots of fluff to use.
Any musician (especially guitarists) that I have met that bags on bass players either:
a) has never played with an above decent bass player (so they don't realize there is more to bass than just pedaling on the root notes) or
b) is not an accomplished musician themselves (they don't understand how all the components need to fit together to create something more than each person's lines) or
c) has really bad timing and just plays the tempo they want without regard to the rest of band (you know, those players I call "Guitar Center Warriors" - they sit at GC in front of an amp and shred like crazy, but when they try to play in a live band they can't because their tempo is all over the place and they cannot keep in time with the drums, bass or rest of band).
Side note: Was at Bass Player live today in Hollywood and Ben Kenney put it really well. He said (I am paraphrasing): Bass is the unsung hero. No one sees the bassist. No one realizes what they are doing. But it is what keeps the audience dancing and having a great time. And when the audience gets home sweaty and exhausted, all they think is that the band was great, but they can't pinpoint exactly why. It was because of the bass.
Boo yah!
However, playing bass WELL is VERY HARD for the same reasons. You only have 4 strings, you don't play solos, you cannot play over the other instruments and must play complimentary or in between everyone else while keeping the song moving, you generally don't have heavy distortion or other effects to cover mistakes or make stuff sound more interesting that it is. Playing bass to make it sound interesting with all those limitations and requirements is VERY DIFFICULT. That is what separates decent bass players from great bass players and separates guitarists who play bass like guitar vs bassists.
It's like an artist that has only 2 colors vs. multiple colors and effects (glitter, chalks, texture paints). Sure painting with 2 colors to get a basic outline is easier than with 10 colors. But creating something INTERESTING with only 2 colors is way harder than if you have lots of fluff to use.
Any musician (especially guitarists) that I have met that bags on bass players either:
a) has never played with an above decent bass player (so they don't realize there is more to bass than just pedaling on the root notes) or
b) is not an accomplished musician themselves (they don't understand how all the components need to fit together to create something more than each person's lines) or
c) has really bad timing and just plays the tempo they want without regard to the rest of band (you know, those players I call "Guitar Center Warriors" - they sit at GC in front of an amp and shred like crazy, but when they try to play in a live band they can't because their tempo is all over the place and they cannot keep in time with the drums, bass or rest of band).
Side note: Was at Bass Player live today in Hollywood and Ben Kenney put it really well. He said (I am paraphrasing): Bass is the unsung hero. No one sees the bassist. No one realizes what they are doing. But it is what keeps the audience dancing and having a great time. And when the audience gets home sweaty and exhausted, all they think is that the band was great, but they can't pinpoint exactly why. It was because of the bass.
Boo yah!
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You are listening to one demo that i did with one band. I've played in other bands. You are making this some kind of critique on me as a bass player for stating that i think bass is rather easy. I actually did a lot more "grooving" years ago. I found that stepping back and playing simpler parts works better for plenty of "rock" styles so with this particular band it's what I do. I don't think my work on this last project indicates everything i am capable of doing. Obviously bass is played in a much different way on a metal album than it would be on reggae or ska or jazz.
Wow , never got so many likes. Thx.Go sit in the corner...
Edit: thank you, thank you very much.
Now, man up and learn the tambourine.
Edit: Forgot the obligatory smile face.
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I guess.... yeah i mean i just want to say that i'm not trolling. I wanted to bring this up b/c yeah this is tb but i wanted to get an idea if anyone was like me and kinda felt that way with their band. I got some really good feedback that made me think about some things. The main thing i have taken away so far essentially is that even if it is easy, it is still quite important and i should not feel like the slightly less important member of the band. And yeah the way i see it, this has been a good discussion.
I used to feel the same until I replaced a genuinely bad player. Play with guys who are used to the "friend who couldn't play guitar too good" on bass and you'll feel appreciated
