70-80 % bass 20-30 % guitar in bands. In bands I play bass. On my own and occasional studio gig guitar. Never switch between them at the same gig. It's either or. Either I am "hired" as a bass player or as a guitarist. I never say no to guitar gigs or sessions. Bass is main though.
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Switching between Bass and Guitar-who does it?
- Thread starter 4string4ever
- Start date
This... I knew a bass player in my high school music class who vowed not to touch a guitar and once scoffed at me cause I was "disrespecting" bassists when I started bringing my guitar to class. He was the worst bassist I've ever met.
I think every bass player should at least have a cheap guitar for practice at home.
I have switched plenty of times. The latest record I played on was as a bass player...but we just finished a tour in Germany with the same band where I played guitar.
I like variety
I like variety
I switch every day. My current gig is on guitar, I started on and prefer playing bass. When I'm at home I'll usually pick up a bass to practice on. When I practice band stuff I play guitar. When I'm recording song ideas I'll switch between the two all the time.
I used to play drums too, have played in a few bands as a drummer. For a while I was recording drums, bass and guitar at home most evenings after work. Switchy switchy.
I used to play drums too, have played in a few bands as a drummer. For a while I was recording drums, bass and guitar at home most evenings after work. Switchy switchy.
While of late I've been going between the two daily, I previously went on fits of just one or the other, sometimes for years.
I started on bass, but once I started gigging, I found there are just some songs I couldn't play bass and sing with (which no one else sang well), so I swapped with the rythym guitarist on those songs, I've been switching between the two ever since.
I started on bass, but once I started gigging, I found there are just some songs I couldn't play bass and sing with (which no one else sang well), so I swapped with the rythym guitarist on those songs, I've been switching between the two ever since.
Starting this weekend, I will start switching between 5 string Bass and Banjo (picked it up mid-December). Our keys player switches between Keys and Acoustic, and the guitarist between Guitar and Mandolin.
I play bass in my church band 95% of the time, but once in a while they need me to play acoustic. Sometimes I switch back and forth in a single service. It all depends on what's needed.
I'm in a trio, but whenever our guitarist can't make it I'll play guitar. This is if the song sounds better with drums and guitar rather than just bass and drums.
I used to play both guitar and bass in bands onstage many many years ago; started with my very first band in the early 70s, where our repertoire was 50% me on bass, 50% me on guitar. By the mid-1980s (many bands later) I was playing guitar on less than 10% of our material, & it got to be a nuisance dragging all the extra gear. Plus by then I was spending more time as a working professional bass player and less time performing originals so it didn't make sense for me to do double-duty onstage.
I still get calls to play guitar in certain situations (mostly studio work, occasional showcases where a solo artist wants to recreate the sound of their recordings and needs a 2nd or 3rd guitarist) but for those times I have my Guitar Player hat on and don't play any bass. I keep the two completely separate nowadays.
I still get calls to play guitar in certain situations (mostly studio work, occasional showcases where a solo artist wants to recreate the sound of their recordings and needs a 2nd or 3rd guitarist) but for those times I have my Guitar Player hat on and don't play any bass. I keep the two completely separate nowadays.
I play acoustic & Dobro/ Mando in a folky thing, electric guitars in a country rock thing and bass/moogbass in a dance cover band. All after seeing patients in my medical practice - and then I go race sailboats.
My wife says I have a focus problem. I say I'm a Gemini !!
My wife says I have a focus problem. I say I'm a Gemini !!
In theory I could. I have a Squier VI and anyone who has one can get reasonably far into guitar territory on the upper strings with the E to e standard tuning or an E to f bass guitar tuning. You could go back and forth between bass work and at least guitar-like work seamlessly. But I tune mine in fifths so it starts on C half a step above a bass guitar's B and it ends on a regular guitar's B string so it is only one string short of a regular guitar and it covers both the bass guitar range and the B to b baritone guitar range.
So, in theory I could do that.
In practice I'm no guitarist, don't have anything against them, just don't have that skill set.
So, in theory I could do that.
In practice I'm no guitarist, don't have anything against them, just don't have that skill set.
When I was younger I switched between bass and guitar, and was pretty good on the latter. I took a number of years "off" to raise kids, and when I "returned" I surveyed the scene and decided there are many, many guitarists out there and I would do better having a different second instrument than guitar. So I took up both upright bass and mandolin. I don't regret the decision at all. I have all the calls for gigs I can handle. I've had to take lessons on both upright and mandolin but I've become decent on both, and they are both a lot of fun to play.
Should have added - I split time probably 50% on bass guitar, 30% on upright bass and 20% on mandolin.
Should have added - I split time probably 50% on bass guitar, 30% on upright bass and 20% on mandolin.
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