The Inevitable Question: Why The Bass?

[Grinderman]

I was just reading this interview or discussion between Mike Watt and Jah Wobble published back in 2016. It's good little read because it points to some things I didn't know and made imediately interested in to point researching, adding more depth my own knowledge about music. It's also a good one because it gets to this essential or inevitable question; why the bass?

If you play the bass, like me, you've almost certainly reflected on the question of why you chose the bass, trying identify the reasons you can put into words. If you play the bass, it's possible, if not likely, you've been asked by others who are curious to know why.

Anyway, I love this section because it's so spot on I feel compelled to put it here.

Mike Watt: Why the bass?
Jah Wobble: It was always going to be bass. I’d been to blues dances, like, these house parties with Jamaicans and of course seeing Family Man play. So you got this one guy with this one instrument called an electric bass and when you get the right sound it’s like you could directly connect to the f***ing universe.

Mike Watt: You feel it a lot more than you hear it.
Jah Wobble: I still feel like that. You know—when you stand onstage and play the heavy bass you just feel like you’re plugged straight into the f***ing universe. Into infinity. It’s an incredible feeling still. A guitar is a different trick—it’s a different kind of thing. Whereas with a bass you feel kind of rooted somehow as well so it was always going to be bass.​

Link Removed

Open question for all TBers: Why the bass?

 

[bholder]

Because it makes my innards move like jelly.

 

[two fingers]

I played low brass in high school. One day me band director called me into his office and told me he wanted me to play tuba in the jazz band. I saod something like "No thanks. That ain't cool man."

A couple of weeks later he called me back I to his office and pointed over in the corner. There was a brand new MIJ Fender Precision bass and Peavey TNT amp. "Jazz bands starts in six weeks. You better be ready there tiger."

The rest is history.

I now own that bass.

More of the story is covered here.
NBD - Welcome home old friend....

 

[fu22ba55]

There was never any question for me. Guitar just sounds too anemic. I was always a bass player.

 

[JRA]

Why the bass?

i was told that "anyone can play bass...how hard can it be?"

 

[Joe Nerve]

The inevitable answer:

Because its easier than guitar.










Because I was always a bassist at heart anyhow.

 

[bass12]

I was drawn to bass lines pretty early on. I liked that the bass was kind of in the background doing something that wasn't necessarily obvious. There was something... mysterious about it; like a guitar, but not a guitar (guitar itself never interested me). Once I started playing I found the frequencies to be almost soothing. I liked the solid aspect of bass - and the focus on rhythm.

 

[CTW68]

Why the bass? Because Another One Bites the Dust was on the radio when I was around twelve. I can't really explain it (although I'm sure a lot of people here know what I'm talking about) but it was the perfect sound. I still like playing it forty years later.

 

[eriky4003]

...because my mom said I wouldn't be able to practice drums at home. My dejected 10 yr old self moved onto plan b (my older brother wanted to be 'the' guitarist).

 

[JW56789]

Why not? SOMEBODY's gotta do it.

 

[2112]

I now own that bass.

More of the story is covered here.
NBD - Welcome home old friend....

LOVE this story...

For me... I was a confirmed sax nerd until I hit college. My Dad (RIP) had talked me out of pursuing music as a career, which kept me from becoming a hobo. Instead, I went into STEM, and my studies and close living quarters temporarily pushed playing music into the back seat. During this period, I started listening more closely to other parts of music (besides horns). One day, while listening to Rush's Moving Pictures, Geddy really inspired me. By that Friday, I had boughten my very first bass (Jackson Concert EX PJ) and amp (Crate BX100 combo) and the rest was history.

 

[bholder]

Because it makes my innards move like jelly.

The longer answer is that I was into bass notes long before picking up electric bass. From listening to my mom play piano, on to grade school, where I started on clarinet but soon moved to bass and then contrabass clarinet. Also had a summer's flirtation with the bassoon after 5th grade - I wish I'd continued it. (Now I own 2 bassoons and a contrabassoon hehe).

But the proximate causes of me playing electric bass guitar are Jack Casady ("White Rabbit"), Jack Bruce ("White Room", "Deserted Cities Of The Heart", "Tales Of Brave Ulysses"), and my older brother Chuck (whose '54 Precision I learned on).

 

[Killing Floor]

Played violin from about 6 years old. Dabbled with cello and one day a friend let me borrow a bass guitar / made me try it and these goon friends of mine basically said they need a bass player and I'm it. I still play my violin recreationally. I play a lot of guitar and I'm too fully uncoordinated to play drums, plus I don't want to get fired all the time. I stuck with it because I like the way it feels and the way it holds the groove together in any style of music. I like that I can jump genres. If I want to play blues or western or rock or punk or funk there's a place for me and people to play with. With guitar that's a lot harder to jump genres. Bass is less limiting to me.

Oh, seeing the Minutemen at 688 in 1983 sealed the deal, thanks, Watt. Seeing him with Hurley over one shoulder and Boon over the other, that much power centering a 3 pc., that's probably where I started digging in.

 

[Sam Evans]

Started in early high school. I was getting interested in music in general, decided to play something but wasn't sure what. A friend said "I'm learning guitar. You learn bass and we'll start a band." I pretty much fell in love with it the first time I picked it up and feebly attempted to play something. Never did start that band, though ...

 

[smeet]

I started on violin, played it for about 20 years, even attended Berklee as a jazz violin performance major. While I was there, a few friends wanted to start a cover band, so I borrowed a cheapo bass and learned in a hurry. I fell in love with bass as I learned to play it. Sadly I’ve hardly played my violin in about 20 years.

 

[TheReceder]

I was an introverted Orchestra Geek in grade school... got to Jr high and the band teacher needed to start someone on Bass guitar to prep for playing in the High school Jazz band.

he let me use his personal Bass, a gorgeous Fender PBass.
I practiced in the main band room as that's where the schools amp was.

Immediately I got a following of about 6 girls that would sit and watch me practice...

Needless to say... How could I not become a bass player..... I mean that bass really was gorgeous.

 

[farace]

I didn’t choose bass. It chose me.

 

[fhm555]

My dad wanted a bass player to play with. He was always playing with others but none played bass, so when I got big enough to handle one, i became his bass player. That lasted until I discovered motorcycles and rode my bicycle for a year to get the money to buy my first dirt bike at 13. Bass returned to my life in my early 30’s when I needed something in common with my family. Not long after, my brother coaxed me into a band and it’s been downhill since.
these days when someone asks why bass, my standard reply is “6 strings are far too complicated.”

 

[REV]

That I wanted to play music was a given. One way or another I was going to become a musician. Growing up I wanted to play drums but my parents wouldn't hear of it. When I got older I still wanted to play drums but I couldn't afford any but I knew some guys who needed a bass player and I found a bass that I could afford. I used to resent my parents for not supporting my desire to play the drums but these days I think they did me a favor.

 

[whero]

When (and where) I went to school, a large number of kids were (or thought they were) guitar players, and a reasonable number had had piano lessons, so if you wanted to get into a band you needed to be a drummer or a bass player. But I think I had always connected with bass when listening to music. Back then (the early 70s) I was into David Bowie, Cream, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan... there was a lot of good bass playing around.