The Inevitable Question: Why The Bass?

[steveinohio]

It sounded really cool and it's the easiest to learn.

 

[skyline_01]

My cousin got a Series 10 bass and a cheapo tiny amp for his birthday one year, but he fairly quickly lost most interest in it. As his interest waned, mine started to grow.

I was already three years into school band at that point, and had taken piano for about 5 years, so I could read music just fine. I started doing the exercises in a Mel Bay book and playing along with songs on the radio. I also played guitar here and there but I just knew that the bass was the one for me.

Fast forward ~34 years and here we are!

 

[Knavery]

I know this is condescending (and isn't aimed at anyone in this thread) but I feel sorry for people that play the Bass because they think it's easy, or because their band of guitarists needs someone to play the Bass.

Don't feel sorry for them. That happened to me and it was one of the best things to happen. Now, 30 years later, I play bass and guitar and love them both equally. Most people that are asked to play an instrument that is missing in a band actually bond with it. I rarely have seen the opposite.

 

[getbent]

I think everyone gets exposed to a variety of activities, and there's a certain sort of person who thinks standing in the back and not necessarily saying much, but still being part of the group/activity, is a good use of their time and wants to do it more.

There's always gonna be people who say, "ugh, why would I want to stand back here where no one can see or hear me?" and they pursue other activities.

 

[MrLenny1]

My buddy was a guitar/singer student & said hey let's form a band.
One guy said I always wanted to play drums. I said I like fuzz tone guitar. They said no, you can't
play guitar we need a bass. I said what's a bass?
The rest is ancient history.

 

[Mike Marshall]

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

Growing up in Detroit in the 60's with all the Motown and smaller independent Soul labels I noticed the Bass was always doing something to catch my ear, it was the busiest instrument. Easy to play? I was on the road in Toronto at a festival and another Bass player mentioned hearing that quote "the easiest instrument to play" and I said until you start playing and realize you better know what you're doing because you can't lay out and listen. Many of us realize that in many cases we are holding the whole thing together and we can't lay back and listen to the tune you better know it and keep playing. I asked Ron Carter if when he subbed with Monk if they had charts. His reply was no you were expected to know Monks tunes: Easy? no way.

 

[SumOne]

Don't feel sorry for them. That happened to me and it was one of the best things to happen. Now, 30 years later, I play bass and guitar and love them both equally. Most people that are asked to play an instrument that is missing in a band actually bond with it. I rarely have seen the opposite.

Yeah, you're right. If those are the reasons someone first starting to play Bass and they then fell in love with it then that's all good - whatever the reasons anyone got in to it, as long as people love what they are playing. If someone were to spend years of their life playing the Bass just because they perceive it as the easy or convenient option and they actually have their heart in another instrument then that seems a bit of a shame though.

Perhaps an overly-romanticised view but with music being a form of artistic expression I'd hope people were making that expression with their true voice. Plenty of people speak multiple languages though, I perhaps need to broaden my horizons.

 

[Knavery]

Yeah, you're right. If those are the reasons someone first starting to play Bass and they then fell in love with it then that's all good - whatever the reasons anyone got in to it, as long as people love what they are playing. If someone were to spend years of their life playing the Bass just because they perceive it as the easy or convenient option and they actually have their heart in another instrument then that seems a bit of a shame though.

Perhaps an overly-romanticised view but with music being a form of artistic expression I'd hope people were making that expression with their true voice. Plenty of people speak multiple languages though, I perhaps need to broaden my horizons.

Oh god don't get me started. I remember one of the bands I played in where the 30-35 songs I played mostly consisted of riding the A or E or whatever... I hated it. And then those that said that's all bass playing consisted of. I never did pop someone in the mouth for that, but I really wanted to. That's why I love playing busy bass music like Primus, Rush, RATM, etc. It's just as challenging to me as guitar playing. In some cases, more so.

 

[Mike Marshall]

When I started learning and trying to bass in the mid-1980s, Peter Hook and Joy Division were very much an influence; a strong one really. My influences grew outward from there.

It's probably why George Murray from D.A.M. Trio became one my main all-time favorites. His work with Bowie and Iggy Pop are masterpieces to me. Similarly with Jah Wobble, Holger Czukay, and Steve Hanley. Dave Alexander and Ron Asheton on bass are also on the top of my list. There are others but those are the main men.

Steve Currie, Bruce Thomas, Tim Wright, and Peter Farndon are up high on my list. Mike Watt, of course.

Another perspective of where I'm coming from: The bass on Papa Was A Rolling Stone by The Temptations is forever a powerful, hold-everything, meditative groove. //Has anyone ever gotten to the bottom of the truth about who actually played on the recording yet? Was it in fact Babbitt?

Elegant minimalism and the minimalist approach has always been an strong fundamental characteristic that threads through virtually everything I've done as creative/maker in art, design, and music; regardless of whether it was as an ametuer, professional, hobbyist, enthusiast, expert, or whatever.

All of that is my north star.

Bob Babbit used to teach bass in Detroit for awhile I have friends who took lessons from him. About 20-15 years ago I played with 2 guys who went to High School with James Jamerson and they were good friends. These guys would tell me stories about his gifted ability particularly his sight reading to me it was mind boggling. We were playing at the Jazz festival Labor day weekend and James wife Annie showed up and I got to meet her.

 

[39-Bassist]

I really started getting into music around the age of 12.
I tried Acoustic for 9 months then thought I need more of something...hmmm
Well then I tried electric for 6 months liked but still needed more...
Picked up a bass and went OH YEAH!
and been playing since I was 13 on the bass. (not the fish, lol)

 

[ImaStupidBaby]

my friends in high school wanted to start a band and needed someone to play bass

 

[GodsLove66]

Because Chris Squire, Mike Rutherford, Tina Weymouth, Mark Bedford, Paul Simonon, and Rinus Gerritsen!!! Also because feeling the booming from the amp as you play, just SHEER ecstasy!!!

 

[Gaolee]

@Gaolee gave me POS Vantage when I was in sixth or seventh grade, along with a punk rock mixtape he'd made. Played my first shows in 8th grade, was playing gigs in clubs by tenth grade. I've taken breaks periodically, but I seem to always come back to the bass. I guess bass sort of chose me?

Ma never forgave me.

 

[rtslinger]

Told this story before, my Dad was a guitarist and his best friend was a bass player they used to jam in my living room when I was a small child. I knew bass was for me the first time I felt it rattle my rib cage my dad's guitar never made me feel like that ever. That put me on my quest to start taking lesson on upright at the age of 9 and switch to electric at 11 fast forward 63 now and still rocking the low end

 

[Mark_70]

Size matters!

Regards
Mark

 

[klejst]

I play guitar as well; however, it was a lot easier to get gigs in groups playing bass I found. Also, I enjoy it just as much as why someone would choose Piano, Trumpet, Triangle...

 

[Grinderman]

When I started learning and trying to bass in the mid-1980s, Peter Hook and Joy Division were very much an influence; a strong one really. My influences grew outward from there.

It's probably why George Murray from D.A.M. Trio became one my main all-time favorites. His work with Bowie and Iggy Pop are masterpieces to me. Similarly with Jah Wobble, Holger Czukay, and Steve Hanley. Dave Alexander and Ron Asheton on bass are also on the top of my list. There are others but those are the main men.

Steve Currie, Bruce Thomas, Tim Wright, and Peter Farndon are up high on my list. Mike Watt, of course.

Another perspective of where I'm coming from: The bass on Papa Was A Rolling Stone by The Temptations is forever a powerful, hold-everything, meditative groove. //Has anyone ever gotten to the bottom of the truth about who actually played on the recording yet? Was it in fact Babbitt?

Elegant minimalism and the minimalist approach has always been an strong fundamental characteristic that threads through virtually everything I've done as creative/maker in art, design, and music; regardless of whether it was as an ametuer, professional, hobbyist, enthusiast, expert, or whatever.

All of that is my north star.

I must correct this massive omission on my part: Tina Weymouth

 

[abarson]

My first instrument was cello, probably under some influence of my mother, who was 2nd chair viola at university.
We moved to Montana and cello didn't fit in with anything there, so I picked up alto sax. While I liked being in the jazz band, the marching band was the pits. I wanted to rock, but drums made no sense to my limbs and guitarists are like fleas. The school had a Jazz bass and I started to check it out.

 

[deff]

I always figured the default answer to this question was "because the other guitarists were better than me."

This is weird, but for me it was the opposite. I started off for a short while playing guitar. I mean like 6 months when I was 15, but always wanted to play bass. Later on I'd always be asked to play guitar. It was actually hard to get a band that was interested in me playing anything other than lead. I was the lead guitarist. I don't know that it makes me better or just the guy with more responsibility. I finally much much later had to just learn to say no. My preference was always bass.

 

[fishdreams]

Because I fumbled away with a washtub bass at home (with a tea-crate as the resonating chamber) and i was on that evidence invited to join our neighborhood teenage 'jazz band'.