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Turning Point...

Y

yeeharacing

Feb 27, 2009
42
0
#1
I'm a 35 yr old who recently took up playing bass a year ago. There were two things that led me to playing the bass.

One was a friend of mine showed me his Tobias and played a few things for me in his studio one night... At that point I knew I wanted to learn to play the bass. My son was born shortly after and learning to play took a back seat.

Six years later I was watching Robert Trujillo playing a solo before "For Whom the Bell Tolls" on Youtube. There was something about the way he played that was just so energetic. He looked so into the music and he was having a blast. My son had just started taking lessons and learning to play guitar. I figured this was the time.

At that point I made the decision to start taking lessons.

What was the performance or events that was your turning point in learning to play?
 
#3
I had always wanted to learn. Back in high school I got my first bass, then my second...but other things took priority. Fast forward to college, I bought myself a used bass, refinished it and my roommate (a guitar player) showed me a few things. We formed a garage band that played one show and that was it. Fast forward again about 4 more years...married, no kids...I decided I wanted to learn again. Once again, no time. Then finally about 3 years ago, now my kids are 6 and 4...I told myself that I was going to learn. I find this place and buy an SX...I entrench myself into it and everything about it. I become infatuated with bass and everything about it. Then as luck would have it...I fall backwards into this classic rock band and have been with them for 2 years...and am now playing fairly regularly with them...and LOVING IT!!!! No end in sight. I don't know if that is what you meant...but that is my story.

And to keep this on topic of the forum, I have gone through about 4 different SX's, a TBC Jazz, a Peavey Forum, an Ibanez ATK, an OLP MM copy (All 4 stringers), and am now stuck on my Fernandes 5 string and my Ibanez SR505.
 
#5
i was 13-14 and was really getting into metal. my favorite bands were Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Metallica. when i was listening to those bands, i focused mostly on Geezer, Steve, and Cliff. i guess i was just drawn to the bass. i saved up some money and bought my first bass and amp when i was 15.
 
#6
I was born into it I guess. My dad's a bassist, my uncles are guitar players, my grandfather used to be a folk/bluegrass musician.

When I was a younger kid I found it hard to pay attention. Would practice but always had my mind on something else I guess. So never really took a huge interest. When I was 13 or 14 or so I started learning songs by some better bassist. After I knew what some guys could do with a bass, that's when I really fell in love.

Now im drooling more over the bass then ever haha.

have fun!
 
#8
The first instrument I ever picked up was drums. I was 15 then. But the problem was my mom didn't let me buy one, even with my savings. she said it was too loud.

So, I picked up guitar. I had my band and all that. But, I never was really happy with it. I can do well (not best) on guitar, but it just doesn't feel like my place, you know? But, I still play it, because I just wanna play music.

one day, I was looking at MTV (don't judge, ok?). I saw JK's Space Cowboy Video. I saw Stuart Zender played that song. I think to myself, That's it. That's what I wanna do. Too bad, with the band and money, I couldn't.

When I was starting my freshman's year at college. I decided that I'm gonna start a new band with me as bass player. Some luck I'd had, the first guy I made friend with was a bassist, and very good one as well (now he has a degree from MI on Jazz keyboard). So, I'm stuck with guitar until I graduated, and started playing in Pubs for living.

until 2 years ago, my turning point, When I quit playing (as a job) and start working on day job. My friend's band, his bassist left. My friend asked me if I can substitute for him, he just didn't want to find a guy that he didn't know and start everything over. So, he asked me. He trusted me. I said yes.

2 years later, 29, with hundreds of gigs, Big and small, I'm finally bassist (not that good though).
 
#9
I was in junior high and everyone was either playing guitar or drums. No bassists whatsoever. I went to the music store and bought a guitar but couldn't afford lessons and was really frustrated at how long is was taking me to learn guitar and I was also frustrated at hoe easy a guitar would go out of tune. I had no tuner and at the time, lacked the skills on how to tune on my own. At the time I was also doing lead vocals as well but then my voice changed because of my age. I went back to the music store and noticed the basses. I asked the store owner what kind of guitar that was. He said it wasn't a guitar; it was a bass. I picked up the instrument, played it and fell in love. I bought a cheap Cort bass that was used and it lasted me a few years until I upgraded to better equipment. It was really a blessing in disguise too because so many bassists that I met were transplant guitarists that were demoted to bass due to not enough bass players. Not a whole lot of them really had a passion for the instrument that I did. To me, it was easier to learn, it rarely went out of tune and because I was a bassist first, I had work come to me not the other way around. I was also able to teach myself how to play. Now in saying that, I don't consider myself as some awesome bassist because I only play by ear and can't read music but I am at least what I would consider average at best. If I jam with someone, I can come up with my own stuff or if I need to figure a particular bass line out, unless it is slap style, I can do that too. With the slap style, I simply have not practiced enough at it. It's one style of playing that I suck at. I'm sure if I practiced it, I could get better but I already have my own style that I like so I'm content.
 

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