I started playing clarinet in 5th grade. I was switched to Alto clarinet when I joined the high school band. Stopped playing it senior year when I started playing electric band with friends (this was in the early 1970s). I have not played clarinet since then, but I bought an EWI last year that I am learning to play.
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What Did You Start With?
- Thread starter dramatwist
- Start date
start with clarinet in public elementary education in mid 60's
1964 start high school, quit clarinet and bought first used electric guitar/amp
1966-68 played lead guitar in high school rock cover band (Beatles/Stones/British Invasion)
1975 bought first used pawn shop bass
2020 continue to play bass in two local bands
still play guitar
1964 start high school, quit clarinet and bought first used electric guitar/amp
1966-68 played lead guitar in high school rock cover band (Beatles/Stones/British Invasion)
1975 bought first used pawn shop bass
2020 continue to play bass in two local bands
still play guitar
I was one of those dime-a-dozen guitar players, which there were plenty of. Switching to bass got me playing more often and having more fun. After playing bass for a couple of years, I switched to keyboards and actually made a good living as a professional musician for almost 10 years. I got a real job, sold all my gear and about 5 years later I started playing bass again and still do to this day.
Actually started on trumpet. High school band had too many trumpets and no tuba so I volunteered to learn tuba. Started loving the lows especially when they broke out Theme From Mission Impossible. Asked my mom for an electric bass for my 16th birthday. The rest...history.
8th grade on the double bass. Picked up electric months later.
I started when I was a freshman in HS on a really cheap P Bass type thing. Can’t really remember what brand it was, maybe a Rogue or something like that. It was pretty terrible.
Started ok trumpet actually then bass. Sorry for the grainy picture it’s from 1994.
In June of 2013 after I retired, I joined a seniors ukulele group of about 50 people, I played guitar for almost 50 years before. About a year later the leader of the group asked if anyone would like to take up the bass to fill in our sound. When I played guitar, I was often told I should play the bass because I have good rhythm and feel, but I didn't want to be encumbered by a big electric bass, forget a stand up. So when I looked around and discovered bass ukes and mini electric bass guitars, I went for it. I only play 21" to 25" scale basses.
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Piano, then harmonica, then violin, then timbales, then electric bass, then double bass.
I began at 13 (starting high school) on a FAIM (Fábrica Argentina de Instrumentos Musicales, guess what, same style and font as "Fender") Jazz Bass clone that wasn't bad at all for what you could get at the time (cost me 100$). There's no photo I know of where such instrument is displayed but here's Invalid Link Removed. Mine was natural body and a maple neck with black blocks. My first bass amp was an EV equipped TL-606 with whatever I could use as a head (had several devices crap on me at the time). First real amp was a Peavey TKO-80 (which BTW rocks to this day), by that time I had upgraded my bass a couple times and had a low budget Ibanez CT 5er (early '90s).
Age 12: clarinet
13: tenor sax
15: french horn & bass guitar
20: double bass (and just enough piano to pass the proficiency barrier exam to receive a bachelor's degree a couple of years later)
Started on upright "String bass" in Jr High School in 1967. Got my first electric bass in 1968.
In 1960 a Fender Telecaster electric guitar and a tweed Deluxe amp my dad bought me. I was fascinated by how it sounded when I tuned down the Telecaster, and I used to experiment with it like that a lot after I finished practicing my music lessons. God, that Deluxe amp was sweet!
True story - technically I started on violin. My dad was a professional musician (woodwind) and when I said I wanted to learn to play an instrument he started to teach me violin. Which was weird, because he couldn't play a violin and I didn't want to. So that lasted about three weekends.
About four years later I re-started on bass guitar, but after six months or so of plunking around in my bedroom I took folk guitar lessons for a couple of years to properly learn a bit about music in general, and playing a fretted instrument in particular.
Then back to bass guitar. For life.
About four years later I re-started on bass guitar, but after six months or so of plunking around in my bedroom I took folk guitar lessons for a couple of years to properly learn a bit about music in general, and playing a fretted instrument in particular.
Then back to bass guitar. For life.
Like @two fingers I too started on tuba and have a similar story about being asked to play bass by my band director. My middle school had a 1980s red Ibanez p bass style instrument. That's what I learned on.
I too started in H.S. on an upright bass. We also had a H.S. Dance/Jazz band, which I used the school's '60s Fender Jazz Bass and Fender Amp. That was until someone broke into the school and stole that rig. To make up for it, my Mom bought me a new white Fender Music Master Bass and Amp.
