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What if i picked up guitar?..

R

Redleader

Nov 1, 2006
23
0
35
Ankara / Turkey
#1
Before saying "this should not be in Technique section", I should explain I am worried about the bass playing technique here :).. On to the explanation then..

I have always liked the sound of guitar solos with proper effects use and technique.. But until recently, I had no intention of playing another instrument; the bass was enough ;)..

The "recently" above actually means since a couple of months back.. In my usual "just-get-the-bass-and-fool-around" part of the day, I found out I was.. restricted.. on the higher notes.. There were times when I fool around between 18-24th frets :p and that my tone was not like the tone I wanted - to make music with..

Then just a couple of days ago, we had a gig, and I had a solo.. I transcribed something nice and cool :) consisting of two parts; a regular, fast, guitarish solo and a slap part.. And just as I was playing, I realized I didn't have fun with that part.. Not that it was bad (people said they liked it) but.. I realized I wanted to "tastefully bend" a string and produce a nice not so girly scream out of an instrument :)

Yes I rant a lot but here comes the part with the question.. So came the decision to try a hand at the guitar.. But, being the kind of person that I am, I can't just fool around with a guitar without lessons or practice.. So I'm planning on devoting serious time to guitar.. Time I used to spend on bass when I first started.. Time that I would find by cutting from some of my bass practicing time.. (aaand the question.. finally..) I was wondering, if I practiced guitar seriously and this much; would my bass technique deteriorate? I will never quit bass playing, I really like the subtle directing and stage-general aspect of the bass.. If guitar will affect my bass playing very much, I don't want it..

I am OK with a change in the technique, it is expected, surely.. But if it will be for the worse, I will just learn to bend a bass string and go crack some rocks with my super finger-strength :)

And also as a side question; if you know a technique that could produce that nice-toned-bending impact with a bass; please share.. So far I had no luck with what I tried (couldn't find a tenor bass, and can't build one.. Can't seem to get that kind of effect from my poor bass processor :crying: (maybe if there was an octavider that added an octave up?.. anyways..) Maybe the whole starting guitar action won't be necessary then..

Sorry for the long post, because I wanted to fully explain where the guitar-love came from and what my worries are exactly..

Thanks in advance..
 
#3
I play both guitar and bass. I took classical lessons for a while and honestly, that probably helped my technique for bass quite a bit.

I will say that playing several different instruments (electric guitar, acoustic, classical, mandolin and bass) makes me really oblivious to things such as scale length, string spacing, etc. I guess because I switch instruments so often (mostly between bass and acoustic) these subtleties fall short on me. When I hear people talk about string spacing it makes me realize how little I pay attention to stuff like that. Sorry, that was kind of off topic, but maybe you'll notice the same thing.
 
#6
Actually, I think learning guitar will help your bass playing. I started out on guitar, but fell in love with the bass when introduced to it. Where I grew up, we had tons of players and we were putting bands together all the time. Anything from instrumental, rock, country and bluegrass, so I got to play lots of different instruments.

In my case, learning the guitar made me very aware of chord structure, scales, and as a result made it easy for me to be able to play over chord progressions and easily dealing with minors etc....

Go for it, it will be a plus!
 
#7
No, your bass playing will not deteriorate. Well, mine didn't. And yeah, it'll probably help you bring new things to the bass table (playing with a pick, if you don't use one with bass now, etc).

In fact, I found it easy to go to guitar. A big problem i had when I started with bass was not having calluses, and the strength to hold down strings. So going into guitar, I already had calluses, and the hand strength because its tougher to hold down a bass string than a guitar.

So yeah go for it. It might take a bit longer to practice bass again after playing guitar for a while (but like, a matter of minutes). If my band has a show and I have only played guitar for a few weeks, I'll just jam on my bass for an hour and get back in the groove.

Go for it, it's a totally new experience.
 
#10
What if you picked up guitar? Well, you'd need a small lobotomy so you could fit in with most guitarists, but you wouldn't need the full "drummer prep" lobotomy...

OK, really... for what you're seeking I'm thinking a six-string or a fretless. The skinnier C string on top would help with the bending thing you're after. Or a fretless, but a bent string sounds a lot different than sliding on a fretless.

Or just pick up guitar and actively avoid approaching it in your normal manner. Just let the music guide you instead of taking lessons and learning "proper" technique (oh, my! Is this really John saying to NOT learn it formally?)

That might help you get what you're wanting out of the music.

John
 
#13
I play both bass and standard guitar too. It's just like a bass, except it's an octave up! :D

But yeah, it helps me to write music for the guitarist in my band, it helps me to understand his parts in songs we learn, it helps me to appreciate my role as a bassist, and it means I can play higher solos or chords when I'm playing alone or recording.

I found no difficulty in switching between the two. You'll naturally learn to adjust your playing style based on the thickness of the strings, their spacing and the size of the frets.
 
#14
I can't agree that guitar teaches you theory; I think bass teaches it much much better. Though that's mostly from a "by-ear" point of view.

If you want to, go for it!! Though I don't think you need to for what you want to do. I'll second the 6 string recommendation, & a 24 fret'er string EADGCF goes p-r-e-t-t-y high. And if bending's the issue, lighter gauge strings could help: try a bend with your strings dropped 2 whole tones.
 
#15
Redleader said:
So I'm planning on devoting serious time to guitar..
Click to expand...

You may well find that the "cross-training" effect of taking up another plucked instrument will actually improve your bass-playing.

I started on bass at 15, and within a year added guitar. By age 17, I was taking classical guitar lessons, though I still played bass.

Shortly thereafter, in my Senior year in HS, I started playing double bass, including in the school orchestra. I continued playing all three instruments in college.

Some of the techniques that people here talk about, like three-finger playing, actually come naturally to me because of classical guitar training.

Just a few thoughts.
 
#17
Yeah, playing guitar will definitely help your bass playing. It will give you a new appreciation for harmony and will introduce you to lots of techniques that aren't often heard on the bass.

I play different stringed instruments from banjo to ukulele and they help me maintain an attitude of playing "music" rather than simply playing "guitar" or "bass." Once you open yourself up to other instruments, it becomes less about the particular instrument you're playing and more about what you want to say musically.

Definitely pick up the guitar.
 
#18
Thanks everybody for your opinions.. You helped me to make up my mind - I will definitely pick up guitar.. A cheap second-hand one from a friend and a small practice amp should be enough I think :)

And for the other ideas about the tone I want.. I already have a fretless, not a very quality one but still a fretless, and I love its tone.. It has a wonderful growl that I'm still trying to master, but it is kind of different from what I am looking for in a guitar.. Lighter gauges and quality 6-string basses are kind of hard to acquire where I live, so those ideas are impossible unfrotunately..

And a quick sum of all the suggestions is; if all taken into account; a fretless picolo 6-string bass.. A fretless guitar, then? It would be funny :p
 
#20
You'll be fine. I play both all the time ... often in the same night. I play acoustic blues, folk, country ... I suppose you'd call it Americana. Not unusual to do an acoustic gig in the afternoon, and an electric bass gig that night. I've just gotten into playing acoustic upright bass, too. I play piano and harmonica, too. Just do it.
 

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