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What made you take up bass?

#121
RockBoddham said:
In the Spring of 1975, when I was 13, I played soccer and ended up breaking my ankle. I was home from school and pretty bored, so I borrowed my friend's Kingston bass, and ended up buying it for $15. Shortly after, I found a small Kingston bass amp in the classifieds, and I was on my way...
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I was 13 in 1965 but it actually very early '66 when we actually started our band (like Jan.). I've owned many basses since that little short scale Kingston but I don't have anything bad to say about it. It served it's purpose and was still working the day I sold it. The amp I had might have been a Kingston too but I can't sweat to it. I do know that I buzzed the speaker and bought a bigger and better replacement.
 
#124
At first I wanted to play drums, but I lived in an apartment with my parents and my room was too small for a drumkit and I've never been really interested in guitar so I got a bass for my 17th birthday. Now I'm 22 years old and studying music full-time. Best choice I've ever made. But I'm would really like to learn some brassinstrument, Got myself a Trombone so soon I'll take some lessons and hopefully I'll can play that instrument in a couple of years!
 
#125
I am an accidental bassist.

I'd noodled around with the guitar for years but hadn't done anything with it. Two years ago I joined the local community orchestra when my trumpet called me. I hadn't played it since Reagan was in the White House.

The orchestra didn't need another trumpet, but they didn't have anyone to play the bass. I had an acoustic bass guitar lying around that I wasn't using, so I offered to cover the part . I woodshedded and got up to speed very quickly on it. Then the whiz kid with her brand new Shen showed up. The guitar did not work with her double bass, so it was either learn the double bass or leave the orchestra- so I chose the double bass. (Ironically enough, I left this orchestra for another orchestra after last season).

In a year and a half since I joined the orchestra, I've played Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz; I've studied the Bach Cello Suites; I played in a jazz band; I am playing in the pit for a musical and a jazz duet at an arts festival in the coming weeks, and I was invited to be a part of a chamber music festival @ UNC last summer. Not bad for a 42- year-old rookie accidental bassist.
 
#126
I specifically remember the night I figured out I was a bass player. I was at my buddy's apartment, and, being 20 with a bunch of musicians, we were on various mind-warping chemicals, and I jumped out of the chair, as if pulled by some invisible force, walked backwards into the band room, where I picked up a bass and started jamming by myself. I felt SO ALIVE (this was probably the drugs); but that bass just felt so right. I've been at it ever since (17 yrs).
 
#128
RockBoddham said:
In the Spring of 1975, when I was 13, I played soccer and ended up breaking my ankle. I was home from school and pretty bored, so I borrowed my friend's Kingston bass, and ended up buying it for $15. Shortly after, I found a small Kingston bass amp in the classifieds, and I was on my way...
Click to expand...

Here it is, in all it's glory. Not my actual bass, but the exact same model. Well, maybe it is my bass, who knows????
 

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#129
MoonlightBass said:
I am an accidental bassist.

I'd noodled around with the guitar for years but hadn't done anything with it. Two years ago I joined the local community orchestra when my trumpet called me. I hadn't played it since Reagan was in the White House.

The orchestra didn't need another trumpet, but they didn't have anyone to play the bass. I had an acoustic bass guitar lying around that I wasn't using, so I offered to cover the part . I woodshedded and got up to speed very quickly on it. Then the whiz kid with her brand new Shen showed up. The guitar did not work with her double bass, so it was either learn the double bass or leave the orchestra- so I chose the double bass. (Ironically enough, I left this orchestra for another orchestra after last season).

In a year and a half since I joined the orchestra, I've played Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz; I've studied the Bach Cello Suites; I played in a jazz band; I am playing in the pit for a musical and a jazz duet at an arts festival in the coming weeks, and I was invited to be a part of a chamber music festival @ UNC last summer. Not bad for a 42- year-old rookie accidental bassist.
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That's a great story man, I wish my own was that cool.
 
#132
plong123 said:
I specifically remember the night I figured out I was a bass player. I was at my buddy's apartment, and, being 20 with a bunch of musicians, we were on various mind-warping chemicals, and I jumped out of the chair, as if pulled by some invisible force, walked backwards into the band room, where I picked up a bass and started jamming by myself. I felt SO ALIVE (this was probably the drugs); but that bass just felt so right. I've been at it ever since (17 yrs).
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Been there. Don't remember much though. Good story.
 
#133
I heard the Who live at the isle of wight album when i was 16. The power of Johns bass playing completely blew me away, it was awesome in the true sense of the word.
Until then only played the trumpet, but never fell in love with the instrument.
Bought my first bass the next day......17 years later...here i am!
 
#134
Saw a Youtube video of a guy playing a bass cover of Supermassive Black Hole by Muse. It looked fun.

I had never been seriously interested in guitar, but I had been learning it (very slowly) over the past few months just because I liked music. As soon as I got my bass, though, I knew I would rather be playing that.
 
#135
Back 48 years ago when I was 11, I tried to learn how to play guitar like my brother. I didn't have the finger strength to push several of the strings down at the same time. When my brother joined a band and they practiced in our basement and left their stuff there, I used to sneak down and diddle with the drums and the bass. I thought bass was cool because it only had 4 strings and you only have to play them one at a time. After a few years of playing bass, I finally picked up guitar and tried a couple year stint as a lead guitarist. Needless to say I felt like and sounded like a bass player trying to play guitar. I found that I thought like a bass player and decided to stick with that. I made my living for 25 years of my life playing bass and still play as much as possible to this day.
Many guitar players like to say bass players are just failed guitar players. I believe most guitar players that think they can just jump over to bass anytime sound like a guitar player trying to play bass. They still think like a guitar player and don't know what NOT to play on bass. 48 years of thinking like a bass player hasn't let me down.
 
#136
Hi, When I was small I fell in love with the drums (Ringo Starr and all) but we were poor. Nevertheless, my mother started saving some money in the hopes of buying me a drum set. She died before she could make that happen. Years later, after I got a job, I bought myself a nice trap set and began to play by ear as best as I could. However, injuries to my neck forced me to quit.

Just this last January I began to ready myself for retirement and what I was going to do with myself. I have always wanted to learn to play an instrument, so I thought about what I could do to pick up on that dream. Soon the idea of the bass guitar grew on me. In March of 2012 I purchased a Fender Squire Jaguar Bass. I didn't know much, but the price was right. I quickly discovered it wasn't right for my small hands, so I found the Epiphone EB-3 and now I'm happy.

At 61 years old I'm unlikely to go on to have a long career with the bass. I'll be happy to learn to play and jam with others. I glad to be a part of this forum and hope to learn from you all.
 
#137
I missed my friend's band playing but met up with everyone after at their guitar players house. They had invited one of the other bands who were complaining that after 6 months their bassist still didn't know the songs, I was being a smartass and said "I'll play bass for you guys". The next day I got a call from their guitar player telling me practice was on Tuesday (3 days away). Luckily another friend had a spare bass I could play and that was that.
 
#138
ancientrocker said:
Hi, When I was small I fell in love with the drums (Ringo Starr and all) but we were poor. Nevertheless, my mother started saving some money in the hopes of buying me a drum set. She died before she could make that happen. Years later, after I got a job, I bought myself a nice trap set and began to play by ear as best as I could. However, injuries to my neck forced me to quit.

Just this last January I began to ready myself for retirement and what I was going to do with myself. I have always wanted to learn to play an instrument, so I thought about what I could do to pick up on that dream. Soon the idea of the bass guitar grew on me. In March of 2012 I purchased a Fender Squire Jaguar Bass. I didn't know much, but the price was right. I quickly discovered it wasn't right for my small hands, so I found the Epiphone EB-3 and now I'm happy.

At 61 years old I'm unlikely to go on to have a long career with the bass. I'll be happy to learn to play and jam with others. I glad to be a part of this forum and hope to learn from you all.
Click to expand...

This forum really reignited my passion for playing, I got into a bit of a rut and lost the "need" to play. Since joining I have learnt more that I ever did before and the urge to play is now stronger than ever.

There are some very talented and wise people here who are only too happy to share their knowledge and experiences.
 
#139
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Beck

Just got the urge to learn music in my mid-40s. It came down to guitar or bass for practical reasons like money, space and volume control. Been listening to those two for about 30 years now, and I knew I could never play like those cats, so why bother with the guitar? Of course had I paid better attention to what Geddy, Entwistle, etc were playing, I would have done the smart thing and stuck to sports.
 
#140
Stormer said:
This forum really reignited my passion for playing, I got into a bit of a rut and lost the "need" to play. Since joining I have learnt more that I ever did before and the urge to play is now stronger than ever.

There are some very talented and wise people here who are only too happy to share their knowledge and experiences.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much my story too. I played for 25 years but quit for my career and picked it up again after retirement. These forums were just what I needed as I haven't known any other bassists for years and being around bass talk folks kind of brings back the excitement and interest. And, like you said the folks here know a lot more than I ever did as a rock bassist and I've learned a lot hanging out here.
 

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