When somebody calls bass players "failed guitarists"...

[JShogunE]

How do you respond in this situation? I tend to give an 'apples to oranges' type reply. Two different instruments with different qualities.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

If someone told me I was a "failed guitarist" they'd better be ready for a verbal onslaught.

 

[xgator4u]

 

[Ender_rpm]

I ask when their next gig is....

 

[JShogunE]

"We have Geddy Lee"

 

[JLY]

"That would make McCartney a failed guitarist?"

 

[higain617]

I would take dude's guitar, shred a wanky solo on it and say, "now who's the failure?"

 

[Febs]

As far as I can recall, in my 31 years of playing bass and 36 of playing guitar, no-one has ever said that to me.

 

[Dug2]

oh no you didnt!!

 

[tjontheroad]

I always thought guitarist were failed bass players

 

[mikefromchurch]

Our pianist has a music major, plays harp professionally, and has been on piano for nearly 50 years. She can't play keyboard(outside of piano style sounds) nearly as well as the keys player who has less than 10 years in. Her playing is such, that washy or arpegiated sounds don't translate to her style. In the same way, our lead guitar can shred a million times better than me. I played guitar for 14(?) years before I started on bass. A month after picking up the bass I was much better at bass than my guitarist, despite his speed and better understanding of scales. I think it just boils down to a certain role of each instrument, and being able to both understand, and enjoy that role.

 

[Lownote38]

No one has ever said that to me, but if they did, I would say, "Are you sure you don't have me mixed up with the sound guy?"

 

[billgwx]

In my case, they would have been right. Being left handed and having to borrow right handed friends' guitars at the start, I essentially played guitar upside down, which set me on the wrong path (trying playing an open G upside down if you want to get an initial idea!), so I switched to bass after a year or two, which was easier to manage as a rock player, but I still played right handed basses upside down.

The cures were 80's jazz fusion and the Beatles. Was jamming with jazz fusion players and listening to a lot of Miles Davis, John Scofield, etc. which had a lot of slap going on--I wanted to play it, and the only way to do it right (thumb thumping the low strings, other fingers popping) was to play a true left handed bass, which I was able to do very quickly. The end of being a failed guitarist followed a year later, when I got a case of late onset Beatlemania in my late 20s and bought a left handed acoustic guitar, which I now found much easier to play than right handed, upside down.

 

[INTP]

A comment like that requires no thought, and deserves none in response.

 

[Scarey Larry]

I'm with INTP. No response required. I never think about playing guitar, nor am interested. I do the occasional trumpet thing though, guess that makes me a failed sax player.

 

[Timmah]

I usually tell them I play guitar, too, but only because bass is too hard.

 

[Jazz Ad]

No musician will ever say that to a competent bass player.

 

[Fat Steve]

Never heard anyone in real life say that. Also have never heard anyone outside of a couple children here on TB use the word "guitard".

 

[xgator4u]

Also have never heard anyone outside of a couple children here on TB use the word "guitard".

A GUITARD is as a guitard does.

Gotta call a spade a spade.

 

[Awesome Sauce]

Um, I asked for *extra* dipping sauce.