Who fell into bass?

[jnuts1]

How many of you started on guitar rather than bass? or any other instrument?

I read some threads and feel sorry for everyone "stuck" playing a bass. I had a guitar for at least 2 years in college and it never left the case, literally zero times. But as soon as I touched a bass I knew it was meant for me. I haven't put it down since and have played almost every day for the last 21 years.

I've never even thought about playing a guitar. I've picked one up just so i'm familiar with its workings but that's it.

 

[mini-milli]

I think most of the people here are not going to be complaining about playing bass.

 

[Wanker_Joe]

I've known I wanted to play bass since I figured out what was making those silky low tones when I was around 12 or so. Never played guitar, still can't play guitar worth beans (or anything else that isn't a bass guitar for that matter). That being said, from my rough survey of bassists that I know I'm the only one who went directly for the bass - the rest are all guitarists on some level. Seems like it's pretty common.

 

[2saddleslab]

I had the bass player mentality before ever picking up the instrument. My wife said my tombstone should read "he never wanted to be center of attention on stage, but made sure he was standing next to whoever was."

 

[Bob_Ross]

My circumstances fall somewhere between options #2 and #3 on the poll:

I had been a guitarist for a couple years, had a band, we sucked but we were 13 years old so...
Our bassist was also a guitarist...and, as it turns out, a better guitarist than I was. (See above re: being 13 and sucking.)
During one rehearsal -- of a tune I had written, ironically -- I kept screwing up the guitar part. Finally the bassist said "Give me that, I'll play it. Here, you play this" and handed me her bass.

It was like the heavens parted and a choir of angels started singing: I instantly fell in love with the bass!
But strictly speaking I had been forced to play it by a guitarist.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

How many of you started on guitar rather than bass? or any other instrument?

I read some threads and feel sorry for everyone "stuck" playing a bass. I had a guitar for at least 2 years in college and it never left the case, literally zero times. But as soon as I touched a bass I knew it was meant for me. I haven't put it down since and have played almost every day for the last 21 years.

I've never even thought about playing a guitar. I've picked one up just so i'm familiar with its workings but that's it.

Drums, then my buddy's brother was selling his bass, so I bought it. I never really jived with electric guitar. I've never been able to get those little things to do what I wanted them to. And they've always just felt like toys to me.

But, I fell in love with bass when I was at my homes house, and I plugged his bass into his peavey 810, stood in front of it, cranked it, and gave it a solid smack. Done.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Played tuba in high school, so bass was embedded into my brain!
I was forced to play keys for years. I played bass at a church, keyboard unexpectedly quit, we were keyboard driven. I played bass on Wednesday, learned of keys player quitting late Saturday night, I was on keys Sunday AM. ,,,,No past piano lessons,,,,

 

[JRA]

i've been a musician all of my life but i didn't start playing bass until i was in my mid 20s so i "fell into" it per the OP. that said: i've never been interested in guitar (i can play it some). i started with piano in childhood. later it was woodwinds (saxes mostly). i started gigging at 14. i took up bass when a BL needed one: "how hard could it be?" at that moment i agreed --- i've spent the rest of my life paying for that initial arrogance!

i voted "other."

 

[kesslari]

I played guitar as a teenager. I wanted to play bass but I felt that I didn't "think like a bass player".
When I was 19 or 20 I was going out with a bellydancer. She handed me a doumbek (arab goblet drum) and I loved it - starting gigging on it immediately.
Suddenly I "got" rhythm and groove. Bassliines made sense to me.
A few months later I was taking a guitar lesson and mentioned that I wanted to try bass. My teacher said "great! I need a bass player! Let's go down to the music store and get you a bass!" And that's what we did.
The next week I was playing in 2 good bands and was never musically happier. And it's just gotten better from there.
I pretty much haven't touched a guitar since then. Nasty little cheese-slicer strings...

 

[Jorgebassguy]

I played guitar off and on for about 5 years then then I listened to some music through a quality system and said “wow i want to play THOSE notes!”
I lost a couple of strings later that week

 

[mini-milli]

I think the older people here will probably be more likely to have gone from bass to guitar, but the younger people will be more likely to have picked up bass first.

I'm 26, and most of the bass players I know personally that are my age started on bass. Probably has to do with guitar being less popular now than it used to be. (it doesn't hurt that modern pop still has bass in it but not guitar usually)

 

[dangevans]

Started on tuba, learned guitar, and was ordered to learn bass in the Army band I was in because the bass player left the unit. Hated it at first, but fell in love with it eventually!

 

[jnuts1]

awesome responses guys

 

[mikewalker]

I started on guitar at twelve but actively pursued bass at age thirteen when a fellow (already gigging) teen bass player of my acquaintance explained to me how bassists can get paying gigs with a wide range of different ensembles and musical styles. "Show me the money"!!

 

[NG51]

Took guitar lessons in the fourth grade for several years. At 15, I started playing bass in earnest. I’ve always loved the bass!

 

[Low Down Brown]

I started guitar at 8, saxophone at 9. Stuck with the sax until I reluctantly agreed to play bass because: 1) I wanted to play drums but didn't have my own kit, and 2) my friend and long-time drummer had his own kit and was really good already. No one else wanted to be the bass player, so they handed it over to me...and I'm so glad they did! Started bass at 12 and haven't regretted it at all. I was made for this beautiful bringer of thunder and mover of boo-tays.

 

[stinkfoot60]

I picked up the guitar 3 years ago after I retired. It was the first instrument I ever played, although my brother has played guitar and bass since we were teenagers. I tried his bass a couple of times and liked it, so I bought a Squier P bass and an amp last month. I'm having a blast, now I can suck playing 2 instruments!

 

[Dominic D]

My brother played guitar so I took up bass. My dad also played played bass and I looked up to him.

 

[FatherTrucker]

I was a Guitar player who was in between bands who got asked to play bass in my favorite local band. Then I got asked to join a tribute band on bass and it cemented that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

 

[Leonid Nidis]

I started on guitar but once I tried bass I put the guitar down.
Kept playing a bit after but only practiced bass.