Who fell into bass?

[mrwink]

Switched from G to B in 1992. Mostly played bass for till 2017, then started playing solo guitar gigs. Currently playing bass in a busy 80’s band (‘cept for this time in lockdown - but still usually at least one private a month), and play solo singer/acoustic gigs.

 

[Nekomata]

I'm a drummer, and probably always will be. But I don't regret picking up the electric bass guitar. My neighbours likely agree.

 

[Eldwyn]

I started with guitar (father plays guitar) but the shape of my finger tips always fought me. I picked up the bass, it jived with how I wanted to play anyway and now I'm hooked.

 

[RickC]

my first "bass" was a guitar (a Zim Gar) with the top two strings removed. It was all I could afford. I was always horny for bass

/rick

 

[Rib 13]

I started on bass in the early 80s

I went to keyboards next (from playing synth bass in dance bands) then I went to programming. I didnt start playing guitar until the 90s

 

[rollie 55]

When we where kids brother played Bass and i played guitar but i always liked the look and sound of a Bass one day we did a swap and we never looked back it was ment to be

 

[GretschWretch]

Stolen from who?

It was a joke, Slab. I was amused by the image conjured up by your "tombstone epitaph." It was like, "I'm the bass player and I'm not the center of attention, so I'll kind of get close to the person who is, and bask in the reflected glow." No stealing; more like attention appropriation. I still chuckle over the image, though.

No ill will meant. If i have offended, apologies tendered.

 

[Wanker_Joe]

Only one?

We are 2 of a kind then...I can't play a guitar to save my life...

There are probably dozens of us!

 

[NG51]

How many years in fourth grade were you held back?

Good one!

 

[2saddleslab]

It was a joke, Slab. I was amused by the image conjured up by your "tombstone epitaph." It was like, "I'm the bass player and I'm not the center of attention, so I'll kind of get close to the person who is, and bask in the reflected glow." No stealing; more like attention appropriation. I still chuckle over the image, though.

No ill will meant. If i have offended, apologies tendered.

No ill will taken. Just wasn't sure what you meant. All good............except the image of my burial.

 

[Lizooki]

I played guitar years ago but never stuck with it.
Fast forward a lifetime and daughter #1 wanted a guitar ... and I was building and selling cigar box guitars.
That sparked my interest to play more.
But I wanted to do more than just be a bedroomer.
Since we already had 2 guitarists , 2 pianists, and a mandolin player at church I decided to look at basses.
Made a good deal on a p-copy and a practice amp at a pawn shop and NEVER regretted it.

 

[pcake]

i played acoustic guitar since 1968, stopped playing for years, got into electric guitar played fingerstyle in 1992. in 1993 or maybe early 1994, i was playing at a jam that ended as my friend's old band showed up from new york. they wanted to play together for old time's sake, but they had a bass and amp with no bass player. i had never even touched a bass, but my friend begged me to try bass. i agreed with bad grace, and within a minute, i was in love. at the end of the first song (the immigrant song), i offered to buy the bass from the band.

the next day, my friend talked to a mutual friend and told him i played bass (a debatable statement if ever there was one). when i woke up, i had an offer to join our friend's band, which i did since their guitar player had a bass i could use. it was HUGE, by the way - a 36" scale 5 string - and i'm 5' 3". but i gave it a go.

and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

[Clank Plank]

Started on guitar, but an injury to me elbow and subsequent nerve damage has left me with no feeling in 2 fingers on my right hand.

This completely knocked fingerpicking on the head. I can still play, but it's terribly frustrating not being to play at the level I was once at.

At the Wife's suggestion I tried bass. After some experimenting I determined my injury works better with pick than fingerstyle, so that's what I went with.

At first it was easy, a lot of guitar knowledge such as fretboard layout, being able to read music, etc, transfers right over so I hit the ground running. However, the next two years were then spent learning bass as a specialism, learning the techniques and tricks peculiar to bass, properly learning the instrument. A thousand or more hours playing later and I'm well and truly in love with it, well and truly converted.

 

[Passinwind]

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

Yep, guitar first by a couple of years. But by the time we chose up in my first band I had been playing bass for a couple of years and clearly had the most aptitude and the most love for it. I pretty much played guitar at least as well as the other three members though. The "loser" of the guitar-off got stuck with drums actually, which probably didn't really help with his progression as lead vocalist.

 

[west al]

I started on guitar, and was really lousy. The bass was a great move, I love it.

 

[hbarcat]

I didn't fall - I was pushed in.

I started out as the singer in a Black Sabbath cover band in high school. Back in the 80s it was difficult to find and keep decent bass players because so few wanted to be "stuck" playing the thing instead of a "real guitar".

We couldn't book shows for about 6 months in a row because we had a string of failed attempts to get a permanent bassist with any talent.

So one day, the drummer and guitarist walk up to me and hand me a cheap, old, and beat up beginner quality bass and announce that since I'm not doing anything useful with my hands while I'm singing (except jumping around and clapping like Ozzy does) I can solve our band's problem by learning how to play the bass and be Ozzy and Geezer at the same time.

I replied that this was I right handed bass and that I was left handed.

To which they responded, **** you and your ******* left handedness. Learn how to play bass or you're out of the band. . . . . . . . . Ha ha."

They actually laughed without a trace of amusement on their faces. In fact, it wasn't so much a laugh as it was them saying the words, "Ha ha", while scowling at me, threateningly.

So, I learned from scratch how to play bass, having never touched a musical instrument before. Took me about 3 months of practice at 10 or 12 hours per week to be able to get through the more simple Black Sabbath songs.

I quickly developed a passion for bass and have maintained my original level of work ethic and passion over the past 35 years.

 

[gg69]

Started playing guitar, then joined two bands for over a decade as a bassist because that's what they needed. Fell in love with the bass, and now I'm half-way: playing 8-string guitar in a drum/guitar stoner/djent project =D

 

[Nikolaki]

Started on guitar, forced into bass by guitarists, fell in love with bass.

During lockdown guitar has become my primary instrument again as I've been singing and playing solo. But once live church music and pub gigs start up again this will change.

At primary school started on descant recorder and then was moved to bass recorder. It was pretty cool!

 

[mark paine]

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.

bass strings dont break as readily as guitar strings do. when you got a heavy right hand, thats important. i like beating the crap out of a fat 105, heavily muted, with a pick.

 

[1gneissguy]

Different experience, I suspect. I bought my first bass at the age of 67. Never played anything before, but saw a group of folks in my new neighborhood playing music and having fun, so I thought to join them. Following a serious accident at age 50, I have nerve damage in both arms, particularly my left arm. I also am missing half a thumb on my right hand, so it’s not easy to hold a pick. I looked at a dog-house bass and noticed it had only four strings and was told only one string at a time was played. Decided to try it and bought a nice hybrid bass. Found a great teacher and the rest is history. It was a life-changing event. I’m now 81 and, while I make no claims to virtuosity, I continue to enjoy my music, playing my bass with a small local band and singing as well. I don’t think I could have done it with any other instrument. Now mostly play an acoustic-electric as the big dude has gotten to be a bother to handle.