Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Who started it all for you?
- Thread starter trayner1
- Start date
Entwistle. No question. The bass lick in my generation is pretty cool. That was it for me.
A good friend, i was 13 when i was introduced to him by my mom.
A well known professional bass player, he has since passed away close to 2 years ago.
A well known professional bass player, he has since passed away close to 2 years ago.
I was a drummer and never thought about playing bass. Then I saw Gov't Mule and heard Allen Woody playing Thorazine Shuffle. I was enthralled. I've been hooked ever since.
My mom was really into disco and R&B when I was a kid, and my dad had copies of Classic Yes and 2112 that saw a lot of action.
So Squire, Geddy, Jamerson, Marvin Isley, and the one and only Bernard Edwards shaped my childhood musical experiences
So Squire, Geddy, Jamerson, Marvin Isley, and the one and only Bernard Edwards shaped my childhood musical experiences
I always thought the bass was the coolest looking instrument in the band it was huge and different from everything else. That got me thinking bass in the background of my mind. The bass player who really hooked me was Mel Schacker from Grand Funk Railroad on the first live album. My brother bought the album and I couldn't stop playing it! Still play it frequently! It was so in your face. That is when I started listening to bass in music and trying to pay attention. Took up bass around 14 years old. My brother had a Blackjack violin bass he bought but never played so I bought it from him and started taking lessons with a local school music teacher and Mel Bay! Was my bass for 2 years before I moved on to a Harmony solid body! Got my first bass amp from a Grace Holmes catalog about a year or so after starting lessons. I was learning with no amp! It sounded like a kicked in transistor radio speaker! Ahh the good old days!
Steve Harris, foot on the monitor, hunched over into the roar of the crowd and mouthing the words through an entire tour, Allentown, PA, March 27, 1987.
I worked up my air bass technique listening to Barry Oakley and Randy Jo Hobbs with the Allman Bros and Johnny Winter......still love listening to and playing those lines.
madbass6
Inactive
- Jan 13, 2009
- 2,428
- 1,295
- Disclosures
- I do not give consent to use any of my photos ! please respect that. thank you.
I'm sure there are a few threads like this out there, but I couldn't find any, so I'm starting a new one.
Which bassist started it all for you? Who made you say, "I wanna be a bassist" after hearing them?
For me, it was Glenn Cornick of Jethro Tull. I remember being about eight years old and finding a mix CD my dad made for me. That night, in bed, I listened to the disc. But when I got to Bouree, my life was transformed. Cornick's smooth walk accompanying Ian Anderson's impressive flute, followed by a chordy solo simply was a revelation. At that point, I picked up my bass with a whole new attitude. But I wasn't pleased with what I heard, so I taught myself the guitar for a few years and got good, all the while practicing bass every now and then. However, I had established myself as a wannabe shred guitarist (which I thought was cool back then), influenced by Satriani, Malmsteen, and others. While being musically immature, it did help me develop muscle memory and fretboard versatility. Going back to bass, I started out slapping, then worked my way back to pizzicato. And here I am.
So, Mr. Cornick, I salute you.
How about you?
Hotel California (eagles)
and the theme song for samson and son Tv show (80s)
It was my older brother before I was influenced by McCartney, Jamerson, Kaye, Squire, etc.
Although my brother was a d**k and never let me touch his gear, it inspired me to want to get my own gear and play even more.
Although my brother was a d**k and never let me touch his gear, it inspired me to want to get my own gear and play even more.
No one individual bassist "Started it all for me"
I'm sure I'm not in the minority when I say,
"What started it all for me was our band needed a bassist."
Being young and blissfully naive, the belief was, if you play guitar, you can play bass. EZ PZ.
While subconsciously I'm sure the melodic bass lines of James Jamerson, Paul McCartney and Jack Casady
were an influence, my actual songs to cover were bass lines by Ron Wood(Jeff Beck Group) and Jack Bruce(Cream).
I shutter today at what must have been my extreme butchery of their inventive bass lines.
The fact that Ron Wood has mostly played guitar since the Jeff Beck Group has inspired me to continue guitar playing
when not gigging as a bassist.
I'm sure I'm not in the minority when I say,
"What started it all for me was our band needed a bassist."
Being young and blissfully naive, the belief was, if you play guitar, you can play bass. EZ PZ.
While subconsciously I'm sure the melodic bass lines of James Jamerson, Paul McCartney and Jack Casady
were an influence, my actual songs to cover were bass lines by Ron Wood(Jeff Beck Group) and Jack Bruce(Cream).
I shutter today at what must have been my extreme butchery of their inventive bass lines.
The fact that Ron Wood has mostly played guitar since the Jeff Beck Group has inspired me to continue guitar playing
when not gigging as a bassist.
