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Why bass over guitar?
- Thread starter Softballcrew31
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I have a better question: why should I convince you of anything?
If you're unsure, just flip a coin on it. Worst case scenario, you have the instrument closest to the instrument you want to play. Most of the technique is pretty interchangeable, the tunings aren't impossibly different from each other as to make one unplayable without practice. I'm not about telling you how to live your life, that's your journey, I just want to see you make those steps.
If you have one for long enough and still want to play the other, then honestly just get the other one. If I really HAD to recommend a first instrument for you, it would honestly be a guitar. Electric or acoustic, take your pick, but being the significantly more popular instrument you'll have a lot more options for good used gear, or good new gear. I started off with my dad's old japanese tele knockoff and a tube amp, and honestly still gravitated towards bass - but I still venture to the skinny-string side sometimes too.
If you're unsure, just flip a coin on it. Worst case scenario, you have the instrument closest to the instrument you want to play. Most of the technique is pretty interchangeable, the tunings aren't impossibly different from each other as to make one unplayable without practice. I'm not about telling you how to live your life, that's your journey, I just want to see you make those steps.
If you have one for long enough and still want to play the other, then honestly just get the other one. If I really HAD to recommend a first instrument for you, it would honestly be a guitar. Electric or acoustic, take your pick, but being the significantly more popular instrument you'll have a lot more options for good used gear, or good new gear. I started off with my dad's old japanese tele knockoff and a tube amp, and honestly still gravitated towards bass - but I still venture to the skinny-string side sometimes too.
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A lot of young bass players become bass players because their friends play guitar. When they want to actually form a band, and play in front of people, their friend who doesn't play anything yet gets handed a bass. So, sometimes (often when the band is young) the bass player is the least musical person in the band.
When you get older, you realize that there a LOTS of guitar players - you can't thrown a stone without hitting one. But there are relatively few bass players. Walk into Guitar Center (the name should give yo a clue) and count the number of guitars - OK, maybe just estimate the number, there are a lot of them. Then count the number of basses - that should be easy - that gives you some idea of the ratio of guitarists to bassists. It's at least 10 to 1, and I've never been on a stage with more than 4 guitarists (2 acoustics, 2 electrics). Often, there's 1 or 2, and...always a bassist.
If you've persisted from your young days, and are now a good musician who happens to play bass, you can play lots of gigs as a bassist, because..the demand for good bass players exceeds the supply (this is not the case for guitarists). One of the best musicians I know (primarily a keyboard player, and a darn good one at that), took up the bass because...to make a living at music, being able to play bass made him more constantly employable.
So, if you want to be noticed, maybe guitar. If you want to play music a lot, bass.
When you get older, you realize that there a LOTS of guitar players - you can't thrown a stone without hitting one. But there are relatively few bass players. Walk into Guitar Center (the name should give yo a clue) and count the number of guitars - OK, maybe just estimate the number, there are a lot of them. Then count the number of basses - that should be easy - that gives you some idea of the ratio of guitarists to bassists. It's at least 10 to 1, and I've never been on a stage with more than 4 guitarists (2 acoustics, 2 electrics). Often, there's 1 or 2, and...always a bassist.
If you've persisted from your young days, and are now a good musician who happens to play bass, you can play lots of gigs as a bassist, because..the demand for good bass players exceeds the supply (this is not the case for guitarists). One of the best musicians I know (primarily a keyboard player, and a darn good one at that), took up the bass because...to make a living at music, being able to play bass made him more constantly employable.
So, if you want to be noticed, maybe guitar. If you want to play music a lot, bass.
...there you go, mate... always had regular gigs playing bass, and I'm going on 50 years of activity...
I didn’t chose bass over guitar. I play both. They have different roles in the band. If you like attention and want to be more in the spotlight, you might prefer guitar. Guitar also has to compete with other instruments like keyboards and other guitars. So, you need to want to get involved in all that. Bass doesn’t have a lot of competition for the sonic space it fills. You are less in the spotlight and you need to enjoy laying down a foundation and having the control of that. I do a lot of lead guitar work, but I view myself as a rhythm guitar player. That is why I really enjoy the bass...it’s even more important with respect to the rhythm aspect.
My experience is that you will prefer the activity and role of one instrument over another and you may also enjoy not having to deal with certain things, due to your preferences. With bass, you are almost always going to fill a critical role in every song. You may not get the glory, but you are profoundly necessary. You are going to be handling some big, heavy strings, but usually only one string at a time. You will not always get a lot of opportunity to do solos. You are going to be teaming up with the drummer to keep the groove going. A lot of your parts may be simple and repetitive, but you need to crank them out very tightly and there is little room for error. I enjoy dealing with these kind of things. It can also be a lot of fun. You don’t have to be a funk master or jazz guy, you can choose to fill an easy role and just lay down some very simple bass lines. That may work better for you if you are just a hobbyist....but you can also take it to the virtuoso level. I may get some flack for this, but the minimum effort required on bass is often lower than the minimum effort required on guitar. That, along with the fact that bass players tend to be in greater demand gives you a lot of practical advantages.
My experience is that you will prefer the activity and role of one instrument over another and you may also enjoy not having to deal with certain things, due to your preferences. With bass, you are almost always going to fill a critical role in every song. You may not get the glory, but you are profoundly necessary. You are going to be handling some big, heavy strings, but usually only one string at a time. You will not always get a lot of opportunity to do solos. You are going to be teaming up with the drummer to keep the groove going. A lot of your parts may be simple and repetitive, but you need to crank them out very tightly and there is little room for error. I enjoy dealing with these kind of things. It can also be a lot of fun. You don’t have to be a funk master or jazz guy, you can choose to fill an easy role and just lay down some very simple bass lines. That may work better for you if you are just a hobbyist....but you can also take it to the virtuoso level. I may get some flack for this, but the minimum effort required on bass is often lower than the minimum effort required on guitar. That, along with the fact that bass players tend to be in greater demand gives you a lot of practical advantages.
Bass is easier to start, and IMHO harder to master.
Slow songs are not easy- because bass carries so much of the band in slower songs and fills out the whole low end, you miss a note, or mess up your timing- you will hear it- big time.
Following the drums at a high pace is the easiest as a missed or off note won't be nearly as noticeable- but expect it to be taxing for metal music.
Playing "lead" Bass is physically taxing since your notes are often far away, you really have to zip around the fretboard and have a good right hand.
Then you have right hand technique, pluck, alternate plucking, 3 finger gallops, raking, muting, slap, pop, double thumbing, tapping, thumbing, snapping (when you actually pick up the string with two fingers) and picking.
Then you have a couple ways to mute- which is super important as sympathetic vibrations are something you have to fight with.
Writing interesting riffs to compliment the band IMHO is more difficult, because you have to fit in and mesh and stand out at the same time, whereas guitar covers the top layer of the arrangement- you have to fill the low end and rhythm, but also add some treble and punch when necessary and even follow the guitarist.
Slow songs are not easy- because bass carries so much of the band in slower songs and fills out the whole low end, you miss a note, or mess up your timing- you will hear it- big time.
Following the drums at a high pace is the easiest as a missed or off note won't be nearly as noticeable- but expect it to be taxing for metal music.
Playing "lead" Bass is physically taxing since your notes are often far away, you really have to zip around the fretboard and have a good right hand.
Then you have right hand technique, pluck, alternate plucking, 3 finger gallops, raking, muting, slap, pop, double thumbing, tapping, thumbing, snapping (when you actually pick up the string with two fingers) and picking.
Then you have a couple ways to mute- which is super important as sympathetic vibrations are something you have to fight with.
Writing interesting riffs to compliment the band IMHO is more difficult, because you have to fit in and mesh and stand out at the same time, whereas guitar covers the top layer of the arrangement- you have to fill the low end and rhythm, but also add some treble and punch when necessary and even follow the guitarist.
IMHO, Bassists are more intelligent and mature than guitarists. And a Good bassist has a better understanding of music.
It's not just "do you like low notes?" The function of the bass in an ensemble is core while guitar is optional, rare or unheard of in many genres. (Obviously core to guitar rock, so if that's your jam, YMMV.)
Bass:
Musically foundational. It outlines the chord changes and holds down the beat. In an ensemble, it's a bridge between the drums and the rest of the rhythm section. It's a really important instrument, but doesn't necessarily stand out (unless it stops or hits a wrong note or beat). Not great as a sole accompanying instrument, but doable (cf Rob Wasserman's Duets album). It's almost universal across genres (though sometimes played on instruments besides bass guitar or double bass).
Guitar:
A rhythm section instrument that can also be a solo instrument, and so can bridge the rhythm section with melody instruments (horns/strings). Sounds good on its own or accompanying voice or other solo instruments. Somewhat limited to pop/rock/soul/jazz.
TL;DR: if you want to lay the rhythmic/harmonic foundation in almost any kind of music, and don't want to play a lot of solos, play bass. If you seek the limelight or want to be more mercurial between rhythm and melody, and you don't mind being limited by genre, play guitar.
Bass:
Musically foundational. It outlines the chord changes and holds down the beat. In an ensemble, it's a bridge between the drums and the rest of the rhythm section. It's a really important instrument, but doesn't necessarily stand out (unless it stops or hits a wrong note or beat). Not great as a sole accompanying instrument, but doable (cf Rob Wasserman's Duets album). It's almost universal across genres (though sometimes played on instruments besides bass guitar or double bass).
Guitar:
A rhythm section instrument that can also be a solo instrument, and so can bridge the rhythm section with melody instruments (horns/strings). Sounds good on its own or accompanying voice or other solo instruments. Somewhat limited to pop/rock/soul/jazz.
TL;DR: if you want to lay the rhythmic/harmonic foundation in almost any kind of music, and don't want to play a lot of solos, play bass. If you seek the limelight or want to be more mercurial between rhythm and melody, and you don't mind being limited by genre, play guitar.
Way back in the day, my brother had basses that I would play in secret. My brother told me there weren't many good players out there. Good guitarists were a dime a dozen he said.
Also Entwistle, Squire, Geddy, Jaco, Stanley and Graham.
Also Entwistle, Squire, Geddy, Jaco, Stanley and Graham.
If you play bass AND can sing, you are a very valuable commodity.
I play both. Played guitar for over 30 years. Enjoyed it. Been playing bass a little under 2 years. I have discovered how interesting the bass really is! I thought the bass would be relatively easy to get good at... HAH! It's the most underappreciated instrument in an ensemble (that it is included in). I suggest you get yourself a bass and discover a whole new view of the musical world and an appreciation for how much this wonderful instrument can make (or break) the beauty and brilliance of a song. I liked guitar, I am addicted to the bass! So... what are you waiting for?!!!
When I was learning the guitar in the early 1960's, there was a plethora of guitar players and damn few bass players. I decided to switch so I could be more in demand. Once I started, I realized the importance of the bass in the music.
drumvsbass
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Bass and Best both begin with a "B". Guitar does not begin with a "B," therefore the choice is clear. . . 
Well, ^THIS^, of course - but... when I was a kid ( and folks like Buddy Holly were actually still making new songs), the bass player in most bands was always just sort of off in the background. And, I'm most definitely not the kind of person who really wants to be up front in the spotlights. I always thought that, if I was ever in a band, back there off to the side, was the spot for me. And, when I was in a band? That's where I stood. Worked out well...
And, I have to agree with the folks who say "get both". There's no rule that says "one or the other". While bass is my first love (I have 24 of them at the moment), I do have a guitar or 6 as well. And a mandolin, and even a banjo....
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