Why bass over guitar?

[TerribleTim68]

... The Oscars don't give out awards for "best ancillary actor".

Wait, but actually they do. It's called "Best Supporting Actor".
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor - Wikipedia

As for the OP, I took up bass because one of my two best friends already played guitar and the other played drums. So by learning bass we now had a band. Also, to go along with that, I could never figure out a pick and bass can be played with your fingers. Problem solved!

 

[nickpc]

On one hand I'm much more the "stand in the back row and be integral but not conspicuous" type. To me that's bass.

On the other hand the girl I had a crush on in 7th grade was very into Duran Duran, specifically John Taylor...

 

[Green Knight]

Wait, but actually they do. It's called "Best Supporting Actor".
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor - Wikipedia

As for the OP, I took up bass because one of my two best friends already played guitar and the other played drums. So by learning bass we now had a band. Also, to go along with that, I could never figure out a pick and bass can be played with your fingers. Problem solved!

That was my point! It means the same thing, but Gravedigger took "ancillary" as meaning somehow unimportant.

 

[bassdude51]

Because I've always been attracted to low frequencies.

 

[Chrisenbacker69]

I can chord on a guitar, but I never felt comfortable. Bass made sense to me from the moment I first picked one up. It helped that I had played trombone and could comfortably read bass clef already. But it was more than that; my musical sensibilities are better suited for bass and its role in a band. I like laying down the foundation of the song and locking in the rhythm with the drums. It's understated but important work.

 

[Gorn]

Seriously. I wish I had learned when I had the chance.

Me too. Years ago I took a month long summer intro piano class for college to get a music elective out of the way. All I knew was what key was what and how to read treble clef from playing wind instruments in high school and in less than a month I could basically sight read and play with both hands and read treble and bass clef. If I was 19 or 20 and on a lot of drugs and able to pick that up, it really makes it that much more impressive what kids are capable of if they learn piano early.

 

[pcake]

i played acoustic guitar for over 2 decades, but while i liked it, i never loved it. when playing simpler stuff, i considered myself a singer who also played guitar. i did play some complex stuff and played it well, and i liked it, but it never really touched me the way bass or singing harmony does.

a friend with a studio i used to play at had his old band show up here with a bass and bass amp but no bass player. he asked me to play the bass so the band could play together, and within minutes after picking up the bass, i felt like this was what had always been missing. i've always loved the sound of bass, and playing it just felt amazing - at first, it gave me shivers. and sometimes it still does.

 

[LowRick]

It's just something that fits. For me it was an easy choice.

Saw a band (band was called Deliriou5? And yes, the question mark is part of the name) in a town nearby. I always loved music but hadn't been much to live music before. Anyway the singer was going out of his mind singing, on his knees and sweating all over the place. So was the guitarist and the keys guy behind his keyboard. The drummer of course gave it his all and then, when I looked straight ahead, I saw the bass guy, Jon Thatcher, standing there, sunglasses on, smile on his face, just laying it down. In my opinion, he was enjoying it all the most and that's when I decided I wanted to do that as well. Being in the mix, making sure the band is in Harmony.

However, I picked up keys a bit since and pretty soon I'll pick up a guitar. Like my grandmother said: Never restrict yourself. Others will try to do that enough. You just keep your options wide open.

 

[FDR Jones]

I started out with an old 3/4 size Harmony acoustic guitar I found in my grandpa's basement. He was primarily a cellist, but he also had a piano and this guitar (not sure if he every really learned how to play it).

I picked up the bass in high school because I had a few friends who played guitar and I hoped they might need a bassist to form a band. That never happened, unfortunately, and I sold the bass when I left for college. I dicked around with acoustic guitars for another decade or so, but now I play both guitar and bass. No reason not to play both, IMO.

 

[Exploiter007]

For me, it was all about the sound. Plus they look so much cooler than those wimpy little six string guitars.

 

[JGrooveguy]

Learn both. I started on guitar, and am probably still "better" at guitar to the average person's ear (aka simple minds are probably more impressed with my guitar playing). Then I got old enough where I stopped caring about impressing people and realized playing bass just makes ME feel better.
On another note - once you're at at a higher skill level with either instrument - I had the breakthrough with guitar when I realized I could disappear into that "mental oblivion space" improvising over a rhythm.
Then bass one-ups this feeling by allowing me to disappear into that same "space" without needing a rhythm to get there, since I AM the rhythm. So bass can take me to "outer space" creating a mix rhythm and melody at the same time. With guitar I rely on others to get that feeling, and if you selfishly chase that "feeling" too much on guitar, then no one will want to play with you, which defeats the underlying reason you started playing guitar (to make more people like you ).

 

[LetItGrowTone]

J_Bass said:
"Here it is, my first bass:"
followed by a picture of a nylon 6 string.

Exactly.
Mine was a Les Paul.
I built tube amps for it, not understanding that I was trying to make it sound like a bass and a guitar playing at the same time, and could make a pretty good Black Sabbath sound, for example, by myself. But then any real bass playing with me would cover up the lows and leave only my highs audible, and this was very disappointing. [And many guitar players can't accept this lesson.]

On the other hand, a bass player could try to occupy the highs too, but I don't like this sound.

So, forced to choose between highs and lows I take the lows.

 

[skaine]

Ive always wanted to learn how to play a bass or guitar and I can’t decide which one. I was given a gift certificate to learn a instrument. Why did u choose bass over guitar? I currently don’t own a bass or guitar. Thank your your help.

Why not?

In my condition, i started with guitar when i was a teenager (talking about very early 90s). My first guitar was a dead cheap classic guitar, couple of years later i got my electric guitar.

I was listening heavy metal mostly. An American friend of mine, who was a talented drummer, showed me there are also other good kind of musics and musicians. I learned the existence of Stuart Hamm, Getty Lee, Billy Sheehan, Mel Schacher and James Jamerson. I cant deny Steve Harris influence by the way especially in those years ofcourse

As my musical choices and preferences expanded, my perspective also changed. I learned better about the other instrument and styles. So in time i figured out that the bass guitar is more likely my thing, since i havent had the time to concentrate on both, i gave up playing the guitar.

 

[BOOG]

Ive always wanted to learn how to play a bass or guitar and I can’t decide which one. I was given a gift certificate to learn a instrument. Why did u choose bass over guitar? I currently don’t own a bass or guitar. Thank your your help.

Yeah, if neither are speaking to you try saxophone or piano or motorcycling.

 

[Eidolon0274]

I love guitar and guitar players, and I played guitar for 10 years before switching over. Every now and then I think about going back, but theres so much a 6 string bass can cover in that range at least while I'm practicing to relieve that need. I found out that in the context of a band I felt much better as a repetitive and consistent rhythmic device than an emotive front person high note type, and as a guitarist I loved rhythms and songs more than solos even though I put a tone of time into chops as a teenager. It's just feel. I could write a whole page about it but it's what feels best to you.

On a side note many musicians play several instruments well aside from their main axe. Gary Husband comes to mind, beast on keys and drums. Music is about expressing what you hear or feel inside, and bass is it...sometimes drums. I cant imagine being as good as Gary on two instruments that serve a completely different purpose. Complete musical freedom!

 

[J_Bass]

J_Bass said:
"Here it is, my first bass:"
followed by a picture of a nylon 6 string.

Exactly.
Mine was a Les Paul.
I built tube amps for it, not understanding that I was trying to make it sound like a bass and a guitar playing at the same time, and could make a pretty good Black Sabbath sound, for example, by myself. But then any real bass playing with me would cover up the lows and leave only my highs audible, and this was very disappointing. [And many guitar players can't accept this lesson.]

On the other hand, a bass player could try to occupy the highs too, but I don't like this sound.

So, forced to choose between highs and lows I take the lows.

It was Tim Commerford's lines and strong sound in RATM that did it for me.

 

[Stevie Bandrum]

I tried to play guitar on and off for years. I was really starting to take it seriously and meet up with friends regularly to try and jam. I was terrible and despite trying just wasn’t getting it.

One day during session my buddy stopped me and and asked for check my guitar. He thought it was out of time, it wasn’t I just that bad at forming the chords. He passed me his bass and said just try this here’s a couple basic root notes. I immediately went from screwing up a simple song to playing along. I was hooked. Traded in my guitar for a bass and never looked back.

I don’t even want to learn guitar now but I love messing with other stuff like drums, keyboard, uke.

 

[Williethump]

I love the sound of both bass and guitar but my arthritic old fingers cannot work a guitar. They can work an electric bass though.
And I tried to wrap my hands around many various guitars for months but no joy.
I can play the bass though, with no pain if I do it correctly. It's fun. While struggling with guitar was not.
Same with finger style vs pick style play (plectrum). I like the tactile feel and sound of finger style arpeggios on fat bass strings. It is a joy.
But I can't pinch fingers to hold a pick for 10 seconds before pain and weakness so that style is right out for me.
Same with the tiny sharp guitar strings and the needed stretching and barre chords-got cramps too. Just not fun for me no matter how pretty a guitar can sound.
Basses sounds just as nice only lower pitched.
I suspect most would learn best on a piano or keyboard as has been said here more than once.
Try both or all three then do what is the most fun for you, is usually my advise.

 

[bassliner50]

Playing bass or piano is life. Guitarists are everywhere.

 

[Stewie]

When I was about ten, Canned Heat had the coolest songs on the radio. I bought every album I could find. Listen to Larry Taylor from back then, or from last year. Now you now why I play bass. Also the strings on a guitar are way too close together. I switched to upright a few years ago. Now when I'm on stage I have a great big dance partner