Why bass over guitar?

[bassville pete]

I was 13. I asked the old guy (about 30!) at my local music store which one. I thought bass was cool but guitar got more girls. Which was true. But I'll never forget what he told me because it was dead-on accurate to the current day:

"If you play bass, you are ALWAYS going to have work. Always. There's 10 guitarists for every bassist out there. You'll never even have to ask to jam with people. They'll come to you, especially if you're any good, and you play violin, you'll be good."

That sounded like a good deal.

I frankly don't think I've gotten better advice from anyone in my life. So, salesguy at Village Music back in 1980, thanks.

Lot more bass players these days and they're a lot better, but actually I think the point still holds true...but for different reasons. I'm seeing a lot more bands without guitarists at all. The guitar player in my band is a guitar teacher and he's down to about a day and half worth of students a week, as opposed to five days a decade ago. Guitar is going away.

That's interesting. Here in this country, on the weekends I see students coming and going at the music store for guitar lessons. I also see students of the bass guitar, but only a few. Guitar is still a "hip" instrument to play when in high school here and in college, but I agree, bass guitar will land you in a band much faster then a being a guitar player, at least at university.

 

[Minimalist]

you need to find different guitar players...

but that would make it less fun.....

 

[Bringindafunk]

I play both, but started with bass. At the time, I was playing baritone horn in the school band, and my dad thought I should learn the bass because I already was reading bass clef. I think this has been a real advantage, because It taught me to think like a bass player (although my guitar playing is a little weird as a result). I think the real advantage is opportunity. There just aren't anywhere near as many bass players, and guitar players are a dime a dozen.

Same here. I played trombone in the HS band at the time and really wanted to join a rock band. I thought learning the bass would be easier than guitar because I was already reading bass clef. It was probably 2 - 3 years before I realized that I was the only person in any band I joined that could read music!

 

[Tom Gallo]

It's gonna sound cliche, but I didn't choose bass. It chose me. I never wanted to play anything except bass.

 

[Bassaga]

-This probably won't be a permanent, binding choice. Pick the one that seems best, and if you stick with it, then like so many people have mentioned, you'll likely end up learning and enjoying both. So you don't have to worry about getting it 'wrong' right now. You can just pick one and have a great time, then be all the more prepared when you get around to trying the other one.

-When I've been playing bass a lot, then I pick up a guitar and I think, "the heck am I supposed to do with this dinky little thing?" When I've been playing guitar a lot, then I pick up a bass and I think, "Now that's an instrument!" So there's that.

 

[marqueemoon]

I play both. Bass is not the “easier” of the two instruments by any stretch, but if you are interested in playing in a band it’s far more in demand.

In my opinion bass is less rewarding to play alone compared to guitar.

 

[cmcbass]

I chose bass because I like how it sounds and feels to play. I play a little guitar and some drums every now and again, but I like bass the best.
I used to play guitar, bass, and drums every day when I had a little bedroom studio at my parents house. Looking forward to buying a house in the coming years to get back into that.

 

[mongo2]

I'd suggest going with your passion.

 

[jbybj]

For me, it’s all about power. When I realized I could literally shake the pictures off the neighbors walls, I got all tingly in my private bits. (The neighbors house was 40 feet away)

 

[father of fires]

Easy. My favorite musicians were bassists.

 

[RNG1]

My brother was already playing guitar, I really wanted to be a drummer. When my parents saw the writing on the wall that we would be playing all the time, they said no to the drums. So I wanted to play something different than what he played so he opened my eyes to the bass. The irony is that where I grew up in Brooklyn all the houses were attached and by all crazy coincidences our house shared a wall with a neighbor whose son Charlie always had bands playing next door (full band with drums, so my parents didn’t escape the drums after all). Charlie went on to eventually become Charlie Midnight and produced Joe Cocker and many others.
Life is weird, play the bass.

 

[lowendrachel]

Bar chords were hard for me to play. Still is today. Can't play the guitar.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I always noticed the bass on songs I liked. I saw Chris Squire play with Yes in 1978, and that was that. I wanted to make THAT sound, which incorporated the Treble bite of guitar with that thick underlying bass. Got my first bass, a Ric 4001 a couple months later.

 

[yberwaffe]

An electric guitar is just a low stat shield for an easily bruised ego.

 

[Green Knight]

Somewhat narrow concept of leading. I think playing live music in an ensemble situation is a conversation. While some comments may stand out and suggest a path, it doesn’t have to be one leader and everyone else follows. More of an agreed upon direction then people find their way.

of course depends on the situation, and I’ve certainly played in situations where the band leader viewed the rest of the players as ancillary. I usually would politely decline the second gig ;-)

For the op, of you want to make music alone, guitar is a better choice

This makes a lot of sense, thank you.

 

[MichelD]

I got my first guitar in 1968 and learned chords but in '69 I met two guys who needed a bass player. Living in small isolated town in Canada we never found a bass so we converted a harmony Meteor to be fake bass and the guitar player showed me my first bass slicks.

I continued laying acoustic and then electric guitar but after a while I realized that I was just not going to be a good guitarist. I can write songs on acoustic guitar as I'm a pretty good lyricist even though my melodies are humdrum. Wife gave me a fretless bass in Feburuary 1976 and I joined a band in '77.

Been playing pretty much since. I was never going to be as good a guitarist as the bassist I have become despite having a very poor ear.

After 50 years of trying I still cannot reproduce most riffs I hear on records.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

I forgot about this. A serious advantage to playing the electric bass.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

"Guitarist needed" said no flyer or CL ad ever. Bass player needed, however.....

I play both and enjoy bass' simplicity and its complexity. Bass will teach you foundational playing while guitar will focus more on going "diddly diddly diddly dee wah wah waaaaaaaahh"

 

[tr4252]

I skipped about 3 pages, so this has probably been said already. At least it's in my own words.

To me bass and guitar are parts of a single instrument or at least type of sound, like a piano, as someone previously mentioned.(Though the guys who play the high notes are fond of clashy, shrieky stuff, and the ones who favor the low notes do the tasteful, essential bits[and me primarily a guitar player, go figure]).

Being proficient with both would be a good thing, as many have said.

One thing I've noticed though, a song can often get along without guitar, but how many do you hear with no bass?

So, O.P., I'd say become one of 2 instead of one out of 100, out of common good sense, and if you learn to love guitar also, so be it.

Good luck!

Have you considered the ukulele?

Tom

 

[MrLenny1]

Yes, learn piano. The world is full of guitarist but few
pianist in comparison.