Why bass?

[Dlew919]

What drew you to the bass? I’ve noticed that there’s a certain undefinable ‘type’ who plays bass. From Tal to Jaco, to victor to Stanley, from Nigel Olsen, Herbie flowers, John deacon, andy Taylor, Susie Quatro, entwhistle, mccartny and on and on, most bass players are bass players and suit the instrument somehow.
Why are you?

 

[blastoff99]

It's the wrong forum
For this stuff. It belongs in
Miscellaneous

 

[Dlew919]

Sorry about that. And thanks.

 

[blastoff99]

Sometimes I wonder
If people post in wrong place
Just to get haiku

 

[KohanMike]

I played rhythm guitar for almost 50 years and was often told I should play bass because I good feel and timing, but I never wanted to be encumbered by a large electric bass, forget a standup double bass. The in mid 2013, I joined a 40 member ukulele group (never touched my guitars again, gave them to my nephew) and a year later the leader asked if anyone would like to take up the bass to fill in our sound. I discovered bass ukes and mini bass guitars and went for it, accumulating 31, which I culled down to 6 just a few weeks ago. The bass uke is now my primary instrument, with tenor uke and blues harmonica close behind.

 

[Snert]

Bass is what I hear when I listen to music. That and drums, then the melody but not always in that order.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

What drew you to the bass? I’ve noticed that there’s a certain undefinable ‘type’ who plays bass. From Tal to Jaco, to victor to Stanley, from Nigel Olsen, Herbie flowers, John deacon, andy Taylor, Susie Quatro, entwhistle, mccartny and on and on, most bass players are bass players and suit the instrument somehow.
Why are you?

I don't suit the instrument; not even a little bit.

I was dragooned into being a bass player and like I do with everything, I threw myself into doing it as correctly as I could.

When I lost two finger tips on my right hand, I walked away from bass and went back to focusing on guitar. I've "come back" to the bass because I make music by myself, now and I need the bass to be a part of (most of) my music.

I will say this: SWMBO really enjoys when I play the bass; more so than when I play the guitar.

 

[Heavy Blue]

What drew you to the bass? I’ve noticed that there’s a certain undefinable ‘type’ who plays bass. From Tal to Jaco, to victor to Stanley, from Nigel Olsen, Herbie flowers, John deacon, andy Taylor, Susie Quatro, entwhistle, mccartny and on and on, most bass players are bass players and suit the instrument somehow.
Why are you?

Why am I?

Well it's pretty simple. I've always been drawn by the beat and the groove. I'm also a team player which is something I believe bassists are more likely to be.

The fact that I'm a pretty lackluster guitarist made it a lock! Like a few of us. I started on guitar but as I was already in my late 30's, my hands & fingers were already kind of gimped up from years of working in a meat packing plant. Chording was difficult to impossible (barre chords?!?) so when a guitarist friend gently suggested I try bass, it made sense and once I got started, realized this is what I should've been playing all along.

 

[DJ Bebop]

It was a progression for me over 60 years.
From piano to harmonica, to ukelele, to violin, to timbales, to light shows, to audio production, to bass.

I guess it was a little sideways

 

[rodl2005]

I just HEARD it. Felt it. And was drawn to its supportive role.

Everything else seemed to be supported by it and drums

 

[Bajo Clarkko]

I was taking guitar lessons in 1970, and I was ten. My music teacher taught piano, accordion and guitar. He had a violin shaped bass in the corner of his studio, and the person who played bass in the project combo (for showing parents that their kids were learning to play in a band setting, if they so desired) got to play it.

I eventually lost interest in playing music before I became his bass player (I had other things going on in my life at the time), but I was listening to bands that had cool bassists. Lee Dorman (Iron Butterfly), Mel Schacher (Grand Funk Railroad) John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) and Jack Bruce (Cream), caught my ear, and I was playing bass by the time I was 14. The rest is history.

My first bass was a $76 Kay Bass, that my dad bought me for work I did around the house and yard. Believe me, I earned it.

 

[glocke1]

What drew you to the bass? I’ve noticed that there’s a certain undefinable ‘type’ who plays bass. From Tal to Jaco, to victor to Stanley, from Nigel Olsen, Herbie flowers, John deacon, andy Taylor, Susie Quatro, entwhistle, mccartny and on and on, most bass players are bass players and suit the instrument somehow.
Why are you?

I'd say it was the bass playing on Led Zeps first album that drew me to the instrument, than I picked up some John Mayall albums and that sealed the deal. I just thought it was the coolest instrument

 

[Jogobass]

My mom had an electronic organ. As a kid I liked the bass pedals the most and would sit on the ground pounding them. Then a couple friends started a band and we already had keys and guitar, so I picked up the bass in the classroom. Never looked at other instruments again.

 

[themickster]

What drew you to the bass? I’ve noticed that there’s a certain undefinable ‘type’ who plays bass. From Tal to Jaco, to victor to Stanley, from Nigel Olsen, Herbie flowers, John deacon, andy Taylor, Susie Quatro, entwhistle, mccartny and on and on, most bass players are bass players and suit the instrument somehow.
Why are you?

I like driving the song along. My beat gives meaning to the lead guitar.

 

[RichterScale]

I picked bass because it pays more and gets the chicks.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

I picked bass because it pays more and gets the chicks.

Gene Simmons once said: "Anyone who tells you they started a band to add to the musical integrity of mankind is full of ____! It's the 'chicks'!"

 

[thmsjordan]

Sometimes I wonder
If people post in wrong place
Just to get haiku

Haiku are so strange
They never make any sense

Refrigerator

 

[lbbc]

I was always drawn to the sound and feel of how the bass fit into the song. Yes, I started on guitar and always played the bass line on guitar in my first band. I soon traded my guitar in for a bass (in 1974) and never looked back.

My earliest influences were Dennis Dunaway, from Alice Cooper, and Mel Schacher, from Grand Funk Railroad. Now, at 64, I play only short scale basses and still perform in a classic rock/Motown band!

 

[Durham52]

Bach and pipe organs always appealed to me and not having the room at home for a pipe organ, I picked bass.

Seriously, Bach and pipe organs are part of it. Even when playing guitar I prefer the sounds of the bottom strings over the twangy ice picky upper strings. I love the sonorous deep and mellow tones, they have character. I'm still melody focused and I write lyrics, but bass just sounds good. I still play classical guitar, but as much as possible I play classical pieces on bass, so I get the Bach music, just not the pipe organ.

 

[stringthrough]

Jack Bruce, White Room… Nuff said