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Why did you pick bass?

#41
Haha. For serious, though. I'm a decent lead guitarist in my own right, but the other guy was better. Funnily, I am not a great rhythm player but lead is my game. I was delegated and couldn't be happier about that. There is TOO such thing as lead bass :D it gets heavy though..
 
#45
richard-bona.jpg

It's his bass that whipered to me 'pick me' during a show.
(I ended up having to pick another).
 
#47
I started out playing guitar. I had a band with another guitarist and a drummer. We could never find a bass player. I used to play fills on the guitar in places where the songs sounded empty or needed some movement. One night the other guitarist mentioned that my fills sounded like bass lines. He suggested that I play bass. He mentioned it again at the next rehearsal so I decided to give it a shot. I found that bass came very naturally to me. I still play guitar and have learned keys as well but bass is my primary instrument.
 
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#50
I started playing six string acoustic when I was very young. Music just clicked with me and it wasn't hard to figure out. Not that I was a great student at school or anything just that music made sense to me. A few years into playing music I was a decent at several instruments, guitar, bass, drums, piano/keyboard, viola, banjo and just about any stringed instrument.

Then I heard 'Running with the Devil'. The intro to me made such a musical statement that it blew me away. The way the car horns degrade and the bass thuds on the open E just hit me where it counts. After that all I could do is listen to bass lines. Every song was about the bass to me. That is the moment I knew the bass was the instrument for me.

Thanks
 
#51
Me and two friends were going to start a band. The one guy bought a guitar and another friend of mine strongly suggested bass over guitar so it seemed like the logical choice. The third friend was going to do drums until he saw how much drums cost, then he had no interest. Me and the guitar friend played together maybe once, and now 11 years later I've played in several bands and play at a church every Sunday and the guitarist friend doesn't play guitar at all. Best decision I ever made.
 
#54
Patton Caday said:
Hi. Why did you pick bass?
Click to expand...

There were lots of opportunities, too many guitarists, and not enough bassists. Frankly, it came very naturaly to me. Not that I can’t hold my own playing other instruments, having recorded a lot of guitar and horn work over the years.

I’ve found if you understand music and understand the job of each instrument, if you practice it enough, you can get acceptable music out of just about anything you pick up. But playing live, I’d much rather play bass.
 
#55
I started on guitar at 15 and soon joined a covers band playing wherever we could get a gig. A few years later my drummer mate and I wanted to get a soul/funk band together and in Australia back then that style of music was just not played. Hard rock and pop ruled so there was no-one we could call to play bass.
I knew the style was beyond local players - not through lack of ability but lack of desire and familiarity. I realised that it would be easier to get a guitar player to fit so I decided to take on the bass. I bought a Japanese Jazz copy and started learning 4 Tops, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Temptations, James Brown, Sly Stone, Earth Wind and Fire etc by listening and rote learning because it was all I knew and it would be the quickest way to get up and running.
It was a massive learning curve. Players like James Jamerson, Chuck Rainey, Verdine White, Anthony Jackson and many more great players were my inspiration. It’s been a great career with some incredible highs and some lows too. Music has taken me to many parts of the world with several tours of the US, Canada, Asia including six months touring American Armed Forces bases all over South Vietnam during the war.
I love the bass and I’ll keep playing until my body and mind are no longer capable. I’ve also discovered how good it is to communicate with all you bass players from all over the world. I’m enjoying the humour and wisdom and variety of ideas and values that show up here on TB.
 
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#59
I was a 15 year old nerd that desperately wanted to get laid and look cool. Nobody else wanted to play it. It was the easiest way to get in a band. 35 years into it now and I'm still a nerd trying to look cool. I did get laid a few times. It definitely helped.
 
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