Why did you pick bass?

[ahbassman]

I played trumpet from 6th grade all the way through high school. My junior and senior year I decided to play in the jazz band. Our bassist was INSANELY good and I decided that it was probably the coolest instrument ever. The summer of 2007, after I graduated, I started playing.

And I freaking love making rooms shake and rumble

 

[Buchada Azeda]

When I was ten, mom bought me this cheapass Giannini classical guitar. Never liked it. Tried electric guitar, I sucked at it.

Then, when I was 13, I got into Rush.

I was stunned. What Geddy could do with a bass just tricked me into playing it. After saving some money, my parents traveled to NY and they bought me a Fender Geddy Lee. I was 14. After one month of lessons, I could play most stuff from Rush from "2112" to "Moving Pictures".

It's just really weird; although I had a lot more experience with guitar, I couldn't play it, and bass was just soooo easy to me. Maybe I was born to play bass; who knows?

 

[somegeezer]

Honestly... I wanted to be a guitarist, but none of the guitars in my school worked. In the corner there was this bass that was never used at all, so I thought I'd try play that instead... Ended up falling in love with the sound and have stuck with it as my main instrument ever since.

 

[jpfbass]

Back in the day in like 5th grade, ALL of my friends started to play guitar. So I wanted to play one too, but since everyone was playing the same instrument, I wanted to something a little different. So I picked up an electric bass because that was pretty much the closest relative to the electric guitar. I had never payed any attention to bass lines, nor did I know of any bassists, but I just wanted to be more alternative then everyone else. I also didn't know that bass would be easier in the music I was playing (which was Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Etc.) or that it was less respected by some people.

After saving some money, my parents traveled to NY and they bought me a Fender Geddy Lee.

Your first bass was a Geddy Lee?? Lucky...

 

[CoffeeJanitor]

And SMV's album.

 

[pnut166]

Dunno that this necessarily qualifies as "another instrument", but ....When I was a teen, my Dad had a bluegrass band. He taught me to play upright bass and folded me into the band. I didn`t really have an interest in bluegrass music then, but did it to hang out with my Dad and his friends. We played shows all over the southeast, and it was alot of fun (plus I made big bucks!). As a late teen, all my friends were into getting together jamming on guitars. So, natually, I bought a bass and amp and sort of just taught myself !

 

[P Model]

I got a sam goody giftcard when I was 10 for $15 bucks. Picked up Primus tales from the punchbowl. Since then, history.

 

[Keith Richard M]

All my friends in high school played guitar or drums so it just made sense to play bass. 22 years later here I am still playing bass, upright bass too!

 

[J-Building]

I went into a Sam Ash about 4 years ago hoping to buy a bass, since I was in love with Shavo Odadjian at the time. I go in, and damned near make a fool out of myself by playing nonsense, falling out of a chair and nearly damaging one of the basses I was playing, and not knowing how to hold a guitar properly. The salesperson who helped us told me I should play bass since I held the guitar as a bassist would hold a bass. Still going strong, but I have plans to start to play guitar (God forbid!) to be a more diverse musician.

 

[jodyacoustic]

i grew up in the shred/hairspray era. two handed tapping guitarists in guitar shops drew me more towards the bass

 

[Valerus]

cause my friends were guitarists and convinced me to play the bass. Hey, I'm really glad they did.

 

[wetzelman1]

played guitar for 6 years, was pretty good but not great. Ban in highschool needed a bassist so they asked me. Smoked alot of pot back then, had some fun but never took it seriously. 4 years later, my friends band moves back home across the country, immediately loses 2 members so after 6 months of deliberation, took up bass full time. I was able to really fall i love with bass this time which I had never been able to do with guitar.

 

[pica]

I started to play bass because I thought since a bass had only 4 strings it would be easier to learn, BOY WAS I WRONG. Also when watching live music, most people watch the lead singer or guitarist, I watched the bass player.

 

[PsyDocHill]

I took classical guitar as an elementary school boy, a leftie playing rightie. My teacher was a flamenco goddess & I was intrigued with her percussive technique. Accompanying her, I discovered that I tended to live in the "low" strings. I wanted them to be much lower. Wavering between double bass & bass guitar, puberty kicked in & the choice became obvious.

 

[AndreasR]

I just like the way it makes my nuts rumble.

 

[pica]

Wow, where did you dig up this 6 year old thread from.

 

[hihat]

I played guitar for ten years and was frustrated. I couldn't or had difficulty playing the sounds I heard in my head on guitar. I thought bass would be more satisfying. I drive my bandmates nuts though playing pinched harmonics all the time, they laugh and say I still think like a guitarist. LOL.