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Why did you start playing bass?

#21
The guys that were in the first band that I joined needed a bass player. I played saxaphone at the time as well as a couple other instruments. My dad played bass so he gave me some gear and taught me the basics so I could join the band. After that, I fell in love with the instrument and have never wanted to do anything else.
 
#23
I was thirty two, single, dead end job, depressed, and felt unwanted and useless. So I turned to a higher power and asked "Why am I here?, All I do is fail and suffer. Please help me understand why I live on while others who seem to have their crap together and are loved die too early?" Something like that. Anyway the next day a friend gave me a guitar. I played and got fairly proficient, but as a reggae enthusiast, was drawn to the sound of the bass. I knew I wanted to play bass. The guitar gave me confidence in myself, so I went out and bought a bass and practice amp totaling $150. I was kicking myself for spending that money, then I fell in love with playing bass. I am 38 now and live for music. I started a band, and we have been together for four years.
 
#24
fpjungle said:
Around 1967 I went with a church youth group to a "folk band" concert. There was a guy named Jingles playing a hollow body electric bass and I'll never forget that sound or his name. It was still 5 years after that I finally picked up an electric bass and started playing. Hey, if anyone knows who that Jingles was (a local from central Massachusetts)let me know.
Click to expand...

I met him in a bar in South Boston he was
Down and Out
Look to me to be the eyes of age
But the smoke ran out
He talked of life
Talked of life
Laughed, clicked his heals and said.
Mr. Bo Jingles. Mr. Bo Jingles
Mr. Bo Jingle play da bass.

That's the same guy, right?
 
#27
Well, I'm primarily a guitar player, but upon hearing The Meters, I decided to go from just dabbling in bass to actually taking it as seriously as guitar.
Plus, knowing multiple instruments is always a plus, especially when on the rare occasion you find other people to play, they either suck or play punk/hardcore.
Right now, I've basically just said '**** it' and have decided to record all the instruments myself.
 
#29
When I was 12, my brother got a couple Les Claypool CDs (Brown Album and Highball With the Devil) and I fell in love with bass. I'd never heard anything like it before. It took another 10 years before I finally got one. I was in college at the time in a tiny a$$ town and couldn't afford lessons, let alone travel to them, so I had to learn myself. When I started I didn't even know what frets were for (seriously!) but I studied hard. A year later, I had to concentrate on graduating, and put it away for about a year, and about a month ago I pulled it out again and am learning to play once more. Good times lol.
 
#35
NickInMesa said:
Every one was a guitarist, a singer, a drummer. There were very few bassists.
Click to expand...

Heh, same reason it caught my attention. When i was in high school, my friend's where in a band. For the longest time they needed a bassist, but it didn't support my budget.

However, i was also the only one with a vehicle so I got to drive them around to their battle of the bands and what few gigs they did get.

I wish I could go back to those days with a better or just another job.
 
#38
Last year I was jamming guitar for fun with a band when they practiced without their singer. It was more for fun than work when he wasn't there. I can play as good as any of them. They begged me for days to play bass when their bass player couldn't make a gig. Never played a bass before for more than maybe two minutes.
Nine months, four basses, and three bass amps later I'm still hooked. I play several instruments, but never tried bass before last year or cared.

Bass is cool!
 
#40
Seeing Gene Simmons spit blood and do his monster bass intro to "100,000 Years" just F*cked up my mind. Hearing Geezer Butler's intro to "NIB" did too...then "Killers" by Iron Maiden... Jeez, I think Satan and blood and guts did it!!
 

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