Because: 1. I can't play drums and don't want to either. 2. I can play a wicked fingerstyle acoustic guitar in many weird tunings, but my electric playing sounds like 60's surf music. 3. I hate the sound of most digital keyboards and lugging around a Hammond B-3 with a Leslie seems a bit extreme. 4. Playing bass is fun and I always seem to meet really great lead guitar players to jam and gig with. What's more they tell me my playing gives them a good vibe for soloing. People always tell me how I seem to lock in with them well, etc. Therefore I play bass.
Three reasons for ya: 1. I always loved the lower strings- I played cello, then I wanted to play something else. I chose bass. 2. I'm the fat kid so I might as well have an uber fat tone. 3. The treble clef looks creepy.
my wrist would sting when i bent it enough to try forming chords. besides, the only other nusicians in theneighboorhood were a drummer, and guitarist. i broke the two high strings on the guitar, so i took a hacksaw and cut new slots in the nut and bridge and turned it into a bass that was 1979. johnny a
Like so many others, started out on guitar, and found that field overcrowded. There was a bass void with the guys I jammed with, so I filled it. My first bass was a maple-necked Ibanez fretless. I sucked at it, of course; just thought all I had to do to sound like Jaco Pastorius was buy a fretless. Later on, traded a Conn Strobotuner (this was 1979) for a Peavey t-40 bass, which, believe it or not, I still play (along with a 1966 Roth double bass I got a few months ago). I think all will agree that there is nothing like laying down the fundamentals of the groove. Sometimes that pocket feels so good that I think, "Oh yeah; I'm a bad M.F." About that time I usually hit a wrong note. But ya know what I really get off on? SINGING and playing bass at the same time. Always a challenge.
Started out about 6 weeks on clarinet (parents' idea), then when I had no chops for that, we got out Dad's old tenor trombone. In high school I first 'discovered' the bass trombone and by my senior year got the opportunity to learn and play the upright. After that picked up a used Epiphone bass from my best friend. Once I got the feel of being the drive behind a band and got into the groove with a couple really good drummers, it was addictive. I found tone with my first Fender P and loved the bass even more. Got away from playing for way too many uears, then saw a used Fender P that needed some love and now my wife describes herself as a bass or music widow!
Well, I originally played tuba (still do actually, and just to brag, Ive been ranked the best in northern Illinois in my age bracket). So I wanted to learn a string instrument, and bass seemed like the natural choice because I Was already used to playing low. So I played on my own (and with my teacher) for a half a year, and then joined my school jazz band. Jazz band was pretty easy since the lines in a 7th grade jazz band arent to hard, and I could already read music. And then bass kept growing on me until I got to where I am today.
I always loved the sound of the bass...learned the keys but always found myself listening to the bass more...so, I decided to buy my first bass in Apr. of 2007, and then in Oct-Nov. of last year started teaching myself to play...I love it!!!!!
I originally wanted to play the drums, but never thought about it seriously. One day, spontaneously, i decided i want to play the bass, and i just went for it. A while later i found out the my father played the bass and great grandfather played the contrabass. I guess it runs in the family. That and alcoholism.
Many have allready said it and I'm going to say it again, I just love the way it feels. So do the ladies.
I play bass because I love music, and once I was actually able to figure out what a bass actually sounded like, I loved the idea of bass: -As mentioned above, you can feel it and you can hear it -There's a whole lot that can be done to the sound of it while still remaining somewhat within it's traditional role(s) as evidenced over the past 40 years -Bass has the potential to have a huge effect on the overall sound and feel of a band and/or song. It can completely change the feel without most people realizing it -It may be perceived as "easy" by both musicians and non-musicians, yet it's difficult to do well imo. I see plenty of drummers/guitar players/keyboard players/vocalists who have picked up bass on the side, and it's not the same. I still don't do it well even after 20 years of playing! -It requires a certain level of discipline to play as your primary instrument and for a lot of people I know/meet, that's something which is in short supply
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