I wanted to play drums. My parents said no way.
My guitar playing brother bought me a bass.
For me bass bridges that gap between drums and melody.
It holds the whole thing together.
Plus Paul McCartney was way cool.
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Why do you play bass?
- Thread starter Maxpowweer
- Start date
I wanted to play drums. My parents said no way.
My guitar playing brother bought me a bass.
For me bass bridges that gap between drums and melody.
It holds the whole thing together.
Plus Paul McCartney was way cool.
I started playing guitar to begin with because I wanted to make music like Manowar *lol* Later I fell in love with the sound of the bass.
Because of the moment when Bass guitar goes quiet in a song...band keeps playing (possibly there goes some guitar solo) and then BASS COMES BACK. I don`t think there is any better moment showing what bass guitar does in a band. 
oh and yes I love it 
oh and yes I love it 
20 years ago some guy brought a Yamaha bass to a friend's house and i just fell in love with the damn thing ... i had seen electric guitars before, an they did not caugth my atention.... saw the big strings, just 4 ....then i asked for one ... that is the story .... Love at first sight
and i agree with Kamael83
Because of the moment when Bass guitar goes quiet in a song...band keeps playing (possibly there goes some guitar solo) and then BASS COMES BACK. I don`t think there is any better moment showing what bass guitar does in a band. oh and yes I love it
Because of the moment when Bass guitar goes quiet in a song...band keeps playing (possibly there goes some guitar solo) and then BASS COMES BACK. I don`t think there is any better moment showing what bass guitar does in a band. oh and yes I love it
Because I can't get enough of the feel between the slap and pop. That slight build inside before the bottom smacks the taste out yo mouth!
I'm loving these stories, lots of "our band needed a bss player" origins, but I love the passion everyone seems to have.
I mainly play with my fingers, and for me I feel like I'm getting more stuck in and more involved with the playing. I always insist that my bass amp is fairly loud, to get a mix a bit like steve harris. Everyone likes the sound of bass. Even if they don't realise it. Who on earth likes thier music to sound really tinny and thin?
Also, anyone who intends to make a living from bass, or already does, I can imagine it being a lot easier to find work than a guitarist. Especially if you can slap n pop!
I mainly play with my fingers, and for me I feel like I'm getting more stuck in and more involved with the playing. I always insist that my bass amp is fairly loud, to get a mix a bit like steve harris. Everyone likes the sound of bass. Even if they don't realise it. Who on earth likes thier music to sound really tinny and thin?
Also, anyone who intends to make a living from bass, or already does, I can imagine it being a lot easier to find work than a guitarist. Especially if you can slap n pop!
I play bass because I love being loud and proud. The drop D is my best friend 
lol. I enjoy the bass grooves you can create and make them so simple but sound so complex. I have no desire to be in a band but I jam with my neighbor who is also a bassist and guitarist. I enjoy the freedom without a band.
lol. I enjoy the bass grooves you can create and make them so simple but sound so complex. I have no desire to be in a band but I jam with my neighbor who is also a bassist and guitarist. I enjoy the freedom without a band.
I once read an interview with bassist Tony Levin of Peter Gabriel fame...
and they asked him that same question....
"why do you play bass Tony?" his answer pretty much summed it all up for me and why I now play bass...
he said, "because I like playing the same thing over and over again" .... CLASSIC ! ! !
and they asked him that same question....
"why do you play bass Tony?" his answer pretty much summed it all up for me and why I now play bass...
he said, "because I like playing the same thing over and over again" .... CLASSIC ! ! !
I wanted to be in a band and chose to play bass because I am too emotionally stable to be the singer, too smart to be the guitarist and too sober to be the drummer.
When I play something ..and someone looks at me ..and their jaw is on the floor ..and they can't speak ..that's why I play. It doesn't happen a lot so when it does it's swell. Ya'll would probably laugh and point.
And I get to agitate windows with my mind! I mean fingertips.
And I get to agitate windows with my mind! I mean fingertips.
I drew the short straw! That's the short answer...
I was a great rhythm guitarist! I knew all the right chords, and could play rhythm guitar and sing the lead - though I did have some difficulty remembering lyrics...
I was a singer/songwriter/guitarist, initially. Then The Beatles came along! My rhythm guitar and vocals fit right in! However, rhythm guitar was a losing proposition... No one seemed to care about it... And, worse, bassists, when you could find 'em, were typically awful! And the good players frequently didn't have a working amp, or car (or ride when under 16 yrs of age)...
Most "non-singing" guitarist wanted to be a lead guitarist. Most singers could barely play guitar, let alone play bass! So I thought I had it made!
My first full time professional band had 3 guitarists, including me, and a pianist. One a VERY good lead guitarist, well versed in Blues, Rock AND Jazz! A real student of the instrument! He was also a very good singer! How rare!!! He was also the final player to join my soon-to-be-traveling band. The other guitarist (besides myself), also a very good singer, was quite good at finger style folk, and other fancy rhythm techniques we never utilized... He had 2 very expensive acoustics... All I had was a '67 SG... BUT, I also had this old Hagstrom bass lying around... Hence, I drew the short straw. Like Sir Macca himself, I was (still am) the reluctant bassist. But I took a page outta his songbook, and became a very good and steady - in demand - bassist!
I'm still a singer/songwriter/guitarist, as well as keyboardist, drummist, engineer, producer, and first rate jerk, when needs must! The biggest difference between now and then is that I have cultivated my multi-instrumentalist talents so that I'm at the very least better than acceptable. However, I must say, reluctantly, I've also become a very good bassist!
I was a great rhythm guitarist! I knew all the right chords, and could play rhythm guitar and sing the lead - though I did have some difficulty remembering lyrics...
I was a singer/songwriter/guitarist, initially. Then The Beatles came along! My rhythm guitar and vocals fit right in! However, rhythm guitar was a losing proposition... No one seemed to care about it... And, worse, bassists, when you could find 'em, were typically awful! And the good players frequently didn't have a working amp, or car (or ride when under 16 yrs of age)...
Most "non-singing" guitarist wanted to be a lead guitarist. Most singers could barely play guitar, let alone play bass! So I thought I had it made!
My first full time professional band had 3 guitarists, including me, and a pianist. One a VERY good lead guitarist, well versed in Blues, Rock AND Jazz! A real student of the instrument! He was also a very good singer! How rare!!! He was also the final player to join my soon-to-be-traveling band. The other guitarist (besides myself), also a very good singer, was quite good at finger style folk, and other fancy rhythm techniques we never utilized... He had 2 very expensive acoustics... All I had was a '67 SG... BUT, I also had this old Hagstrom bass lying around... Hence, I drew the short straw. Like Sir Macca himself, I was (still am) the reluctant bassist. But I took a page outta his songbook, and became a very good and steady - in demand - bassist!
I'm still a singer/songwriter/guitarist, as well as keyboardist, drummist, engineer, producer, and first rate jerk, when needs must! The biggest difference between now and then is that I have cultivated my multi-instrumentalist talents so that I'm at the very least better than acceptable. However, I must say, reluctantly, I've also become a very good bassist!
Alright. my turn. When i was 13, my friends and i wanted to start a rock band. My older brother wanted to sing, but then felt too embarrassed. so he plays guitar. one of my friends said he was trying to get a bass. my other pal was on drums. 2 or 3 months later, my bud who wanted to play bass, played guitar. The drummer then played guitar. I found a bass at the pawn shop and figured why not. Years later, we have no plans to form a band.
I play bass because I wanted to play something after I got out of school. I played the trumpet all through school. For some reason I liked the sound of the bass and I knew about 12 guitar players so I figured playing bass would be a good specialty.
I have no other marketable skills.
Other than salesman. Which I'm good at.
But,God help me,I hate sales and being a salesman.......
Other than salesman. Which I'm good at.
But,God help me,I hate sales and being a salesman.......
I love the versatility of the instrument, and the feel, and everything. And you just can't beat that growling sound. Also, Bass in a band is like the foundations of a house - band wouldn't stand up without them, but nobody comments on them unless they're dodgy :L
I started playing bass when my dad got his old fender musimaster down from the attic. He played a couple of grooves, and let me have a go. I figured out the end riff of "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac, (which I thought was the coolest thing EVER aged 11) and then started taking lessons. Here I am 7 years later considering making a career out of my bass playing
I started playing bass when my dad got his old fender musimaster down from the attic. He played a couple of grooves, and let me have a go. I figured out the end riff of "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac, (which I thought was the coolest thing EVER aged 11) and then started taking lessons. Here I am 7 years later considering making a career out of my bass playing
