why play bass

[portpc]

As a young hooligan I was introduced to the sound of the bass by my buddy's older brother who had a Guild JS II Bass /Univox amp setup.
He'd let me play it, The warm tone grabbed me and never let go! .. after gathering some chops it was quickly learned that bassists were in demand, guitarists generally weren't and it has been trending that same way ever since.

 

[whero]

About 45 years ago, I read an interview in a Bass Player magazine. I think it was JPJ but it's so long ago now that I might have that wrong. But I remember his answer to the "Why bass?" question and thinking "Yep, me too."

I wanted to be in a band and make music. There were a hundred guys around who thought they could sing, 75 guitarists, and fifty keyboard players, but every band was looking for a bass player and a drummer. I looked at the drums and thought "All that gear to cart around - I'll need to buy a van - and both arms and both legs going at the same time - that's a lot to think about. I'll give bass go."

 

[bassfuser]

Speaking of JPJ. It was hearing him play The Lemon Song that did it for me. Still one of my all time favorite albums and bassists.

 

[BlueTalon]

I like those low tones, man. I played cello at an early age and I think those four strings resonated in a way that bass became the next logical step (after starting on guitar).

Me too!

 

[Nebula24]

Friends played instruments. From hanging with them was just more drawn to bass. Really into minutemen, chili peppers, nomeansno and primus so always viewed bass as equal to anything else. Up to the player what they want to do with it. And dislike twangy guitar solos.

 

[Earthshaker]

I had two friends that played guitar, and one that played drums......

 

[Claymore]

I was just starting out with guitar and my bass player friend took me to his place, plugged in and said "Here... Try this."
I was instantly hooked and couldn't put it down. It was thunderous. My memory is fuzzy but I think it was a custom-painted Charvel with black tapewounds plugged into a Randall.

 

[CallMeAl]

I started trumpet at 10 years old, all through college and beyond. I was a music Ed major, learning all the band instruments. There was no electric bass class, but I bought a cheap Ibanez one anyway.

One semester there was no bass player for the jazz combo. They were like “Al, you got a bass right?” So they threw me right in there! So between that, and starting indie Rock and funk bands with friends, I was hooked!

Ive ebbed and flowed on various instruments- beyond bass and trumpet, it’s been mostly piano and guitar. But I’ve gone all-in on bass, around 2017. It really is my favorite to play. I like being in the background most of the time (though I do like to sing too,) and I like that it’s both melody and rhythm.

 

[TheReceder]

I was (and to a degree still am) a geek. Played bass in the orchestra, was an introvert. In the 8th grade the band teacher asked me if I wanted to learn bass guitar. I'd been playing basic guitar so the combination of the two made sense. Only issue, I had to practice in the main band room because that's where the amplifier was kept. Me being me would have to get over it.

First time practicing I had 3 8th grade girls in awe watching me, and things just got better from there... I got over being an introvert real quick.

 

[bass theory]

Speaking of JPJ. It was hearing him play The Lemon Song that did it for me. Still one of my all time favorite albums and bassists.

Black dog was my favorite from JPJ

 

[pappabass]

Years of playing tuba in the school band!

 

[kmon]

when you're 40 and want to get into a band as soon as possible, it's not a bad choice.

 

[Plain Old Barry]

One day I realized my feet and and all the arms at concerts were moving to the bass line. Not to mention, the sound! I never cared about the "sideman" vs. "star" status, the interaction between the melody and rhythm instruments simply fascinated me.

I didn't choose bass, it chose me...

Not to mention, I'm 6'1" and built for the NFL, so the instrument simply felt right for me and my fat fingers. I mess around on guitar, but it's not the same gratification at all.

 

[ThirstyMonkey]

One day my high school's jazz director walked into my guitar class and asked if anyone could read bass clef, I raised my hand and was asked to join the school's jazz ensemble. Turns out the band's bass player had failed a class and was ineligible to compete in competitions. The director had a couple of working sessions with me and simplified some of the more complex bass lines and that was it; I was now the bass player.

Although I still consider guitar to be my principal instrument, I continue to play bass because it allows me to play live on a fairly regular basis (the whole, if you want girls play guitar, if you want gigs play bass). And, if I'm being honest with myself, it's a better fit for me. While I love playing before an audience, I don't want to be out front. I really prefer to be in the background.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

Groove: bass is what people dance to
Glue: bass is central in connecting the drums to the harmony
Counterpoint: while outlining the harmony and holding down the groove, the bass can also interweave with the melody

You can do any of those three things on different instruments, but it is specifically, exclusively a bass instrument that does all three at once.

When I was real young=drums, a little older=Guitar,Older still= singer,as a grown up=Bass, I liked being the reliable back bone of the band, I embraced the role of the bridge between drums & guitar,& making the women dance, move, I like not being the main focal point of the band, but the most important cog!

 

[ZedLepp]

My dad was a guitar player. I got caught one day messing with one of his guitars. He tried to teach me for about 2 weeks, but at 10 I had a hard time making chords.
Then he put a bass in my hands........

 

[Bajo Clarkko]

Because John Paul Jones, Jack Bruce, Lee Dorman, and Mel Schacher were immeasurably cool to an 11 year old me. (Circa 1971)

(I’d play Bass on the 4 lower string of my Stella Harmony acoustic for another 5 years before I got my first Bass, a Japanese “Kay” Bass.)

 

[nilorius]

My story: My first instrument was piano, it was obligatoru, since i started to learn at kid music school. Later when i was allready 20 i started to play bass, because my father was a bass guitarist. He teached me at start. But my real instrument - fretless bass came to me at 2003. I understood that it was my heart instrument and i will play it and learn it all my life.

 

[MichelD]

Got drafted when friends were forming a band and needed a bass player. I couldn't play and didn't have a bass so we modified a Harmony Meteor electric guitar and the guitarist showed me how to play a boogie boogie bass figure and the 12 bar blues.