Wondering about the values and drawbacks of trying to learn bass guitar.

[frances50]

I took about six months of bass lessons and I really enjoyed it. It helped me learn some theory, especially about thirds and fifths and just keeping the beat in general. I would actually one day like to play bass in a group setting.

[vindibona1]

We don't see many bass questions on this forum and I think it's cool that you're considering bass and surprised (maybe not) that so many of us play bass.

I started playing bass in the late 60's, and recently just wanted a bass to lay down tracks with. In January I was asked to be a ringer at a school musical because I can read and something ignited in me and it was "game on". I've been studying serious bass for the last 4.5 months and acquired some additional gear along the way :0.

If you approach it right, bass playing will only help your guitar playing, but not in technique (necessarily) but in musicality. As others have pointed out, it is a totally different instrument. Today's bass techniques have exploded exponentially. Good players support the tonal foundation, become an integral part of percussion and throw in solos fills and riffs that make the music behind them exciting. If you're weak on theory, you're gonna learn it by osmosis playing bass. You'll have to. But it's a different and fun kind of learning. Bass playing can expand your creativity on guitar in so many ways. I believe that it was bass that led to the expansion of acoustic guitar in many more percussive ways (see vid below).

Bass can be exciting and very musical and is now often a lead/solo instrument (another vid below). A totally different mindset that will expand your mind (or blow it).

JMO

[woodbox]

Don't overplay.

As a drummer first, guitar player second, bass player third,
I can spot a guitar player trying to be a bass player in about ten seconds...because they are playing too many notes.

It's relatively easy to start learning to play bass, but hard to play it well.
It's about timing, laying down the groove, comfortable being "bored" at times because it can be very repetitious.
But that's where a lot of folks get into trouble.
They tend to fill it up with too much activity..they overplay, they play too many notes, they try to be a lead instrument.

Although there are times when a busy, lead bass line is appropriate, MOST THE TIME your job is to lay back.
Be on time, play behind the lead.

Drawbacks?
No.
I think learning to play bass enhanced my guitar playing.
But settle down and know your job is supportive, not competitive.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by woodbox

Don't overplay...It's relatively easy to start learning to play bass, but hard to play it well.
It's about timing, laying down the groove, comfortable being "bored" at times because it can be very repetitious.
But that's where a lot of folks get into trouble.
They tend to fill it up with too much activity..they overplay, they play too many notes, they try to be a lead instrument.

Although there are times when a busy, lead bass line is appropriate, MOST THE TIME your job is to lay back.
Be on time, play behind the lead.

Drawbacks?
No.
I think learning to play bass enhanced my guitar playing.
But settle down and know your job is supportive, not competitive.

I agree with everything you've said but would like to add, it is also important to be musical. There is a time to play lead and fill up space and there are times to be the tonal and rhythmic foundation...and the key is to know when to do which, using good judgement- and always be tasteful. In bass playing, less is often more (but not always ).

[Silly Moustache]

I started playing electric bass because I was recording an album on which I was laying all the instrument: guitar, mando, dobro, and ... fretless bass (I wanted "that" sound). I found it surprisingly easy and fun, then I found myself playing bass for a bluegrass band. Only limiting factor was playing bass and singing harmonies but I got that sorted out.

Then I saw a really pretty looking Peavey Bass going cheap, so I got a fretted one as well.
Then I found a "fretless" effect on my DAW which sounded better than the fretless bass, so I used it on the fretted.

Still got the Daion fretless and the Peavey around somewhere. Good fun, easy on the left hand, less so on the right.

[RustyAxe]

I took up guitar and bass in 1967 or so. I love the acoustic guitar, and often perform solo (finger style with vocals). I love the bass, and perform with two bands, a couple of singer songwriter duos, and lots of one-off gigs. I can't think of any reason why there'd be a problem playing both. I got a lot more gigs when I was playing the upright bass, but time and wear and tear has lead me to give it up, and I now play bass guitars (electric and acoustic) these days.

Get good on bass, and you WILL get gigs. If you can sing and play bass (I do), you're a hot commodity. At least, that's been this man's experience.

[jwellsy]

+1 on the Kala Ubass!

[Wade Hampton]

Woodbox made a succession of excellent points in his post. First:

Originally Posted by woodbox

Don't overplay.

Yes!

Originally Posted by woodbox

As a drummer first, guitar player second, bass player third, I can spot a guitar player trying to be a bass player in about ten seconds...because they are playing too many notes.

Exactly. Like many of the folks who've contributed to this thread, I exhorted you to play like a bassplayer, not a guitarist, but Woodbox here has clearly delineated what that means in practical terms.

Originally Posted by woodbox

It's relatively easy to start learning to play bass, but hard to play it well.
It's about timing, laying down the groove, comfortable being "bored" at times because it can be very repetitious. But that's where a lot of folks get into trouble. They tend to fill it up with too much activity..they overplay, they play too many notes, they try to be a lead instrument.

Right, because they're still thinking in terms of being the main part of the music, rather than the structural underpinning that is the crucial, actual role of the bass.

Originally Posted by woodbox

Although there are times when a busy, lead bass line is appropriate, MOST THE TIME your job is to lay back.
Be on time, play behind the lead.

Drawbacks?
No.
I think learning to play bass enhanced my guitar playing.
But settle down and know your job is supportive, not competitive.

Well put. Thanks for precisely articulating what I and a few others didn't quite manage to say.


Wade Hampton Miller

[JeffreyAK]

Some folks do it different, though.

[s2y]

It's not overplaying if it fits the song. Slapping a Fodera bass probably won't sound good on a bluegrass tune.Pino Palladino has recorded A LOT of bass tracks to pop tunes. He's quite clever and managed to add some liveliness to some tunes that might otherwise be boring. It's all about knowing how it can or can't fit.

I play both. I have spent most of my time in bands on bass, but I like to keep my options open. It never hurts to practice more.

[C_Becker]

Bass is fun and I don't see any drawbacks from it.
If anything, it makes you a better guitar player.
I like to think it made me a more melodic player and it makes you think more about things like what notes are in chord, what notes fit the key of the song etc.

[Dwight]

I've been playing drums, bass and guitar about equally. Last year I added a Nord keyboard to the mix. I think each instrument contributes to a better understanding and enjoyment of music.

[JonPR]

Great thread!

Haven't read the whole thing, but I'm sure I'm agreeing with the majority when I say "no drawbacks at all, and plenty to gain".

I was a bass player in my first band. I'd been playing guitar for 9 months or to, but they already had a couple of guitarists, and no bass player. (It was washtub bass, so didn't need a very steep learning curve....)

But I've played bass (as well as guitar) ever since. I replaced the washtub with a nice Fender Precision some years ago. That situation of "bassist required" was always a common scenario. Bassists are rarer than guitarists, and good ones rarer till.

Technically, playing bass will toughen up your hands (both of them) and improve your fret hand stretch.

The only issue with moving to bass from guitar is you need to appreciate the very different role of the bass:

1. Bass is a rhythm instrument, first and foremost. Your companion is the drummer, not the other guitarist(s). The notes you play matter less than getting them right in time - locked in with the kick drum.
But you still control the harmony in quite an important way. If the chord is C and you play A, suddenly the chord has become Am7. If the chord is C and you play D, suddenly the chord has become D9sus4. If the chord is C and you play F, suddenly the chord has become Fmaj9. And there's nothing the rest of the band can do about it! (mwahahahahaaaa! )

2. You need to have stamina - to play without stopping through a whole song (harder than you might think).

3. Bass (despite that sense of harmonic power you have) is a background instrument. It's always there, although few people notice it - unless you stop playing. You need to be happy to have that role: the solid dependable guy who the band value highly but the audience probably doesn't even look at. You know that if you stop playing at any point, the whole bottom (literally) falls out of the music. People will notice then. Which is why every band with any sense really values their bass player, and why good bass players are worth almost as much as good drummers. (Good guitarists, in contrast, are ten a penny.)

All this means you're unlikely to get any solo opportunities (unless you're playing jazz). Again, that has to suit your personality. You don't want to be front of stage; you like being out of the spotlight - there at the back taking care of business. Grooving with the drummer....

But I can't leave this thread without repeating my favourite bassist joke:

Q: How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. The pianist can do it with her left hand.

[s2y]

Originally Posted by JonPR

2. You need to have stamina - to play without stopping through a whole song (harder than you might think).

Disagree.

Basses don't have to have action like an upright bass to sound good. A good setup can make it much easier to play all night.

On top of a poor setup, many bassists play very hard. Again, it's not an upright. Let the amp do the work. Playing with light to medium force allows for improved dynamics.

Ergonomics. Bad habits make the hands work much harder, especially if combined with sky high action and/or playing too hard.

[C_Becker]

Originally Posted by s2y

Disagree.

Basses don't have to have action like an upright bass to sound good. A good setup can make it much easier to play all night.

On top of a poor setup, many bassists play very hard. Again, it's not an upright. Let the amp do the work. Playing with light to medium force allows for improved dynamics.

Ergonomics. Bad habits make the hands work much harder, especially if combined with sky high action and/or playing too hard.

This. My basses have lower action than my acoustic guitars
About 2mm to the low E string and 1.5mm to the G.
I can get anything from totally clean to dirty, buzzy sounds just by hitting the strings more or less hard.

You might wanna use thicker strings on a short scale though. I'm using 45-130 at the moment on both my 34" and 35" 5-string.

Or get some nice flatwounds