Bass or guitar?

[Johnny Truant]

I want to start playing bass or guitar. I told a friend that i wanted to learn to play bass, but he said i should learn to play guitar first. Is this nessicary? I have no desire to play guitar, but would it help? Also, should i take leasons to play bass (or guitar) orcould i teach myself?

[Elgyn]

I'd say go with Bass..
I started out wanting to learn Guitar, and have found I can pick up the basics of bass with no problems, and I imagine its the same in reverse to a lesser extent.
I think you'd be a better bass player if you specialised in bass, rather than moving over to bass from guitar. In reality though, the difference isn't likely to be big at all. The two instruments are very similar, and most people are able to play both.

[Johnny Truant]

but should i take lessons or not? I go to boarding school, so i couldn't be taught off campus and i wouldn't have enough time at home to take lessons. but would it still be good to take lessons?

[twistfinger]

it would probably be cool to take a few lessons to start off with. learn how to read tablature at least so you can play whatever song you want as long as it's tabbed out on the internet.

it's not completely unfathomable to learn by yourself. i never took any guitar lessons. i can play the guitar but sometimes i wish i had been able to take lessons so that i might not have picked up bad habits or maybe learned to be more versatile or something.

-twistfinger

[Un Lapin]

I want to start playing bass or guitar. I told a friend that i wanted to learn to play bass, but he said i should learn to play guitar first. Is this nessicary? I have no desire to play guitar, but would it help? Also, should i take leasons to play bass (or guitar) orcould i teach myself?

many guitarists are under the misconception that the bass is just a simpler version of playing the guitar, which is not true.

if you want to play bass, you should start with bass. you learn different things from each instrument.

also, if your ultimate goal is to join a band, you will have an easier time finding people as bass is in higher demand. guitarists are a dime a dozen. i can say that because i am a guitarist :P

[holy reality]

many guitarists are under the misconception that the bass is just a simpler version of playing the guitar, which is not true.

if you want to play bass, you should start with bass. you learn different things from each instrument.

also, if your ultimate goal is to join a band, you will have an easier time finding people as bass is in higher demand. guitarists are a dime a dozen. i can say that because i am a guitarist :P

but UNIQUE guitarists are quite a bit harder to find... which is the kind I hope to be.

if you have no desire to play guitar then don't, playing guitar will not help your bass skills a whole lot becuase like this guy said they are not the same instrument.

i myself would like to pick up a medium ranged bass and bass amp just for fun, but i figure i should stick to guitar until i get better at it.

[wonko_the_sane]

Choose the one that interests you the most.

[48&2]

i say you learn bass, but also keep a trashy acoustic guitar around, i self taught myself bass and i have been playing for about 4 years, however i came to a dead end at about the second year of playing bass because i couldnt pull off a chord that required more than one finger on one string, i was getting nowhere on bass then i just messed around with my acoustic and i learnt the basics of playing chords and then found it much easier to adapt to bass, get like 5 lessons at the start so you dont pick up any bad habits then go nuts, learn a bit about music theory also (time sigs etc), as someone mentioned bass players are always in demand and i find it is a bit more original to be a bass player then a guitar player (everyone plays guitar, you dig?), start of small and then work your way up, dont try pulling off tool songs when you first get your bass, it will only hinder your learning, my suggestion is to learn rage against the machine songs, they will help you feel the rhythm and there fun to play...

[deviatedwolf625]

I want to start playing bass or guitar. I told a friend that i wanted to learn to play bass, but he said i should learn to play guitar first. Is this nessicary? I have no desire to play guitar, but would it help? Also, should i take leasons to play bass (or guitar) orcould i teach myself?

Well, having played bass for a couple years, and being in a band with one of the best musicians I have heard/know (Guy plays about 8 different instruments, including guitar for about a half a year, enough to get OK at it, and drums, which he's played for about 10) I would advise finding an entry level bass, one that plays in tune, and isn't a bitch to fret (no offense intended).

In the bare beginning, you don't need an amp. Having one is good though. In the beginning, you can use almost any amp as long as you do not turn it up very loud. I used a keyboard amp for a year, and it worked just fine, even jamming with a drummer.

The rest depends on how determined you are to stick with it. If you are, I would get a good practice amp, probably 60-100 watts, loud, but not too loud, and then see where you are and play it by ear.

I would also advise some lessons, so you don't pick up bad habits.

Some bad habits, for reference, that I've found in entry level bassists and guitarists are:

Not using your pinky on your fretting hand. It opens up worlds of possibilities.

A fault I am guilty of: Learn to pluck softly, so you don't get lots of fret noise (strings rattling against the fingerboard).

Keep your mind open on what to learn. You'd be surprised at what you can learn from all genres of music, and it helps you become a better musician if you are familiar with them all.

The final one, another fault I am guilty of, but this would be a good habit to get into early: Learn to pluck with four fingers in the beginning. I wish I had. A thumb is easier to incorporate into your playing style later, once you start using octaves and such.

Oh my, I typed alot ... 'm sorry dood, don't mean to overwhelm you.

[Fink]

Neither is a simpler version of the other, but if you can play one, you should be able to get something out of the other. If you have no musical experience, definitely take lessons. Either way, at least try to get pointers from people. I've taken piano lessons for 2+ years, but I also play guitar, bass, and drums. Whenever I get to jam with really good people, I always learn something new in the way of technique. You could probably find a good book or online resource, though. I haven't looked at any guitar info in a long time.

[Cracker]

good advice in general.

two great bass related sites are www.activebass.com and www.talkbass.com . The first has the best instructional content I've seen on a website, and the second has a great, mature and knowledgable forum.

[mud_soul]

also, consider the role you want to play as a musician, as a general rule of thumb ( not counting primus or flea) bass players arent the stand out artists, but, thats not really a relevant point to make as a REAL musician...get it?
anyway. when i first discovered music is what i wanted to do, i thought that the drums were my instrument of choice, when a friend needed a bass player to stnd in on a song, i was quickly taught the bass line and asked to play it, i never looked back, also, apart from the basics ( circle of fifths, scales, blues structures ) i found that i was able to effectively teach myself how to play rather well (all modesty aside )
NOW though, 9 years after learning to play, i also wish id gotten a few lessons on technique , also so i would not have developed bad habits ( i dont hold the bass in the most efficient way) but, i personally dont think that lessons are necessary, if its just for fun, to fool around with mates, theres no real need.
but as i say, if you are going to produce music and release t for other people to enjoy, dont take short cuts.
my suggestion is this:

dont decide, get a cheap guitar, borrow a mates, hold one in the music store, do the same with a bass and see which feels better to you, i also suggest getting lessons...maybe only about a month worth, because if you dont, once you are more proficient at the instrument, you WILL find yourself wishing that you knew something else about the theory or about the techniques.

also remember, Adam had no lessons, he learned( from what i hear) mainly for experimenting and playing with school mates (morello )

Brendon

[holy reality]

also remember, Adam had no lessons, he learned( from what i hear) mainly for experimenting and playing with school mates (morello )


Yes, and look at the amazingly complex (*) solos he writes....

He's not a bad guitarist... but he has said himself that he's embarrassed sometimes playing live and he bets everyone thinks he's a shitty guitarist......

So I mean.... I would learn about theory and I would push yourself to be as technical as possible instead of settling for a certain level of playing (i.e. I can play drop D in weird time sigs and do some moderately challenging solos, I know enough guitar)...... I'd always keep trying to learn things that are progressively harder and harder.... and mix up what you learn... don't stick with learning one artist.

Now if only I could take my advice......

note: i love adams sound/tone/style and it's great to listen to but looking at how really simple some of it is makes me feel kind of bummed out... simplicity is nice... but I mean........ well..... when most of solos involve tremelo picking a few notes I wonder if he can actually do scales and stuff... because he could still get the same style and feel by writing slightly more complex stuff.....

he's fine the way he is though... but just from a guitarists point of view, being able to play his stuff.... well it's a bit way too easy sometimes (though it can be insanely ingenius... i.e. the patient.... man i love the guitar work in that)

[conical johnson]

A fault I am guilty of: Learn to pluck softly, so you don't get lots of fret noise (strings rattling against the fingerboard).



How about adjusting your truss rod and raising the action? How hard you dig in is a dynamic tool; I don't think it's a great idea to limit yourself dynamically.

also, consider the role you want to play as a musician, as a general rule of thumb ( not counting primus or flea) bass players arent the stand out artists, but, thats not really a relevant point to make as a REAL musician...get it?

Any musician can play any role he or she wants. As someone who has done a number of solo bass gigs, as well as played in ensembles, I think the worst thing a musician can do is limit him/herself with negative thought.

[deviatedwolf625]

How about adjusting your truss rod and raising the action? How hard you dig in is a dynamic tool; I don't think it's a great idea to limit yourself dynamically.



Any musician can play any role he or she wants. As someone who has done a number of solo bass gigs, as well as played in ensembles, I think the worst thing a musician can do is limit him/herself with negative thought.

Sure, theoretically, you can also adjust dynamics with a volume pedal.

The other way to fix the fret noise is to pluck further down the strings, i.e. right next to the bridge (that I've found).

Also, thanks for the tip conical.