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Post subject: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:54 pm
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Curiosity wins. Why do you play bass? What other instruments to you play? What is your primary instrument?

Most of the people I've asked have essentially said that they play bass because it's the only way they could play with a band -- bass players are more in demand than guitar players. But a clerk at GC commented once when I was buying a bass DVD that the world needs more bass players who are bassists, not guitarists who play bass with the same phrasing, etc. as if it was a guitar. I thought that was a very enlightened statement.

I play bass, rather than guitar, because I prefer the lower tone, and the fact that it's part of the rhythm. And not being the center of attention doesn't bother me at all.

So, why do you play bass?

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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:24 pm
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Many reasons:
To serve Jesus Christ.
Because it feels good mentally and physically to play.
I like the feel of the thick strings and the sound of the lower range.
I like to apply the theory I know to play beautiful bass lines. Fun to experiment and explore.
I just love the feel and looks and sound of my basses.
Playing bass helps me to relax and brings me peace.


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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:31 am
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I started out in music when I was 11 years old playing trombone, actually got good at it, picked up a guitar in 1963, bought my first bass in 1966. Wrecked my Mach 1 Mustang in 1969, 48 stitches in the mouth, goodbye trombone. Played guitar mainly until 1975.

Bass has always been my main instrument, it's the place of stability and calm in the mix. No matter what the style of music, a true bass line is one that keeps everything level. for me that's a place I like to be in.


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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 8:09 am
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Mine was a conscious decision - at age 48 I decided that I wanted to play bass - I have always wanted to play bass but somewhere between 16 and 47 I just never bothered. I've always mainly listened to the bass lines in all the old 60's and 70's songs thanks to my brother's humongous 45 record collection and then all the lp's that followed - growing up listening from everything from Elvis, Motown, British Invasion, Blues, etc. I decided it would keep my mind more alert to learn how to do something with both hands, that would keep my mind pretty sharp, and challenge me to do something I never would have thought to do as I was getting older lol. Now I play by mostly ear or by a good bass tab, or even just watching You Tube's of other bass players, but I wouldn't trade it for a thing in the world, it's not easy having smaller hands because I am a woman, but if Carol Kaye could do it - so can I!!! The biggest plus is the joy I get from learning to play one of the great songs and play with all those talented bass players through the decades even if they are not really sitting by my side with me helping me along my journey. That and I also enjoy all those "low tones" a bass makes.

Oh that really sounds so profound doesn't it? Not like me at all lol.
:mrgreen:

P.S. I played clarinet for 4 years and then the piano for one but it just didn't cut it for me when I was a young child.


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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 8:38 am
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I started out on Bb Clarinet when I was 11 or 12, during 5th grade. I played clarinet in the concert band at high school until I graduated high school. I loved drums so I went to the drum section for marching band. The last two years of high school I played bass clarinet in the concert band.

When I was in about 8th grade I had a friend who was a decent guitarist and singer. He wanted a bass player and agreed to coach me on it. I was awful then, but now 43 years later I'm still playing bass and now I'd say I'm mediocre.

I liked electric bass from the very first, but I often got discouraged because it was so hard as I was basically self taught. There were no bass guitar instructors I knew of anywhere around where I lived and only one guitar instructor and I couldn't afford to pay for lessons. This started in 1968, I got a Mel Bay book which was very little help. I bought a "Play Along With The Ventures" album that was guitar on one side and bass on the other and got to where I was pretty good with it after a few months of trial and error.

While struggling some with electric bass, I actually was faking drums pretty good as I couldn't exactly sight read drum music. I got made drum section leader once. That band director was nuts!

I was visiting and hanging around the Fender dealer where I bought my bass, Ralph's Radio Music in Demorest, GA more and more. They offered me a job my junior year of high school. I took it and worked there on Saturdays. While working there I ran across Carol Kaye's "How To Play Electric Bass" book and bought it. I think it was $4.95 then. I glanced at it initially and picked up a few things then about a year later I seriously started going through it page by page and step by step. That book turned me into a much better bassist in about a month. I wish I had done that sooner now. I had no idea who Carol Kaye was then. The book looked rougher and not as polished as the Mel Bay products, but now I know who she is.

Over the years I've learned to apply my natural gift of rhythm, demonstrated by faking my way to drum section leader in the marching band, to my bass playing style. I basically turned electric bass into a percussion instrument for a while.

Then I got back to basics about 1974 and sort of settled into a more melodic groove at least some of the time. About 10 years ago when I got serious about electric bass again, I looked back at the bass lines that had inspired me the most and found that almost all of them were played by the same four people and one of them was Carol Kaye. The others were James L. Jamerson at Motown, Donald "Duck" Dunn at Stax/Volt/Atlantic and Noel Redding during the Jimi Hendrix Experience project. All different styles and all very unique but effective.

While I'd like to play more like Carol Kaye, I find I'm more of a Duck style player, but still not as good as he was even early on in his career when he was 18 or 19. I'm apparently not a natural at electric bass, but I enjoy it more than any other instrument I've played.

I play bass and enjoy it because I get to hold down the rhythm and fill in the bottom. I'm not an up front guy. I like being involved but I know bassists never get the glory. I'm probably the hardest worker in the band I've been in for the past six years. I practice some almost each day and sometimes wonder if anyone else in the outfit does anything away from rehearsals. I'm the guy that does the lyric sheets and set lists and some of the arranging and sort of leads the rehearsals. I show up prepared and always try to be a little early. The sax guy walked in 45 minutes late at the last rehearsal, which is about 15 minutes later than he usually is. But you take the bad with the good.


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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 10:34 am
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Thats a great question,One day my Father came home with a set of drum sticks,a practice pad and a beginners drumming lesson book,Apparently a music/drum studio opened up in the same little building as my familys Mom & Pop newstand we owned.
I was only 8 1/2 y.o. and never considered playing anything before nevermind the drums,after about 6 months I decided to stick with it and commit to getting a whole set and that was my beginning with the rythme sectionsome 30 yrs ago.
I always wanted to play bass after I turned 16 but having so much time and money invested(my dear old dad as well)I dare not switch now and have the wrath of the stepfather bestowed apoun me.
So after a enjoyable venture with the drums I had to move from home at 24 y.o. and the condo where my girl and I lived was'nt drum friendly so I sold my set and remained without a vessel to play music for some time.
I Finally was in a position to beginne drumming again but when I went to the second hand music store with a broken down 3 piece Ludwig jazz cocktail set I bought for 50.00$ I was thrilled when they offered me 500.00$ in trade and knew it was now or never to get a bass and finally learn the thing I wanted to learn, I quickly(and without thinking)chose a Ibanez GSR200 complete beginners kit I was sold(I was'nt aware of Fender basses aside from seeing them but a few times).
About 6 months later I won a 94 MIM Jazz bass for 150.00$ and its been all downhill from there,that first Fender jazzbass with it's lousy neck pushed me to learn guitar repair which in turn put me around some really great musicians,so even a lemon of a Fender bass allowed me to make Lemonade. :shock:

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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 12:59 pm
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Thank you for your replies! Way cool! I see that I didn't completely answer my own questions.

I started out on violin in 4th grade, then switched to viola in 7th grade because our school orchestra needed viola players. I still prefer the sound of the viola to the violin.

A few years ago I realized that I NEED to play music. I considered taking up the cello because I like the tone. Ironic, since my parents had wanted me to start on the cello -- my brother had outgrown his 3/4 size cello and they didn't want to buy another instrument. Being a smart 9 year old living in Wisconsin and having to walk myself to school, I insisted on sharing my other brother's violin. No way was I going to lug a cello back and forth to school through rain or snow!

At any rate, I decided that guitar would be a more practical instrument to pick up as an adult. I took a few guitar lessons, but wasn't making much progress. And then I found basses. I too, kind of thought a bass would be "easier" since typically, you only have to play 1 note at a time (not chords). I figured I probably still had a few neural pathways left from playing viola, so I could hand that much at least. I'm old enough, though, to realize that it isn't easy to master any instrument. Add in the comment about people being bassists, not guitarists playing a bass, and I became more respectful of the bass.

I'm not a natural musician :-(. I started on a 5-string Ibanez, but for me it was a beast to play (35 inch scale). I started with a teacher who was all about music theory, which I want to know, but for a variety of reasons that didn't work out. Dropped playing for a couple of years, but couldn’t not play something. Found a different teacher who is all about PLAYING, and I’ve been making slow progress. He strongly recommended early on that I get something that would be easier for me to physically play, and I think that has made a difference. So now I play my P Bass Special Deluxe (mim) just about every day – even if it’s just a few scales from my first teacher. And I get twitchy if I’m not able to play for a few weeks. :-)

I still have the Ibanez, and I picked it up recently. It is now easier for me to play, although my fingers do get lost moving from string to string. For now I plan to stick with the 4-string, and get better on that before looking at the 5-string again.

Eventually I will pick up the guitar again because it is a useful instrument to be able to play, but I have a ways to go on my bass, and I think now that I will always be first a bassist, then some a guitar player. OK … I also like the bass because it’s cool to be different. :-)

So I play bass because I need to make music, I like the low notes, and I love grooving with the rhythm.

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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:03 pm
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I played drums and me and a couple friends wanted to have a band. I had played guitar for awhile before this. Anyway my one friend talked his Mom into buying him a Fender P bass (1968) and an amp. Wow! Only thing was- my friend had never played anything let alone a new Fender Precision. The solution was for me to show him how to play it. I did.

At the time I didn't realize I was a bass player. Hey- I was 13 -cut me some slack! :D Soon the drummer I'm in a band with right now today, 40 some years later, stole my gig as drummer in that first band in 1968.

After that I met some new friends who had a band. After thier practice the bass player would leave his P bass there and I would play it when he left. :twisted: I would jam with the drummer of that band and eventually I stuck with bass.

Now I still hack away at it and still get no credit. Face it you ain't usually the star when you are a bass player. There's something else about bass that keeps you on it no matter what. What that is?? Hell I don't know.

No really I just love to play it and have had many years of satisfaction, and other stuff too - from playing all my Honk Machines.


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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:33 pm
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I started out on bass when I was about 6.I just sat down and started playing.then one morning I decided I wanted to play panio.figured that out after a few days.just about a year ago I decided to start playing guitar.so I looked at a chart I had in my bassment and onece again I just started playing.I'm still a bassplayer at heart.I'm better at playing bass than my dad who has been playing all his life.

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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:35 pm
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I started as a Guitar player, I always dabbled on the bass as I enjoyed it, picked up a P bass lyte got a gig as a bass player, every body that saw me livem went "wow your are very good on that" My ego swelled :mrgreen: and the love of bass continues to this day.

I don't however subscribe to this guitarist who play bass thing, I find that such a bullshite statement imho, as the instrument is a bass GUITAR , its what you do with it thats counts, hence why to me John Entwistle is the greatest bass guitarist that ever lived, and a Machine designed by Mr Fender the best all round bass tool money can buy, add the Mirror plate, be as cool as Philo and the bass is the ace.

One thing we can all probably agree is, we love em and we rock em!

Good Journey all.

Andrew.


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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:45 pm
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i consider bass-players as the grey eminences of (rock-) music making, the pivotal point to say so, a role on which i can strongly identify me; a bass player is something to be... in your head, out the stomach and from the bottom of the heart. that's why... :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:11 pm
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Regarding bassist vs guitarist playing bass: I've read things that describe this or that guitar player as playing the guitar like a singer sings -- phrasing, etc. And while a competent violinist can probably physically play either classical or bluegrass, there are significant difference between the genres that I suspect take practice to learn and apply.

I suspect that being a good bassist requires a different approach than playing guitar. Guitars are not part of the rhythm section, while basses are. And you frequently play a chord on a guitar (yeah, there are lots of versions of each chord to choose from), rather than playing some arpeggio of the chord, or selected notes that compliment or support the movement of the music. Besides, from what I've seen, guitarists have the music written out for them and bassists have to figure it out for themselves. :-)

I think being a really good bassist takes great effort: deciding how much or how little to play, and when; whether to follow the melody line or play counter to it; how to move get to the next "1" when chords change; play a 7th or a 3-5, etc.

I'm not saying that a guitarist CAN’T play bass well, just that they are different instruments, with different roles. I’ve heard stuff where there isn’t a bass playing, and yet the guitarist fills in that part. And some lucky people are just natural musicians and do it "right" no matter what the instrument.

Different viewpoints are good. Discussion is good. I'm always looking to learn new stuff.

Or maybe I’m just visiting from the universe of too-dam-serious. :-)

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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 8:03 pm
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Steve Harris...and that I would rebel against my dad since he was a guitar player :? Later in life I found out he was a bassist in a band back in hs, but due to the demand of needing a bassist. My dad was truly a guitarist tho. I learned by reading books, looking at the horrible black and white pictures - no youtube then in the lowly 80s and early '90s :D Then I bought the book of scales and tried learning as many scales as I could.

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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 3:54 am
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I mainly play bass nowadays due to my band lacking a bassist, (I'm the lead singer, and was on occasion Lead Guitarist for a song for two) we started off with one, but it turns out he didn't have a clue of what he was doing, so we fired him. We then played 3 shows (none paying, no one likes to pay a bunch of 14-15 year olds to make noise!) without bass and I got tired of it, so I bought myself an old Fender BXR300C and a used Epi Thunderbird (Scott Shriner of Weezer had actually advised me to pick up a Thunderbird or Precision Bass, but I held off on the P bass, due to not being able to afford a Fender. I am now the biggest fan of the internet!).

But I had started playing purely out of interested, had a huge admiration for bassists like Scott Shriner (Weezer), Matt Sharp (The Rentals), Mike Dirnt (Green Day) and Mark Hoppus (Blink-182). I quickly learned tab, and joined my schools Jazz Band. I now love the feel of the strings, the vibrations if your amp is loud enough, :P and most of all being crucial to rhythm AND harmony!


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Post subject: Re: Why do you play bass?
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:23 am
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When I started playing in bands, I was the lead player, either on electric guitar or harmonica. We found a really good bass player who also liked to play lead, with the result that I began trading off with him when he wanted to scare everyone on guitar. I was OK, nothing spectacular, because lead playing was still my first love. Then, the year I retired, a friend of a friend asked me to sit in on an upcoming gig on bass. We spent one week of evenings with me learning their 15 songs (we were opening for a CD release party) and I discovered that the bass did something for me that lead playing didn't. A couple of years later, we started a dance hall band and that's when I got my first Precision, a Classic '50s. I learned that the lead player may be the siren on the fire truck, but the bass and drums are the engine. Music became a lot deeper as I explored structure, not just chord patterns and opportunities to drop in fills. Right now I'm mostly playing a Godin A5 fretless, and enjoying the hell out of it. I was really lucky to have been around a really good bass player from the start, so that I understood the role of the bass and didn't simply transfer my lead style down an octave. I still play lead, but I wish someone would invent something that would allow me to play bass at the same time!

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