Guitarists That Play Bass

[ZMech]

Whilst it's easy to get defensive, I think I'd agree with any guitarists that it's easier to pick up and play without experience in a silly teenage band (we were all in one!). playing constant crotchet root notes to the standard I VI IV V song is probably quicker to learn on bass than how to switch between those four chords when strumming.

The hard bit is learning to get past that stage, and to gain an ability to add interest to the songs, both rhythmically and melodically, and once you've got a decent technique that I don't think it's any easier or harder on bass than on any other instrument.

[BottomE]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1167258' date='Mar 18 2011, 03:09 PM']unless of course,as a bass player you are happy and content to never venture beyond the root.[/quote]
god forbid. Not playing the root and the song still sounding cool, flowing, together and tight is such a dream. I had a moment last night doing "A Foggy Day" when i stopped even thinking about root notes and just played around in a couple of scales following the chords loosely and having a couple of target notes.

I'd never experienced it before and it was sooooo lovely.

[kerley]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1167258' date='Mar 18 2011, 03:09 PM']Initially the C will cover them all,but it's also unlikely that you will be learning chord extensions at that point. By the time you get to there,things should be more involved on both instruments,unless of course,as a bass player you are happy and content to never venture beyond the root.[/quote]

Good point and tend to agree, although the beginner guitarist may pick a few songs that have some 'unknown' chords in them whereas the bassist can still find that single note with ease.

The bass player who is content to play the root is only really the same as the ryhthym guitarist who sticks to common chords I guess.

[Doddy]

[quote name='kerley' post='1167334' date='Mar 18 2011, 04:03 PM']Good point and tend to agree, although the beginner guitarist may pick a few songs that have some 'unknown' chords in them whereas the bassist can still find that single note with ease.[/quote]
But the difference,then comes down to whether you are looking at shapes or not. If a beginner bass player wants to play more complex songs,in the same way as a guitar player might,they need to be able to play more than a root note.
The notes required for the more complex chords are the same as the notes used in the more complex basslines. The only difference is the way you play them,which is often based around muscle memory-especially if you are learning chord shapes.

[quote name='kerley' post='1167334' date='Mar 18 2011, 04:03 PM']The bass player who is content to play the root is only really the same as the ryhthym guitarist who sticks to common chords I guess.[/quote]

....or a guitar player who only solos blindly over minor pentatonics.

[kerley]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1167354' date='Mar 18 2011, 04:23 PM']....or a guitar player who only solos blindly over minor pentatonics.[/quote]


Oh, you've seen my blues improvisation on guitar then. I'm a bassist now though, don't you know.

[Doddy]

[quote name='kerley' post='1167367' date='Mar 18 2011, 04:31 PM']Oh, you've seen my blues improvisation on guitar then. I'm a bassist now though, don't you know.[/quote]

[watchman]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1166051' date='Mar 17 2011, 06:47 PM']There are a lot of guitarists that understand the discipline involved. Our guitarist is also a bassist and he's great.[/quote]

I'm not entirely sure that I'm great, but I've played both for donkey's and I do understand that they are entirely different in terms of technique and role in the band. As you imply, they're simply not variations of the same instrument.

[Doctor J]

Any bassist picking up a guitar for the first time is going to be just as shambolic as a guitarist first picking up the bass. Given time, either can adapt to the physics and technique of playing the other.

The main difference, in my experience, is the mindset. More often than not, a guitarist playing bass will look to fill up the sound, to avoid leaving spaces, whereas experienced bassists tend to see the value in leaving space for other instruments and rhythmic effect and, of course, the ability to instinctively tune into what the bass drum is doing.

[Skol303]

The whole guitar vs bass debate is an interesting one that'll no doubt keep rumbling on until the end of time itself! ;-)

I think a lot of it has to do with an individual's own personality, to be honest. Me, I just love the sound of bass - be it an upright or an electric - much more than I enjoy the sound of a guitar.

I find it a more 'satisfying' instrument to play: not necessarily easier than guitar, though bass is arguably easier to pick and play at first. Just more satisfying.

The Japanese have a term called "umami", which refers to a "pleasant savoury taste" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami)... and for me that's the closest way of describing it: bass just has more "umami" than guitar!

Yeah, that probably sounds bonkers, but heh.