How soon after first picking a bass up did you gig?

[bobpalt]

After reading a post from SpaceChick, who gigged for the first time only 10 1/2 months after picking a bass up for the first time, I wondered how long it took the rest of us, and what the record is?

I'll start things off. I first held a bass in December 1999, and played my first gig a week and a half later. I had no idea what I was doing, and had everything written down on sheets of paper on a music stand. We started off with "Rocking all over the world", which was thankfully easy, and the "stage" was in the (huge) dining room of a country house in Herefordshire, where we were playing to about 80 totally stoned guests. As the 11 song set progressed, I moved nearer and nearer to the downstairs toilet door, untill eventually I was hiding behind the door so people couldnt see me shaking! In hindsight, I think I could have got away with anything that night, as the clientele were on another planet........

[SpaceChick]

Hee hee, I've inspired a thread

You know my answer already!!

In fairness, I could have gigged sooner, I joined the band after 2 months, but its taken 8 and a half months (due to changes of band members and illnesses) to have enough stability to perform! I'm a much better bassist now that I was when I joined, so on reflection, I'm glad I had to wait this long as my performance would have been very different in the early days!!

[Coilte]

You seem to have gotten off to a rockin' start. I suppose it depends on the type of music being played, whether or not you start gigging early. Would not fancy playing the likes of "Steely Dans" music on my first gig.

For myself, while I was happy to jam with others, it was about two years before I considered myself ready to play in public.

[neepheid]

I'll throw a stab in at the longest gap - 5 years or so. The bass was mostly an ornament during those years. Can't tell you why, except I was lazy.

[RockfordStone]

think it was about 5 years for me, but i had a long period in there where i didn't play at all and then started up again

[Hobbayne]

About 6 -8 months. My first band did a lot of Jam covers including The bitterest pill and funeral pyre with the Beatles taxman thrown in! On a Westone thunder 1 from my mates mums littlewoods catalogue at 20ppw

Edited April 15, 2013 by Hobbayne

[BigRedX]

I bought my first bass some time during the spring term at University in 1981 and did my first gig with it during the Easter holidays of that year, so about 2-3 months. However I had borrowed basses belonging to friends at various times over the previous 3 years and I had been playing the guitar for almost 8 years at this point...

[Lozz196]

Bought my bass in Dec 1980. First gig on bass Jun 1987 (though a few on guitar in between these dates). I just always ended up being asked to play guitar.

[Spike Vincent]

4 hours.

[geoffbyrne]

6 weeks, but I was playing guitar with the same band anyway.

G.

[charic]

4 weeks

[KevB]

Far far too long. Only jammed with mates for years in someone's front room, we were never going to take it on the road and I never thought I was anywhere near the standard required to play in public. Should have been down jam sessions and putting myself about a good ten years before I eventually took the plunge. Biggest regret musicwise and ready to admit it. having said that I'm barely passable standard now...maybe when I hit 50 I'll get round to finally having a lesson!

Edited April 15, 2013 by KevB

[Dave_the_bass]

First picked up the bass in mid Feb 98, about a week after I had joined a band as the bass player (I'd been playing guitar for about a year by this point).

First gig was early May of 98 having learned/assisted in the writing of a 45 minute set of pop punk originals.

[Dave Vader]

Bass player in a band I was in got knocked out by the bouncers just before a gig, he went to hospital, I picked up his bass and did the gig with a bloke I knew who could handle the guitar parts ok.
So, about 5 seconds

[Lynottfan]

A couple of weeks, had been playing guitar for a while though, started to dabble, a mates band was in a battle of the bands thing, bass player walked out, left them in the brown stuff big time, rehearsed with them about half a dozen times, played along to their demo, then turned up for the gig, large venue and packed, played the short set, 20 minutes loved it, got off stage then the nerves hit me like shock, was a mess all night, but the bass was here to stay.

[danthevan]

About 4 months for me. First instrument i'd ever played, if you dont count recorder when i was 8 or the bontempi organ i got when i was a kid which I dismantled to see how it worked.
As I was the only one in our local that could handle not drinking and had a van, I was a roady for our local covers band. I wanted the buzz of being on stage so one of the guitarists gave me a bass, a little practice amp, a lesson which involved "Hold the string here, and pluck it here with the other hand", then just sat down with a book and a cd and taught myself the set, mainly because they were easy covers.
Done a rehearsal with them (which was basically hitting the root notes) when the bassist didn't turn up just to fill in, then done my first gig with them when the bassist went on one of his heroin binges and couldn't be located. Was shaking for the whole of the first set, but bumbled through it! Luckilly it was a freebie leaving do so didn't matter too much!

[Roland Rock]

About ten weeks. Started the second year of uni in September and was told by friends that they were starting a band and I was on bass! Quickly sourced a second hand cheapo bass and amp to learn on, and our first gig was the Halls' Christmas party. Went down well too

[Jazzneck]

5 days, but I had been "playing" guitar for about 6 months.
Yes, it was the early '60s, it was a youth club gig and we played Beatles, Shadows and a lot of 12 bar RnR.
And yes I was cr+p (still are) but it was great fun - I also discovered the bonus of being a bassman standing at the back was watching the girl backing singers bums wagglin' in time with the music.

[fumps]

About 3 months (early Metallica covers) But I put in loads of work to meet this first gig date

[KevB]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1366022567' post='2047303']
About ten weeks. Started the second year of uni in September and was told by friends that they were starting a band and I was on bass! Quickly sourced a second hand cheapo bass and amp to learn on, and our first gig was the Halls' Christmas party. Went down well too
[/quote]

Actually, come to think of it I think my first 'proper' gigs (not jam session/open mics) were xmas parties too. Cobbled together band from work collegues. At least we were just playing to other work collegues and associated other halves, no real pressure

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1366034587' post='2047491']


Actually, come to think of it I think my first 'proper' gigs (not jam session/open mics) were xmas parties too. Cobbled together band from work collegues. At least we were just playing to other work collegues and associated other halves, no real pressure
[/quote]

Haha, yeah, the unbeatable mix of drunkenness and low expectations - can't lose!

[Starless]

40 years. Typical schoolkid bedroom band in early seventies for a few years, never gigged, gave up. Bought another bass at age 52, first gig, and gigging ever since.

[Geek99]

Never done so - but would like to.
Intending to jam soon with a friend who writes songs but nervous due to the laughably small amount of practice time I get

[bassace]

Isn't the bass the easiest instrument in the band to play? So my first gig on bass was before I ever owned one; I borrowed a DB from a mate and went along to the gig. The rest is geography.

[Mr Fretbuzz]

I'll let you know when my " Band" gets itself a singer ; the other 2 Band Members stop farting around practising with others behind my back; do the other 8 songs on the set list they said they knew .......... Or I find myself a new Band in the meantime :-)


PS I was right, the guitard is a dork :-(.

Wears tin helmet this time and hides again in the corner :-D

Edited April 15, 2013 by Mr Fretbuzz