Lead guitarist had a crack at bass!

[mrdreadful]

As someone who's moved from guitar to bass I would disagree that bass is that much easier than guitar. However, it does feel more 'natural' to me if that makes sense. Especially fingerstyle playing.

Edited August 15, 2011 by mrdreadful

[Ancient Mariner]

I very much suspect that neither is easier or harder, though it all depends on what and how you want to play. I find rhythm guitar easy and instinctive, and so moving to bass was fairly painless once I'd sorted the mechanics of it (because it's enormously more physical than guitar) because I can feel the rhythms in a piece. Probably the hardest part is note selection because a) I can't hear bass notes clearly and notes an octave or 3 below what I'm used to interact differently within the music and chords on a bass often don't sound good - at least not in my hands.

There was that Mr Big vid floating round a while back with Billy Sheehan standing side by side with the guitarist, playing pretty much the same things (allowing for the laws of physics). Both players at the top of their game, both demonstrating that there's maybe not so much difference after all.

[Happy Jack]

Bass is harder to play than paper & comb, but significantly easier than flute.

Erm ... so what?

They're all different instruments, so why should it matter whether one is relatively harder or easier?

[lojo]

All that matters is when you play, you are doing the right thing for the situation be it on bass , triangle , or guitar

Even if you prove scientifically that bass is harder or easier than other instruments , so what , im all up for a conversation about nothing, but this has got me stumped

[clarkpegasus4001]

When I was in my last band, one time I remember I couldn't make a rehearsal. They decided to rehearse anyway and one of the two guitarist's decided that and he would bring his bass to rehearsal and play my parts. At the next rehearsal, the second guitarist turned to me said, "NEVER AGAIN!" I asked why and he said cuz all he was trying to do was play lead guitar on bass! and it sounded like s**te. I think I got appreciated a lot more after that episode.
I am a rhythm guitar player turned bassist, but the bass is a different animal and it has to be approached in a different way.

[wez]

[quote name='Gust0o' post='1339985' date='Aug 14 2011, 08:15 PM']Oh aye, I have no doubt. Thinking of my own guitarist, he's accused me over-thinking everything; of being too technical; of playing too many notes (particularly if it's a tune I've written, where he has tried to copy my fills exactly and wondered why I'm w***ing around); of being some highbrow snobbish twat.[/quote]
I got this last night from my guitarist (also my brother) and also at the last practice on a new song he had just showed us and played and expected the bass to be right first time. he also told me that i wrote tunes like a bass player and he has trouble figuring them out, whatever that means!

[4-string-thing]

[quote name='icastle' post='1147808' date='Mar 2 2011, 11:39 PM']I can usually spot a guitarist playing bass, it generally comes out as complete mush - I've always found that drummers make quite good bass players though...[/quote]

I was once in a band with a terrible drummer, who claimed he had once played bass in a "touring band" He once asked for a go on my bass to "show you how to play it" After a few seconds it became quite clear that he had never picked up a bass before in his life!

A few weeks later he emailed me to tell me I "should remove all the youtube vids of our band cos they do us no favours"

I recently came across a vid of him playing in the worst band ever, really, truly awful .... Maybe I should comment on it?

[Cameronj279]

I know every guitarist I've saw play bass made a complete arse of it, which...if I'm honest...i find hilarious.

[dan670844]

[quote name='thebrig' post='1147757' date='Mar 2 2011, 10:51 PM']Every week our lead guitarist jams with some guys he used to play with in the past.

Anyway, last week the bass player could not make, but he sent his bass along for someone else to have a go.

Yes! you've guessed it, our lead guitarist, who doesn't usually listen much to what I'm playing,
but still likes to tell me [b][u]how[/u][/b] I should be playing, decided that he would be the bassist that night.

And yes! you've guessed right again, by his own admission, he made a total mess of it.

Even though I'm not the greatest player around, he now thinks I'm the dog's whatsits!

So maybe the penny has finally dropped, and he now appreciates what the bassist does!

Maybe all guitarists should be made to have a session on bass, just to drag them out of their own backsides![/quote]


Ha I stood in for a band once called *****ex, as the bass player was overseas, I knew they were an arguing band, I found out why as the Guitarist/Singer wrote all the bass parts, lets say they were written exactly how a bass player wouldn't do it, I.e no anchors pivots lead in's etc just a load of chord tones in a random order! The moment I suggested that I could do this..... I was told I didnt know what I was talking about..... I quietly escaped!!