Why bass?

[Mikeg]

Ive been playing for around 2 years, and I like to think ive gotten quite good. I get quite a few compliments gigs, but one question comes up quite alot.

"Why do you play bass and not guitar?"

I find it quite hard to awnser, ive always prefered bass, and it comes more naturaly to me than guitar. Somthing my drummer said anoyed me, "Your to good to play bass, you should be our guitatist" .

Anyone else pondered on this before?

[bartelby]

For me it was because the noises Steve Harris, John Entwistle and Cliff Burton made were more awesome than the guitarists in the their bands..

[Mylkinut]

Yeah, I just prefer the sound of it. It doesn't stop me picking up a guitar once in a while but I'll always be a bassist.

I got told at my gig last night that I even 'look' like a bass player. Most people say I look like either a pirate or Jesus

[Ed_S]

I've been in a couple of bands where I'm a better guitarist than the guitarist (not so with my current band, I hasten to add), but I'll always keep to bass because I enjoy the role more on stage. I find it's less stress for the same level of responsibility, so I get to actively enjoy the music that I'm playing as I'm playing it. On guitar I'm too engrossed in getting it right to actually enjoy doing it, so have to rely on reactions after the fact.

[Dubs]

When I was 15 my mates wanted to start a band and needed a bass player and I knew someone with a bass...

[Lozz196]

I`ve just always preferred both the sound, and the look, of the bass guitar. It`s definately my personality, being more of the side-man than the front-man, so I suppose the bass suits me in that respect too. I know there have been a fair few extrovert bassists, but there are many more who are the side-men.

I`ve also had friends who have heard me play guitar and asked why I don`t play guitar in bands, as if the bass is the beginners instrument, and I`m better than "just" playing bass. Can`t really explain it to them, it`s like why you fancy one girl but not another, when each are nice to look at. It`s just "something" that`s there with the bass for me, where that "something" just isn`t there with the guitar.

[TheGreek]

Most of the bass players I know are competant and play to a high standard - a lot of the guitarist I know are waiting to wake up and be as good as Jimi Hendrix - I bet there are millions of guitars sitting in the corner of bedrooms, in the back of cupboards and in lofts not being used..

Better to be a good bassist rather than another mediocre guitarist!!

[EdwardHimself]

No-one else wanted to.

[lanark]

I played cow bell in an open rehearsal - next day I got a call asking if I wanted to replace the bassist. Next rehearsal I picked up a bass for the first time in my life.

[phil.i.stein]

why bass ?

..get thee to a nunnery !

[janmaat]

because everybody can play the guitar

[Thunderthumbs]

I have my big sister to thank.

She was a Bay City Rollers fan when I was knee high to a grasshopper, and she fancied Alan Longmuir, the bassist. That naturally persuaded me to notice the "guitar with only 4 pegs".

As I got slightly older, I got into The Jam and Bruce Foxton's sound walloped me against the wall. I knew there and then it was the instrument for me.

Myself and a mate got a band together when I was 13, so I bought myself a bass from my paper round money and taught myself how to play it.

The rest is history.

[Chris2112]

When I was 13 I decided I wanted to learn to play bass, probably because Paul Gray of Slipknot looked like the man playing bass on stage. Stuck with it ever since and it just feels natural to me now. I've thought of learning guitar a few times, but when bass feels so natural and right to me I don't feel like changing! I've always loved the role of the bassist; providing support, rhythm, harmony and melody all in one go.

[chris_b]

Far too long ago to remember!

[Marvin]

I can only play one note at a time, so bass was perfect.

[BassPimp66]

Grooving on bass makes girls shake their booty !!! Guitar solos don't

[Ross]

Because I used to play naked and a guitar was too small to hide my giant bassist package.

I played bass because everyone and their mum plays guitar.
I actually play very little guitar, I play drums and bass well, a little flute and piano, some flugelhorn. But guitar I've never really gotten into, got quite fat fingers so it's difficult.

Edited August 6, 2011 by Ross

[Slipperydick]

[quote name='BassPimp66' post='1330092' date='Aug 6 2011, 05:34 PM']Grooving on bass makes girls [s]shake their booty[/s] booties shake !!! Guitar solos don't [/quote]

Fixed !

[Ross]

Guitar solos just make them gush uncontrollably, you think thats sweat and beer on the floor at a rock gig? You're mistaken.

[Grand Wazoo]

Why bass? Well I'd sooner play bass than French Horn, and I don't like a French Horn, come to think of it... I don't like nothing French, me!.

[bartelby]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1330135' date='Aug 6 2011, 06:04 PM']I don't like nothing French, me!. [/quote]



Wine? A bit of JJ Burnel?

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1330135' date='Aug 6 2011, 06:04 PM']Why bass? Well I'd sooner play bass than French Horn, and I don't like a French Horn, come to think of it... I don't like nothing French, me!. [/quote]

What about the Cor Anglais? An english instrument if ever i heard one

[Slipperydick]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1330135' date='Aug 6 2011, 06:04 PM']Why bass? Well I'd sooner play bass than French Horn, and I don't like a French Horn, come to think of it... [b]I don't like nothing French, me[/b]!. [/quote]

Not even hairy armpits and Belgian Lager...

Ooops! wrong forum.

[merello]

JJ Burnell

[Blademan_98]

Because it only has 4 strings.......

(I am really a guitarist who has jumped ship!)