EliasMooseblaster Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 One day, when I was about 13, maybe 14, it just seemed like there had been some overnight transformation, and all the other boys at my school suddenly owned and could play electric guitars. I had obviously missed the memo about this during my keyboard lessons. Like many boys of that age, I was partial to a bit of Rock and/or Roll, and so naturally thought that playing the electric guitar might[s] make girls notice me [/s]be a sensible choice. I tried my friend's guitar and - curse my clumsy, elephantine hands! - everything was too small, cramped and fiddly. I would never be able to play the electric guitar. I retreated to my dark cave and pondered my response to this devastating setback. [i]Wait! [/i]I thought, [i]They make these guitars in a bass variety as well, in which everything is bigger and further apart, and there are only four strings to worry about! Better still, if all the other lads are playing guitar, I shall stand out by being one of the few bass players in this small and limited community.[/i] Truth be told, I didn't even understand what bassists really "did" with their instrument. My hero at the time was Ray Manzarek. Undeterred, I found the best value bass I could find in the local music shops (a Squier Bronco), promptly forgetting that I was left-handed, and resolved that I would master this mysterious instrument. I was so serious I even bought a book about it. Then I started listening to The Who. Suddenly my goal was obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crag42 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Mark King and I still LOVE the slappy thing! Ban my shorts! ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigd1 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Chris Squire, say no more..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiOgon Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 That lovely nurse when I broke 3 fingers on my left hand & said "will I ever be able to play guitar again?" She replied "no you'll have to play bass ;-)" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurbs Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 It was both Neds Atomic Dustbin and "The Chain". Quite a combination! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Started off on drums but had microfractures in my wrist from high school volleyball which made playing painful. So I shifted onto bass as the next best choice in the rythmn section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 When I was a teenager I was listening to bands like Slipknot, Deftones, Limp Bizkit and Korn a lot. Paul Grey (RIP), Chi Cheng (RIP), Sam Rivers and Fieldy just seemed so much cooler than everyone else! I always used to keep my eye out for bassists in Metal Hammer and Kerrang! and I don't know why, I was just more interested. For my 14th birthday Mum and Dad bought me a Squier P and a little 15w Watson combo and I was away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 [quote name='Thurbs' timestamp='1424260433' post='2694422'] Neds Atomic Dustbin [/quote] A two bass band. Now you're cookin'. I met them in the Mitre, Stourbridge once when the whole Wonderstuff/Neds thing was at it's peak. Pony-tail, crimped hair and clogs! Cannae whack it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_the_bass Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Started playing guitar age 16. Just turned 17, chatting to a mate in the pub about his band. He didn't need another guitar but did need a bass player. Gave it a go and never looked back. 19 years and lots of life events have passed but I'm still playing my bass and gigging as often as I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm486 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 I was allowed to start another instrument when I started secondary school and narrowed it down to either saxophone or double bass because I loved the sound of each one. Stuck to it and I instantly progressed faster on double bass than I ever had on piano. Took up bass guitar when I went to uni as I couldn't fit a double bass in my uni halls and I instantly loved it. I still love the sound of an upright bass, but a bass guitar fits in more with my music preferences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) Was a 'singer' ( I use the term lightly) in a school rock band but didn't gig with them. All went our separate ways to various colleges etc then in first summer back in between 1st & 2nd years we had one final 'goodbye jam' as we knew after this we would all get too involved with lives away from where we grew up. Ended up buying the bass player's cheapo jazz copy and then it sat in a corner for a couple of years until I had an unexpected 6 months off before a new course started and I taught myself some rudimentary bass skills. Still didn't gig for many years after that, just bedroom jams with mates, never thought I was good enough. In real playing terms I'm still actually a late starter even though it's about 30 years since I first picked up a bass. And it shows Then: [URL=http://s30.photobucket.com/user/KevB64/media/old1_zpshzkwmboc.jpg.html][IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/KevB64/old1_zpshzkwmboc.jpg[/IMG][/URL] More recently: [URL=http://s30.photobucket.com/user/KevB64/media/salutation31_5_137_zps51cccf22.jpg.html][IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/KevB64/salutation31_5_137_zps51cccf22.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Edited February 18, 2015 by KevB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicko Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 I was working in the middle east, living in a portacabin. The place was pretty much an open prison camp. There were 2 bars and a gym on the camp. Outside the camp was desert and the nearest town was 45 minutes away and the nearest bar was 2 hours away. The house band were looking for a bass player to dep for thir normal bloke. I said "I play a bit of guitar, I'll give it a go" because it was something to do. I played my first gig with them about 3 weeks later on a borrowed bass, and they saked their regular guy right after that. Its the only think that kept me sane for 18 months. I haven't looked back.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Honestly I don't think that there was anything in particular that made me play bass. I just wanted to be in a band play music and write songs. When I was getting into music in the 70s many of the bands I was interested in had at least one member who owned and could play a vast array of instruments, and I wanted to be like that. In my first band everyone played everything they could get their hands on and instrumental roles were handed out on a song by song basis depending on who could play which part best. The main reason I found myself playing more bass guitar than the others was that I was the one who went out and bought one once we no longer had access to a bass that we could borrow from a class-mate. Between then and now I've spent time in bands playing guitar, bass and keyboards. Right now I'm happiest playing bass but that could all change if I decided to do something else musically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gottastopbuyinggear Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Much like the OP, and probably about the same time as well, I started playing bass in the school band because the music teacher (also my guitar teacher) needed someone to play bass and knew I could read music. Unlike the OP I then stuck with guitar on and off for the next 30 years, acquired a load of guitars and other gear, but being average at best never even tried getting into a band. A few years ago I fancied making a few backing tracks to play along to, bought a MIM Jazz Bass for the purpose, and surprised myself by finding I sounded a lot better on bass than guitar! Cue mild mid-life crisis early last year and a burning need to play in a band again before it was too late, bought an amp, and all of a sudden I'm playing in two different bands and having a great time. The problem now is, I really like my Jazz, but I fancy a Precision as well. And the Ampeg portaflex stuff I bought is great, but I get a dodgy back sometimes so I could probably do with a really lightweight cab too. And I quite fancy having a go at a five string, and ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckinthepod Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Spent 20 years being an average guitarist. Sat in on bass for a jam and haven't looked back. I have spent the last 2 1/2 years trying to become an average bass player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 [quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1424257695' post='2694383'] ... promptly forgetting that I was left-handed ... [/quote] Far canal, Ralph, you play like that and you're doing it the wrong way round too? Respect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 The Stranglers, and a local band called The Warm Jets were mostly to blame. Me & a bunch of my punk/new wave-mad schoolmates decided we wanted to start a band after sneaking into a pub (we were 15) & seeing our first-ever live band (the aforementioned Jets). Walking home afterwards, half-deafened and crazed with adrenalin and a sly half of bitter shandy, we formed a band. We all liked The Stranglers, so that's who we were going to sound like. I got bass because no-one else wanted to do it - I honestly have no idea why - but I was proper happy it turned out that way. None of us could play a note, and we never actually tried playing together, but two of us ended up wasting our lives in various other bands. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1424267740' post='2694536'] Far canal, Ralph, you play like that and you're doing it the wrong way round too? Respect! [/quote] There was a poll a year or two back, there's actually a decent number of us on the forum that are naturally left handed but play right handed (including me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambrook Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Played guitar very half heartedly for decades, was asked to fill in on bass one night, and saw a little light bulb over my head. Not touched a guitar since... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 My mate got a cheap guitar for Christmas when we were 14 and started getting lessons. When he told us, my other mate and I said, right let's start a band. I'll get a bass , you get a drum kit. We did although I was last and had a sh*tty little homemade bass. We really sucked at first but I still remember the first time we played in front of anyone. It was two girls we were trying to impress and me and the guitarist did alright now minus singing and minus the solo ! How boring would that be ? But we thought we were great. Fast forward 35 years and myself and the guitarist are still in a band together but our drummer left to run his family business years ago. Great memories ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Always wanted to play synths but they were too expensive & I had no interest in guitar so I tried bass. 36 years later & I'd still love nothing more than to own a load of old analogue synths but they're still too expensive for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo0tsy Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Bootsy Collins, & my love of listening to funk music and foolishly thinking "I can play that" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1424267740' post='2694536'] Far canal, Ralph, you play like that and you're doing it the wrong way round too? Respect! [/quote] [quote name='KevB' timestamp='1424269335' post='2694550'] There was a poll a year or two back, there's actually a decent number of us on the forum that are naturally left handed but play right handed (including me). [/quote] Having given this one quite a bit of thought over the years - and discussed it with BlueJay, who of course does left-handedness 'properly' - I almost wonder whether it makes more sense: by playing a right-handed bass, my (dominant) left hand is in charge of the fingerboard, where I'd argue most of the complicated stuff takes place! The catch - and there's always one, isn't there? - is that you might well want your dominant hand fingering/picking the strings, for its greater sensitivity. I suspect learning keys for a couple of years before I started the bass was probably crucial in building up the dexterity in my right hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 [quote name='KevB' timestamp='1424269335' post='2694550'] There was a poll a year or two back, there's actually a decent number of us on the forum that are naturally left handed but play right handed (including me). [/quote] And me! I thought I was unique, being a lefty, but playing a righty.... Turns out I'm not - far from it Don't think I saw that poll - but I've mentioned this on a few threads Anyhow, we had all live music at our wedding 14 months back Including myself, there were 3 bassists in attendance .... all of us left-handed, but playing right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scalpy Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 I just wanted to be in a band. Can't sing, not mental so couldn't be a drummer, hated playing the piano and my fingers don't move that fast so as I saw it couldn't be a guitarist. That left bass. I've been averaging 80 gigs a year for the past few as well as being a classroom music teacher. The flawed logic has kept me in biscuits after all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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