Calling it a day on Bass

[thebigyin]

Well after 20 odd years playing Bass on and off i've decided to concentrate on Guitar....always had an Acoustic knocking about and learnt some fingerstyle ect, but bought an 80s Epiphone LP Standard a few months ago and little Blackstar 10w practice amp and find it much more enjoyable....really tried to up my game with the Bass learning theory but the big mistake came after enrolling on Joe Hubbards 2 Year Bass Mastery Course (at great expense) took the risk hoping this would make me focus and better my playing but been a non reader it went straight over my head and the endless meaningless drills just bored the tits off me, i'm just not a Jazz/Improve player just not good enough.....give me some good ol' 70s power chord Blues/Rock classics and some 80s Metal and it's happy days, wishing you all the best i've enjoyed the Forum it's been great but always deep down wanted to learn Guitar and progressing quite well.

[uk_lefty]

Do what you're enjoying the most! I came very close to knocking guitar on the head a few months back to be a "pure" bassist then had an idea, recorded it with a few different guitar tracks and I am glad I didn't sell off my electric guitar and related other gear. For me these things go in cycles, I bet if you pick up your bass again in a few months time the guitar experience will give you a new perspective, and isn't that what life is about? 

Know what you mean about endless drills. Had my first ever lesson after 21yrs playing last month and though I'd asked for drills and theory I was told words to the effect you can pick up what you need to know by playing different and interesting songs that you like. Any other theory stuff might not be that useful to you. And after one inspirational lesson I agree! 

[Cato]

I've pretty much always played both, I've never seen it as an either/or situation.

At the moment I'm playing more skinny string guitar, but there's always a point where I'll want to add a bassline to whatever I've been doing on the guitar.

If I come up with something I like on bass then likewise I'll reach for the guitar to try and build on that.

I can't really imagine myself ever quitting one completely to concentrate on the other because I suppose see them as complementary skills, I'd say that being able to add guitar to my bass parts actually enhances my enjoyment of playing bass and vice versa.

Edited January 3, 2021 by Cato

[Geek99]

I think @Cato is right - no harm

in knowing both but I’ll always be a bass player 

[Steve Browning]

Just my own daft opinion but I am not a fan of any of these courses. 

In my mind,  music is intuitive and you can't learn to feel something you don't. 

Not expecting anyone to agree with me but that remains my view. 

[Lozz196]

Although I do play guitar I always describe myself as a bassist that can play guitar, never as a guitarist, bass is my instrument. In my last band I sold my guitars as I wanted to be purely focused on bass and what was needed for it, without any distractions, however now have a few guitars again (2 going up for sale as wanted to find just one that I’d stick with and have, an SG). Wish you well @thebigyin following the inspiration is no bad thing.

[Cato]

7 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Although I do play guitar I always describe myself as a bassist that can play guitar, never as a guitarist, bass is my instrument. In my last band I sold my guitars as I wanted to be purely focused on bass and what was needed for it, without any distractions, however now have a few guitars again (2 going up for sale as wanted to find just one that I’d stick with and have, an SG). Wish you well @thebigyin following the inspiration is no bad thing.

In my mind I'm definitely a bass player who also plays guitar rather than the other way round.

[bassaussie]

1 hour ago, thebigyin said:

Well after 20 odd years playing Bass on and off i've decided to concentrate on Guitar....always had an Acoustic knocking about and learnt some fingerstyle ect, but bought an 80s Epiphone LP Standard a few months ago and little Blackstar 10w practice amp and find it much more enjoyable....really tried to up my game with the Bass learning theory but the big mistake came after enrolling on Joe Hubbards 2 Year Bass Mastery Course (at great expense) took the risk hoping this would make me focus and better my playing but been a non reader it went straight over my head and the endless meaningless drills just bored the tits off me, i'm just not a Jazz/Improve player just not good enough.....give me some good ol' 70s power chord Blues/Rock classics and some 80s Metal and it's happy days, wishing you all the best i've enjoyed the Forum it's been great but always deep down wanted to learn Guitar and progressing quite well.

You seem a little dismayed with not achieving much with the Joe Hubbard course. First, I have to preface what I'm going to say by saying that I have mad respect for Joe Hubbard, he's an incredible bassist, and really, there's not much more needs to be said. But I think his courses are aimed at a fairly specific genre of music, and fairly specific skills. There are a lot of good, successful bassists out there who can't do the stuff that JH teaches, and that's OK, because they don't need to.

Not trying to talk you out of pursuing guitar - I love guitar as well. But more saying that a course like JH's shouldn't be some benchmark that determines if you're good enough on bass or not, because I don't think that's the case at all. You could reel off a who's who of bassists who can't touch JH, but are still incredibly influential musicians, because they use the bass to speak the music they want to speak.

 

23 minutes ago, Cato said:

I've pretty much always played both, I've never seen it as an either/or situation.

At the moment I'm playing more skinny string guitar, but there's always a point where I'll want to add a bassline to whatever I've been doing on the guitar.

If I come up with something I like on bass then likewise I'll reach for the guitar to try and build on that.

I can't really imagine myself ever quitting one completely to concentrate on the other because I suppose see them as complementary skills, I'd say that being able to add guitar to my bass parts actually enhances my enjoyment of playing bass and vice versa.

I'm the same as you, always played both, and at present, same as you, I'm more focused on guitar. But I'll regularly pick up bass because it's what I feel at the moment.

[Munurmunuh]

1 hour ago, thebigyin said:

always deep down wanted to learn Guitar and progressing quite well

As someone who's gone in exactly the opposite direction (used to play the guitar a lot, hit a ceiling, deep down had always wanted to play bass etc) I know exactly how happy you're feeling 😊 Like being on the open road after being stuck in traffic.

[bassbiscuits]

Nothing wrong with realising your true calling lies elsewhere.

Bass is my first instrument tho I’ve been playing guitar for nearly as long, and as circumstances have changed over the years I’ve at times been mainly a guitarist, and at others mainly a bassist.

I agree with others tho - don’t feel bad that a tuition course hasn’t appealed to you. I’ve never made any sense of lessons - it’s just not the way the musical bit of my brain works - but it hasn’t stopped me being a good, happy, busy musician.

And good luck on the guitar - enjoy it!

[Skybone]

Went down a similar route a good number of years back, and got sucked down the rabbit hole of GAS. Shame I never was never that good a guitarist really.  I'm a bass player that dabbles with guitars, still have them, still play them (occasionally), and it took that foray into the guitar world that cemented my love of playing bass. 

Knowing some of the guitar stuff has helped my bass playing no end, especially in terms of playing to the song and listening to what the other musicians are doing.

Enjoy your time away, but you'll be back.   

[Dad3353]

Being a bassist is not a pre-requisite of Forum participation, or even lurking. (I'm a drummer, so..!...). We're always glad to hear from you, and would hope that maybe some of the posts and subjects here could be of some interest, and worth reading. There's always GuitarChat, too..! Good luck, in any case; meanwhile...
Keep well, stay safe
Douglas

[Paul S]

Yup.  Follow the fun.  Enjoy it!

[Skybone]

Don't forget that you can use your BC login on GuitarChat: Guitarchat - Guitar Forum Home

[upside downer]

46 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

In my mind,  music is intuitive and you can't learn to feel something you don't.

And this is why I'm a bass player first and foremost. That sound, that vibration, that pulse, it's innate. I love and dabble with many instruments from around the world but bass is the ground, the gut feeling. It can't and won't be denied. 

Crikey, went off on one there. Good luck anyway thebigyin, pop in and see us now and then 👍

[Dom in Dorset]

I never played guitar seriously , I had an acoustic for writing purposes but that was it. A few years ago we revived a band I was in as a student 25 years ago, it's the only band I ever played electric guitar in. I was very much the second guitarist , mostly rhythm and riffs while the other guy was the "guitar hero". The other guy threw his toys out of the pram the night before a gig in 2019 and I became " lead guitarist" . I got away with it at the first gig and them practiced like mad to nail it for a Christmas gig. That was the last gig I played , 20th December 2019. My only full gig as sole guitarist in a band. 
I've subsequently moved to Dorset and while none of my three bands (none of them did a lot, but collectively kept me occupied) have split I fell very much between bands, not sure what I play. I think I'm most keen to play guitar at the moment because it feels like I learned to play an instrument for one gig, I want to use what I learned more.
As I can't even meet others to rehearse it doesn't matter what I am right now.
Go with what interests you most.

[Newfoundfreedom]

2 hours ago, thebigyin said:

Well after 20 odd years playing Bass on and off i've decided to concentrate on Guitar....always had an Acoustic knocking about and learnt some fingerstyle ect, but bought an 80s Epiphone LP Standard a few months ago and little Blackstar 10w practice amp and find it much more enjoyable....really tried to up my game with the Bass learning theory but the big mistake came after enrolling on Joe Hubbards 2 Year Bass Mastery Course (at great expense) took the risk hoping this would make me focus and better my playing but been a non reader it went straight over my head and the endless meaningless drills just bored the tits off me, i'm just not a Jazz/Improve player just not good enough.....give me some good ol' 70s power chord Blues/Rock classics and some 80s Metal and it's happy days, wishing you all the best i've enjoyed the Forum it's been great but always deep down wanted to learn Guitar and progressing quite well.

I totally get it. I grow ever weary of exactly this. The vast majority of bass guitar teachers I've come across (online at least) are obsessed with incessant jazz noodling, which to me is little more than noise pollution, and / or require you to read music, which i have absolutely no interest in or use for. 

Good luck with the guitar. It's all about enjoying what you're doing. 

[Steve Browning]

43 minutes ago, upside downer said:

And this is why I'm a bass player first and foremost. That sound, that vibration, that pulse, it's innate. I love and dabble with many instruments from around the world but bass is the ground, the gut feeling. It can't and won't be denied. 

Crikey, went off on one there. Good luck anyway thebigyin, pop in and see us now and then 👍

My comment was aimed more at styles rather than bass itself. There's nothing wrong with not being a jazz improviser. I wish most jazz improvisers weren't either!!

I play bass like Steve Browning. No-one does that better than me. That's how I see it working. I had my influences as a developing bass player but I haven't wanted/needed for someone else (however 'eminent') to tell me what to play. I have encountered so many brass players whose time in music college only seemed to encourage them to try and achieve the highest harmonic they could, and then repeat it endlessly.

[Ed_S]

I've very definitely always been a bassist who happens to dabble on guitar, but wasn't always fully happy to admit it. A few years ago I gave myself a bit of a reality check and sold all the big amps and cabs that it was clear I'd never put to any serious use, and all but my two favourite guitars. I also kept my little 1W valve head and a handful of pedals, but they don't eat anything or take up a lot of room.

During lockdown I found myself browsing guitars again, telling myself that I'd spend the extra time at home really giving it a go and that a new guitar would provide the push I needed. Thankfully I called myself out on my own bull in time and instead just bought a HX Stomp since it would give me some new sounds to play with on bass as well, and a different pickup to put in one of my existing guitars. Totally predictably the guitar kick lasted about a fortnight and, although I enjoyed it a lot while it lasted, we're back to an occasional noodle just like before.

Some things won't change no matter what you throw at them. My not being a guitarist is, sadly, one of those things and I think I'm finally OK with that - I'm just an occasional noodler! That said, in my more distant past I gave up being a grade 8 standard orchestral violinist when I stopped enjoying that, and I gave it up fully keeping nothing and never looking back, so that does happen as well, even after many years and having attained a level that a lot of people would be very happy with.

Whichever way you go, move on with impunity and do what you enjoy!

Edited January 3, 2021 by Ed_S

[Hobbayne]

I started on bass because it only had 4 strings, so I thought it was easier. (Well, I was only 15)

Plodding away on root notes with no concept of music theory.

I then picked up the guitar a few years later, once I had got the gist of the way the bass worked.

Understanding how major and minor chords worked together was a revelation to me!

I can now play both, in bands and at home with relative ease.

Its great to have another string to yer bow.

[thebigyin]

3 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

Do what you're enjoying the most! I came very close to knocking guitar on the head a few months back to be a "pure" bassist then had an idea, recorded it with a few different guitar tracks and I am glad I didn't sell off my electric guitar and related other gear. For me these things go in cycles, I bet if you pick up your bass again in a few months time the guitar experience will give you a new perspective, and isn't that what life is about? 

Know what you mean about endless drills. Had my first ever lesson after 21yrs playing last month and though I'd asked for drills and theory I was told words to the effect you can pick up what you need to know by playing different and interesting songs that you like. Any other theory stuff might not be that useful to you. And after one inspirational lesson I agree! 

Thanks some good advice some of the theory has been very productive i can be noodling away and think eh up that sounds like so and so and before you know it you've worked part of a song out you wasn't even looking at, cheers.

 

[thebigyin]

2 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

Just my own daft opinion but I am not a fan of any of these courses. 

In my mind,  music is intuitive and you can't learn to feel something you don't. 

Not expecting anyone to agree with me but that remains my view. 

I do i foolishly started an expensive course to try better my Bass playing and learn the Theory but got bogged down....let's face it we all learn to play songs and join bands end of....but at nearly 60 and several bands later playing utter shite at times and same old, same old covers i just don't enjoy it and as a Bassist you don't get much choice....so hence switching to Guitar.

 

[thebigyin]

2 hours ago, bassaussie said:

You seem a little dismayed with not achieving much with the Joe Hubbard course. First, I have to preface what I'm going to say by saying that I have mad respect for Joe Hubbard, he's an incredible bassist, and really, there's not much more needs to be said. But I think his courses are aimed at a fairly specific genre of music, and fairly specific skills. There are a lot of good, successful bassists out there who can't do the stuff that JH teaches, and that's OK, because they don't need to.

Not trying to talk you out of pursuing guitar - I love guitar as well. But more saying that a course like JH's shouldn't be some benchmark that determines if you're good enough on bass or not, because I don't think that's the case at all. You could reel off a who's who of bassists who can't touch JH, but are still incredibly influential musicians, because they use the bass to speak the music they want to speak.

 

I'm the same as you, always played both, and at present, same as you, I'm more focused on guitar. But I'll regularly pick up bass because it's what I feel at the moment.

I have huge respect for Joe Hubbard hence joining the 2 year Bass Mastery Course but i'm a non reader and 16 weeks into it i just thought enough's enough this just isn't registering so i pulled out....maybe if i had aspirations to turn pro but i will never achieve that level

[hubrad]

If it's where your head and heart are at the moment, switch your main focus to guitar, but I'd suggest to keep bass in mind as well.. I play a few instruments and while bass has been my main focus for quite some time now, I have not completely forsaken any of the others as I find each contributes to my musical approach and understanding. 

As someone said further up, enjoy it!

[bassaussie]

1 hour ago, thebigyin said:

I have huge respect for Joe Hubbard hence joining the 2 year Bass Mastery Course but i'm a non reader and 16 weeks into it i just thought enough's enough this just isn't registering so i pulled out....maybe if i had aspirations to turn pro but i will never achieve that level

Fair enough. Ultimately it's about enjoying yourself. If that's not happening, then it doesn't make sense to continue.