thinking of taking up the bass guitar

[Slartibartfast]

Any advice for an aspiring musician?

 

[Steelplate]

Do you play anything now?

 

[The Man]

Buy a quality instrument, take lessons and practice a lot.

 

[Slartibartfast]

Do you play anything now?

Not currently. I used to play piano and trumpet in highschool. I was pretty good with it.

 

[Steelplate]

I was going to suggest going with an acoustic 6-string.

I mean, I have nothing against basses....it's just that the bass is more of a Band instrument. I prefer the versatility of a decent acoustic guitar.

A. You don't have to plug in
B. You can accompany your own singing(which I highly recommend...it does wonders for your rhythm)
C. I think you would get more immediate satisfaction.
D. I think it would be easier to transition to the Bass at a later time.

But...the other guy is right too. Find yourself a great teacher.

 

[Slartibartfast]

I was going to suggest going with an acoustic 6-string.

I mean, I have nothing against basses....it's just that the bass is more of a Band instrument. I prefer the versatility of a decent acoustic guitar.

A. You don't have to plug in
B. You can accompany your own singing(which I highly recommend...it does wonders for your rhythm)
C. I think you would get more immediate satisfaction.
D. I think it would be easier to transition to the Bass at a later time.

But...the other guy is right too. Find yourself a great teacher.

Thinking of the bass guitar because its a simpler instrument to learn (at least for what I listen to, the rhythms tend to be simpler), plus at every show I go see, the bass guitar player seems to be having the most fun

However, any guitar I learn can help learn another guitar, plus I am still wrestling with the whole, I live in an apartment and bass carries through walls, internal debate. This may be a good answer.

 

[Steelplate]

Thinking of the bass guitar because its a simpler instrument to learn (at least for what I listen to, the rhythms tend to be simpler), plus at every show I go see, the bass guitar player seems to be having the most fun

However, any guitar I learn can help learn another guitar, plus I am still wrestling with the whole, I live in an apartment and bass carries through walls, internal debate. This may be a good answer.

Very true. The top four strings on the guitar(lowest in tone) are the same notes as the four strings of the bass...except the bass is an octave lower.

 

[spud_meister]

Bass is easy to learn, but you can't do much with it outside of a band. If you want something easy to learn, but you could still sing along with, go for a ukulele. The chords are simple and once you get your skill up, it can sound pretty cool.

 

[Helix]

Any advice for an aspiring musician?

do it, and stick to it. if you fall away from it, come back to it.

i started learning guitar at 14, and then got into other things. picked it back up at 21, and then when i was 23, a band picked me up as singer, so i didn't need to accompany myself anymore. a year and a half ago, a guitar i loaned out in 2006 which i thought was gone forever found its way back to me, so i got into it again more seriously. now i'm finally getting better, and am learning every day.

it's worth the effort.

 

[P. Kersey]

Whatever you choose, buy the best one you can reasonably afford. Playing guitar is hard enough without having to fight a poorly made/set up instrument. Play as many as you can and find one that feels right.
Bring a friend who does play (well) and let him help you choose.
Instruments are shipped "set up" in the most general way. You may prefer a slightly lower action (strings closer to the frets), especially early on when you're learning..but having a low action doesn't mean it is "better" or "faster".
I like mine a little higher because I like to "dig in" and use varying pressure on the strings for more dynamics when bending or creating vibrato.

Set up is a personal thing and just because jimi hendrix or van halen (or whoever) had theirs a certain way is meaningless.

PM me. I know a lot about guitars. I make (most of) my living for the past 20 years working on/maintaining them.

 

[Steelplate]

Bass is easy to learn, but you can't do much with it outside of a band. If you want something easy to learn, but you could still sing along with, go for a ukulele. The chords are simple and once you get your skill up, it can sound pretty cool.

Mandolin is cool too. And not hard to learn...it has 8 strings, but they are tuned in pairs...so effectively...it's really 4.

 

[spud_meister]

Mandolin is cool too. And not hard to learn...it has 8 strings, but they are tuned in pairs...so effectively...it's really 4.

Yeah, I play ukulele and mandolin (I struggle on anything with more than 4 strings), they're both great little instruments, but the nylon strings on the uke make playing that much easier for a beginner. Paired steel strings ****ing hurt for the first few weeks. :lol:

 

[Slartibartfast]

Yeah, I play ukulele and mandolin (I struggle on anything with more than 4 strings), they're both great little instruments, but the nylon strings on the uke make playing that much easier for a beginner. Paired steel strings ****ing hurt for the first few weeks. :lol:

We so need a video of you playing!

 

[spud_meister]

We so need a video of you playing!

Nah, I'm out of practice, I haven't played seriously for months.

 

[The Man]

BTW, musiciansfriend.com is a great resource for buying and reading user reviews on instruments. They have some of the best prices I can find on great instruments. Check it out if you haven't already.

 

[P. Kersey]

BTW, musiciansfriend.com is a great resource for buying and reading user reviews on instruments. They have some of the best prices I can find on great instruments. Check it out if you haven't already.

I'm not trying to argue, but buying a guitar without actually playing it (and MANY others) isn't really the best method.
No disrespect intended.

 

[The Man]

I'm not trying to argue, but buying a guitar without actually playing it (and MANY others) isn't really the best method.
No disrespect intended.

None taken. I've bought instruments from musicians friend after playing them in a store (guitars) and haven't been disappointed. I definitely wouldn't buy online without first playing the same model of instrument first hand though.

And even if one is uncomfortable buying an instrument online, musicians friend is still a great resource to read user reviews in the shopping process.

 

[Steelplate]

I'm not trying to argue, but buying a guitar without actually playing it (and MANY others) isn't really the best method.
No disrespect intended.

I've bought online before. Although, I know what I am looking for and if it's not up to my standards, I'll promptly return it. If you do decide to order online...I know a guy here in Pennsylvania who is highly reputable. He sells Martin for his high end stuff and Blueridge for his low to medium. The other half of my duo plays Blueridge and he swears by them....I've played his before and I'll have to admit....I like my Martin better....but not $1000 better.

Don't go to Guitar Center either. They have a great selection, but they allow people in their acoustic room with absolutely no supervision and their guitars get the hell beat out of them.

Find a local dealer....many will match Internet pricing....just make sure you find one that sells a good variety to choose from. Many upstarted music stores can't get or afford the licensing to be a dealer of the bigger names in guitars. But the ones that do, usually have quality lower tier instruments as well.

 

[JC Callender]

If you do buy a bass or 6 string guitar, I'd definitely consider headphones if you'll have an amp in your apartment, and also you could learn some basic songs relatively quickly with tablature, which is going by numbers given on sheet music that tell you where to put your fingers instead of notes. You can find free tablature sheet music online too.

Any advice for an aspiring musician?

 

[Steelplate]

And sing once you start to switch chords efficiently. It doesn't matter if you croak like a Bullfrog and can't hit a note with a sledgehammer. It develops your rhythm faster than anything else, IMO.

 

[P. Kersey]

I've bought online before. Although, I know what I am looking for and if it's not up to my standards, I'll promptly return it. If you do decide to order online...I know a guy here in Pennsylvania who is highly reputable. He sells Martin for his high end stuff and Blueridge for his low to medium. The other half of my duo plays Blueridge and he swears by them....I've played his before and I'll have to admit....I like my Martin better....but not $1000 better.

Don't go to Guitar Center either. They have a great selection, but they allow people in their acoustic room with absolutely no supervision and their guitars get the hell beat out of them.

Find a local dealer....many will match Internet pricing....just make sure you find one that sells a good variety to choose from. Many upstarted music stores can't get or afford the licensing to be a dealer of the bigger names in guitars. But the ones that do, usually have quality lower tier instruments as well.

Here's a good trick to make an acoustic "age" well and faster. You know how acoustics develop a rounder,richer, fuller, more musical "voice" over a period of years. You know what I mean, right? The more you play, the faster it happens, but it takes years, like I said.

If you want to speed up that process put the guitar near a speaker and play loud music. It causes the top to "bounce" and it "teaches" the guitar to vibrate musically which adds nicely to the tone. It can do in a couple of months what it would take a decade or more to do just playing it a couple of hours a day (or week).

 

[P. Kersey]

And sing once you start to switch chords efficiently. It doesn't matter if you croak like a Bullfrog and can't hit a note with a sledgehammer. It develops your rhythm faster than anything else, IMO.

I've been playing almost 40 years..lmao..and I can't play and sing (worth a damn) at the same time...

 

[Steelplate]

Here's a good trick to make an acoustic "age" well and faster. You know how acoustics develop a rounder,richer, fuller, more musical "voice" over a period of years. You know what I mean, right? The more you play, the faster it happens, but it takes years, like I said.

If you want to speed up that process put the guitar near a speaker and play loud music. It causes the top to "bounce" and it "teaches" the guitar to vibrate musically which adds nicely to the tone. It can do in a couple of months what it would take a decade or more to do just playing it a couple of hours a day (or week).

Yep...I knew that one...I heard that in the old days...when all acoustics were solid wood and laminates hadn't been invented yet, that people used to put them in a barn with a radio turned on. I don't know the significance of the barn is...I'd suppose humidity...but acoustics really don't like too much or not enough humidity.

 

[What if...?]

Thinking of the bass guitar because its a simpler instrument to learn (at least for what I listen to, the rhythms tend to be simpler), plus at every show I go see, the bass guitar player seems to be having the most fun

However, any guitar I learn can help learn another guitar, plus I am still wrestling with the whole, I live in an apartment and bass carries through walls, internal debate. This may be a good answer.

Acoustic bass. Like an acoustic guitar, but set up with a bass neck and strings. Much quieter, still a bass. Adds a nice touch to an acoustic jam session.

Never saw one when I was younger. Probably would have taken it up if I had.

Hands are wrecked now. Ah well.

 

[P. Kersey]

Yep...I knew that one...I heard that in the old days...when all acoustics were solid wood and laminates hadn't been invented yet, that people used to put them in a barn with a radio turned on. I don't know the significance of the barn is...I'd suppose humidity...but acoustics really don't like too much or not enough humidity.

I never heard that about the barn but yeah...extreme climate and/or humidity are not friendly to acoustics.
Maybe in the barn so they could play the radio real loud and not bother anyone.

Got any pictures of your guitars? I'll show ya mine if you show me yours.