New To Music & Bass

XiaoPiBao

New member
Well Basically, i don't have any music background(maybe recorder when in primary :-D) but decided to learn bass.

But was advice by a friend of mine to take up other instruments(e.g guitar/keyboard etc.) before getting into bass.

These are some question i hope you guys can help,

1) Is it advisable to take up Bass as my first music instrument?
2) If yes, what bass is suitable for a total newbie like me(i am serious about learning bass and yes i hope to play in a band when i get better. Prefer for Rock type of genre)
A bass which can last me even till i play in a band(if there is such a bass)
My Budget is around 200-450
3) Is it possible to self learn from scratch? Any link to help me with..

Thank you so much for your time, help and advice(in advance)
 
it is perfectly ok to choose the bass as your first intrument.

You might into be into rock now but you might want to get into different genres later so a flexible bass is better.

with your budget I would suggest to get a 2nd hand yamaha or ibanez. those would be good for any genre of music.

yes it is possible for you to learn from scratch, bass is a very simply instrument to learn from the start but it can also be the most intricate instrument of them all.

you can also get a craftsman, sx bass or squire (less than 200SGD), they seem to be good basses based on a lot of reviews I have heard.

Btw why you chose the bass?
 
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Welcome to the bass, and to music. You are in for a wonderful journey - one that gives and gives and never stops giving!

1) Is it advisable to take up Bass as my first music instrument? ABSOLUTELY. When you pick up the bass, you are creating the FOUNDATION of all music wherever, whenever and with whomever you play.

Rejoice in this, bass is a wonderful, beautiful, versatile instrument with many styles and techniques to enjoy from the melodic emotion of "Portrait of Tracy" by Jaco Pastorius to the rhythm, funk and soul of Motown, Soul, Disco and R&B to the hard-driving rock of Lemmy's Motorhead and The Police with ALL stops in between. :-)

2) If yes, what bass is suitable for a total newbie like me(i am serious about learning bass and yes i hope to play in a band when i get better. Prefer for Rock type of genre)
A bass which can last me even till i play in a band(if there is such a bass)
My Budget is around 200-450 - My only advice is, get the best bass you can afford, and that is subjective to your ears, your hands, even your body (height, strength, weight). One tip, when you shop around, bring a fellow bassist along with you to give you some pointers - but make your first axe your own choice and practice, practice, practice.
3) Is it possible to self learn from scratch? Any link to help me with..
Yes it is, absolutely. Lessons help, but play what you like, explore and above all, enjoy... links? the wonder of Youtube. hours of lessons, listening, learning await you. and of course, the mighty bassist's community here at soft.com.sg as well as talkbass.com

welcome and bring the thunder, always!
 
it is perfectly ok to choose the bass as your first intrument.

You might into be into rock now but you might want to get into different genres later so a flexible bass is better.

with your budget I would suggest to get a 2nd hand yamaha or ibanez. those would be good for any genre of music.

yes it is possible for you to learn from scratch, bass is a very simply instrument to learn from the start but it can also be the most intricate instrument of them all.

you can also get a craftsman, sx bass or squire (less than 200SGD), they seem to be good basses based on a lot of reviews I have heard.

Btw why you chose the bass?

Every word here is Gold.
 
1) Is it advisable to take up Bass as my first music instrument?
yes. every instrument is unique in its own respect so it wouldn't matter much if bass was your second or third instrument.

2) If yes, what bass is suitable for a total newbie like me(i am serious about learning bass and yes i hope to play in a band when i get better. Prefer for Rock type of genre)
A bass which can last me even till i play in a band(if there is such a bass)
My Budget is around 200-450
i always say that at the entry level it doesn't matter what 'kind' of bass it is, as long as it is well built. in the end, by and large, u get what u pay for. there's no point putting too much emphasis in the tone of your bass because when starting out, you would probably be playing through a crappy amp anyway.

i wouldn't even bother about the brand. even if fender made a $100 guitar, my expectations would still be proportional to the price.

however, towards the lower end of the spectrum, QC becomes more inconsistent so you will have to be more careful.

at the beginning you should learn what aspects of your tone are determined by your technique rather than worrying about gear.

3) Is it possible to self learn from scratch? Any link to help me with..
of course. i would say, some people play the bass, while others use the bass to play music. whichever way you go is fine as far as im concerned.

there are plenty of sites, but nowadays nothing can beat http://www.youtube.com especially for beginners.
 
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I choose bass because of the sound

but lots of my friend advice me to get keyboard as it can do the same tone as bass but i don't like the handling/holding of keyboard :p
and bass over guitar cause of the sound, and i don't like to stand out if in a band or anything :s haha...


thanks alot for every1's time and help
 
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Does your budget provide for the amp as well?

Do consider having a teacher if you can afford one as well. Online lessons are useful but having a teacher would allow you to correct bad habits early on.
 
http://www.citymusic.com.sg/webshaper/store/viewProd.asp?pkProductItem=356

http://www.citymusic.com.sg/webshaper/store/viewProd.asp?pkProductItem=358

whats is the pickup means, and the difference between the two??
is the bass suitable for a newbie like me?

these are fender copies. the top link is jazz bass copy, bottom link if precision bass copy. in short the pickups are often abbreviated as j and p bass.

the tone of the 2 are different. for rock i prefer p bass.
 
http://www.citymusic.com.sg/webshaper/store/viewProd.asp?pkProductItem=356

http://www.citymusic.com.sg/webshaper/store/viewProd.asp?pkProductItem=358

whats is the pickup means, and the difference between the two??
is the bass suitable for a newbie like me?

The first link is a Jazz bass and the 2nd link is a precision bass. these 2 basses sounded and feel differently. a jazz bass has a thinner neck because it is made for jazz player (hence the name jazz bass) who usually play a lot more notes and solos. it has 2 single coil pick ups for more range of tones.

the p bass is the very first style of bass ever created, it has a thicker neck and split type pick up. this is usually the bass of choice for punk players as this bass produces a chunkier and heavier sound than the Jazz bass.

Both bass are great but it would depend on you which one you like better. you have to try them out personally. do more research. check out the bass players out there what bass do they use. this would give you a better chance of making a decision.

Personally I prefer the Jazz bass as it is more versatile.

pick ups are the black things in the middle of the bass body, they are the electronics that "picks up" the sound of your bass. it is like a more complicated microphone.
 
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