subversion
Moderator
Friends, anyone here who switched from guitar to bass? help me address these issues:
1. Why?
2. Any difficulties adapting?
thanks for your time.
1. Why?
2. Any difficulties adapting?
thanks for your time.
Switched from guitar to bass...
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I kinda switched for a gig and to teach a friend since some fundamentals are similar.
I would say I had to make some adjustments for the different spacing of strings and the thicker strings obviously. Had to also reposition to use less of my thumb (as per plucking on a guitar) unless slapping.
I guess being in the 'groove' and 'feel' was similar although had to be more aware of staying in time and coordinating with the drummer.
I would say I had to make some adjustments for the different spacing of strings and the thicker strings obviously. Had to also reposition to use less of my thumb (as per plucking on a guitar) unless slapping.
I guess being in the 'groove' and 'feel' was similar although had to be more aware of staying in time and coordinating with the drummer.
Well, I've never been a great guitar player nor am i now a great bass player. But i really enjoy playing the bass. I do still go back to my guitar and fiddle around occasionally.
I'll try to answer sub's questions as according to my own experience.
1) why?
For me, I love holding down the groove with the drummer. I really enjoy being the one to lay down the foundation for the song and being the backbone. I also like filling in a little here and there, not that i'm great at it. Plus I also had some training as a drummer, still play the drums. That may account for my interest in the rhythm section of the band.
Also, its up to your own personal preference, cos guitarists naturally get more of the lime light and people (musicians and non) generally notice their playing more. again this is general and just my 2 cents. In a wierd way, I like being the unnoticed member in the band, where if i play it right, everyone enjoys the song. In general bassists know that they'll get little praise from other ppl 'cept other bassists, but I do it anyway cos i love to groove. :wink:
In anycase sub, are you talking about a complete switch where you don't play guitar anymore? just wondering
2)Any difficulties?
Bass playing and guitar playing to me are like worlds apart, I don't really use a pick during playing so its mainly fingerstyle. when i first started, i was really suprised that even keeping a steady bass line was not that easy, as one had to control the tone by the way the strings are plucked. Bassists always say that the tone is in the fingers, unless you really play the bass, i don't think ppl will understand that statement. Even now i'm still trying to maintain the tone and consistency that i want.
I also have rather small hands so it took me a while to get my left hand up to par, especially my pinky, to try to get it strong enough. also, since you play fingerstyle, a lot of other muscles are used on the right hand, Once for me during a really long practice session, my right hand started cramping up. Obviously bass strings are thicker so it presents a different problem. theres also the need to address what neck you prefer, a jazz or p bass style neck or a thick baseball bat neck, string spacing is also another, not to mention 4,5 or 6 strings. although bass and guitar are similar, I sincerely feel they are 2 different beasts altogether.
This is just my opinions and i do hope that they help you sub. I'll be happy to try to answer some more specific questions. good luck.
I'll try to answer sub's questions as according to my own experience.
1) why?
For me, I love holding down the groove with the drummer. I really enjoy being the one to lay down the foundation for the song and being the backbone. I also like filling in a little here and there, not that i'm great at it. Plus I also had some training as a drummer, still play the drums. That may account for my interest in the rhythm section of the band.
Also, its up to your own personal preference, cos guitarists naturally get more of the lime light and people (musicians and non) generally notice their playing more. again this is general and just my 2 cents. In a wierd way, I like being the unnoticed member in the band, where if i play it right, everyone enjoys the song. In general bassists know that they'll get little praise from other ppl 'cept other bassists, but I do it anyway cos i love to groove. :wink:
In anycase sub, are you talking about a complete switch where you don't play guitar anymore? just wondering
2)Any difficulties?
Bass playing and guitar playing to me are like worlds apart, I don't really use a pick during playing so its mainly fingerstyle. when i first started, i was really suprised that even keeping a steady bass line was not that easy, as one had to control the tone by the way the strings are plucked. Bassists always say that the tone is in the fingers, unless you really play the bass, i don't think ppl will understand that statement. Even now i'm still trying to maintain the tone and consistency that i want.
I also have rather small hands so it took me a while to get my left hand up to par, especially my pinky, to try to get it strong enough. also, since you play fingerstyle, a lot of other muscles are used on the right hand, Once for me during a really long practice session, my right hand started cramping up. Obviously bass strings are thicker so it presents a different problem. theres also the need to address what neck you prefer, a jazz or p bass style neck or a thick baseball bat neck, string spacing is also another, not to mention 4,5 or 6 strings. although bass and guitar are similar, I sincerely feel they are 2 different beasts altogether.
This is just my opinions and i do hope that they help you sub. I'll be happy to try to answer some more specific questions. good luck.
bin4christ
New member
i switched from guitar to bass a while back,but i've been playing guitar more than bass now.for some reason,i liked the bass so much then tt i almost gave up guitar,but now it's the other wae round.i'd still love to play bass,juz tt my main instrument will be guitar(i think).
to ans mr sub's questions:
1) for me it's coz a band set up by guys from church were gonna play for soem camp n the needed a bassist so i juz joined them
. later on, my church youth said the were lacking bassists, n since i was so into bass-playing at tt time, i auditioned to play bass (but til now still havnt played at all).
2) sure i had difficulties adapting. 1stly, the string spacing was different. 2ndly,the fret spacing was v. different, so it was difficult for me to make my own licks n stuff. also,the bassist's must hav a v. gd sense of beat n also gd hearing, of which i somehow neglected whie playing the guitar.tt's about it....
to add on, wen i switched back to guitar, some of the things i learned while playing bass helped me quite a bit. my music theory, chord progressions, etc improved n so did my sense of beat. also helped me to kno the fretboard a bit more (wat notes r on which frets)...
to ans mr sub's questions:
1) for me it's coz a band set up by guys from church were gonna play for soem camp n the needed a bassist so i juz joined them
. later on, my church youth said the were lacking bassists, n since i was so into bass-playing at tt time, i auditioned to play bass (but til now still havnt played at all).2) sure i had difficulties adapting. 1stly, the string spacing was different. 2ndly,the fret spacing was v. different, so it was difficult for me to make my own licks n stuff. also,the bassist's must hav a v. gd sense of beat n also gd hearing, of which i somehow neglected whie playing the guitar.tt's about it....
to add on, wen i switched back to guitar, some of the things i learned while playing bass helped me quite a bit. my music theory, chord progressions, etc improved n so did my sense of beat. also helped me to kno the fretboard a bit more (wat notes r on which frets)...
1) Because at that point in time, everyone wanted to play the electric and no one wanted to play bass. So being the slightly sotong one, I thought "how difficult can it be? Playing 1 string at a time only mah..." 
I still play the acoustic regularly, but playing the bass is just cooler
2) Not really. The hardest would be understanding where you fit in a band as a bass player rather than a rhythm/lead player. You'll forget about the finger spacing, neck length and all the other technical stuff after the first 30min.
I still play the acoustic regularly, but playing the bass is just cooler
2) Not really. The hardest would be understanding where you fit in a band as a bass player rather than a rhythm/lead player. You'll forget about the finger spacing, neck length and all the other technical stuff after the first 30min.
Indigo_blues
New member
i used to play keyboards for my church band for about 6 years before switching to bass. I still play the acoustic guitar sometimes in service as well but more in cell group. I've been playing bass regularly in the church band regularly for the past 3+ years now. Why i switched? Cause one of our regular bassists left so we were short-handed. I thought that the bass is really a cool instrument so i decided to fill in. I initially used a headless bass(steinberger copy) from church for a few months to get the hang of the playing and after a few months i was hooked on bass, hence i went to get my own bass guitar, a yamaha bb604 active bass.
I don't remember having any real difficulty picking up bass.. i bought myself a couple of instructional books and listened to cds and music, concentrating on how the bass player played.. after awhile, its like second nature. Don't have to do any fancy stuff most of the time.. just keep a solid groove for the rest of the band.
Electric guitarists and keyboardist add a lot of 'color' to the band but bassists and drummers form the foundation of the band. You're really screwed if your bassist and drummer are not up to mark. :lol:
I don't remember having any real difficulty picking up bass.. i bought myself a couple of instructional books and listened to cds and music, concentrating on how the bass player played.. after awhile, its like second nature. Don't have to do any fancy stuff most of the time.. just keep a solid groove for the rest of the band.
Electric guitarists and keyboardist add a lot of 'color' to the band but bassists and drummers form the foundation of the band. You're really screwed if your bassist and drummer are not up to mark. :lol:
subversion
Moderator
qwerty said:
yes- total switch.
however, i discovered that there are many guitar AND bass players here, a situation where one toggles between these 2 instruments instead of embracing one entirely.
thanks to everyone who responded, hope there're more... 8)
Answers:
1. Learnt guitar when I was 13, then at 15 switched cos' the band I formed with my mates had no bass player and the OTHER guitarist don't want to learn bass so LL.
2. Not too much. Lucky I took some lessons with Bay, who kindly showed me the "proper" way but explored on my own for the next few years as I had little interest then to be reading notes, learning theory etc. as it was very much another instrument to me - playing by ear is fine with me. Started to take it seriously when I filled in for Kelvin's gig, and he's shown me much of what this instrument could do, and a whole lot more musically.
Two cents worth:
I personally believe that most bass players start off with some other instrument other than bass. And I feel this is a great advantage as it allows us more insight to the possibilities of different instruments, and those who still stick to bass, choose to do so. There's no substitution of one instrument for another, but playing both or more instruments has it's perks - you have a better sense of different roles of the instrument in any setup, you have a better sense of balance musically etc.
Just my personal opinion - I'm master of none, but just enjoy the occasional fling with a guitar.
1. Learnt guitar when I was 13, then at 15 switched cos' the band I formed with my mates had no bass player and the OTHER guitarist don't want to learn bass so LL.
2. Not too much. Lucky I took some lessons with Bay, who kindly showed me the "proper" way but explored on my own for the next few years as I had little interest then to be reading notes, learning theory etc. as it was very much another instrument to me - playing by ear is fine with me. Started to take it seriously when I filled in for Kelvin's gig, and he's shown me much of what this instrument could do, and a whole lot more musically.
Two cents worth:
I personally believe that most bass players start off with some other instrument other than bass. And I feel this is a great advantage as it allows us more insight to the possibilities of different instruments, and those who still stick to bass, choose to do so. There's no substitution of one instrument for another, but playing both or more instruments has it's perks - you have a better sense of different roles of the instrument in any setup, you have a better sense of balance musically etc.
Just my personal opinion - I'm master of none, but just enjoy the occasional fling with a guitar.
exin
New member
As with most stories, because no one played the bass i took it up ... hur hur hur ...
why?
cos no one played the bass. wanted to learn it anyway ...
any difficulties?
not really, after a started playing for a while i realised that i had an affinity to the bass. It felt very natural for me to play it.
why?
cos no one played the bass. wanted to learn it anyway ...
any difficulties?
not really, after a started playing for a while i realised that i had an affinity to the bass. It felt very natural for me to play it.
litford
New member
yeahhh.. i picked up my bass after there were too many guitar players in church, and also when the bassplayer in my band left, i also filled in for his place.
but i guess the groove got to me, that deep pounding thing in your head that makes you tap your toes.. and as i kept playing and paying attention to all these other bass players out there, my interest got piqued and it was rather nice to know that the bass has a wonderful history of its own as well.
also, listening to many different approaches to bassplaying helped sustain my interest, from regular root-plodding, to funk or drum n'bass, classsic ballads, squarepusher.. its the richness of the approach to the instrument that really draws me in.
in the end, those four strings became a low voice that make the cello are markedly different instrument from the violin as bass is to guitar. its got its limitations, but between the two ends the possibilities are endless.
(2) i really had to learn to correct the posture of my left hand, not to treat it like a guitar, but rather the C-Cup grip. but many things from guitar also carried forward to my bass playing, chord voicings and various high neck runs or chord style bass lines..
keep it coming guys! lovely stories all..
but i guess the groove got to me, that deep pounding thing in your head that makes you tap your toes.. and as i kept playing and paying attention to all these other bass players out there, my interest got piqued and it was rather nice to know that the bass has a wonderful history of its own as well.
also, listening to many different approaches to bassplaying helped sustain my interest, from regular root-plodding, to funk or drum n'bass, classsic ballads, squarepusher.. its the richness of the approach to the instrument that really draws me in.
in the end, those four strings became a low voice that make the cello are markedly different instrument from the violin as bass is to guitar. its got its limitations, but between the two ends the possibilities are endless.
(2) i really had to learn to correct the posture of my left hand, not to treat it like a guitar, but rather the C-Cup grip. but many things from guitar also carried forward to my bass playing, chord voicings and various high neck runs or chord style bass lines..
keep it coming guys! lovely stories all..
subversion
Moderator
for many of us, when we started listening to bands, the mix in songs is such that the guitar is more prominent. the bass is 'discovered' later when we begin to wonder what's the low rumbling other than the bass drum. when we actually see the band live/ on tv, then we realize that there's another stringed instrument other than the guitar but then it'd be too late- we're hooked on guitars already.
I started out in learning strings with a normal kapok guitar. Then goes jamming with void deck friends which made me become their bassist playing rock stuffs. Then slowly I pick up electric guitar which saw me owning a guitar first rather than a bass. In the end till now, i was a self-proclaimed guitarist which in the 1st place I have to state have never been a wholly guitar godz or expert, not even advance in techniques. Never like playing solos... all I like was getting into the most noisiest, heavy and distorted sound I can ever get and I was truly happy with that.
Then now with me playing alone in my so-called 1 man band, during self-recording, I handle the bass like as though it was a guitar. Hahah....and yeah, not forgetting a slight overdrive for the bass... never really like clean bass. Hahahah....
In terms of basic, there aren't much difference except that from guitar to bass, you will shockingly find that you need to spread your finger a lot more especially when you play those fast riffs in metal music. Bassist like this (from guitar to bass) who includes me, tend to to forget that THIS IS A BASS. There is no need to follow guitar, instead you need to create the thicker sound of the whole song. But hell yeah, we forget and we prolly finger trigger happy following the guitar chords... which sometimes made the song thin. So I guess most of the time that is wrong. Bass is suppose to fill up the lower freq in any songs. This is the common problem for such guitarist turn bassist. When coming to advance, techniques like bass slapping is 1 fine art that guitarist turn bassist need to learn from step 1. Then another fine art is to play the bass with fingers.... no guitar picks, just that beautiful art of playing with all of 5 fingers replacing that picks. Still learning this one man... even though its like 15 years ago I had my 1st encounter with a bass. But if one is classically trained in classic guitar, playing with fingers even when playing bass will not be a huge problem. Sorry but I don't know the terms for this.
From bass to guitar, the most significant difference is... you will find your finger spreading all over the guitar frets effortlessly. You have gone thru hell with all those lengthy bass fret and thick strings, so the shorter guitar fret and thinner strings is like "water". Playing solo will not be difficult if these bassists have done bass solo in any of the songs they have jam before. Problems will arise when like if its a metal bassist and trying to switch to guitar then try to play things like "palm/ muting" and "pitching", they can be seen struggling. Hahah..... I have seen that before.
Anyway, everything is about to be ready to adapt and learn when trying new things. Like playing the most basic chords of a keyboard, i think most guitarist/ bassist can do that too. Cheers.
Then now with me playing alone in my so-called 1 man band, during self-recording, I handle the bass like as though it was a guitar. Hahah....and yeah, not forgetting a slight overdrive for the bass... never really like clean bass. Hahahah....
In terms of basic, there aren't much difference except that from guitar to bass, you will shockingly find that you need to spread your finger a lot more especially when you play those fast riffs in metal music. Bassist like this (from guitar to bass) who includes me, tend to to forget that THIS IS A BASS. There is no need to follow guitar, instead you need to create the thicker sound of the whole song. But hell yeah, we forget and we prolly finger trigger happy following the guitar chords... which sometimes made the song thin. So I guess most of the time that is wrong. Bass is suppose to fill up the lower freq in any songs. This is the common problem for such guitarist turn bassist. When coming to advance, techniques like bass slapping is 1 fine art that guitarist turn bassist need to learn from step 1. Then another fine art is to play the bass with fingers.... no guitar picks, just that beautiful art of playing with all of 5 fingers replacing that picks. Still learning this one man... even though its like 15 years ago I had my 1st encounter with a bass. But if one is classically trained in classic guitar, playing with fingers even when playing bass will not be a huge problem. Sorry but I don't know the terms for this.
From bass to guitar, the most significant difference is... you will find your finger spreading all over the guitar frets effortlessly. You have gone thru hell with all those lengthy bass fret and thick strings, so the shorter guitar fret and thinner strings is like "water". Playing solo will not be difficult if these bassists have done bass solo in any of the songs they have jam before. Problems will arise when like if its a metal bassist and trying to switch to guitar then try to play things like "palm/ muting" and "pitching", they can be seen struggling. Hahah..... I have seen that before.
Anyway, everything is about to be ready to adapt and learn when trying new things. Like playing the most basic chords of a keyboard, i think most guitarist/ bassist can do that too. Cheers.
i never really switch from guitar to bass. i play both. but at the beginning i made it clear to myself that i wanted to play bass more than guitar. i liked it at the real beginning because there were a hell lot of cool tunes i could play on a bass. after a while i realised that one of the main reasons to why i just love to play bass is that i could just whack those goddamn strings or if i wanted play soft cool tunes too. its a very strong instrument to me and i feel like theres so much you can do on it. but i still love playing guitar too!
bin4christ
New member
i believe ur level of guitar-playing is somewher rather 'high up'?so u must hav some knowledge on bass-playing bah...juz apply them lor...
well,tt was how i started..juz tt i played without feel..juz blatantly following the others..rhythm guitar more than drums...
well,tt was how i started..juz tt i played without feel..juz blatantly following the others..rhythm guitar more than drums...
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