Bass and guitar

I want to learn both at the same time as the sound of both really stirs me. Has anybody else got any experience of playing both? Did anybody learn them at the same time? And can anybody recommend a good bass to learn on that will also not hold me back as I get better? Does anybody have anything to say about bass? ;)

I play both. It's mostly due to necessity because bass players are a luxery around here. I like to record so I got no choice but to play bass for myself. I play a Peavy Millenium 5-string and it does what i need it to. Cost around $200 i believe.

I will say this: once you learn your way around the guitar's fretboard, bass will be a snap. But learning how to pluck the bass's strings is still gonna take you some getting used to.

I'd still suggest learning guitar first, though. If you get too used to the heavy bass strings, you'll probably end up pushing harder than you need to on the guitar and having the strings bend when you don't want them to. I always found it easier to push harder than normal when you need to than to pull back from how you normally hold down a string.

If you decide to play both, please don't fall into the trap I've seen alot of guitarists fall into.

Don't play the bass like a guitar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The bass in music serves a very specific role. Learning to play both means recognizing both roles and not crossing over.

When I see a guitarist playing bass outside the proper role, it makes me want to puke, and then punch in his face. Yes I feel this strongly this.

I have a Squier P-bass that needs new electronics and has had the same strings on it since 1999 (I kid you not). I use it for recording only (although I was for two gigs a bass-player for the church band but the leader threw me out because I was better at the guitar than he was, lol).

Originally Posted by: da_ardvarkIf you decide to play both, please don't fall into the trap I've seen alot of guitarists fall into.

Don't play the bass like a guitar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The bass in music serves a very specific role. Learning to play both means recognizing both roles and not crossing over.

When I see a guitarist playing bass outside the proper role, it makes me want to puke, and then punch in his face. Yes I feel this strongly this.

Damn, I guess I had better sleep with one eye open! :D

PLAY BASS WITH A PICK... and much pain shall be inflicted upon you. :mad:
Anyways, I would suggest just sticking with one. I am trying to handle drums and guitar at the same time. So far drums have been completely ignored since I started up playing guitar. It could be different with bass, but just my 2 cents.

Originally Posted by: WeslabaPLAY BASS WITH A PICK... and much pain shall be inflicted upon you. :mad:

You try playin speed metal with just your fingers and then hit me back on that! :eek:

I use my fingers (3) most of the time. But I'm not gonna not use a pick if I need to. Plus sometimes I actually prefer the sharp attack a pick will give as opposed to the smoother mellower finger style bass. Depends on the song I guess I'm saying.

Originally Posted by: DAMAGED ONEDamn, I guess I had better sleep with one eye open! :D

Seriously, I think you know what I'm talking about here. Both bassist and guitarist playing "guitar like" and the whole song looses the pocket and the grove falls flat. I'm not saying you can't chuck a chord in here or there, but by and large, I like to keep it "BASSY"

Originally Posted by: da_ardvarkSeriously, I think you know what I'm talking about here. Both bassist and guitarist playing "guitar like" and the whole song looses the pocket and the grove falls flat. I'm not saying you can't chuck a chord in here or there, but by and large, I like to keep it "BASSY"

Bro, I know what you are sayin I dont like to play along with the guitar melody very much, Because a good song will have it's very own Bass line, Keep the song tight and together. I really think the key to being a great Bassist is to stay as tight as possible with the drummer and add some flair here and there. Thats how I do it. HaHa If it sounds out of time it's the Guitarist fault. TIME IS TIME!!! ;)

I think it gets dull when the guitar and bass play EXACTLY the same thing in time; things get interesting when they differentiate from eachother enough to create a more complex, deep rythm but they don't differentiate so far that it turns into a jarble.

And I should read other people's posts once in a while, no?

Originally Posted by: DAMAGED ONEYou try playin speed metal with just your fingers and then hit me back on that! :eek:

Hmmm... one pick as apposed to 4 fingers? If you're fast enough to play speed metal, then it should be no problem. :rolleyes: I get your drift, but theres no way I will accept that using a pick is faster. Maybe easier at first, but in the long run, no way.

Originally Posted by: DAMAGED ONEBro, I know what you are sayin I dont like to play along with the guitar melody very much, Because a good song will have it's very own Bass line, Keep the song tight and together. I really think the key to being a great Bassist is to stay as tight as possible with the drummer and add some flair here and there. Thats how I do it. HaHa If it sounds out of time it's the Guitarist fault. TIME IS TIME!!! ;)

I agree 100% with this (not that it's the guitarist's fault :p ) but the tightness between the drummer and bassist have to be dead on. To explain further my original comments, many times (at least in my experience) some guitarists turned bassist tend to add too much of what you call "flair". If the flair is in terms of improvization, then I think it's determential. I personally rely on queues from both the bassist and drummer to keep everything tight. If "normal" parts are suddenly altered and changed on a whim, it can make things fall apart. I guess what I'm saying is flair it up all you want but be consistant. Others are relying on the notes you are playing :D

Originally Posted by: WeslabaHmmm... one pick as apposed to 4 fingers? If you're fast enough to play speed metal, then it should be no problem. :rolleyes: I get your drift, but theres no way I will accept that using a pick is faster. Maybe easier at first, but in the long run, no way.

I don't know... I'm writing a bass-riff for a song and there is no way in heaven or earth that I can play it at the right tempo with my fingers (And get the sound I need it to have, at least). Keep in mind I don't play bass but for the occasional bass-line for writing music (And that happens once a month at the most frequent)

Indeed. It's mainly for the style I like. If I see anyone playing bass with a pick for any blues or classic rock type song, it makes me sick. I can live with a speed metal bassist using one I guess. That is, as long as the bass sound isn't so thin it sounds like it has been mic'd like an acoustic guitar. (bad experience with being forced to hear an emo band) :(

I play a Yamaha RBX350, and it's probably all I'll ever need. It's actually lighter than a lot of my guitars, and it gives great tone.

Picks:
Yeah, I use one.

Get used to it. :p

I for one think bass with a pick sounds cool.

By all means pick up the bass if it interests you, it's a highly enjoyable and very underrated instrument. But keep in mind, as the others have said, that it's not just a big guitar with four strings and a longer neck. It's a different instrument that requires different techniques and a hugely different approach to rhythm, dynamics and phrasing. IMHO to play bass well is to think about music in a more structural, groove-based way. It ain't rhythm guitar, let alone lead - there are jaw-droppingly good guitarists who don't know the first thing about bass. It does help, however, that as a guitarist, you already know your way around the fretboard. My advice is get yourself an introductory lesson, and a book or two on bass playing to help carry you through to proficiency. Have fun with it, it's an instrument that you can get a lot out of. In my experience, it is indeed difficult to juggle bass and guitar simultaneously. If you're really heavily into guitar at the moment, stick at it for a while longer, and have a crack at bass when you next feel like it. If you're a bit bored by guitar, perhaps pick up the bass sooner. Either way, as different as they are, you will learn things from bass that you can apply to guitar.

As for the fingers vs. picks debate - I fingerpick the guitar as well as the bass, so fingers are my personal preference, but I think that bass played with a pick can sound just as good. Depends on the style of music, as well. Picks are definitely more at home in metal (although they're not exclusively used - see Steve Harris, Cliff Burton, Geezer Butler et al!), but I've seen them used for blues and even funk as well.