Playing bass and guitar

[DeadandBuried]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

True story I'm afraid. As I said in another thread, anybody who seeks out the stage likes attention and bass players seem to get the least of it. Everybody wants to play lead guitar for that reason. It's way easier to make money playing bass.

I never get what the craze is over play lead guitar. For the band to sound good they have to have a solid rhythm section to start with. Can you imagine your favourite riff being played sloppy and out of time? The bass is actually more important than people think, guitars would sound rubbish without.

 

[2ndhandband]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

I never get what the craze is over play lead guitar. For the band to sound good they have to have a solid rhythm section to start with. Can you imagine your favourite riff being played sloppy and out of time? The bass is actually more important than people think, guitars would sound rubbish without.

Because the lead guitar is playing the parts people recognize and remember, and is also playing the flashy solos and stuff. Most audience members don't have the least friggin clue how important a rhythm section is. Guitar looks more glamorous and is playing all the melodic parts, so guitar players get all the attention. What I said upthread about bass players getting last pick of the ladies? It's really true. Even the drummer is ahead of him in line. There's a REASON so few people actually want to play bass.

 

[DeadandBuried]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

Maybe I'm slightly outcast then, cos I always look for groove and tight playing, but that's probably cos I play in a band myself so I'm looking for those things first. Lead is impressive but is merely the icing on the cake for me.

 

[2ndhandband]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

Maybe I'm slightly outcast then, cos I always look for groove and tight playing, but that's probably cos I play in a band myself so I'm looking for those things first. Lead is impressive but is merely the icing on the cake for me.

Well of course... as musicians we see things from a different perspective. As a lead guitar player, if the rhythm section isn't doing it's job then I can't do my job. But the audience doesn't know that... they see the lead guitarist up there shaking his ass and playing flashy licks and think damn that guy is cool. They don't know that we stand on the shoulders of giants. Nobody wants to be the wind beneath somebody else's wings.

 

[DeadandBuried]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

People need to realise that 90% of guitar will be spent on rhythm, I know from an audience perspective it probably don't matter but the majority of people can play the guitar these days, its more rare to find someone round here who can't!

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

Because the lead guitar is playing the parts people recognize and remember, and is also playing the flashy solos and stuff. Most audience members don't have the least friggin clue how important a rhythm section is. Guitar looks more glamorous and is playing all the melodic parts, so guitar players get all the attention. What I said upthread about bass players getting last pick of the ladies? It's really true. Even the drummer is ahead of him in line. There's a REASON so few people actually want to play bass.

I guess I'm lucky that I have a girlfriend already and don't need to go play live to get any.

As I said before though, the bass player is actually the most important member of a band, and not just for the melodic mistakes that I stated. Our brains are more perceptive of rhythm and note changes in lower notes than we are in higher ones.

So you're basing all of this on what instrument is more glamorous? You're the definition of the guy who picked up guitar to get women. You're my old workout buddy who only wanted to do benching because it was more impressive to the women. Think about what you're saying in this thread and you may find the real reason why people don't call you up for gigs too often.

 

[2ndhandband]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

I guess I'm lucky that I have a girlfriend already and don't need to go play live to get any.

As I said before though, the bass player is actually the most important member of a band, and not just for the melodic mistakes that I stated. Our brains are more perceptive of rhythm and note changes in lower notes than we are in higher ones.

So you're basing all of this on what instrument is more glamorous? You're the definition of the guy who picked up guitar to get women. You're my old workout buddy who only wanted to do benching because it was more impressive to the women. Think about what you're saying in this thread and you may find the real reason why people don't call you up for gigs too often.

1) I get plenty of calls... just not as many to play bass.
2) I prefer guitar mostly because I want control of melody and harmony.
3) I love to play guitar and also love the company of women. The fact that one often leads to the other is one HELL of a fringe benefit.
4) When you're a man in his 40s who has a taste for much younger women and has no interest in exclusivity or commitment you take your advantages where you can get them and playing the guitar is like a magic key.

 

[toowrongfoo]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

This thread: Proof that kvr/gearslut'itis can travel over forums :lol:

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

2) I prefer guitar mostly because I want control of melody and harmony.

Except this isn't true. Control of melody and harmony does come from the bass. If he plays a wrong note, it sounds like the guitar is way off the mark.

 

[2ndhandband]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

Except this isn't true. Control of melody and harmony does come from the bass. If he plays a wrong note, it sounds like the guitar is way off the mark.

Sigghhh... if your bassist or really anybody is consistently playing wrong notes you fire them and get somebody else.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

Sigghhh... if your bassist or really anybody is consistently playing wrong notes you fire them and get somebody else.

Who said that he's play consistently wrong notes? The key word in this is "If". The whole point was to stress the importance of the bass player having the technicality needed to play the music

 

[dg27]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

The beauty of music is in the space: with bass (and I think drums as well) this is especially important. Where you don't play is in some ways more important than where you do play.

Non-bass players (i.e., 3rd guitarists) can rarely grasp this concept.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

The bass parts I write sound more like a cello than a bass, so I am certainly not a bass player. But no one looks at a band with a bad bass player and says "wow, that bassist is way off"...they just say " this band is terrible".

Every guitarist should learn a little bass (and piano, too). It helps understand music a little better, and makes our guitar playing better.

 

[toowrongfoo]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

On that note, every instrument should be respected. I'm probably a better guitarist than bassist, but even in my old curmudgeon years, I try to play bass with a respect of whatever tune I'm on.

bottom line: They are two entirely different instruments. You can solo or be the rhythm with each, but they are still really different.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

On that note, every instrument should be respected. I'm probably a better guitarist than bassist, but even in my old curmudgeon years, I try to play bass with a respect of whatever tune I'm on.

bottom line: They are two entirely different instruments. You can solo or be the rhythm with each, but they are still really different.

I'm a much better bassist than a guitarist. I'm not a lead guitarist by any means, but I can do some wicked stuff on the bass.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

I find it really hard to sing and play bass, however.

 

[The JEM Ghost]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

Seems some people in this thread don't have much respect towards a good bass player...Shame if you ask me... A good bass player CERTAINLY adds great value to any band!! Bass players and their role in a band are often underrated, and I repeat myself saying that's a shame.
Off course, a good base player does more than just pluck the base root!! Their are amazing bass players out there that deserve tons of respect (any good bass player deserves respect by the way!): Billy Sheehan, Stu Hamm (Satriani) and so many other great virtuoso bass players out there that I would certainly concider a welcome addition to any band!
Less known and from France, Patrice Guers:

A good bass player is NOT to be underestimated!!

 

[toowrongfoo]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

I find it really hard to sing and play bass, however.

It was easy for me. But I was young and full of piss and vinegar. Now, I can't hardly keep time

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

So I'm not sure what's up with "needing to think ahead to the next note" with bass, because I do that with lead guitar as well. Those two skills run very parallel to me.

It's sad to say but... I'm probably a much better bass player than a guitar player. I took formal lessons for a while, which may be part of it. When I played in a band, I loved the ability for subtle changes in the bass line to really push the same old song into whole new avenues; as bass player, you're basically in charge You can play by the numbers, or create something subversive that completely alters the character of what everyone else is doing. I might never have played the same bass line twice.

...But I pretty much play alone/at home now, so guitar it is, aside from recording parts for my own songs. It was never tough for me to switch between the two, I also almost never used a pick for bass. My stamina suffers greatly without practice though... Another reason I don't pick up the bass as much, as mentioned: it's harder to sing. In my last band I really envied our singer's ability to play bass at the same time.

 

[Securb]

Re: Playing bass and guitar

I was being a little facetious there... but it is true that bass, for the most part, is not as technically demanding as guitar.

It is even more so in some cases. The bass player needs to understand the scales and voicings that are played over the chords. Playing bass is not about playing the root all night and most bass players do play chords. Lemmy frowns on your post.

1)
2) I prefer guitar mostly because I want control of melody and harmony.

You really don't understand how a chord works do you? The bass is controlling the root of the harmony. A simple example is when Paul MacCartney would ride the root then switch to the third of the chord an octave below it would change the dynamics of the song and gave the Beatles that "Beatles" sound. You will hear Tom Peterson from Cheap Trick doing that a lot also. Two examples of guys you think are not doing a lot that are driving the tonal structure of the entire song.