I have a bass guitar that i got before i was serious with guitars. I played electric guitar now for 2 months and i've had this bass a little over a year now, and i hate to see it lay around. I am very crappy at guitar as well as the bass and since i take lessons with guitar, i can't afford lessons on bass. Should I go ahead and try to learn bass as well as guitar or will they intefere to much? I have a bass book and guitar seems way easier, any bass tips would be appreciated.
Thanks if you actually read that! And even more thanks if you reply! ;)
Patrick D.
I don't think that there's any way playing bass could interfere with learning the guitar. All it can do is reinforce things. Unless, of course, you're the easily confused type, and might forget which instrument you're playing and wonder where two of your strings went all of a sudden.
You can apply things you learn on one to the other, and practicing both is sure to build finger strength fast.
I think that the hardest part of adapting to bass from guitar is getting used to the fret spacing and string tension. It takes a little while to be able to fret the notes cleanly while making the stretches. Guitar and bass are about the same in difficulty, I think. They just have different hard parts.
I've played guitar 5 years and I too think about buying a bass for a little fun on the side. But theres that whole money thing. :P
I played guitar for twelve years and then decided to pick up the bass. When I started learning the concepts of bass playing, I learned a lot about the guitar as well that I never really noticed before. Understanding the concepts of both really opens you up. It is easy to learn how to play the guitar without learning much music theory, but you have to understand music theory to play bass properly. I recommend fooling around with your bass when you want to take a break from the guitar and it will help solidify some of the concepts you are learning about the guitar.
How much can I get a cheap Bass for? Around $100? I just want one to mess around on.
You could probably pick up a cheap bass for $100, but it would be really cheap. $200 should get you a decent instrument to play on. Maybe something used? That might be only $100 if you were lucky.
Since you are thinking about getting one just for fun at this point, I would take the time to look around casually in used markets until you find a steal-maybe pawn shops or the classifieds-you might find someone's treasure they are having to get rid of for cheap.
I got a new bass today. A little more than a beginner @ $399, but not a pro level Bass. Peavy Fury IV. I liked it a lot better than anything cheaper and it played well in comparison to anything a little more expensive. This is my second bass, but I don't own the first one anymore, not for 15 years. I've played guitar for 20 years and think it's time for me to branch out.
I have found with many guitars and basses (other things in life as well) that the difference between beginner and intermediate level instruments is a lot more noticeable and obvious. Once you start looking at intermediate and advanced (i.e. expensive and well-made) instruments, the differences are more a matter of opinion and preference than quality or sound. This is why I prefer to forego the beginner level stuff when picking up a new instrument-I know that I'll eventually realize how much better the higher level stuff sounds and feels so I just save my money longer until I can afford the good stuff. I proved this to myself when I picked up the bass and got a Jazz Bass instead of a cheaper one for beginning. It hurt the wallet a little more at the time, but I'm grateful now because I have become much better and play publicly and didn't have to go buy a whole new instrument once I reached the next level. Just something to think about...
