ive gotten input from some guitarists and now i have the same question for you bass players. i have been told by a few people that playing bass can get boring and is often only enjoyable when you can play with a band. so.. lets say i wanted to pick up bass but i didnt have plans of being in a band- is there enough diversity in this instrument that it is still fun to play alone (or with cd's as ive heard). and i kno people are saying "you just have to try it for yourself" but i am only fifteen and this is a huge investment for someone who gets paid six bucks an hour. (ouch) and i have no experience, i just really am interested in picking up the skills of playing bass or electric guitar. so.. id like to know what you think. i have also heard that bass is a lot easier to learn than guitar because it is only four strings.. altho i do know that it is a totally different instrument anyways.
It's not true at all that bass is boring alone. If you play the things that you would play with a band, I can see how it would get a little boring, but if you play songs written for bass, that keeps it fun. I play alone most of the time, since my band isn't up to much, and I love it. The bass has a very wide tonal palette. I recommend it fully. I don't think the bass is much easier to learn than the guitar, because is requires more finger strength and stretching, kind of balances things out.
I totally agree with Paul.
I have answered this post in the guitar players forum (I think it was there, or in the Beginners forum).
No instrument is superior than any other instrument. They all contribute equally to the feeling of the music.
It all boils down to taste...
Johann Sebastian Bass
I could wax philosophic on this topic for many lines, but I won't bore you. Based on your post, it sounds like picking up an instrument might be a great choice for you. Whether it is bass or guitar, neither can ever get boring if you are truly interested in music and learning the instrument. Playing any instrument can provide the player with a lifetime of enjoyment. You will never get as good as you want to be and that is what makes it so enjoyable. It is always a challenge and fun at the same time. Bass is no easier than guitar (I play both). They just present different challenges. There is way too much to learn on either instrument for you to ever get bored.
Good luck, and please let us know when you get started!
there are so many ways to play bass, fingering, picking, slap. with all these ways to play its hard to get bored if your truly interested.
Just because it has less strings doesn't make it easier, if it is true then logically violin is easier than guitar too.
 It depends what you're good at and what you're not, bass takes a careful ear, a fair bit of improvising and a lot of creativity if you're going to come up with some interesting basslines (of course, they don't have to be complex, the opposite really, they just have to be memorable). Of course no one expect you to know any of these things when you start......... you learn them I reckon if you get a bass get a good tutoring book
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0825615925/ref=sr_aps_books_1_1/202-8917795-4940629
(I started with this one, its quite diverse etc)
and listen to some of your favourite or maybe even reccomended bassists and try playing their stuff back and fiddle with making bits up (never hurt anyone).
If you're poor at playing chords on the guitar (which in most cases is practice anyway), bass may be better for you. So is bass harder or easier than guitar? Harder than basic rythm guitar for sure, maybe not lead, but all it depends on is the level you take it to and how hard these things all depends on what the player is good at too.
About playing the instrument alone, I play both bass and guitar and I do prefer playing electric on my own but bass is fun too especially when you're starting and learning so much. I'll never forget asking so many bassists how exactly you played slap and pop and learning to do it, you'd be suprised how little amount of bassists do bother with it..
together we stand, divided we fall..........
I agree, if you want it bad enough you'll learn it.
To be honest, before I started I wasn't sure I would find bass enjoyable. Then I bought it, started playing it, and found it quite fun to play. Bass insn't a good "my very first" instrument. As it is different from other instruments. Pick up a guitar and learn to play that, along with a bit of theory perhaps, which will come in handy(I'm still learning how to read music, it's difficult, but the challenges make anything fun).
Well that's my two cents:)
G-Bass
Play bass, it just plain rules!
Just try to make a song with a bass only! It's fun!
It trains your ability to use spaces in a song and making solos... well thats what I get when I play alone.
Choose a bass line, and try to improve by playing between notes.
Slap & tap it!
