I have an (odd, maybe) desire to give it a go. I used to play a few instruments when i was at school, including guitar club, and although i haven’t played one for years I can in general pick up an instrument like a kids xylophone and pick out a tune reasonable easily enough.

But what’s the point of learning bass guitar. It’s what i fancy for some reason, but I can’t work out the point. I don’t *think* I’d have the time or desire to join a band so it would be just me, playing bass lines or playing along to quality choons. Is that worth doing or something that you hit the enjoyment limits of fairly quickly?

Or I might get a harmonica.

LOL every garage band will want to know you. Ha ha

why’s that – does no-one play bass then, so anyone half decent is certain of a job?

I started (this was a long long time ago) because I loved the sound of the bass and the way it interacted with the drums. Learned to play along with stuff like the Stranglers and the Jam. Got good, so needed to join a band, playing alone you can only go so far. Maybe get a drum machine?

It’s by far at its best in a band context but if you’re interested in writing/recording your own material it can be great for that. It’s very easy to get started on (if you have a reasonable sense of time) but damned hard to get good enough to sound good solo. Buy a secondhand beginner bass and little practice combo (or get a pedal that’ll let you plug it into yor hi-fi) and it’ll cost you almost nothing (depreciation already being done) to find out if you see the point!

yeah pretty much, everyone wants to shred.

i have a hankering for learning to play bass too someday (i play the guitar badly 🙂
seeing geddy lee,squarepusher,lemmy,mark king e.t.c the bass is an awesome instrument.also love the meatiness of them big neck/big strings e.t.c 😀 😳 😯 😮 😕

Maybe get a drum machine?

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

it’ll only teach you how to play with a drum machine. They don’t do ad libbing. granted they don’t make mistakes and keep perfect time, but if you don’t, you’ll soon find out. And it will never teach you how LOUD a real drummer can be.

when our bass player first joined the band he had what sounded like a reasonable bass combo amp, not sure of the wattage. He’d only ever played with a drum machine in previous bands while he had this combo. We use a rehearsal room that provides all the backline you need, but when it came time to road test it just before our first gig, he found it could not compete with me without being cranked up to clipping, and of course it now sounded pants.

so now he has one of these:

I had a lot of fun playing along by myself- it’s dull learning staid plodding backing lines but bass doesn’t have to be like that. Choosing your tracks is very important.

It’s very hard to be a great bassist, and I never put in any real effort, but being a crap one is far easier than being a crap guitarist- nobody’d ever have had me in a band as guitarist.

download a drum machine, set it to go. Learn a scale, start with one note in time with the beat and then elaborate.

Its good fun, I prefer playing my bass to my guitar some times, certainly for different genres (sort of funky house stuff rather than grungy acoustic punk)

Spent time learning to play bass, piped through guitar rig into cubase when i was trying to make dance music. Guitar rig was pretty cool bit of software.

The box is what the bass is all about http://www.guitarnoise.com/lesson/the-box/

more weird?

drummers or bass?

mark king

are you trying to put him off ?

http://www.studybass.com/

Good enough to get you going but in the end you need something or someone to play along with.

Drum machines / sequencers are great if you use them right. Learn to groove with the most minimal click or make a sequenced pattern sound like it’s deep in the pocket and real drummers will love you. And learning how to construct drum grooves does wonders for understanding the drums and really ‘getting’ drumming is at the heart of great bass playing. Essentially it’s all about listening to what’s going on around you, which over time turns into practically subconsciously feeling the groove – listening to yourself at the expense of feeling everyone else’s playing is such a groove killer!

My progression was lots of GnR, Metallica, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and like, then the Chilis with Blood Sugar Sex Magik really opened things up and off I went into funk, jazz fusion, soul, reggae and jazz over the subsequent years. Started putting a band together after about four months of playing bass, with no prior musical experience – ignorance is bliss!

I used to play bass in punk bands. Haven’t the time for bands nowadays but I have got an acoustic bass which gets occasional use. Maybe an option for you?

Maybe get a drum machine?
noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

So it’s better to play bass unaccompanied?

Get a drummer 😉

I was responding to this: I don’t *think* I’d have the time or desire to join a band so it would be just me

Got one – she’s only 6 but she likes to bash away with a pair of chopsticks and some upturned biscuit tins and tupperware boxes. Together we’d make a great rhythm section.

do it. Also, the ladies love bass players. It’ll become obvious why

My inspiration:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P085iZPX5Ng&feature=endscreen&NR=1[/video]

Sorry DezB, I wad joking – sort of.
Personally I don’t like drum machines in a band as they’re doing me out of a job
For practice I guess they have their uses.

But you could do what my mates of old used to do – play along to your favourite choons in the music player of your choice. Or the modern equivalent, Guitar Pro software.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=QMS7ttsRlI4[/video]

i learnt from abe laboriel vhs tapes.

i love bass but it is much more fun to play with a drummer.