How Easy/Difficult to play Bass from Guitar?

guitarjack66

How do people find playing bass guitar after playing regular guitar? Is the transition easy or difficult and why?

GoFish

Erm, it depends - what sort of music, what your technique is like and most importantly, your mindset when playing bass.

Saying that, you'll have the basics down so I'd say the old "Easy to start but tough to master". So called rhythm guitar or acoustic makes for the easiest transitions but go on, give it a try - it's fun!

Danny1969

I found it pretty easy. Yes you need to feel the groove and lock in with the kick but essentially you are playing one note at a time compared to playing the more complex voicing of guitar. If you are playing covers then I think it's important to listen to the bassline and copy it faithfully .... if you don't the whole song won't sound right as a cover. It will tire you out quicker, bass playing s more physical than guitar playing. 

The actual main sound of a typical rock band is the bass and drums and the way they interact. Copying something and creating something are 2 different things, listen to the bass and drums and learn from it. I know I did. 

Tannin

You need stronger fingers and bigger stretches. That's just practice.

The real key to mastering bass is attitude. You have to think like a bass player. Not many guitarists can do that, especially not lead players. You are not out there to sound good. Your job is to make the singer sound good. Bass is a state of mind.

diap

I'll tell you my biggest struggle playing bass.
Singing!

I can sing and play guitar no problem, but I can't sing and play bass, so there must be some difference. 

guitarjack66

diap said:

I'll tell you my biggest struggle playing bass.
Singing!

I can sing and play guitar no problem, but I can't sing and play bass, so there must be some difference. 

This is no problem for me,because I can't sing! And I would never inflict my singing upon anybody,unless they deserved it!

BahHumbug

If you want to play standard rock/pop bass it’s pretty easy.  Yes it’s a slightly different physical challenge, but not that hard.  As others have said it’s a different mindset.  Your guitar fret board knowledge transfers across nicely, which is helpful.
if you want to be the next Les Claypool, then that’s a different thing.

GoFish

diap said:

I'll tell you my biggest struggle playing bass.
Singing!

I can sing and play guitar no problem, but I can't sing and play bass, so there must be some difference. 

Yep, singing is very tricky unless the bass is super simplified, and even then! I think its because lots of singing plays off the groove,which the bass holds down,  so its like rubbing your tummy and patting you head.

Also want to echo that lots of rock / pop bass is pretty easy, just like 3 chord songs can be. It's soul /funk /jazz and so on that starts getting more specialised.

Danny1969

This made me smile

A Bass Teacher is excited about getting a new, young student. The kid is comes in for his first lesson and learns all the notes on the E string. Next week he comes in and the instructor shows him all of the notes on the A string. The third week comes, the teacher is waiting, but the kid never shows up. Annoyed, he calls him to see where he is. The kid picks up and says, "Oh, sorry man, I got a gig..."

Ossyrocks

I’ve been a guitar player for decades, but three months ago I bought my first bass, a cheap Squier Affinity. I’ve always admired great bass players, and had the pleasure to gig with some very very good players. So, I figured that now I’m getting older, I don’t want to lead a band anymore, be the front man, schlep the PA etc. I thought bass would be the perfect gig as I get older.

Three months on and I have a much deeper respect for good bass players. Anyone can plunk away on the root with a pick, but meaningful and toneful playing with fingers is another matter.
My progress has been slower than I’d hoped, but that progress has also made me understand that there are no fast track routes to playing at the standard I aspire to.

I have got hooked on this though, I’ve sold the Squier, bought a vintage Precision Bass and just last week a Road Worn Jazz Bass.

I practice everyday, a combination of online resources and jamming to music. My playing has got cleaner and more consistent and I’m starting to play bass more fluently and instinctively than I had been, but the more I improve, the more I understand just how much more I need to do.

I can now play along to all of BB King’s Live At The Regal without pause or much thought, and get genuinely absorbed into creating cool blues and walking bass lines which support the music rather than standout from it.

If you’re interested in learning bass, my advice would be to pick up a cheap but decent bass and a little practice amp (mine is a Rumble15) and see how you go. It will go one way or the other, and if it gets you, you’ll find yourself being drawn in and loving it.

Rob

Ossyrocks

I didn't really answer your question - Is the transition easy or difficult and why?

It's both. The easy bit is that you know where all the notes are, understand scales and intervals, flat thirds, sevenths, harmony etc, so the fretboard basics are there.

The difficult bit at first is the scale length, left hand positioning, and the physicality of working with the instrument. I've worked hard on my left hand position and fingering, it's totally different. I'm incorporating a one finger per fret position attitude, but not being too strict on myself to do it everywhere. Often it's index finger and little finger doing the work.

On the right hand, I am NOT using a pick, at all. This is a totally new technique which needs to be practiced to get consistency in volume and dynamics across the strings, as well as being able to play evenly at speed.

Damping is also completely different, at least for me. I'm not muting with my right hand palm as a result of my adopted style. So I generally rest my thumb on the bottom E to mute it whilst it's not being played, lifting off when I need to.

Left hand damping on guitar involves gently toughing the odd string, the bottom E for instance with the tip of your index finger whilst playing a chord. This doesn't work as well on bass because of the sheer mass of the string, so at first I was getting overtones from strings I wasn't playing. For me this has improved quite a lot with just getting used to playing the thing amplified, making sure I play everything as cleanly as possible.

Anyway, that's my experience.
Rob

guitarjack66

A further extension to the question would be ' Is it  beneficial for a 'guitarist' to have a bass guitar in their collection?' And 'Will it make us better all round musicians?'

DefaultM

Depends. First time I played bass I learned a 30 song Pink Floyd set. I think I would have struggled if it was Chic or RHCP etc though.

roberty

I learnt bass with a pick for some fairly aggressive rock music. It's a much more physical instrument than the guitar. The picking motion is closer to strumming an acoustic than playing lead guitar I would say. A lot of sounding good on bass is down to being consistent and being strict about muting the unwanted strings (there is more sympathetic vibration with the bass strings). On top of this as has been mentioned is the philosophy of it, where it fits in the music, how to complement whatever else is going on with careful embellishment. It's a worthwhile thing to learn definitely. Besides anything you'll develop a better ear in that register

LastMantra

I find the picking/plucking/strumming more challenging than anything else.
Fretting hand isn't too bad but you have to do a lot of muting and keeping the fat strings under control. 
A compressor is very handy. 

monquixote

In my experience with transitioning from guitar to playing bass in a covers band. 

The actual playing is not that hard provided you want to play with a pick. If you want to learn to play fingerstyle that's a new technique to pick up.

It's a more physical instrument so it's easier to hurt your hands if you over do it initially.

The main thing is mindset and thinking like a bass player. Concentrating on locking in with the drums and not just noodling about.

guitarjack66

roberty said:

I learnt bass with a pick for some fairly aggressive rock music. It's a much more physical instrument than the guitar. The picking motion is closer to strumming an acoustic than playing lead guitar I would say. A lot of sounding good on bass is down to being consistent and being strict about muting the unwanted strings (there is more sympathetic vibration with the bass strings). On top of this as has been mentioned is the philosophy of it, where it fits in the music, how to complement whatever else is going on with careful embellishment. It's a worthwhile thing to learn definitely. Besides anything you'll develop a better ear in that register

As a solely acoustic player at present this doesn't sound as difficult as it could be if I was a regular electric user.

guitarjack66

monquixote said:

In my experience with transitioning from guitar to playing bass in a covers band. 

The actual playing is not that hard provided you want to play with a pick. If you want to learn to play fingerstyle that's a new technique to pick up.

It's a more physical instrument so it's easier to hurt your hands if you over do it initially.

The main thing is mindset and thinking like a bass player. Concentrating on locking in with the drums and not just noodling about.

So it could certainly improve your rhythm playing on a regular guitar too?

monquixote

guitarjack66 said:

monquixote said:

In my experience with transitioning from guitar to playing bass in a covers band. 

The actual playing is not that hard provided you want to play with a pick. If you want to learn to play fingerstyle that's a new technique to pick up.

It's a more physical instrument so it's easier to hurt your hands if you over do it initially.

The main thing is mindset and thinking like a bass player. Concentrating on locking in with the drums and not just noodling about.

So it could certainly improve your rhythm playing on a regular guitar too?

Yes, it will make you a better guitarist. Playing the drums even more so.

ElectricXII

I've pretty much always played both, although bass has taken a back seat for the last ten years. I would imagine that the scale length and finger technique would present some guitars players with a challenge, and you have to listen to the drummer!

Stratavarious

Easy… just don't be tempted to overplay