i feel like playing an instrument

[insertnamehere]

i dunno what. ive been feelin into bass lately, but then i was thinking "but you'll never play in a band. whats the point of playing a bass if you're not in a band?"... it's not exactly a solo instrument. but that makes me ask the question in general, of whats the point of playing ANYTHING if i just sit in my room alone and play.

i guess it would be rewarding all the same, playing an instrument. i dunno. i love the way the bass sounds, but bass lines are generally really simple and repetitive. id probably just play root down and waiting room all the time until i got bored with it. or i guess i could pick up the ol' guitar again.

i also really dig the violin, but getting into stuff like that is too damn expensive.

i can play the digiridoo. that's a pretty useless skill.

this point of this was to ask a question, but im not exactly sure what my question was.

[hpdrifter]

Playing an instrument is always rewarding. I think if you want to play bass you should learn it. You can always jam along to instrumentals. The Bboys have a few I like, Sabrosa is probably my favorite to jam along with.

[skra75]

skin flute?

[jabumbo]

skin flute?


i have one of the cheapest rates for instruction!

[insertnamehere]

Playing an instrument is always rewarding. I think if you want to play bass you should learn it. You can always jam along to instrumentals. The Bboys have a few I like, Sabrosa is probably my favorite to jam along with.

that's an interesting idea. i never thought of playing along with prerecorded music.

step 2, obtain bass guitar

step 2 might take awhile. monday i have an eye appointment and i'm gonna have to get glasses. maybe a paycheck or two after that.

[jabumbo]

i've owned a bass guitar for about 4 years now and never really learned it. i can play a few tunes (used to know more) and do a little self created jamming, but thats about it.


i need to sit down and really learn tho. that and the piano. once i figure those out, i'd like to move on to the gutar. i'm just a fiend for music, and i want to know how to do it all!

[ScarySquirrel]

Playing instruments is fun! I play a little piano, a little alto sax, a little drums, and an even smaller bit of guitar. If you wanna do it, get to it!

[Freebasser]

The bass is fucking fun to play alone, and a great solo instrument in its own right. There's so much you can do with a bass; popping, slapping, playing with a pick in a guitar style, playing with your fingers in a double bass style, stunning small animals, the list is endless... but decide that you're only going to learn the root notes and you may as well learn a triangle, because it'll be about as challenging.

Do you have big hands? One thing I'd say is that having a massive pair of mitts will help you considerably - bass chords will be difficult to acheive without a decent hand span.

[paul jones]

I need to start playing the bass again.It's been too long in the cupboard

[hpdrifter]

The bass is fucking fun to play alone, and a great solo instrument in its own right. There's so much you can do with a bass; popping, slapping, playing with a pick in a guitar style, playing with your fingers in a double bass style, stunning small animals, the list is endless... but decide that you're only going to learn the root notes and you may as well learn a triangle, because it'll be about as challenging.

Do you have big hands? One thing I'd say is that having a massive pair of mitts will help you considerably - bass chords will be difficult to acheive without a decent hand span.

I was soooo about to say all of this. Except the part about stunning small animals.

[insertnamehere]

Hmmm from the heel of my hand to the tip of my middle finger is about 6 3/4 inches... i guess not really. I can palm a basketball with some effort. Are my hands to girly?

[hpdrifter]

If you can palm a basketball you're probably okay in terms of strength. Your hands seem on the small side but that's no reason not to try. Just get the right bass. Just like with guitars, there is a range of neck thickness and length.

I'd guess the more popular electric basses are Fender. Fender usually makes pretty fat necks so maybe go with something else. And the Jazz and P bass necks are also pretty long (frets are wider apart, hard to finger for small hands). ESP are pretty good. Throw some EMG pickups in and you're loud and clear. Or Ibanez.

But I am not super familiar with bass manufacturers, maybe freeb can jump in on that.

[jabumbo]

since when do bass players need to play chords?

[Freebasser]

But I am not super familiar with bass manufacturers, maybe freeb can jump in on that.

I have massive hands, so I leaned towards the P-Bass from the very beginning. I love the rumble they give out. Holding one makes me feel like I'm wielding a chainsaw :o

As for the small hands issue, I could talk forever about the different pros and cons of certain instruments, but ultimately the best thing to do is go into a local shop and try out a few different basses. If you're pretty petite then you might want to think about getting a 3/4 length instrument, though the quality generally won't be brilliant. Take your time deciding - Don't let the sales assitant pressure you into buying a bass you aren't really sure about. If you don't find a bass you like there, try a different shop. Don't worry about sounding like a tit when you play those first few notes through the shop's amp in front of everybody; No one in the shop is really listening to you, they're usually either musos who are too busy drooling over instruments to notice or they're Joe Casuals who've just wandered in the off the street and wouldn't know an accordion from their arsehole and who'll think you playing the same note over and over and over again sounds really cool.

You should be able to get a bass/amp deal where they'll throw in the strap and a book or something, but remember to haggle the price down - any instrument on the shop floor is technically a display model, and as such you have a right to try and get money off or to try and get them to throw in some extra shit i.e. "This instrument has been used as a display model, therefore I'm unsure how long the strings will last. I'd like a new set of strings for it please." You're spending a decent sum of cash on something that has no real RRP so there's always room for negotiation.

[insertnamehere]

heeeeeeey now, i never thought of that "floor model" spiel before. that's a smart one.

yeah i figure either you can play and you were once a n00b like me and have no room to judge, or you can't play in which case shut the fuck up cause you can't do any better.

i do get this tendency when i try to play things for people, like "oh hey look what i can play" i get nervous and fuck up somehow. i tried playing guitar hero II in best buy once and a crowd gathered and i started shaking. thats unrelated, but an interesting anecdote, i thought.

[Lyman Zerga]

i went to a music school for a half year and thats all i have to say.

[hpdrifter]

since when do bass players need to play chords?

Not necessarily chords, but what if you want to reach and extra funky groove?

btw, I like bassists who use chords (sparingly)

[Freebasser]

Guitar hero is a lot harder than playing bass :(

Or guitar for that matter :/

[hpdrifter]

I've never played it. I want to so bad. Do they make it for the Wii? I don't have one but my friend does.

[insertnamehere]

hahaha


i think you might actually be right

back when i played guitar i learned a pretty intricate version of greensleeves that involved a lot of fancy finger picking. i've forgotten pretty much everything guitar related, but i can still play that. i HAVE to start from the beginning, and if i mess up, i have to start over. its some kind of crazy muscle memory thing.

i have a friend who is attempting to play the guitar. im trying to convince him and my other friend who doesnt play anything that we need to start a (joke) band. the other friend has access to drums. she just doesnt know what to do with them.

we will totally rock. i'm open for name suggestions. i'm gonna need to get to work on writing some rhymes too. i feel that i will compose a lot of songs about sandwiches. i have a lot of sandwiches in my life.

maybe i can write a jimmy johns jingle and sell it to the company. hmmm.

[silence7]

Haggling seems the thing to do when buying a guitar...

I just bought a $399 Epiphone Les Paul Standard
$75 Line-6 Amp
$20 Gig Bag
$20 Stand
$20 Tuner
Picks and a cord

$407 out the door including tax.. The guy told me ahead of time he could get me a great deal on all the rest of the stuff I needed, and I could save enough money to get a nicer guitar, which I did...

Another place to find guitars is Pawn Shops, they always have a ton of them. We have Guitar Center out here, and from what I hear they ALWAYS give deals.

Silence7

[fucktopgirl]

you can play spoon, cheap instrument and you could have hous of pleasure, just saying!

[jabumbo]

Not necessarily chords, but what if you want to reach and extra funky groove?

btw, I like bassists who use chords (sparingly)


i guess i need to make it my goal to be able to play those funky grooves like bootsy collins or something


guitar center is probably the easiest place to get a guitar/bass around here. when i got mine there, they were having one of their many sales and i basically got the amp for the price of the taxes.

[Loppfessor]

skin flute?

LOL bingo....I was wondering how many posts it would take