Stick with guitar or try bass?

[meebs]

I dunno where to put this! guitar or bass forum?

well whatever, ive been trying guitar for years esp in the past 6 months or so. heck - i can do chords and other tiny bits, YET i dont even know how to play a song and find the strings a little bit hard to put my fingers over several strings at once. i feel utterly useless. This gets me down as id love to play one form of guitar or another, as well, i love guitar music and love to play it. I cant afford lessons.

Sooo... i do like bass too...now i have been told by someone i have a good sense of timing, and for me, the bass is good for time keeping within a song (or am i being stupid here?)...plus the bass just sounds cool and a little simpler.

should i go for it? what do you think? should i stick to guitar, in case i regret not doing so. give reasons for your answers and any advice

thanks

ps: i dont mind if this is moved to the "right" place.

 

[peanutbutter12]

Don't give up because something poses a little challenge. You will never be good at anything if you just give up when things get hard.

Personally, what I would do is find yourself a good teacher who can show you the ins and outs if you haven't already. If you have, try checking out another one. Not everyone plays the same way. Also, don't get frustraited with it. Take time and work through the issues.

Second, you won't be good over night. It will take time to learn. You need to understand this simply because a lot of people stop playing simply because in 1 years time, they can't play like Eddie Van Halen. It takes time and dedication to really learn to play. Keep at it and don't give up.

CJ

 

[Tucan]

I personally play bass, and it's not too hard...but, I think you should try to learn both

 

[meebs]

^ i was thinking of doing that later when i started the guitar, like when i could do a bit... yeah guess im mixed up at the mo about it. either do the bass as a start then move back to guitar again or start guitar and eventually learn bass

muddled ole me!

 

[LOTRbeatspotteranyday]

a lot of people stop playing simply because in 1 years time, they can't play like Eddie Van Halen.

I happen to be living proof that there are exceptions to every rule But seriously, I'd learn to play both. It's always a good thing to expand your horizons when it comes to music. Now about that covering several strings at once, try using different fingers. Sometimes it would seem logical to use your index finger to hold down the lowest note and then your middle finger, ring finger, and lastly your pinkey. But it's not always the best formation, sometimes it's better to start with your middle finger...well I'm sure by now you get my point.

 

[JediMobius]

You should definately try out the bass, and any other instrument that piques your interest.

I started playing guitar about 6 years ago, and grabbed my neighbor's bass the moment I had the chance. I found it allowed a completely different exercise in expression and technique. Then he sold it

Last year I jammed with a friend of mine mixing guitar drum and bass (two at a time, of course) When I picked up the bass, he couldn't understand why I hadn't yet become a bassist.

So, yeah. You never know what instruments fit you best until you've tried them.

 

[JarrodlovesGod]

Jsut becasue your having trouble with some1, does that mean you should give up?

Stick with guitar, bass isnt "easy" .. i play guitar, but i still think bass can be hard, like when you do little bass solo's there fun but hard!

I say stick with the guitar and dont give up .. and cant afford guitar lessons.. then teach yourself, learn from the internet, or buy a book that has scales and chords ect and teach yourslef.
Also its really good to get together with a friend that plays, he/she can help u learn and jam with u.

you'll never get anywhere if u pull out of something casue it gets hard, keep on truckin', never give up.

 

[1111]

Your situation reminds me of a well known blues guitarist. His brother could play the slide guitar quite well. He, on the other hand could not. He ended up having to play a different style altogether. Perhaps you've heard of him. His name is B.B. King. The same may apply to you. Find a way you can play and develop it.

 

[zaire]

Stick with guitar. You have only been playing 6 months, it takes time. If you still arent any better after playing for about 2 years then try bass.

 

[mnphysicist]

Many times you can find someone to give you a few informal lessons for free. I only had few guitar lessons from a friend back in college. That was incredibly worthwhile to get me going in the right direction. The key is to find someone thats really good technique wise, as learning something wrong and then having to correct it later is a real headache. Another thing one can do is barter if you don't have cash. As far as switching instruments, its hard to say. There are transferable skills that can be used on both instruments, but realistically guitar is more difficult from a technique side, but bass is more difficult from a drive side. Thus if ones ducks aren't in order, one can easily be a tad ahead or a tad behind and that can make or break a tune. Ron

 

[texmex]

Can you try both? If so then I say do that! But really it is up to you. Since you haven't played that long you might want to try and stick with guitar some...but me being a bassist (I stink at guitar), I am partial to that.

 

[Diane_Windsor]

Go to a fixed-pitch instrument like the drums or the piano

 

[w00dy]

ive played guitar for 2 1/2 years, im ok. i started bass properly a couple of months ago (no lessons, just picking it up as i go along) coz me and some mates are starting a band. its top honest. i feel its the part of the music that makes you wanna dance, its a great instrument + i write songs and with the added bass they feel bigger (its crazy what the subleties of a note an octave lower here and there can do). if you have any whishes of joining or forming a band, guitarists hire/beg/steal bass players. but i'd also not give up guitar coz its such a great instrument. but i feel bass is easier to learn the basics of but probably the hardest to master.

ohw yeah since playing bass my guitar work has improved

 

[UncleRicky]

I've been playing the guitar for nearly 50 years. It's a real challenge, and very rewarding. But I get the most kick from playing bass. Bass is relaxing because you can stay in the background most of the time and enjoy the music, then every once in a while, you can come to the forefront and lay down some toe tapping licks, and jump back into the background when your'e done.

Cheers,
Rick

 

[TealTuesday]

from a guitarists stand point maybe your finger dexterity should stick to bass/rhythm.

 

[8cylinders]

Other posters here echo the same things I was thinking of. Six months or even a year is not enough time to really judge if you 'got it' so to speak unless you have been practicing a couple of hours a day and see no progress.

There were lots of good points here but let me add a couple from my perspective:

Find a guitarist you really like, listen closely, and try to find a concert DVD of theirs to watch. This has the danger of discouraging someone though because you feel as though you will never get that good. Pray and fight through that and look at this musician as your teacher.

Be patient but pay your dues. Practice, practice, practice....... On the days you feel as though you can't hit a single good note you'll find that very soon you'll have a day you feel can't hit a bad note and played better than before.

As part of your practice play lots of scales and chords. Be methodical about it. Scales for 10 minutes, chords for 10 minutes and things like that. This will train your hands and your mind.

Also learn to read music if you have not already. This is often skipped over by over eager new players. Being able to read will help in a million different ways as you go along.

Try to play with you favorite musician. This will bring you up to speed quicker and can be a lot of fun but can be frustrating too. Just remember it takes time and perseverance and that guy/gal didn't wake up one day and play like that either. They practiced too....

Finally when you practice pray while you do it. I don't mean the kneeling kind of praying although that's never a bad thing. Just talk to God and have a good time. Tell him how you feel, your struggles, how to do a certain thing, laugh when something silly happens and just enjoy His presence. Remember He is far more concerned about your heart then how you play and your performance (so to speak). When I play at church the only thought I have is that I'm playing for Him and He is not a harsh critic as long as your heart toward Him and other people is right. This take a lot of pressure off and you'll see 'pleasing God rather than man' in action.

I hope this helps. I've been playing for some 35 years and still have a long way to go but going there with the Lord is a joy. Plus as a Christian time is on your side. You have all of eternity to practice and play.

 

[SarcasticallyInsane]

Hah, that's exactly how I used to be. I would never play because I didn't know how. But then again, you won't know how unless you play.

You can stick with guitar AND try bass, y'know. That's what I was thinking of doing.

 

[stonetoflesh]

Why not simultaneously rock out lead, bass, and rhythm with your WARR GUITAR?

 

[BrEnDiNo99]

bass is just as hard as every other instrument

 

[zobass]

You could try the bass, too. After trying it, you should make a choise as playing both well it's quite hard...