Farfisa

I've been playing around with the bass using my middle and index finger and I've just about gotten the hang of it but, if I were ever to play bass seriously it would be in a band setting and it wouldn't require crazy techniques. Well, same with the ukulele, I use the side of my thumb to play chords and such. I try and play instruments the way they were meant to be played.

Daktari

Hi there,

I started off on guitar when I was 10 years old. What happens quite often at high school is all the guitarists eventually find each other and decide to form various bands. Suddenly everyone notices, wow, we have seven guitarists, anyone want to get a bass for their next Xmas and someone a set of drums and maybe a keyboard player....hmmm... that was how I ended up playing bass.

I then had bass for my main instrument for years when I started playing in my dad's jazz band.

I will say one thing though. Bass becomes a lot easier if you have an understanding of at least basic chord structures and scales. To go straight into playing bass with no previous musical experience is very hard.

Later on, I found I was one of those bassists who found they could not play good bass and sing at the same time. So, I changed back to guitar and started writing songs and singing. That's what I've done ever since and I like it a lot.

Cheers, Gordon.

boo boo

I'm not really insulting bass players, it's just a joke.

Personally I think bass players get way too much sh*t from people. I hate the bullsh*t mentality of "the bass player is doing something wrong, I can hear him".

One thing that bores me with so much modern music is how predictable it is, the guitar is the star and there's not as many stand out musicians in the rhythm department because when drummers and bassists really try to get involved in the music, it's considered wankery, just sh*t the f*ck up and do your f*cking job or I'll cut your f*cking d*ck off and shove it down your throat, that's the modern day rock band mentality. It's rather fascist.

Woody Guthrie was full of sh*t, the guitar creates fascists.

"Ensemble" bands don't really exist anymore, it's all about the singer and guitarist, nobody gives a f*ck about the rhythm section.

Also bass playing chicks <3

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TheBig3

Yeah well the problem is modern rock. I don't know anyone who listens to rock bands anymore. Well, new ones anyway. Its all sad-rock or "lets just go over the top, because vulgar sexuality rocks!" **** anyhow.

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boo boo

Yeah, if I want to listen to c0ck rock, I'll listen to the real deal, when I want AC/DC I'll listen to AC/DC, not cheap imitators like Jet.

I'm tired of all these "revival" bands who just rip off one band in particular and never expand beyond that.

I think a lot of people are getting tired of hack bands that do the same redundant sh*t over and over again, and eventually virtuosos are gonna be accepted again.

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mr dave

sorry but i have to disagree with most of this.

there are some tunes that simply canNOT be played in standard tuning. my Soundgarden examples might be getting old but they're the simplest ones to use, they changed tunings to accommodate the riffs they intended to play. you can't change chords fast enough and with the proper dynamic to play Spoonman in standard tuning, you simply cannot hit notes low enough for the 2nd half of Rusty Cage if you don't drop your low E to B (yes it gets ridiculously floppy). same goes for the vast majority of slide blues guitar out there.

i do agree with the 2nd part a bit, it's easier to understand how alternative tunings work if you have a proper understanding of how the neck works in standard tuning BUT it has far less to do with the actual standard tuning, and far more to do with recognizing the intervals between strings, notes and chords. while songs in alternate tunings might not be the best to learn from a theoretical standpoint early on, they're normally easier to play from a technical standpoint (which is generally the entire point of using a non-standard tuning).

that last bit is just mind boggling. how would only changing the tuning of one string at a time work at all? it's like trying to change shirts while only undoing one button at a time then wondering why you can't pull it off your torso yet. either you tune to the chord or combination of notes necessary for the song or you don't. i really can't see how only going part way with alt-tunings is anything but foolish and counter productive.


always having to change tunings between songs is a hassle though, as a few others have said, multiple guitars are where it's at if you're going that route. they don't need to be fancy, my 'soundgarden' guitar was $120, always in some kind of weird D tuning, on one hand a complete and total piece of crap, on the other, the greatest effing thing in my possession when i wanted to play along to SG's music.

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Farfisa

I've actually become quite accustomed to open tunings recently, most notable the Eb open tuning and this is why...

TheBig3

Yeah...as I said. **** this instrument.

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Dr_Rez

A lot of bands use Drop C tuning so that they can hit 5's or power chord by just barring. An example would be the song Shine by Collective soul. Its a simple easy way to get a heavier sound. But for the most part your right its just fuking confusing.

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SATCHMO

This surprises me, because it's a song that I picked up really quickly by ear in standard tuning, but I suppose the only huge difference would be the 'wide open' guitar sound in the chorus.