[Leona]

As a lot of you guys know, I've sold all my guitar gear (sans my bass) and bought a chapman stick and... I've found out that playing both stick and bass is a lot more rewarding to me than guitar ever was.

I cant place it, but it just seems more fun. Its even more fun that im getting my right hand able to play some of my favorite Maiden songs (Aces High, Powerslave, etc.) I definitely will get some more guitars in the future-- i still have the itch to play every now and again, and want a few around to write songs on and record with as well. But im thinking my more primary goal will be getting some good bass hardware. Plus, Steinberger made 5 strings!

Im still trying to wrap my mind around all this. has anyone else made the switch from either guitar to bass or vice-versa? As in, rather than having a bass to play some bass tracks, simply trying to become a bassist?

 

[Josh]

I've been moving more towards bass over the past year and a half or so. Definitely have more fun in bands as the bass player, and my puny brain likes the fact that I'm generally playing fewer notes at once and can focus more on melody and fills (actually playing) than where my fingers are.

It's also forcing me to become more rhythmically aware, which is very good since I tend to think melodically instead of rhythmically.

I still play guitar very regularly though, can't see myself giving it up.

 

[Leona]

well, its not playing fewer notes that i like. Hell, on the stick, i think im playing more notes :lol: I just feel more of a connection with it. something more visceral i guess? I dunno.

 

[Josh]

I think for me it's because I grew up on cello, which has a very "linear" way of playing in that generally only one note is bowed at a time, and it is generally used by playing a supporting melody. I think bass fits this mindset better than guitar does.

One of the reasons I love Amorphis so much is because their guitarist plays a lot of melodic single-note riffs and motifs instead of chugging or chording. This approach really appeals to me, and is far more common on bass than guitar.

 

[shannon]

I'm a switch hitter in that for the last 20+ years, I've always have a guitar & bass gig(s) simultaneously. I love each instrument equally.

For my rock/metal gigs, I love being the guitarist. I don't think I'll ever get that out of me.
For my cover/tributes, I love that I can cover so many different styles & approaches on bass. Pick, fingers, slap, etc.

 

[eleven59]

Yeah, I love playing both, and will always play both. I find I can write easier on guitar, and it's my main instrument for my own music, but I can jam better on bass, following along with a band and improvising. I too love how expressive the bass can be through technique alone, creating a wide variety of sounds without every touching a knob or switch. If anything, becoming a bass player has opened me up as a guitarist, as I try to transfer over some of my groove and feel and dynamic technique over, which has resulted in me switching patches less often on guitar and doing more with my hands and maybe a volume pedal/knob.

 

[Buzz]

I'm a switch-hitter as well, actually. In my last band, we had two guitarists, one of which being me. Before we were able to secure a full-time bassist, I ended up picking up bass duties to fill in until we got someone else to do it regularly. I had a blast doing it... I won't say it is more rewarding for me than guitar, but it is quite fun to play. I think it's partially because I've spent the past 12 years playing guitar. I go through phases where the instrument starts to get old, and I feel stuck in a rut. Switching to something completely different for a while is a great escape from that and usually restores my love of music. Recently bass did this for me, previously it was piano.

 

[Leona]

I think it's partially because I've spent the past 12 years playing guitar. I go through phases where the instrument starts to get old, and I feel stuck in a rut. Switching to something completely different for a while is a great escape from that and usually restores my love of music. Recently bass did this for me, previously it was piano.

might be the same for me, albeit 8-9 years. I dunno. I felt like i was in a horrible rut. still kinda do when i pickup a guitar. when i get out the stick or bass, i've seen tons of progress since the last time i picked it up, and i feel inspired to do things on it.

The only downside to all this is the new GAS that will come about. I was looking at the Conklin Groove Tools basses :lol:

 

[The Dark Wolf]

I'm a switch hitter in that for the last 20+ years, I've always have a guitar & bass gig(s) simultaneously. I love each instrument equally.

Same for me. And I'm very good on both.

I find I tend to play guitar more... it's the "go to" instrument. But I've always been really drawn to the bass, and never thought too much about. In fact, just earlier, I had a riff idea for a song in my head, and it was on the bass. So, off to the bass I went.

Ken, I think some people just connect more with guitar, some with bass, and a few like Shannon and I with both. And others with other instruments. I feel the same connection with singing, but drums, for example, even though I play them, to me, they are and always will be a secondary instrument. Whereas voice, guitar, and bass are to me "primary" instruments.

So, diff'rent strokes. Go with what speaks to you. If it's Chapman sticks and basses, and guitar is just secondary, that's cool. For me, it's 7-string guitars and 5 or 6 string basses.

 

[sami]

I switched back in November because of a band opportunity. I've switched once in the past as well. The biggest problem I have is hitting the strings too hard and I used to think I hit my guitar strings too hard...

 

[Leon]

I think the more instruments you can learn, the more rounded of a musician you'll become. I mean, of course you will, because you'll be proficient in more instruments, but the things you'll learn on them can transfer and mix into the others, and you'll find yourself in all sorts of neat places.

 

[Seanbabs]

The only downside to all this is the new GAS that will come about. I was looking at the Conklin Groove Tools basses :lol:

I have a friend that got a Conklin Groove Tools 7 string bass, and it sounded GREAT. It was so clear and never had that muddy, sub-audible kinda sound to it. Definitely recommend it!

I need to take the first step and just get any bass at all so I can beef up my recordings, and then see where it goes from there. I think I am too in love with guitar to ever switch though.

 

[Drew]

The only downside to all this is the new GAS that will come about. I was looking at the Conklin Groove Tools basses :lol:

I want a 7-string Groove Tools in the worst way. :lol:

For me, I think it's probably a question of opportunity. Bass IS a lot of fun, and I think I enjoy it more once you start to get into more of the solo melodic stuff - 6 or 7 strings and playing up in the upper registers as well. It's a gorgeous sound. Additionally, for me the "groove" of a piece of music or of a band is hugely important - I can't get into BTBAM because they don't really settle into a groove, but I love Opeth because they do - and a lot of that I think comes down to the interaction between the bass and the drums. I could see a band with a bassist and a drummer well before I could see one with just guitar and drums (and I say this as a white stripes fan).

The problem for me is I have only a finite amount of time to practice and money to buy gear. I think at heart I'm more of a guitarist than a bassist - I love the sound of a guitar, I love the feel, and I love guitar solos in a way that I don't bass solos. However, if time wasn't an issue and I could afford a separate quality bass rig, I definitely could see myself getting pretty heavily into both, particularly solo touchstyle/fingerstyle bass stuff. And in the right band setting I think I'd enjoy gigging as a bassist as well.

Of course, I kind of feel the same way about drums - one day I hope to own my current guitar rig, a 7-string bass and a decent bass amp, and then a decent drum kit, plus the space to set up a good home studio. Then, maybe, I can start in on piano.

 

[darren]

I'd love to try a Stick.

 

[Seanbabs]

I'd love to try a Stick.

:agreed:

 

[angelvivaldi]

My whole view on playing any instrument is this. There's a huge difference being a "Bassist" and opposed to being a "Bass Player," same goes for guitar or any instrument for that matter. Most guitarist can kind of pick up a bass, follow the root notes and be ok. To become a Bassist is to know how to blend the melodic side of the guitars and the rhythmic side of the drums while still grooving.

I've played bass in a few bands for shits and giggles and although it helps to play guitar, it can also hurt you if you get stuck in the box of playing roots constantly. Playing bass is tons of fun for me, and really helps to strengthen my fingers so that when I go back to a 7 string it's like a toy. I love to challenge myself with anything I did so I ditched my pick and went balls to the wall fingerstyle.

 

[Drew]

Playing bass is tons of fun for me, and really helps to strengthen my fingers so that when I go back to a 7 string it's like a toy.

This. :agreed: After an hour or two with a bass, a guitar feels effortless.

 

[Naren]

Same for me. And I'm very good on both.

I find I tend to play guitar more... it's the "go to" instrument. But I've always been really drawn to the bass, and never thought too much about. In fact, just earlier, I had a riff idea for a song in my head, and it was on the bass. So, off to the bass I went.

Ken, I think some people just connect more with guitar, some with bass, and a few like Shannon and I with both. And others with other instruments. I feel the same connection with singing, but drums, for example, even though I play them, to me, they are and always will be a secondary instrument. Whereas voice, guitar, and bass are to me "primary" instruments.

So, diff'rent strokes. Go with what speaks to you. If it's Chapman sticks and basses, and guitar is just secondary, that's cool. For me, it's 7-string guitars and 5 or 6 string basses.

:agreed: That's exactly the same way I am, although I have a lot of other instruments that I like to dabble in that I consider secondary instruments.

I've never been the type of guy to want to completely switch from one instrument to another. But I have felt that I wanted to add another instrument of about the same level.

 

[Seanbabs]

:agreed: That's exactly the same way I am, although I have a lot of other instruments that I like to dabble in that I consider secondary instruments.

I've never been the type of guy to want to completely switch from one instrument to another. But I have felt that I wanted to add another instrument of about the same level.

I don't think I have the musical talent to add another instrument at the same level of my guitar playing (which isn't super great to begin with). I have just put so much effort to get where I am in guitar I can't even imagine going through that all over again with a different instrument.

Some people have that ability, and I envy you. I am not one of them.

 

[Demeyes]

My first gigs were as a bassist a few years back but my main instrument was guitar, and I'd say it always will be. A few months back though I picked up another bass, a 5 string OLP, so I could record and match my 7 string stuff and I love playing it now. Some guys I know were forming a covers band so I called bass on it straight away and it is really good fun. I find it a lot less demanding playing bass so it's way easier to have fun on stage and the jam sessions we have are really enjoyable. The place in the band is very different, it all about locking in with the drummer and hitting the groove and even on covers I find there's more room for improv on bass than guitar. It's really great fun with other musicians.