How hard to convert from guitar to bass?

[opranks612]

Just got an invite from a friend to join a thrash metal band, only catch is I have to be the bassist. I've been playing guitar a while, and I'm getting pretty good. How hard would it be to pick up bass guitar and learn it? Cause if I drop some cash for a bass and an amp, I want to be able to play bass well enough to deserve to be in the band, not just because I'm the first one to show up.

[januaryscar]

Its a different beast, the bass guitar.

[opranks612]

I understand it's a different beast, but do you think I could wing it for a while doing roots and things, or from tabs, until I can get the theory down?

[i_wanna_les_paul]

Bass is very easy to pick up and thud out root notes with a band. It's very difficult, however, to really "master" it, if such a thing can be done.

 

The transition is quite easy. Just be sure to watch out for your technique and start off playing with proper left hand technique so you don't build really bad habits that will take time to un-fix. I'm both a guitarist and a bassist, and playing bass really helped my guitar playing take off. In a band, I really enjoy playing bass more, though.

 

In short, you should be able to pick it up right away and play in a band. With a little time and effort, you'll be able to become proficient at it as long as you're willing to approach it as a unique instrument rather than just a guitar with two fewer strings.

 

Dustin

[james on bass]

 

Originally posted by januaryscar Its a different beast, the bass guitar.

 

 

+1

 

I guess you could wing it though. Hang around the root notes and such.

 

Just remember, the bass is closer to the drummer than the guitarist. Part of the rhythm, part harmony, part melody, all of the drive.

Pay attention to everything between the notes, as in a lot of cases, the spaces between can be as important as the notes played.

 

And whatever you do, start to think like a bass player. There is nothing worse than a guitarist playing bass! Nothing!

[sunburstbasser]

As long as you aren't trying to convert a guitar into a bass, it isn't THAT hard!

[Emprov]

Bass is kind of an interesting animal. It's pretty easy to sound good, (provided you have some resemblance of rhythm and time), by sticking to roots and fifths. It's pretty darn difficult to actually be good though. Not sure what your thrash metal band is looking for but if they'll let you hang on the root with a pick for a while you should be ok.

[Narcosynthesis]

as someon who made the jump a couple of months ago, it is very similar to guitar, yet quite different too...

 

there is a lot more rhythm needed to play, you really need to be able to play perfectly in time with a drummer (which admittedly i havent tried yet in real life) to create a solid foundation for the songs

 

from playing along with songs i feel i am an alright bassist, a lot comes from guitar - knowing how to hold notes and being used to stretching and all the left hand work, and being able to use a pick, i am mainly trying to play fingerstyle, so that is taking a bit longer to get up to speed and so on, i have been trying things like a few muse songs, stuff that sounds farly cool and pretty impressive, but isnt too hard to learn to play properly

 

i rememberig hearing a comment about the first motorhead album, as lemmy was a guitarist beforehand, they could hardly hear the bass on the songs as he played it so much like a guitar, so i have always tried to play stuff that is different from the guitar and lookat them as separate instruments (though somilar to play)

 

for a thrash band you should get along fine playing root notes along with the guitarwork and sound pretty decent

good luck

 

David

[Perfessor]

I started on guitar as a 5th grade kid. I bought a $20 guitar then upgraded to a $50 guitar. The second garage band I was in, in the 8th grade , had a bass player who used to let me take his Precision bass with me becauase he couldn't stand the blue color. It took about 3 months to really get the spacing and play without a pick, which I haven't done in 34 years. I bought my own shortly after.

[Apendecto]

Sure, why not. If you understand how a guitar works you have the basics. Don't let everyone scare you, just practice.

 

Yo.

[bassman1956]

Learn to find the groove. People might sing to the guitar, but they dance to the bass. You must find this pocket to be any good.

[Rowka]

The mechanics should be pretty easy.

The hard part is to think and play like a bassist, NOT like a guitarist playing a bass.

[Zamfir]

+1 to the observation that rhythmic thinking of a bassist is very different from that of many guitarists. You'll get used to feel, though, by listening to good records.

 

The other thing that threw me for a bit was having the G string on top (er, bottom, but you know what I mean), rather than the high E. Visually and as a tactile matter, I had to stop and think about what notes were where, 10th fret and higher. That too, shall pass.

 

But I repeat...listen regularly to cop phrasing/transcribe lines from good bassists who have solid time and groove, and you will pick it up.

[basshunter]

 

Originally posted by Rowka The mechanics should be pretty easy. The hard part is to think and play like a bassist, NOT like a guitarist playing a bass.

 

 

 

+1, that really sums it up...

[opranks612]

 

Originally posted by bassman1956 Learn to find the groove. People might sing to the guitar, but they dance to the bass. You must find this pocket to be any good.

 

 

I don't think I'll have too much trouble finding the groove, because I spent a few weeks this summer playing Bass steel drums (it was a hell of an honor, I got to perform on one of the three original chrome bass steel drum sets ever to exist), and I found that you can really lock in well if you kind of dance around to the music.

[Craig Vecchione]

Since it only has 4 strings, it's obvious that bass is 33% easier to play than guitar.

 

 

Oh wait, some basses have 5 and 6 strings. Damn.

 

 

What do you 'hear' when you listen to a song? If you don't instinctively listen for and hear the bass part, you need to start. That's a good way to start thinking bass, and rhythm. If you know scales and chords, and can read, you've got a great head start....most bass lines are built directly from the chords, scales and modes that make up the melody. Tie that in with the rhythm, and you're on your way.

 

 

Or just copy Jamerson.

[catphish]

Originally posted by bassman1956 People might sing to the guitar, but they dance to the bass.

 

If I had a real sig, that would be in it!

 

[Microwave Walrus]

I started playing guitar before bass (play both, although not in a band)...

 

The hardest thing for me has been learning right-hand finger technique (my hand gets tired easily, I still use a pick a lot, although it's a lot less fluid, if you ask me) and being more powerful behind the notes.

 

I think that's really the key thing.

On a guitar, you can play a lot of small fast notes...well, even just messin around like Hendrix does or something, ya know? I'm not really talking about playing a solo, even.

 

But on a bass, it's like every note has to have a lot of power/thought behind it and you can't be playing all sorts of little stuff cause it seems to really {censored} it all up.

 

Like, I can't play bass nearly as fast as guitar...I do think a lot of the problem lies in that I need to replace my goddamn strings with a lighter gauge. But I need to buy some string clippers or something

 

anyhow...yea...just play fewer notes but make sure to pay attention to those that you DO play...they gotta come from your heart, you can't just mess around...well...I dunno, I'm not the greatest bassist (or even guitarist...i play piano better than both of those heh...and i'm not the greatest pianist either ) but that's my 2 cents.

[bassman1956]

Originally posted by catphish If I had a real sig, that would be in it!

 

 

Thanx! Remind me in a few days, I'll think about a way to squeeze it into mine. It's just that for some dippy reason, I like the looks of that maple syrup line, and I'd have to replace that to keep from getting too big.