Thinkin about picking up Bass
 

Ever since I stopped playing trumpet I have been feeling kind of lost in the music world. MTSU offers free lessons for just about every instrument on the planet so I decided the bass guitar would be a good instrument for me to pick up. Anyone here play bass and have some pointers as too what a good starter bass guitar would be?

Zoner plays bass i think. I am thinking of picking Bass myself so if anyone has any tips or recommended Bass guitars then please link.

what is your reasoning behind picking the bass to learn? Want to start up a band? Just for self enjoyment? Cause there may be other instruments you might want to explore depending on your reasoning.

my main reason is I want to jam with my dad. He has been playing the guitar since about my age and it has always been one of those things I have wanted to do with him. I have no interest in starting up a band. The only other instrument I would probably feel like picking up is the banjo or fiddle.

airborne butters

that's cool. I was going to say if you wanted to sit out in the courtyard and pick up chicks, learning some Jack Johnson, Coldplay, Jason Mraz, or other homo artist songs on the guitar would be the way to go.

there is always that option too.

If you get a bass, learning even just a couple of scales and playing them up and down on different parts of the fretboard is great practice just for coordinating your hands together. You'll find that there's a lot more skill than you would think involved in the picking hand, like pretty much they're even as far as how hard it is to get up to speed with them. Then just whore some songs you like and you're rolling. Playing the scales to a metronome is good for timing, because your natural clock is definitely off when you begin.

Also, if you're still reading, get Guitar Pro 5. It is the best program out there for learning songs because it shows you the tab and plays it aswell, and you download files that contain a whole song of tabs for all the parts and plays them together and to the right time and you can slow it down and learn it step by step etc.

i've been playing bass for 2 or 3 years now and i just had an Austin (knockoff of a knockoff) p bass and just sat there for hours and just messed around on it for months, and got used to the frets. i finally discovered tabs, and that was cool. playing in a band/jamming is ultimately the best way to learn i think. i've learned so much while in a band. i'd suggest a pawn shop or a small music store to buy a cheap bass, and if you still like it, maybe buy a nice one. i still play my POS one and have had no problems whatsoever.

I've been playing the guitar for about 10 years now and I have never learned another artists song. I don't know what it is but I have no desire to learn other peoples stuff. There are a few songs I kinda know but nothing too crazy. I basically play for self satisfaction. Playing with your dad is a cool reason to pick up the bass.

If you're starting off, don't break the bank with a bass until you know you'll like it. You can get a decent bass for under $300 to start off. Go to a music store and tell the dude that you're just starting off and would like to play a few basses that have good action, are proportional to my body size and sound good.

Washburn make some really decent basses for beginners, as do Fender, Gibson Epiphone, and Yamaha. There are a gazillion models out there.

All I can say is try some out and pick the one that "feels" right. It's a very subjective process. You can always do some research online as well.

thanks, im gonna go sell my telecaster (don't ask, long story) and pick up a bass when I'm on thanksgiving break.

i've been drumming since i was a wee little man... it has had a bigger impact on my life than i had ever realized until i actually sat down and began to think of the skill i had acquired. it feels good to be able to have friends over and jam to some rage against the machine or incubus... really a good way to be finishing out my last year in high school.

i attempted to learn the bass one time, didn't exactly fall through... i just kept going back to the drums. find what you like and stick with it!

yeah, I played trumpet for about 10 years, then stopped when I came to college. The trumpet is a fun instrument to play, but I just got bored with it. I could never really get into improv with it either.