The guitar...

[Nate]

Anyone here play the guitar? I'm just starting,..using an acuistic quitar, but i want to get a bass quitar after i get better. Who here plays it, and is it extremely hard? I also have 2 quiestions about it, heh.

1. What's the dif between a bass and an acroustic?

2. is a base harder to play than an acroustic? Are the notes different?

Just wanted to see who here plays, thanks!

~`_Nate_`~

[instantramen14]

[color=red] I have a guitar (classical) but i'm not that great at it. I think (im not sure) that a bass guitar is the electric of a double bass or bass viol ie: that big wood thing often seen in orchestra and jazz groups alike. Bass-4 strings, guitar-6 strings, so yes, the fingerings would be diffrent. Im sorry to rain on your parade. [/color]

[Nate]

no, i know thebass..but there is a...bass guitar..you know..plugs into an amb..makes very loud....i understnad that much

[AnonymousSource]

It's the same thing...Bass guitar is just a smaller version of the big bass. So ya...she's right.
And it's not really harder...just different...you can use some of the same skills and stuff, but yeah...different instrument.

[Guest .h4ck]

With the bass guitar you pluck the strings, and with an acoustic you strum for the most part.
Some say that the bass is harder and some say its easier, but a universal truth with guitars in general they are tough. So don't expect to learn it the second you get it. It takes time and patients. Bass was the first guitar i picked up and i got frustrated easy, but once you get the hang of it you enjoy it alot more.

Hope this helps.

[Bing]

[size=1][color=darkblue]If you are starting to learn on a 6 String acoustic, you should first start to learn chords. This is when you hold down certai nstrings and strum for most of the time. Then, after a year, when you have a real feel for the instrument, move onto the Electric Guitar. Not bass, and electric guitar. You can buy replica Stratocasters (style of guitar) for about $150. I started on Electric, and now, about a year on, I'm getting pretty good, I have lessons, but they aren't completely necassary to be a great guitarist.
Bass Guitars have 4 pretty thick strings. They give the 'boom boom' sound in a song, and it's more about being the rhythm, then being over the top on the song. In my opinion, bass is easier, as the tunes are repetitive and generally simple to start with. However, it takes a lot of getting used to as the strings are heavy, and you need to use your fingers, which can be painful to start with.
Feel free to add me on AIM (Modern Toilet) or MSN (smashed_ice@hotmail.com) and ask more questions. I gotta run now to get to my lesson, lol, how coincidental.
I'll check the thread to help you out more if you need it and can't add me or anything
--Bing[/color][/size]

[Guest snakemarcato13]

im just starting to play too. the whole reason i got my guitar was to put lyrics to music. i guess if you have the right books its not too hard to learn how to play. but i am only aware of about 6 of the notes that i play.


....We're all trapped in memories
The terror breaks our sleep
The damage has been done
Memories haunt everyone...

[Rockstar Haruko]

I play the acoustics too!!!!! I love the guitar. I used to play the saxophone, but it wasn't for me. With the guitar I can make up songs and everything. After I master the acoustics, I'm going to get an electric guitar. I don't think it's hard to play at all. I mean, when you first start to learn and you have to hold down the strings on your frets, it hurts your fingers (mine hurt like crazy). They get better though. The bass guitar only has four strings I think. Don't take my word on it. My aunt wants to learn to play the bass. We're going to start a band. It's going to be sooo sweet!

[Break]

[size=1][color=CC0000]I play bass, but I play with a pick mostly, not with my fingers. I find I can play faster that way. Bass guitar can be hard if you make it hard by learning hard songs and making up complicated riffs.. like I do. =\ But on the whole, bass is a lot easier than guitar.

If you've just started playing acoustic, why are you going straight onto "base" guitar? If I were you, I'd get an electric guitar after you've learnt the basics on the acousitc. It all really depends on what you wanna play, guitar or bass guitar.

*shrugs*[/size][/color]

[Heaven's Cloud]

[color=indigo]I?ve been playing the guitar for several years now and, like most things in life, it is very difficult and takes quite a bit of dedication. Although I am not an incredible guitar player by any means I know that I can hold my own, and I have become familiar enough with the instrument.

As for the bass guitar being harder or easier than a standard guitar it all depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to be a mediocre musician the instruments are pretty even, although the bass may be slightly easier. If you want to become proficient on either than it really doesn?t matter, they both are challenging it just depends on what your intentions are. I have always been of the mindset that you should play guitar first and then learn bass if you are not sure which one you would prefer.

Good Luck
[/color]

[Ani_Freak]

[color=darkblue]I don't play guitar nor bass but what I've heard and see from friends, guitar is a lot difficult than bass to learn. More dificult its if you are going to play lead guitar.

There are many musicians here, I play the drums and I've been playing for like 10 years now. We should make a band!!!!

Oh well, maybe not...[/color]

[color=red]Ani_Freak[/color]

[Syn]

Well, I play the bass and have been doing for coming up to a year now. Bass is quite different from the guitar i've found, the bass for starters has less strings (duh) E A D G are the basic tuning for the bass, I dont know about a guitar though.

I couldn't tell which is harder to play out of the two but i'd think that every instrument is pretty much as hard as any other, its just how much you put into learning it.

The only other thing with the bass thats a downfall is its not as popular so its harder to find things for it. Amps, music, distorters etc. Accoustic bass' i've found are really expensive also.

I play with my fingers, plucking, but there are loads of styles that go with the bass that are easier to do on the bass than guitar such as slap, hammer ons and pull offs and what have you.

In the long run the bass is a generally over looked but its gradually breaking through. I really enjoy the bass and urge anyone whos thinking about learning to do so. But yah know, you need to be commited and what have you, such as with any instrument.

[Radaghast]

One thing, pretty much the guitar having the same look as the bass guitar are where most similarities stop.

For one thing, the clefs are completely different. Bass is, naturally, in bass clef. Guitar is in treble clef, which is about an octave higher. The strings: You can't judge on how many strings. There are 4 string, 6 string, up to 20 string(which are only played by the best professionals) basses. There are so many different types, it makes my mind hurt. So that's why I'm not going to tell you about all of them, and why I'm taking aspirin right now.

So one thing I'm going to tell you. If you want to switch from regular guitar to bass guitar, get ready for a trip, cause the only thing you'll carry over from regular guitar are the callouses. Oh, and any kind of guitar can be amplified.

[Nate]

Heh...keep the callouses......i figurede that. Didn't know the bass guitar only had 4 stings..i learned something. Yippee..if i learn both, i'll have an insturment for all three clef....viola for alto, bass for bass, and acroustic for reble. Cool.

[immortALdeath]

I only play acoustic at the moment, but I've had a bit of practice on my friends, and one thing I can say, is that whilst some parts of it are the same, the bass if vastly different, I had mostly done strumming on the guitar, so the finger picking was alot harder, but it is more repetitive, I guess what I'm trying to say is that they're both hard.

[The Unholy Newt]

[size=1][color=darkblue]I've been playing guitar for . . . jeez, coming up on five years now. Where does the time go?

I play both acoustic and electric guitar and I find that I favour the acoustic. For one thing you don't have to have an amp and I like the sound a lot better.

I gather (from theory, not experience) that bass is somewhat, but not by much, easier than the guitar. With the bass guitar you're not usually jumping up and down the fret board and bending strings and doing all kinds of crazy stuff. The bass in a band is usually the harmony (to create a foundation on which the guitar builds on) of the two and is not as complicated.

But then again if you're playing off some tablatures (guitar music) some bands have really complicated bass lines that are sometimes more difficult than the guitar line.

Go figure.

But anyway I'd recommend the acoustic first and then the electric. I wanted to begin with the electric but my parents insisted on the acoustic first. The reason being is that the neck on the acoustic is a lot thicker and so you have to stretch your fingers further so that when you get to the electric it is heaps easier.

If you want to get a really good acoustic but that is at a cheap price I recommend you get yourself an Ashton. They're not one of the most popular brand but they're good quality and isn't an imitation of some other brand. I've had mine for four years and it is in brilliant condition still.

Also when you get a guitar, no matter what brand. Take the strings off (or get someone else to do it for you), the reason being is that millions of people would have used the guitar in the store and the strings will be in real dodgy condition. Get yourself a set of D'Adarios, they're pretty expensive but they're top quality.

And one last thing. Guitar may seem pretty hard at first, mainly with the stretching your fingers to make chords and such, but with a heap of practice and hard work it gets easier. Practice does make perfect (I know it's a cliche but it is true in this case).

I hope I've helped you Nate and anyone else interested in taking up guitar.

~TUN[/size][/color]

[Nate]

Yep..they are both hard...and a pain at first. Litterally. *looks at hands*

Thanks all of you for your help. I still may go into the bass guitar. Don't know for sure yet.

[Radaghast]

Nate, there are three clefs: Treble, the highest; Tenor, the mid; and bass, is the lowest. There are also different versions of the same clef, which if you deal with the Finale program, you know. There is no alto clef, I believe alto insturments are in treble.

And the bass is, along with the drums, what establishes the beat in music. Mostly in jazz, where the bass and drums have to work together to drive the beat. I used to play guitar, then my teacher moved so I stopped playing. So this summer I took up bass guitar for jazz band. I would have to say that guitar is harder, but they (guitar players) have elaborate parts all of the time, and that becomes the norm for them. I enjoy playing bass, though, since everyone depends on me for the beat. In jazz soloing especially. Soloists take the root of the cord which the bass player is walking and use that as a basis for what they're playing so it sounds right.

[Guest lead]

I've been playing for about 9 months. But I'm not good. :)

It's easy to play but hard to master.

The bass guitar is a different instrument. It's design was from the double bass. Leo Fender turned it into an electric bass.

The bass guitar usually has 4 strings. But some have 5, 6 or up to 10 strings. The more the strings, the thicker the neck, the harder to play. The tuning on a 4 string bass is E A D G. On an acoustic, E A D G B E.

The bass guitar looks easy, well, it is really easy, but more complicated. Because you keep the timing of the song along with the drums. It's really fun playing bass. Slapping is one good technique you can learn that can amaze audiences. Popping is also another.

It is sometimes better learn on a crappy guitar because sometimes, the strings so far off the fretboard, you will build up finger strength. After a while, your fingers are much stronger. Playing on an electric is a piece of cake.

On learning how to play the guitar, better learn some theory. Like scales. Also learn how to read notes and tabs. When you can read notes, you have a big advantage over your average guitarist, because you can play a song you have never heard before bacause you know the timing. Not like tabs, you only know where to place your fingers but you have to listen to the song for timing.

But first, learn some finger exercises. You can find some over the internet. Just use your search engine. Learn all the open major chords and minor chords. Also practice some easy songs. Like Knocking on Heaven's Door. There are only 4 chords in the song. I know this is a lot but these are only the basics. These stuff will help you in your guitar playing.

Hope this helps. :)

[Guest .h4ck]

I have some websites that have guitar/bass tabs (music notes) if you would like them. If you have trouble on reading them (its not too difficult) then post here again or pm someone (I can't explain it too well though).
Here are some of the sites:
[url]www.basstabarchive.com[/url]

[url]www.taborama.com[/url]

[url]www.tabcrawler.com[/url]

[Valen]

Before going into Bass though, you might want to know that the Bass guitar's picks will be much thicker and bigger, as the thicker strings (yes, acoustic and electric strings are baby strings compared to the Bass'). Here, for all of you who play, are the fingerings for the Chords.

[Bent Metal]

I play bass, and have played guitar (both lead and rythym). Generally I have found the bass to be easier but there are several things about bass that are harder than guitar.

Most of them have been listed already but there is also one other thing that I would like to bring up. This is especially important if you plan to play in a band.

You need to have a good ear for music to pick out the bass riffs, as they are easily drowned out by the drums and guitars. When playing in a band, spend a little time alone to master the riffs as well as playing with the band, just because you may not be able to recognise if you are getting it wrong. But any developed musician should easily be able to pick it out.

[Jesus Chicken]

[color=blue] I've played everything. Except for woodwind instruments and I still play drums and both acoustic and electric guitar and electric bass. I have myself a Mapex kit, a black Epiphone SG and a really dodgy acoustic.
I've been play guitar for about two years now, and I'm doing pretty well in comparison to how long it takes other people to learn stuff. I seem to pick things up faster.
My brother bought a five string electric bass about two months ago. I've been playing it pretty regularly and I'm doing pretty well.
I've just learned slap-bass style. If you don't know what that is, go listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
They have one of the best rock bass players around and he uses slap bass all the time. If you're looking for a song that demonstrates slap-bass, go listen to [I]Suck My Kiss[/I]. Chili peppers again. Its brilliant.
Yeah, you can also use all the same effects on Bass guitars too. Phasers, Wah-Wahs, basic distortion...you name it.
The design of the pedals for these effects differ slightly because they are designed for different guitars, but still. You know what I mean. [/color]

[MarkM]

I have a Fender Acustic....i took lessons for like two months....then quit

it was acually a great instrument

[Shizoku]

I play guitar. Personally i think Guitar is harder than bass, but i also think when playing bass you gotta have real good rythm.