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Bass or Electric Guitar

post #1 of 42
2/4/07 at 5:19pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, so I am thinking of getting either one for my birthday. Which is easier to learn (I have been playing saxophone for about 6 years)? If you know one of the instruments could you learn the other one easily?
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post #2 of 42
2/4/07 at 5:22pm
Bass.. by far
I'd advice learning guitar first though, if you can play guitar you can play basic bass
Doesn't work the other way around
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post #3 of 42
2/4/07 at 5:26pm
Thread Starter 
hmm, what about acoustical guitar. My mom's one from her childhood is in my basement. If I learn it a little bit will it help with learning one of these guitars?
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post #4 of 42
2/4/07 at 5:31pm
acoustic, bass, and electric i think
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post #5 of 42
2/4/07 at 5:37pm
acoustic guitar is the exact same as electric guitar. Cut your teeth on an acoustic for a few months and you will be a better player on electric. You will also have the basic fretwork down for bass, just need to learn some right hand techniques.
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post #6 of 42
2/4/07 at 6:09pm
Since the bottom four strings of a regular guitar are the same as the four strings of a bass, you can pretty much play bass if you know how to play regular guitar.

Also, if you start on acoustic, electric is a little easier to learn. The other way around, acoustic is much harder to learn if you start on electric. IMO.
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post #7 of 42
2/4/07 at 6:30pm
The bass and the guitar are entirely different instruments, with entirely different purposes. I would advise against getting an electric bass, because the real beauty of the bass instruments comes from the upright bass. There are few who can play an electric bass in such a way that it would be impossible to achieve on an acoustic one as well.

If you play saxophone, however, the idea of being able to record yourself and make your own basslines to improv on top of with the sax is definitely a nice bonus. I'm a multi-instrumentalist, being a percussionist, bassist, saxophonist, and "harmonica-ist" (among others), and it's a very practical thing to be well-versed in instruments that compliment each other. You won't have that practicality with an electric guitar.

Plus, everybody plays the guitar. Far fewer people can play a mean bass - go for it man.
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post #8 of 42
2/4/07 at 8:30pm
I'd say go with an acoustic guitar or clasical nylon string guitar. You don't need to spend money on a bass/guitar amp, and you can easily take an acoustic guitar anywhere with you if you want to travel or move around with it. With either a bass, electric or not, and an electric guitar you need to lug alot around and you need to have more space to put the stuff and practice. with an acoustic you can just pick it up whenever you feel like it and start playing around and the transition to electric is easier like the above posts. and if you feel like bass, then you can always get those acoustic bass guitars. If you're going for upright classical double bass then thats an entirely different ballgame, and you should just start with that.
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post #9 of 42
2/4/07 at 8:41pm
electric bass guitar
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post #10 of 42
2/4/07 at 8:49pm
IMO guitars are easier to learn than bass. You need a very strong sense of timing and rhythm to play bass.

That's why I play guitar.
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post #11 of 42
2/4/07 at 9:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aman View Post
The bass and the guitar are entirely different instruments, with entirely different purposes.
Quoted for truth. I play both, and I can tell you that bass and guitar are different instruments, that serve different functions in the band. The fact that the bass shares four strings with a guitar doesn't mean that a guitar player can play bass, any more than the fact that a mandolin and violin are tuned the same means that a mandolin player can play violin.
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post #12 of 42
2/4/07 at 11:57pm
Yup, learn acoustic guitar first, then electric. You will be a much better player for it.
Buy a decent acoustic. Do your research online then go and play with them ( I know you dont know how, but push down the strings, fumble and see how it feels, sits, etc). Don't be afraid to push around the salesperson (Guitar Center = bad) and make then take down many guitars and sit through your fumbling. You may be buying your first guitar, but that does not make you any less of a paying customer.

The best tip I have when it comes to playing is to wash your hands very well in quite warm water and dry them very well before you start practicing every time. It gets the blood flowing. The washing in warm water warms your hands up and betters your circulation, the soap cleans your hands, making the strings last MUCH LONGER and the drying sensitizes your hands and fingertips (painful for a while, but eventually helpful on electric) making your touch lighter.


Enjoy
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post #13 of 42
2/5/07 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdimitri View Post
Bass.. by far
I'd advice learning guitar first though, if you can play guitar you can play basic bass
Doesn't work the other way around
that's just not true. you can play many, many songs by just learning a few scales and chords on guitar- on bass, you just really have to learn what makes the instrument tick to be successful.

i suggest you learn bass. it's nice to have variety, and you'll really learn how to improve your rhythm and timing on sax to boot. plus, it's a more common jazz instrument.
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post #14 of 42
2/5/07 at 3:04am
Don't think about easy or hard!!!
Pick what you are more drawn towards. I play some acoustic and some bass. They are different instruments, and I would say equally difficult/easy. What do you want to do with the instrument? What's nice about guitar (acoustic/electric) is that you can play by yourself. To play the bass you really need a band especially a drummer. I consider myself more of a bass player. I just love the groove of music.
Pick the sound and role you are more inclined towards. Some people say one is easier than the other... I think that is bs. It's very subjective.
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post #15 of 42
2/5/07 at 4:34am
I was responding to which instrument is easier to start playing
It's also easier to play basic bass as a guitarist than to play basic guitar as a bassist.. I play bass in a big band environment when the bass player isn't around
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