Oct 09
8
Bass Guitar?
Hey I’m 13 and I like heavy metal. I play the guitar and violin. I’m thinking of playing the bass guitar. Would playing the bass guitar be easy with my current experience? Can bass players recommend some good bass guitars for a beginner like me? Thanks!
Hey guys, thanks. Is The Guitar Centre in the US? cuz im in NZ . lol. I’ve got a few basses I am considering now. They are; Ibanez SR190 Jump Started Pack and the Behringer Bass Guitar/ Amp Pack. I don’t know much about bass guitars so if the ones I’m considering aren’t decent please tell me. Thanks for all the advice and recommendations guys it is GREATLY appreciated!
The transition from either of those two instruments should be very easy. You should already know your way around the fret board notewise, now you just need to adjust your fingers to a different sized instrument. You probably already know that a guitar is tuned EADGbe, and bass is EADG, so all the notes on the bottom 4 strings are the same. Besides the physical aspect of learning the bass, there is the change in your role as a musician. As a violinist and guitarist, you probably played the melody of the song. As a bassist, your role is to lock in with the drummer, and play along with the rhythm. Your job is to still play the main harmony, but also accent the percussion. You’ll find yourself starting to think like a guitarist and a drummer, listening for the beat in songs, as well as the notes. You should start trying to pick out the bass parts in songs, so you can get an understanding for how bass parts really fit into a song, as well as developing an ear that can tune into the bass tones that can be hidden to others.
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As for a bass, I suggest a starter pack from either Ibanez or Fender. Those are two of the best all-around brands around, and the packages they offer are great deals. For about $200, you get a bass (4-string), an amp (15-25 watt), a cable, and tons of other knick knacks. Try to go to a guitar center to buy one, because they’ll have the guitars out separately so you can play each to see what you like. If you already have an amp, I’d still mainly look at those two brands, plus Epiphone and Schecter. You said you like heavy metal, so Ibanez and Schecter would be your best bets for that. Try to avoid brands like Dean and BC Rich. They’re guitars look really badass, but you don’t get great sound for your buck.
Good luck.