need help

[jetsrock1081]

I want to learn how to play guitar or bass i was wondering what your opinion is on which one i should play. Also i have 350 dollars to spend so i would like to know what kind of guitar or bass i should get, and the music i want to learn how to play is rock, alternative rock plzz answer back

 

[Hard2Hear]

What do you WANT to play? You're the only one who can really answer your question. eother way, don't make the mistake of buying new stuff. Buy used stuff. Look around Ebay and Harmony Central, there are lots of deals to be had. And your parents will be happy if stuff isn't as expensive as it could be. Saying, "LOOK HOW MUCH MONEY WE CAN SAVE ON THIS!" can get you a long way.

One thing to think about though with your decision. There are a million billion guys who play guitar. And when guys get together to form a band, its always harder to find a real live bass player rather than a guitar player who messes around on bass.

H2H

 

[Toki987]

It is cool that you said you didnt know which you really wanted to play. A lot of folks at your age are unsure and many go for something for the wrong reasons. Many look for glamour, popularity, simply being radical and different. It is ok to experiment. Some are wanting to mimic another person and are envious of peer attentions that person may get, the equipment the person has, or of the lifestyle. I would recommend listening to all the music you like with your eyes closed. Relax and listen closely enough to discriminate as many of the many different tones and colors of each instrument in the music as you can. Discover the tones that turn you on, and seem as if they are YOUR tones, in as many different styles and flavors of songs as you listen to. Then watch a guitar player that knows what he/she is doing, and a bassist as well. Refer back to what pleases you most deep inside when you close your eyes and listen.... Who knows you might end up wanting to play drums, keyboards, or something else. But you`ll surely have experienced a healthy study through dedicated listening. I would recommend an inexpensive guitar for anyone starting out, even if that`s not the instrument they become proficient at playing because it is a pretty standard instrument among many for learning note positions, rythyms, and developing melodies.
As Hard2Hear said "you're the only one that can really answer your question".
I hope you the best in your decision grasshopper.

I am a bassist that started as a bassist, although I am fairly proficient on a few other instruments as well.

 

[lpdeluxe]

At the risk of offending bass players everywhere, I'd suggest starting with the guitar (I play both), especially if you don't have a regular playing partner. The bass is a great instrument, but you'll learn rather more music theory in dealing with chords and leads with the guitar. Another advantage of the guitar is that you can learn on an acoustic; a bass requires an amplifier, with associated problems with disturbing other members of the family and so on.

Good luck. I wish I had started at your age.

 

[Nick The Man]

get a mexican strat for like 300 ....you can get almost any style

 

[Nick The Man]

oh and dont play bass its much more boring than guitar unless you become relly good

 

[ibanezrocks]

Think about what kind of music you like. Although a lot of people would say that guitar is always the more noticeable instrument in a band, look at audioslave and the red hot chili peppers, the bass plays a really big roll in all their songs. However if you like bands like van halen or most 80's bands then guitar would obviously be something that would interest you more.
In a lot of punk and some grunge the bass and guitar parts are pretty much the same. If god forbid I actually liked punk music, I'd much rather play bass than guitar.
Bass is simpler in the fact that there are less strings, but I have a good friend who can play the craziest fast slap bass and it blows my mind. Bass can get complicated, look beyond popular music for the most part though.
So I basically just restated what Toki said but linked it to the genre of music too.

 

[tilinmyowngrave]

OK, im a drummer. So i know nothing about guitars or basses... but listening to my friends play, I prefer the bass... but I'm a drummer, I know shit about stringed instruments. Whatever you want...

 

[Rokket]

OK, im a drummer. So i know nothing about guitars or basses... but listening to my friends play, I prefer the bass... but I'm a drummer, I know shit about stringed instruments. Whatever you want...

Being a drummer, you are probably most familar with the bass, since the two of you are the closest to each other in terms of the musical picture.

My advice: go to a music store and play around with several different guitars and basses, and see which one suits you more.

But the advice about learning the guitar first is pretty solid. I learned the bass first because I couldn't make my 6 year old hands play chords, but I wish I was a better guitar player now that I am the only member of my home recording "band"...

 

[jetsrock1081]

thanks alot everyone

 

[Dani Pace]

I think of bass as an extention of guitar, the bass is the same as a regular guitar's 4 lowest strings, tuned an octave lower. I suggest learning the basics on guitar, notes, chord patterns and scales. A bass player has to recognize what a guitar player is doing both by sight and sound so being familiar with guitar is an asset to a bass player. By the time you learn a few of the basics, your preferance will develope to the point where YOU will decide whether to continue with guitar or drop an octave and go for bass.

 

[Imaduck]

Bass players = sexy.

Anyway, it's important to know that if you do choose bass, you'll be adding to a market that needs bass players, but, you'll also be paying more for your instrament and possibly your gear. Not that this should be a deciding factor, but sometimes it can be a big deal to new players.

It's also important to know that bass is hard to get started on -- it already hurt guitarist's fingers like crazy when they start out, think about playing on strings that are 2-3+ times as thick. This is especially important if you have small hands (though there are basses and guitars designed to suit this).

So, with all that said, most people will probably want to (and do) start on guitar. But, if you're really up for being an original and sexy person, go for bass, and whichever instrament you choose STICK WITH IT. Don't quit in the first two months like all the other unsexy people out there.