Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

some of you might find this strange but in my 18 years of playing guitar i have never played a bass truth be known i have never picked one up but i was thinking of getting one just to play around with at home but one thing i want to know before i go into a music shopp and look realy dumb how do you play one can you just play it like a guitar with only 4 strings ??

Sure, if you are talking lead/solo playing.

One of the biggest differences between bass and guitar is that on bass you usually only play one note at a time. You can play with either a guitar pick or with the fingers (usually index and middle, some people use more). You can also pluck or slap with your thumb.

As far as approach, very often on bass, "less is more" and it's just as much about the space between the notes as it is about what notes you play. The most important thing, of course, is to have fun!!!

One five, one five, one five....

Come to the dark side. Strum no more my young friend......Make each note a symphony all by itself.
......then do it over and over and over and over........and......

Don't play bass "just like guitar" or you will get made fun of. Of course, if it's just a hobby...

But basically, the overall climate in bass guitar culture right now is that funk style is the acceptable way to take the lead role and Chris Squire/Geddy Lee/etc.-type players are self-indulgent. I am making a sweeping generalization here but it is what I have observed. Therefore walking into a music store and blaring "Roundabout" is not going to get as much respect some Victor Wooten number, even though both players are ridiculously talented. It's just the cultural climate right now.

That said, there is a common thread among almost ALL famous bass players, the proggies included: they are darn good at keeping the pocket together. The bass player and the drummer really ought to be keeping each other's heartbeats in check, it's that important. This relationship is what frees other instruments--like the guitar--to fulfill their roles. Of course, this does vary by genre. Sometimes guitar fulfills a more rhythmic role, like in much jazz.

Rickenbacker basses are associated with prog, but in truth, a 4001 or 4003 can go just about anywhere. Take it from me--I've played both my fretted and fretless 4003s in jazz settings, blues settings, rock settings, and even metal settings (yes, both of them, even in the short time I've had the fretless). If you want a really solid bass, either go with a Rickenbacker bass or one of the other "big names", but as long as you have a good idea of what you're getting into you'll probably find a Rickenbacker bass to be a more long-term investment than most basses pushed out by the other bass makers like Fender. Fenders can be incredible, but their quality control is kind've rough, and generally their instruments need modding to achieve the same kind of versatility that a stock Ric bass is capable of. However, don't go around spouting that info to just anyone, because a lot of people aren't willing to accept that Ric basses can move beyond prog.

Good luck if you move into the Low End... it's a lovely place to be.

Jerry, also what others have not said is the 4 strings are the same notes as the lower 4 strings on a guitar. E - A - D - G

jps wrote:Sure, if you are talking lead/solo playing.

shamustwin wrote:One five, one five, one five....

As a rhythm guitar player who "plays" (hacks!) a bass, it is different, but it is a lot of fun. The most complicated bass line I know by heart is Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke.

shamustwin wrote:One five, one five, one five....

Show off!

shamustwin wrote:One five, one five, one five....

You're overplaying, Jerry!!

Playing bass like a guitarist is not a good idea.

Bass controls the sound basically. I could record a guitar and drum track and overdub 4 different bass tracks and each one would totally change the feel of the song.

Bassists (good bassists) need to know when not to play, where to leave space, where to add a flurry of explosive awesomeness, when to keep it simple and all that rubbish.

tennis_nick wrote:Playing bass like a guitarist is not a good idea.

Bass controls the sound basically. I could record a guitar and drum track and overdub 4 different bass tracks and each one would totally change the feel of the song.

Bassists (good bassists) need to know when not to play, where to leave space, where to add a flurry of explosive awesomeness, when to keep it simple and all that rubbish.

My comment was meant in the vein of, he could pick up a bass and start to play, without needed "bass specific" things to do on it.

So a dad decides to get his daughter a bass for her birthday. Being thoughtful, he also signs her up for bass lessons. So thursday afternoon she leaves for the bass lesson. She comes back and her dad asks her what she learned at her first lesson. "I learned the first five notes on the first string."

Next thursday she leaves for her bass lesson, and upon returning her dad asks her what she learned on her second lesson. "I learned the first five notes on the second string."

The third thursday, however, she leaves for the lesson but doesn't return. Her father worries and waits. She finally comes home at 3am smelling of smoke. Her dad angrily asks her where she's been, "I had my first gig." she replies.

Nice to see you post again, Scott.

s4001 wrote:So a dad decides to get his daughter a bass for her birthday. Being thoughtful, he also signs her up for bass lessons. So thursday afternoon she leaves for the bass lesson. She comes back and her dad asks her what she learned at her first lesson. "I learned the first five notes on the first string."

Next thursday she leaves for her bass lesson, and upon returning her dad asks her what she learned on her second lesson. "I learned the first five notes on the second string."

The third thursday, however, she leaves for the lesson but doesn't return. Her father worries and waits. She finally comes home at 3am smelling of smoke. Her dad angrily asks her where she's been, "I had my first gig." she replies.

Good one Scott!