NationStates Jolt Archive

Which do you play, or would rather play? Which is better?


I say bass. I'm biaist. I am currently making a meager income playing bass, and giving bass lessons, as well as palying bass in several groups, while only sucking ast the guitar in one.

Both! My evil hybrid bass/guitar!!!

Once, I saw this thing that was a Guitar AND a Piano. I would like to play whatever that is.

I can play any of them, but when I'm with a band, I demand I play bass because that's where my soul is.

My soul resides in the bass clef.

PS: I can take Les Claypool and Flea and send them home cryin' to mama. ;) Seriously.

My soul resides in the bass clef.
:fluffle:
How many more do you think we can fit in here....

(I play a lot of instruments, and sing, and all the fun ones are in the bass clef(except some tenor parts, and occasionally cello))

Once, I saw this thing that was a Guitar AND a Piano. I would like to play whatever that is.

harpsicord? you wanna play harpsicord?

well im a bassist a guitarist and a drummer so i dont count cuz i can fill any spot

gota be bass

guitar is for egomaniacs

:fluffle:
How many more do you think we can fit in here....


As many as she needs. :D

I'm a guitarist. :D
But bass is fun too.

guitarists=diaherra of notes......

harpsicord? you wanna play harpsicord?

Do you hold that?

yes

Guitar. I leave the bass to my best friend, then we figure a drumline on the computer, see which of us can sing that particular song better, and then get recording. Once we write enough songs, we'll have to actually make a CD and pass it out to our friends. We oughta come up with a band name...

The bassist is truly a rare creature, indeed. Usually shy by nature, they tend to be modest and reasonable. Often times, they get pushed to the back of the band, or criticized for being monophonic. Yet, he is the backbone of the entire band. Without him, the band cannot function. Without a bassist, there is no time and there is no harmony.

Guitar players on the other hand are a dime a dozen. They often tend to grow their hair out and pretend that they're the most important part of the band. They're cocky, arrogant, and self-important. And they think all of this simply because they can play a lot of notes in a short amount of time. Little do they realize that the most important part of music is not what you play. It's what you don't play. A bassist knows this from the womb. Bass lines have to be simple or they just don't work.

I'm biased though. Does it show?

Guitar. I leave the bass to my best friend, then we figure a drumline on the computer, see which of us can sing that particular song better, and then get recording. Once we write enough songs, we'll have to actually make a CD and pass it out to our friends. We oughta come up with a band name...

ow god you have a drum machine.......

I can play any of them, but when I'm with a band, I demand I play bass because that's where my soul is.

My soul resides in the bass clef.

PS: I can take Les Claypool and Flea and send them home cryin' to mama. ;) Seriously.

I bet you got nothin' on Victor though.

(Victor Wooten that is...)

The bassist is truly a rare creature, indeed. Usually shy by nature, they tend to be modest and reasonable. Often times, they get pushed to the back of the band, or criticized for being monophonic. Yet, he is the backbone of the entire band. Without him, the band cannot function. Without a bassist, there is no time and there is no harmony.

Guitar players on the other hand are a dime a dozen. They often tend to grow their hair out and pretend that they're the most important part of the band. They're cocky, arrogant, and self-important. And they think all of this simply because they can play a lot of notes in a short amount of time. Little do they realize that the most important part of music is not what you play. It's what you don't play. A bassist knows this from the womb. Bass lines have to be simple or they just don't work.

I'm biased though. Does it show?

actualy in my school ther are 17 bassists i know of 10 guiarist including myself in both and only 3 drummers....i dont count as a drummer because i dont own a drumset

I bet you got nothin' on Victor though.

(Victor Wooten that is...)

or Jocko pastorias or geezer butler

I bet you got nothin' on Victor though.

(Victor Wooten that is...)

Nobody in the free world has anything on Victor Wooten.

The bassist is truly a rare creature, indeed. Usually shy by nature, they tend to be modest and reasonable. Often times, they get pushed to the back of the band, or criticized for being monophonic. Yet, he is the backbone of the entire band. Without him, the band cannot function. Without a bassist, there is no time and there is no harmony.

Guitar players on the other hand are a dime a dozen. They often tend to grow their hair out and pretend that they're the most important part of the band. They're cocky, arrogant, and self-important. And they think all of this simply because they can play a lot of notes in a short amount of time. Little do they realize that the most important part of music is not what you play. It's what you don't play. A bassist knows this from the womb. Bass lines have to be simple or they just don't work.

I'm biased though. Does it show?
You sir are my hero....

or Jocko pastorias or geezer butler
Jocko=frickin awsome Theodore "geezer" Butler=decent but solid, just happened to play in a super influecel band (nothing agaisnt geezer, I love him, and he is one heck of a song writer)

and let us not forget Stu Hamm

or Jocko pastorias or geezer butler

Well Jaco goes untouched. I mean, he was the bass guitar god. Someone saying he's better than Jaco is like a catholic saying they're holier than the pope. It doesn't matter if you are or aren't holier than the pope, the fact is that it doesn't matter. He's the pope, and you're not, so shut up bitch. I just tell those people to go away. And... Jaco's dead so making a comparison to him is kind of mute.

Victor, on the other hand, is very much alive.

I think guitar sounds really amazing when played well. Bass is more difficult to master, and sounds cool when played loud enough to hear. It basically depends on the type of music, I think. But my vote is for guitar.

The bassist is truly a rare creature, indeed. Usually shy by nature, they tend to be modest and reasonable. Often times, they get pushed to the back of the band, or criticized for being monophonic. Yet, he is the backbone of the entire band. Without him, the band cannot function. Without a bassist, there is no time and there is no harmony.

Guitar players on the other hand are a dime a dozen. They often tend to grow their hair out and pretend that they're the most important part of the band. They're cocky, arrogant, and self-important. And they think all of this simply because they can play a lot of notes in a short amount of time. Little do they realize that the most important part of music is not what you play. It's what you don't play. A bassist knows this from the womb. Bass lines have to be simple or they just don't work.

I'm biased though. Does it show?

what? no drummer jokes? you disappoint me ...

I play none, btw

Well Jaco goes untouched. I mean, he was the bass guitar god. Someone saying he's better than Jaco is like a catholic saying they're holier than the pope. It doesn't matter if you are or aren't holier than the pope, the fact is that it doesn't matter. He's the pope, and you're not, so shut up bitch. I just tell those people to go away. And... Jaco's dead so making a comparison to him is kind of mute.

Victor, on the other hand, is very much alive.

still the comparison shows mr wooten isnt the best

what? no drummer jokes? you disappoint me ...

I play none, btw
what is the differnce between a drummer and a large pizza
a large pizza can feed a family of four

does every1 know kurt cobain was a drummer also? cuz im sure you ppl need to know

does anyone (read Shayde) know Curt Kobain is dead

does every1 know kurt cobain was a drummer also? cuz im sure you ppl need to know

He was a really bad guitar player, and singer. But the music was still curiously good.

The bassist is truly a rare creature, indeed. Usually shy by nature, they tend to be modest and reasonable. Often times, they get pushed to the back of the band, or criticized for being monophonic. Yet, he is the backbone of the entire band. Without him, the band cannot function. Without a bassist, there is no time and there is no harmony.

Guitar players on the other hand are a dime a dozen. They often tend to grow their hair out and pretend that they're the most important part of the band. They're cocky, arrogant, and self-important. And they think all of this simply because they can play a lot of notes in a short amount of time. Little do they realize that the most important part of music is not what you play. It's what you don't play. A bassist knows this from the womb. Bass lines have to be simple or they just don't work.

I'm biased though. Does it show?
although the bassist is important the drummer is the backbone. A really good bassist can do some cool stuff but guitar is where it is at and to prove my point Jimi Hendrix need i say more ;). i dissagree with your thoughts on guitarist some are cocky like you say but the most i know i really good as well as modest accepting they have room for improvment. Besides some of the simpler sounding music is can be very complicated to play and some of the complicated sounding stuff is fairly eassy. By the way half the bassist i have ever known were really cocky and not that great, but not willing to accept help. But if your going for fun guitar and drums are the funnest to play.

He was a really bad guitar player, and singer. But the music was still curiously good.
astute observation.... although for me the music was hit and miss in the extreme

does anyone (read Shayde) know Curt Kobain is dead

Thanks for saying that, so I didn't have to.

yes well just remember that he was a drummer

Nobody in the free world has anything on Victor Wooten.

The only other bass player I've seen who could keep up with Victor is Otiel Burbridge. Ah... memories of highschool... I was 17 years old, and a young aspiring bassist. Otiel sat in at Victor's gig. That night alone was amazing until Otiel walked in the door. Let me tell you, after that I totally crapped my pants. It was so funky, if you had lit a match the whole city of Nashville would have been whiped off the map.

astute observation.... although for me the music was hit and miss in the extreme

I agree with the hit and miss thing. Alot of it didn't do it for me.

although the bassist is important the drummer is the backbone. A really good bassist can do some cool stuff but guitar is where it is at and to prove my point Jimi Hendrix need i say more ;). i dissagree with your thoughts on guitarist some are cocky like you say but the most i know i really good as well as modest accepting they have room for improvment. Besides some of the simpler sounding music is can be very complicated to play and some of the complicated sounding stuff is fairly eassy. By the way half the bassist i have ever known were really cocky and not that great, but not willing to accept help. But if your going for fun guitar and drums are the funnest to play.
I play guitar, and have tried drums..... yet bass is still the funnest...... bass is also genarrlay consedered the most important instrument in a band (I've been told by every jazz professor I've ever had that I am the most important, this is usually followed by some comment like "no pressure" :sniper:)

I'd rather play guitar, but at the same time, I'd also be a bassist.

yes well just remember that he was a drummer
k, I'll try to remember that..... (so was Ozzy)

yes well just remember that he was a drummer

him being a drummer explains everything of course :D

I play guitar, and have tried drums..... yet bass is still the funnest...... bass is also genarrlay consedered the most important instrument in a band (I've been told by every jazz professor I've ever had that I am the most important, this is usually followed by some comment like "no pressure" :sniper:)
depends on what your trying to play for example if your trying to play the blues you dont need the drums or bass all you need is a guitar and a singer thus the guitar is the most important

i dunno i just love the sound of an accustic guitar when played well that is. like stairway to heavan on accustic get the ***k out nothing beats that bass cant even measure up to that.

although the bassist is important the drummer is the backbone. A really good bassist can do some cool stuff but guitar is where it is at and to prove my point Jimi Hendrix need i say more ;). i dissagree with your thoughts on guitarist some are cocky like you say but the most i know i really good as well as modest accepting they have room for improvment. Besides some of the simpler sounding music is can be very complicated to play and some of the complicated sounding stuff is fairly eassy. By the way half the bassist i have ever known were really cocky and not that great, but not willing to accept help. But if your going for fun guitar and drums are the funnest to play.

Well, I'm totally making stereo-types here, so it's not a perfect mold. About the drummer/bassist being the backbone of the band, this is an age-old debate. The drummer may outline the time by playing on 1 and 3 (or whatever), that's the only thing he has to do with the time. Cymbals, high-hat, bass-drum, and toms to an extent are all for color. They add dynamic to the band. The drummer's main purpose should be controling the melodic arc of the song. Other than outlining the time though, he doesn't do much in that respect. There's a lot more to it than that though. The bassist decides how the time is divided though. If the bassist plays nothing but half-notes and quarter-notes, the time is going to move a lot differently if he plays nothing but eighth-notes and sixteenth-notes. The bassist is also in charge of syncopation.

Oh, and like Jaco, Jimi is a special case. Geniousses don't count. I'm sure if he had played the Eb Kazoo, he would have been the badest mother on the Eb Kazoo in history. No doubt.

He was a really bad guitar player, and singer. But the music was still curiously good.
he wasnt bad he just wasnt that great, id say average, the real apeal about him was his lyrics many people could relate to him and what he had to say that and his songs were catchy.

what? no drummer jokes? you disappoint me ...

I play none, btw

What do you call a guy that hangs out with a bunch of musicians?

A drummer.

Well, I'm totally making stereo-types here, so it's not a perfect mold. About the drummer/bassist being the backbone of the band, this is an age-old debate. The drummer may outline the time by playing on 1 and 3 (or whatever), that's the only thing he has to do with the time. Cymbals, high-hat, bass-drum, and toms to an extent are all for color. They add dynamic to the band. The drummer's main purpose should be controling the melodic arc of the song. Other than outlining the time though, he doesn't do much in that respect. There's a lot more to it than that though. The bassist decides how the time is divided though. If the bassist plays nothing but half-notes and quarter-notes, the time is going to move a lot differently if he plays nothing but eighth-notes and sixteenth-notes. The bassist is also in charge of syncopation. well like i said to stop the arguing in my band every body is of equal importance i mean could you imagine rush with out drums or black sabbeth without bass? the jimi hendrix experiance without a guitar i think not. its all just based on every ones perspective but i still say accustic guitar when played well is the greatest of all.

To be fair to us guitarists... you can't really play a bass without any other instruments, unless you've got a really spectacular voice. Acoustic guitar can go with or without anything. Electric is a bit trickier... which is why I tend not to play it, except when I want the cool tone for "Zombie" - I prefer to be self-sufficient before I combine with other people.

And really it's good to have two instruments, I intend to either get back into piano or learn the bass at some point - just as I intend to learn Spanish sometime after I finish up with French.

I play Bass guitar principally. I also have an old '70s-vintage classical guitar (hand-me-down from my mother) I use for songwriting. I play the piano (although admittedly I was better when I was younger) and I can keep a beat on a drum kit, although nothing too fancy.

I listen mostly to McCartney, Enwhistle, John Paul Jones, Novoselic, Jameson (from Mowtown) and whoever that guy was in Sly and the Family Stone, to name the chief influences of my playing style.

To be fair to us guitarists... you can't really play a bass without any other instruments, unless you've got a really spectacular voice. Acoustic guitar can go with or without anything. Electric is a bit trickier... which is why I tend not to play it, except when I want the cool tone for "Zombie" - I prefer to be self-sufficient before I combine with other people.

And really it's good to have two instruments, I intend to either get back into piano or learn the bass at some point - just as I intend to learn Spanish sometime after I finish up with French.

While it's DIFFICULT to actually pull that off, it's not impossible. To prove my point, here. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=music&field-keywords=Victor%252520Wooten&search-type=ss&bq=1&store-name=music/ref=xs_ap_l_xgl15/002-5531106-8149664) Count them. And in fact, I have a regular solo gig, so :P. (Too bad it doesn't pay *sob*)

I play Bass guitar principally. I also have an old '70s-vintage classical guitar (hand-me-down from my mother) I use for songwriting. I play the piano (although admittedly I was better when I was younger) and I can keep a beat on a drum kit, although nothing too fancy.

I listen mostly to McCartney, Enwhistle, John Paul Jones, Novoselic, Jameson (from Mowtown) and whoever that guy was in Sly and the Family Stone, to name the chief influences of my playing style.

Good list. :)

What do you call a guy that hangs out with a bunch of musicians?

A drummer.

Q: How many drummers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Just one, so long as a roadie gets the ladder, sets it up and puts the bulb in the socket for him

Two drummers walk into a bar...
which is funny because you would have figured the second one would have seen the first guy do it.


Q: What's the best way to confuse a drummer?
A: Put a sheet of music in front of him.


A drummer, tired from being ridiculed by his peers, decides to learn how to play some "real" musical instruments. He goes to a music store, walks in, approaches the store clerk, and says "I'll take that red trumpet over there and that accordian.
The store clerk looks at him a bit funny, and replies "OK, you can have the fire extinguisher but the radiator's got to stay".


Q: How many drummers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Twenty. One to hold the bulb, and nineteen to drink until the room spins


Q: how late does the band play?
A: about a half beat behind the drummer.


Q:Why are orchestra intermissions limited to 20 minutes?
A: So you don't have to retrain the drummers


Q: How can you make a drummer slow down?
A: Put a sheet of music in front of him
Q #2: How can you make that drummer stop?
A: Put notes on it!


Q: How can you tell when a drummer's at the door?
A: The knocking speeds up.


Q: How can you tell when a drummer's at the door?
A: He doesn't know when to come in.


Q: What's the last thing a drummer says in a band?
A: "Hey, guys - why don't we try one of my songs? ...


Q: What do you do when a drummer shows up at your door?
A: Tip him and pay for the pizza.

Q: How do you know that the drum rise is uneven?
A: The drummer is only drooling out of one side of his mouth!


Q: Did you hear about the black metal singer who locked his keys in the car?
A: He had to break the window to let the drummer out!

Q: What's the difference between a drummer and a drum machine?
A: A drum machine only needs instructions once.

I'd prefer to play the guitar. Took it up years ago, then slacked off .

Definitely the Guitar.

Basically, bassists are just failed guitarists.

How many famous bassists can you name of the top of your head? I can name 3...

...and guitarists? Well I could be here all day...

Definitely the Guitar.

Basically, bassists are just failed guitarists.

How many famous bassists can you name of the top of your head? I can name 3...

...and guitarists? Well I could be here all day...
see, but for those of us who play the real instrument, it is the other way around.... and guitarists are glory hogs..... :D

Glory hogs with more money :D

Glory hogs with more money :D
actually, good bassists are fewer and further between, and as such demand a higher price. There are also a lot more guitarists, and a lot more of them are talented, making it that much harder to get a job. A multitalented bassist who can read music (lots of jazz and rock bassists can't) is one of the most demanded people in professional music (trust me, I'm preparing to enter the world of professional music)

Guitarist, although I want a bass to play around on.

actually, good bassists are fewer and further between, and as such demand a higher price. There are also a lot more guitarists, and a lot more of them are talented, making it that much harder to get a job. A multitalented bassist who can read music (lots of jazz and rock bassists can't) is one of the most demanded people in professional music (trust me, I'm preparing to enter the world of professional music)

Spot on!

Actually, even guitarists that can read music are pretty rare. I can, albeit barely.

Once, I saw this thing that was a Guitar AND a Piano. I would like to play whatever that is.

i pray your not talking about a key-tar. those are beyond lame.

"hey look guys, are keybord player is cool too... right?"

Bass. During my tech course last year I spent the whole time pretending I could play bass.

Screw them both, i'll stick with my trusty ones martenot