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DonkeyPunch

When I first started playing, I would just learn the odd riff from a song I liked, then started piecing them together using my brother's guitar. For years, I never learned a full song, but never put anything into it. When I started to get into rage against the machine, I learned the 1st album in about a month, and each other album I knew most of the songs after just a few days.

In 99, me and a few friends started a cover band. (I started w/ guitar, then ended up on bass.) For most of us, we had never taken lessons, or very few, and 3 of the 4 of us had never been in a band before. It took us about 6-8 months to get about 35-40 songs for our first proper gig. From there on out, we learned anywhere from 1-3 songs every few weeks, eventually getting about 2-3 a week for about 5-7 weeks, then spent 2-3 weeks cleaning up all the old stuff. You will definitely get a lot quicker in learning songs, and it will become a lot easier to remember them too. I've been out of the band for a full calendar year, but helped 'em out for a few shows without playing my bass for 3 full months. I had only about 12 hours notice, and the show went off pretty much without a hitch. I was a bit rusty, but they kept the tempo reasonable, and we all got through it very well.

Learning songs is a lot like multiplication tables. (Not really, but stick with me here...) If you learn the first few properly, the rest become a lot easier, and the info that you learned will stick with you for a long time as long as you keep it fresh and use your knowledge once every blue moon.

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Experience Haze

is bass easier than guitar? whats the diff. between the two besides bass has a much deeper sound?

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DonkeyPunch

Easier? Tough to say. In a way, yes, it is, 4 strings is easier than 6, and there is a lot more single notes and a lot less chords. That said, its a completely different vibe. When I play bass, I barely even hear the vocals or guitar, I'm completely locked on to the drums. Nothing was better than when the rhythm section was locked in so tight, we felt that we could play anything convincingly. By playing bass well, our guitarist was a lot more able to nail his parts.

I gotta jet now, will finish this later, but in a nutshell, I feel the 2 instruments require very different mindsets. Unless you are Les Claypool. Speaking of guitars and bass, I'm off to see ex-Black Crowe Rich Robinson's solo show at HArper's Ferry in Brighton. It promises to be a smoking show!!!

imported_Ilúvatar

Another difference that you'll notice as soon as you lay your fingers on it, is that its harder to get a clear note out of it. With a guitar, you can practically lay your finger on the fret and make a clear note; with bass you have to use a lot more pressure on the fret.

Even though they are practically the same instrument, it takes a very different way to play it.

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Experience Haze

so for bass you woul need already callussed(sp?) fingers or sumthin? and for those people that take lessons, do they teach you how to hold the guitar so your fingers dont lay on other strings? because that is a very big problem with me. i mess up with open strings most of the time.

 

imported_Ilúvatar

no you don't need calluses, but you'll need a strong hand (wink wink )

but if you don't you will sooner or later, it matters how much you practice. you can play simple thing pretty easily but you'll need some strength and stamina to play faster/harder things. the bass is a very delicate instrument to play (or at least i think) you can't just hit the strings as hard as you can, you got to be easy with it to sound good.

the laying fingers on the strings is something that made me quit playing the guitar about three times. you may think its impossible but, of course, its not. try to always play with your fingers at a 90 degree angle to the fretboard, it takes a lot more concentration to do it, but with practice (ALWAYS PRACTICE) it becomes second-nature. even if your playing just single notes, still keep your fingers at a 90 degree angle, it WILL become much easier.

also a great idea to start to learn the guitar is pick up guitar books. a great one is guitar for dummies, it gives you the info you want, while not boring the **** out of you. another good one is the guitar hand book. this covers practically anything you would ever want to know about guitar and its accessories it even tells you how amplifiers works

Experience Haze

thanks, im gunna ask my parents to buy the guitar for dummmies.

Mamabudz

and wanted to add something:

"get the first book of Fretboard Logic ...."

Papa plays incredibly well

Hugz,

Mama Budz

imported_Ilúvatar

i've always seen ads for that and wondered if it was any good. i think i might pick that up

Experience Haze

what does th book of fretboard logic say? i still dont know any of the term of the guitar, i know strings and... ummm hollow piece thingie.