I wish I has disposable income...

[Pelagaard]

GASsing real hard over this baby.

 

[Cagey]

A 12 string and a bass? Seems like an unlikely combination. What would you do with it if you had it?

 

[Pelagaard]

Truthfully, not a whole lot hence the disposable part.  But, mostly 70's era Genesis and some El Ten Eleven-esque stuff.

 

[Cagey]

Every once in a while I'm tempted by an unusual guitar setup or alternative stringed instrument to get some sound I can't do on a traditional guitar. Then I think "why not let those who specialize in that sort of thing have their place?"

For instance, like many guitar players I'm tempted to think that playing bass is puppy chow. So, get a bass and piss on those guys, right?. Or, get a 12 string. What could be so hard about playing one of those? Or, alternate tunings... alternate scale lengths... on and on. What you find out is that it's not as easy as it would seem.

Thing is, there's a different way of thinking about those things so you can't easily transfer whatever skills you have to those instruments. Better to let those who've labored over it and got their chops down to do it. It'll take a lot less time and will almost certainly sound better.

 

[Pelagaard]

Why bother learning to play at all with that logic?

 

[swarfrat]

Its not a question of why bother, but rather "how to best allocate this limited pool of money and time.". I sold my fretless bass because it's a huge comittment, and I didn't really spend enough time to get decent at it. I'd rather spend that time which I can allocate towards music working on guitar or songwriting.

 

[Cagey]

I'm not trying to discourage playing different instruments - all I'm saying is that there are those who specialize in different areas and to try and do what others do may be either pointless, counter-productive or less than ideal.

For instance, you wouldn't ask Joe Satriani to play Michael Anthony's bass parts for Van Halen, and you wouldn't ask Michael Anthony to play Al DiMeola's guitar parts, and you wouldn't ask Jean Luc-Ponty to play Ritchie Blackmore's parts in Deep Purple, on and on. They're all superb professionals who at the top of their game have no equal, so why not? Well, because it's not their thing. I'm sure any one of them is perfectly capable of changing instruments, but it wouldn't be ideal. They're exceptionally good at what they do, and wouldn't be if taken out of their element.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

For instance, like many guitar players I'm tempted to think that playing bass is puppy chow. So, get a bass and piss on those guys, right?. Or, get a 12 string. What could be so hard about playing one of those? Or, alternate tunings... alternate scale lengths... on and on. What you find out is that it's not as easy as it would seem.

I used to be in the same boat, thinking playing guitar automatically made me a bass player to.  I would argue you play more with the drummer and less with the guitar player.  Guitar licks don't always translate to bass.  Afterall, the goal is to sound like a bass player, and not a guitar player playing bass.

 

[Cagey]

I used to be in the same boat, thinking playing guitar automatically made me a bass player to.  I would argue you play more with the drummer and less with the guitar player.  Guitar licks don't always translate to bass.  Afterall, the goal is to sound like a bass player, and not a guitar player playing bass.

A lot of people would argue that the bass player is supposed to follow the drummer - I suspect mostly guitar players. I say that's bull. I think that's usually the guitar player wishing the bass and drums would stay in time/in tune while (s)he goes off on flights of fancy.

Anybody who doesn't follow the drummer is on a fool's errand, I don't care what instrument you play. Drummer sets the beat. Move off that to your own peril.

 

[bagman67]

Another variation on the theme:


http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/msg/3603025679.html

 

[Updown]

When two worlds collide  :tard:  ..... who says they feud  :laughing7:

WTF  :icon_scratch:

 

[anorakDan]

Anybody who doesn't follow the drummer is on a fool's errand, I don't care what instrument you play. Drummer sets the beat. Move off that to your own peril.

Only one band can buck that rule; the Rolling Stones. Instead of following Charlie, everyone follows Keef.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Thread hijack alert, but I'm not talking about playing in time.  A bass player that isn't locked in will derail a song.  The guitar player can quit playing altogether or get wonky with dissonant phrasing, and it still works.  Bass players playing with the drummer are tons more solid than matching a guitar player note for note.

 

[pabloman]

I'm not trying to discourage playing different instruments - all I'm saying is that there are those who specialize in different areas and to try and do what others do may be either pointless, counter-productive or less than ideal.

For instance, you wouldn't ask Joe Satriani to play Michael Anthony's bass parts for Van Halen, and you wouldn't ask Michael Anthony to play Al DiMeola's guitar parts, and you wouldn't ask Jean Luc-Ponty to play Ritchie Blackmore's parts in Deep Purple, on and on. They're all superb professionals who at the top of their game have no equal, so why not? Well, because it's not their thing. I'm sure any one of them is perfectly capable of changing instruments, but it wouldn't be ideal. They're exceptionally good at what they do, and wouldn't be if taken out of their element.

With this logic, again, why even bother picking up a guitar in the first place? There are so many more people out there that do it better than you or I. Why not just let them do it then? I know when I started playing guitar it was to emulate what I heard on those classic cuts. Quickly I realized I didn't have the chops yet. What I was developing was a decent understanding of my instrument and a solid direction of what I wanted to do with it. I began to play what was in my head and not what was on a CD. I imagine this is a fairly common transformation that almost every musician has made. So what does it matter if its on a traditional 6 string electric guitar or a refreshing deviation? I never picked up the guitar to be the best. I picked it up because it was the best way to express myself. I think the above mentioned philosophy demonstrates the difference between a guitar player and a musician or an artist.

 

[pabloman]

It is ALWAYS less than ideal to try and do what someone else does if that is your only objective.

 

[AprioriMark]

To thine own self be true.

-Mark

 

[mullyman]

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but, the way I read Cagey's comments was more like "if you're a guitarist and you're wanting to buy a bass for recording sessions, as an example, then you're probably better off letting a real bassist take care of it." I can't really disagree with that train of thought. Sure, I could grab a bass and fill in for someone if I had to, but I'm not planning on mastering it so buying a Stingray would just be a waste of money for me.
MULLY
although I still want a Stingray  :headbang1:

 

[Cagey]

I'm not trying to discourage playing different instruments - all I'm saying is that there are those who specialize in different areas and to try and do what others do may be either pointless, counter-productive or less than ideal.

For instance, you wouldn't ask Joe Satriani to play Michael Anthony's bass parts for Van Halen, and you wouldn't ask Michael Anthony to play Al DiMeola's guitar parts, and you wouldn't ask Jean Luc-Ponty to play Ritchie Blackmore's parts in Deep Purple, on and on. They're all superb professionals who at the top of their game have no equal, so why not? Well, because it's not their thing. I'm sure any one of them is perfectly capable of changing instruments, but it wouldn't be ideal. They're exceptionally good at what they do, and wouldn't be if taken out of their element.

With this logic, again, why even bother picking up a guitar in the first place? There are so many more people out there that do it better than you or I. Why not just let them do it then? I know when I started playing guitar it was to emulate what I heard on those classic cuts. Quickly I realized I didn't have the chops yet. What I was developing was a decent understanding of my instrument and a solid direction of what I wanted to do with it. I began to play what was in my head and not what was on a CD. I imagine this is a fairly common transformation that almost every musician has made. So what does it matter if its on a traditional 6 string electric guitar or a refreshing deviation? I never picked up the guitar to be the best. I picked it up because it was the best way to express myself. I think the above mentioned philosophy demonstrates the difference between a guitar player and a musician or an artist.

I think you may be missing the point, but I'm not sure how to make it any more clear. The fact that I can't play like Chet Atkins doesn't stop me from playing guitar, but it does stop me from playing bass, pedal steel, cello, etc. I'm a guitar player, not a veterinarian/lawyer/rocket scientist.

 

[Cagey]

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but, the way I read Cagey's comments was more like "if you're a guitarist and you're wanting to buy a bass for recording sessions, as an example, then you're probably better off letting a real bassist take care of it." I can't really disagree with that train of thought. Sure, I could grab a bass and fill in for someone if I had to, but I'm not planning on mastering it so buying a Stingray would just be a waste of money for me.
MULLY
although I still want a Stingray  :headbang1:

Perzactly.