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I decided last night to learn the bass. Anyone here play? Any suggestions etc?
BTW, I'm left handed, and have been advised to learn to play right handed by various lead guitar playing friends of mine. Anyone know if this applies to the bass?
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JoNty
I am a bass player myself, and I must admit that I have never seen anyone play the bass guitar left handed. I have seen many left handed guitar players, but never a left handed bass guitar player. That would be totally up to you, but I honestly think it may be easier for you to play the bass right handed. One of the reasons for this is because a left handed bass may be hard to come by. In fact, I have never seen one before. As far as any tips or advise, all I can say is that the bass guitar is actually one of the easiest musical instruments to play for me. I play accoustic/electric guitar, keyboard/piano and drums and the bass guitar is the easiest for me out of all those instruments. Have fun with it, bro, and if you already have long hair (I'm not quite sure if you are starting out or already have long hair) then playing a musical instrument and slinging your hair around to the rythme is awesome! Peace!
I also play bass guitar and acoustic/electric guitar,I would advise you to get a right handed Bass because you will have a hard time of dfinding a left-handed one and just like Treyn said Bass definetly is one of the easiest instruments to play.Tell us if you decide to get one and what kind,later.
On the contrary, I think bass is one of the easiest to learn the basics to but if you wanna be a real pro it takes a lot more practice and talent.
I play electric and acoustic guitar and have dabbled with bass...It requires a little more finger/hand strength because of the size of the strings but that's easily accomplished. You can pick up the basics to bass playing alot quicker than learning guitar chords, so go for it.
As for lefties, I know of two right off the bat: Paul McCartney and a former bass player for a southern rock band called the Outlaws named Harvey Dalton Arnold. I'm sure there are many more, but they play left handed basses by Hofner and Fender.
There are plenty of companies that make them but they'll cost a little more than a right handed bass...or you can check eBay. They have a boatload of them there for a decent price. Ibanez and Dean make some cheap lefty models as well.
Another alternative would be to play like Jimi Hendrix did. He was left handed, but instead of getting a left handed guitar, he took the right handed guitar and strung it upside down...so when you turn it around to play left handed the strings are in the normal place.
Personally, if I were a lefty, I would NOT learn to play right handed...it's a coordination thing. Besides, it's kinda cool seeing a left handed bass player...not very many out there!
Try contacting a music store that has one in stock (sometimes they do carry them) and play a right handed one as well. Pick the one that feels most comfortable for you and go from there and, better yet, keep your eye out for someone who is a lefty who plays and get their feedback.
If you do get one make sure you get an electric tuner as well. Basses are hard to tune by ear!
Hope this helps...take care and keep on pickin'
Brett
Get a guitar and just hold it. Whichever way feels more comfortable you should go with. I know two lefties that play guitar. One of them had to get a lefty guitar because it felt better. The other one thought a lefty felt weird and went with a righty guitar. You have to go with what feels right for you. It will make things much easier on you.
Im a lefty and play right handed, its a little wierd at first but in the long run youll be much better going right handed. If you ever need to borrow one in a pinch at a show it be hard to find one. Either way you have to train your hands to work the way you want Why not just go right handed to safe you in the long run.
Go right handed, youll think your self down the line
...a singer, drummer, guitarist and beginning bassist. I've never heard of learning the guitar, bass or any other instrument as a right-handed player if you're left-handed. Congrats on deciding to learn the bass.
Hi!
I play the ordinary guitar and bass a bit, though not very well! Strangely, although I'm right handed I have a sneaking feeling that I would have progressed quicker If I'd learned from scratch as a left-hander on LH guitars. I've always found fingering the frets (chords etc) easier than plucking the strings properly!
Cheers, Barry
I'm lefty and play right handed bass. Right handed instruments are alot cheaper, and I don't think it's much harder to learn for lefties.
Personally I've never seen a lefty version of an instrament cost more than $20 more. But I don't shop around alot, and I'm still kinda new to this guitar thing. My advice, look around and ask as many people as you can find on the topic.
I too am left handed...been playing guitar for 5-6 years now. I just play a standard guitar, I have never attempted to play a left hand guitar, but I personaly think playing a standard guitar works out better for left handed people anyway. After all the hand you will be fretting notes with is your proficient hand, leaving the lesser hand to do the picking which is not generaly a hard thing to do. It seems more natural for my left hand to be doing the majority of the technical work when playing fast riffs, solo's, etc. But then again im not all too sure how heavily what hand you use weighs into it, it might just simply depend more which way you start out, and become accustomed to. But from a practical standpoint you should opt for a standard guitar/bass or what have you because they are cheaper, more plentiful, etc.
Hey man,
ok im LEFT handed! and i play LEFT HANDED BASS!
think for a bit about trying to write with your right hand...
it is hard isnt it! (to write, not think i mean:))
I didnt even try learning to play right handed cos it just felt really wrong to play that way around, iknow there are some lefties who do play right handed and it is best in terms of avaliability of gear etc but hey, Jimi was left handed!
it is harder to find a left handed bass, but i managed to find one, they are great, no one but you can play them:)
i would reccomend trying what feels best, but since i am left handed i say be Proud! Play LEft handed!!
Kiwidan!
I'm just beginning playin bass and i'm a damn proud lefty but i went to two different stores and one said i should play right and the other left definetley thanks to this i'm gonna play lefty thanks
I play bass and I dabble with Rhythm Guitar. (Seem to be a few of us.)
Lefty instruments are a bit more pricey. but as Georgiaboy suggests you can just restring for left hand use, but you have to find yourself a bass with a symetrical head otherwise it might feel unbalanced and unconfrotable to play.
Bass is pretty easy to pick up, but very difficult to master... I've realised I stand a better chance of being a guitarist than a bass player because, I'm never going to master the bass. (OK maybe I'll master a rock'n'roll style with enuff practice, but I'll never get it all.)
Anyway, good luck... happy playing
I've played bass for about two years now. I am left handed and i play left handed. It's really not hard to find a good lefty bass you just have to know where to look and be willing to drive a few miles. Lefties rock! checkout steinberger, ibanez, fender, carvin
can you guys recommend a good "program" for learning bass? some of them are very expensive online. thanks.