Bassists vs. Guitarists

[ooglay]

Alright so I was having a conversation with a bassist friend of mine (I'm obviously a bassist too) and we were talking about some random stuff: gigs, bands, etc etc. Basically, we started to talk about the percentage of bassists in comparison to guitarists overall in North America (or the world).

What do you guys think? I'm gonna go with 90% Guitarists, 10% Bassists.

Good odds for us I'd say. =P

 

[spencer]

I would go with 75% which may seem higher because they mainly like to let people know they play a guitar. And 25% bassist who seems like less because they don't boast about it.

 

[slucas]

I never thought about it or have a clue but I would guess closer to 80-20.
But not on this website

 

[paranoid70]

What about those of us who go both ways?


I mean those that play both guitar and bass.

 

[brooklynfall]

Not sure about the percentages, but I do know that I started playing bass because I knew it'd be easier to get into a band that way. Everybody I knew played guitar, and within six months of starting on bass, I had a suspiciously large bunch of new musician friends ...

 

[tiffles]

yeah i have alot of guitard friends who play bass cause they make money from it lol... cause there arent enough bassists. cutting our grass eh lol.

 

[Big Poppa]

Iam a guitarist trapped in a bassist body and no Dr will operate....What do I do? Where
do I go?

 

[Psycho Ward]

Iam a guitarist trapped in a bassist body and no Dr will operate....What do I do? Where
do I go?

Take a couple of SiLo's and call me in the morning.

 

[EBMM7181]

I just got one question....... Why is it that every guitarists can pick up a bass and wear it out........ but most bassists don't know what to do with a guitar ????? lol
someone explain this!!!!

 

[EBMM7181]

Iam a guitarist trapped in a bassist body and no Dr will operate....What do I do? Where
do I go?

Dr. Stankface will operate........for a small fee

 

[mynan]

I just got one question....... Why is it that every guitarists can pick up a bass and wear it out........ but most bassists don't know what to do with a guitar ????? lol
someone explain this!!!!

Guitar players THINK they are "wearing out" a bass because they can hit the right notes, but most of them play like guitar players and any true bassist knows the difference....

 

[mobass]

Guitar players THINK they are "wearing out" a bass because they can hit the right notes, but most of them play like guitar players and any true bassist knows the difference....

Exactly. I knew a guy who told me that the best way to get into a band was to play bass, and it's easy. That comment pissed me off. Sure you can get by and play roots, but bass is a whole different animal.

 

[Slim]

I would say 80 percent guitar player and 20 percent bass player. Out of 80 percent of guitar player only 10 percent are good enough to make money but bass player maybe close to 40 percent are good enough to make money from playing.
I play both guitar and bass but much more accomplished on guitar because I only play bass for a little over year and guitar for over 40 years. What I found out from playing bass is that I needed to learn basic rhythm pattern such as bosanova, cha cha, salsa, and listen to the drummer more carefully and play close to drummer's bass drum pattern. It has been good experience to be able to play both guitar and bass. I get to play guitar about 20 percent of time with the band I am playing now because certain tunes we play are guitar oriented songsand keyboard player play bass on keyboard but when he plays keyboard bass it just lose the real deep bass sound and we sound too light so I stay on real bass 80 percent of time.

 

[bovinehost]

Iam a guitarist trapped in a bassist body and no Dr will operate....What do I do? Where
do I go?

I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest a day of golf with a certain debonaire CEO of a major music instrument retail chain.

I think that will help.

 

[jongitarz]

Iam a guitarist trapped in a bassist body and no Dr will operate....What do I do? Where
do I go?

You are one of the lucky ones who can play both....When I pick up a bass, all I do is play guitar runs except when I pick up a fretless....then I butcher Portrait of Tracy

 

[bovinehost]

I know about five chords on guitar.

I mean, how many are there? Seven?

 

[koogie2k]

I play both. However, in my area, bass players are in serious short supply. I got in my band because of it. However, I am smart enough to know that the bass is a different instrument and I still take lessons. I am not the best bassist, but I have gotten compliments on my playing by other "seasoned" players, which is always nice to hear.

 

[paranoid70]

Guitar players THINK they are "wearing out" a bass because they can hit the right notes, but most of them play like guitar players and any true bassist knows the difference....

Hey, I resemble that remark.

My brother who is a great bass player likes to bust my balls because I play bass with a pick. Sorry bro, I have been playing guitar for 20 years and old habits die REALLY hard.

I am working on it though.

 

[Pablo]

I would say 80 percent guitar player and 20 percent bass player. Out of 80 percent of guitar player only 10 percent are good enough to make money but bass player maybe close to 40 percent are good enough to make money from playing

I think you are close to being right with those percentages... However, the "being good enough to make money" comment is rather silly. A lot of moderately accomplished (but financially unsuccessful) guitarists pick up the bass and make money that way - does that suddenly make them "good enough to make money"? Well, in a way yes, but it simply goes to show that:

A) There are a lot more guitarists than bass players and the "pro-level" bar is thus set conciderably higher for guitarists than for bass players

B) The average Joe listener expects a lot less from a bass player than from a guitarist

C) In a band setting it is a lot easier to fake bass playing than to fake guitar playing and finally

D) How good you are on an instrument has nothing to do with whether you can make a living off it or not

Just my 2c... Oh, and I started out faking my way through music on bass, but for the last 14 years I have played guitar exclusively and have become quite accomplished at it - and I am still being offered a lot more gigs as a bass player than as a guitarist

Cheers

Eske

 

[WillPlay4Food]

Hey, I resemble that remark.

My brother who is a great bass player likes to bust my balls because I play bass with a pick. Sorry bro, I have been playing guitar for 20 years and old habits die REALLY hard.

I am working on it though.

There are many great bass players who play with a pick. Heck after playing only fingerstyle bass for 5 years I finally picked up a plectrum two days ago. I still totally suck at it, but it's a very usable sound that I want in my bag of tricks.