Q: I have been playing bass guitar for about 8 years, got my grade 8, toured, recorded and got myself to a semi-professional session level. As I am going to go full time as a bass player in the next 18-24 months (I am realistic as well as ambitious) I started lessons with an outstanding teacher and someone who has played bass (and double bass) as a career for over 30 years. I am getting a lot out of it and learning so much. The more I learn and the more confident and better I get. Recently my teacher and I have been discussing the double bass. It is something I have talked about and thought about for a while. In your opinion is it worth learning both the double bass and the bass guitar? Or should I focus on just the bass guitar? Personally I think I should learn the double bass because it will open up doors for me being able to play both but my fear is the bass guitar will suffer as I will be getting lessons and practice time on the upright. What do you recommend?
A: Worth noting: I answered a similar question near the end of last year. I thought that this worth worth re-addressing because you’re coming from a slightly different place from within the question. The previous column had more to do with a student who didn’t feel the need, personally, but was encouraged by his instructor to learn the double bass and work through a collegiate classical program.
It sounds to me like you have an active interest in pursuing both instruments but are more concerned with efficient use of your time and being the best player you can be, with the time you have available.
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If you’re feeling a pull in any given instrumental direction, you should definitely explore that world a bit. Pursuing a deeper understanding of – and ability level for – any other instrument gives you insight into music from multiple other perspectives. You gain insight because you develop an understanding of what goes on in the mind of a player of that instrument:
In short, you gain instrumental empathy and connection. You will likely find yourself being a more intuitive player as you gain experience with other instruments.
So far, I’ve only written about the idea of playing other instruments to expand your perspective. But, what about the seemingly simple switch from a small bass to a big one?
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It’s still very much a different instrument and will definitely take some focus and attention to build the muscle memory and get a real “feel” for it. In the short run, it may cut into your bass guitar time a little bit, but if you’re making the switch to “full-time player”, like you said, the short game should be focused on shedding and planning. You should be focusing on tightening up any aspects of your musicality that need attention and you should (very much) be thinking about your hire-ability and how to maximize your value in the market.
I would make a special point to make time for the bass guitar as well, however. If you’re going full-time, treat it like full-time. Carve out an hour-plus for each instrument (or more, ideally). You can separate the shed times, if you like but keep pushing on the electric while pushing on the upright as well.
If your focus is on musicality and hire-ability (those two things go hand in hand, by the way) and not explosive chops and Youtube fame, then exploring the double bass makes total sense.
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All of the above mean that you’ll be working more and playing more diverse styles of music. Those two things mean that you will develop much more quickly and develop a strong voice on the instrument
Personally, I don’t double on these two instruments. Why? Well, I’ve dabbled, but I never felt the tug from way down deep so it’s more for my own pleasure and on occasion. I’m more of a home/jam with friends double bassists and not a gigging one. I always wished that I had felt that tug because it made sense logically, but I didn’t, so I never gained proficiency.
You, however, sound like you want it but just don’t want to bite off more than you can chew. If you like it, you’ll do it and, if you love it, you’ll flourish.
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Readers, how many of you double on both instruments? I’d love to hear about your journey and your approach. If you’ve made the leap, please share your experience and learning in the comments.
Have a question for Damian Erskine? Send it to [email protected] . Check out Damian’s instructional books, Right Hand Drive and The Improviser’s Path.This blog article will go over all the different types of basses available on the market today. We will go over: number of strings, body styles, pickup types, different electronics systems, acoustic basses, short scale necks, etc. to help you find the perfect bass for your playing style.
The first question to ask yourself when deciding on a bass is whether you want an upright bass or a bass guitar. The tuning is the same for any bass instrument, but the sound, size, and neck scale is a bit different. Upright basses are much larger, have fret-less necks, and have a traditional sound. Bass guitars have pickups, come with fretted or fret-less necks, and have a bit more modern sound. Your genre preference comes into play with this choice. No orchestra conductor will allow a bass guitar player in the orchestra and there are some purists out there who frown on bass guitars in jazz or traditional country music. If you like effects pedals, it is much easier to run a bass guitar through pedals than an upright bass with a pickup installed (with acoustic pickups there tends to be more possibility for feedback).
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However, you can also find electric upright basses on the market today. These basses are much slimmer than their acoustic counterparts, but the neck is the same length and they are designed with magnetic pickups, like a bass guitar, rather than piezo pickups installed on acoustic upright basses. They are a fairly modern invention that make a good alternative for those who want the sound of an upright bass, but want something a bit more portable.
Several types of basses exist on the market today for those looking to play bass guitar. The most traditional bass guitar is the P-Bass. It was the first electric bass guitar invented. It has a split coil humbucker pickup (meaning the dual coil of the humbucker is split between the strings giving a hybrid sound of a single coil and humbucker) and a cutaway body style. Although it was the first type of electric bass invented, a good P-Bass is still one of the most sought after types of basses on the market today. Turn the tone knob low and you get a deep, almost rumbling sound. Turn it high and you get a sharp tone that still has great low end.
The next most common electric bass type is the Jazz bass. It features two single coil pickups and a narrow neck. You can blend the tones between the two pickups allowing for more nuanced tone control. As the name suggests, the Jazz bass is great for jazz, but it also has a punchy tone making it good for slap bass or music in which you want the bass to cut through more rather than sit in the deep bass sonic pockets.
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You can also find bass guitars with one or two humbuckers. Like the electric guitar humbuckers, bass guitar humbuckers generally have a bit of a thicker sound than a P-Bass or Jazz Bass. On bass guitars with two pickups you can blend the tone and volumes of the two pickups to get a particular tone you want. Generally on the guitars with two humbuckers the neck pickup is a bit punchier while the bridge position pickup has the thick low-end, so with the volume and tone knobs you get a lot of customization for the tone.
One other type of bass guitar is the acoustic-electric bass. These types of basses look like acoustic guitars, but are made the same size as any other electric bass. You can hear them without an amp so they are great for playing outside or at a moment’s notice if you don’t have an amp and cables handy. They also have piezo pickups, which are different than other electric bass guitar pickups, so their tone is a bit different. Piezo pickups are more prone to feedback so adjust volume slowly (especially when using pedals).
There are a few other options to consider if you decide you want a bass guitar. One of them is the number of strings. Traditionally, bass instruments are designed with 4 strings. However, you can find any type of upright or bass guitar with 5 or 6 strings. 5 string basses come with a string lower than the traditional E string, the low B, and
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