wishbone

4/4 gets the chicks.

Paff

If you play bass (or especially drums), you have your choice of bands to play in. GOOD guitarists are a dime-a-dozen, so unless you excel you'll have a tough time finding a band that needs a guitarist (I'm a half-assed guitarist, and was sacked from the only band I was in that really had potential. They replaced me with someone better). Yes, you can start your own band, but you'll spend half the time trying to find a bass player and drummer, and the other half replacing the bass player or drummer who just flaked on you.

wendersfan

You just described 90% of my musical 'career', dating back into the '80s.

morriscroy

In practice, this is only really true if the band is not famous (nor semi-famous).

If a band is famous enough, the lead singer frequently holds all the cards. Everybody else can be easily "replaced" with no shortage of applicants auditioning for a famous (or semi-famous) band.

E Unit

I'm guessing the OP never learned anything since he was assassinated.

wendersfan

True, but somehow I doubt Tom Morello or Eddie Vedder lurk here in the Music Forum.

cultshock

Paff

I stand by my 2020 post.

In 2022, I went on several auditions for a guitarist and got turned down at all of them. Found some guys on Craigslist who needed a bassist and got the gig, even though I literally didn't own a bass. Went out and bought a $95 Harley Benton Jazz Bass and $150 Fender Rumble bass amp. Long story short, we've played about 20 gigs in the last year and are in the process of mixing our first EP.

fazatrading

I went through a similar debate and ended up choosing the guitar first because of its versatility in playing rhythm and lead parts. However, I later picked up the bass and found its groove and backbone role in bands to be equally satisfying. Neither is inherently more difficult to learn; it's more about what kind of music you want to make and how you want to express yourself.

Draven

My 18 year old daughter has been playing the electric bass for three years. She really enjoys is (takes lessons and plays in the high school jazz band) but she recently started teaching herself guitar because she's also a singer and wants to accompany herself. I was afraid she was going to put the bass aside in favor of the guitar when she goes to college but she's taking her basses with her and is interested in seeing if she can find a band in her college town. It's been a cool instrument to have in the house.

Paff

Depends on what kind of music she wants to play, Draves, but I'm sure she'll have no problem finding the band of her choice. Especially if she's into rock and roll. I don't know the jazz bass crowd, and I imagine they'd be snobs and demand it be an upright bass. But like I said a few years ago, you play bass or drums, you're in immediate demand.

story

I play ukulele and I'm good enough to play electric rhythm uke in an ensemble, it's been fun.

Draven

I agree about the upright (that was my experience growing up singing in a jazz choir) but her high school has a fantastic jazz program and in all four groups, they have electric bass players (and they are all girls too). I guess it’s the thing now.

But yes, she’d probably look for a pop/rock group.

Paff

I'm just trying to imagine JK Simmons' string of expletives if you walked into his Studio Jazz room with a Fender Precision