What are the essential differences between guitar and bass

Rocker · May 2022

I play both and have often noted that the general comments state that bass and guitar are different instruments. And good guitar playing is not easily transferable to bass.

I play bass in a Country and Irish band. I play bass in the manner I think the song needs: roots or roots and fifths, walk ups and walk downs. Nothing exciting or revolutionary but my fellow band members like my contributions so I stick to what works.

I had a look at the ‘proper’ way to play bass on Johnny B Goode and it all seemed wrong to me. From my perspective, that bass pattern did not enhance the song or more importantly, strengthen the rhythm of the song. But who am I to comment? In a nutshell, what is the difference between guitar and bass?

darthed1981 · May 2022

When I've played bass I rather enjoy how you are working in the background with the drummer, like being part of the foundation instead of the flashy... erm... something on a house that's flashy.

Funny thing I've found is the more you play bass the more you notice basslines on records.

Disclaimer: I'm a total root playing bass-hack, so have very little knowledge of the nuances of it.

LastMantra · May 2022

What I found tricky was the picking hand technique.

blobb · May 2022

FZ: "I like the Bass guitar, it gives people something to listen to when they don't want to listen to the music" - or something like that.

I prefer Rich Sinclair's view of "filling in the gaps".

Either way, you are either underpinning a stronger mid/treble melody with harmonised reference points that a rhythm can hang on to, or your being musical. I prefer the latter.

fretmeister · May 2022

The difference is whatever the composer of the tune wants it to be.

Both instruments can play the riff / main motif. Or one can play a rhythmic support, or a counter melody. Or a mix of harmony and unison.

Or even all of it depending on the section of the tune. Like Jack Bruce would. And for that matter the real original god of the low end, Johann Sebastian Bach. Unison, harmony, percussive rhythm, counter melodies. He did it all magnificently.

ICBM · May 2022

Rocker said:

In a nutshell, what is the difference between guitar and bass?

Timing.

With bass, the feel/groove is more important than the notes. (Obviously only up to a point, as with all these things.)

Kebabkid · May 2022

Comment Deleted

prowla · May 2022

You can be more adventurous on bass.

viz · May 2022

Rocker said:

And good guitar playing is not easily transferable to bass.

And there you have it. Nobody has ever said “bass playing isn’t directly transferable to guitar.” Because it’s obvious. It’s like saying you can never get a McDonalds patty to taste like fillet steak.

fretmeister · May 2022

viz said:

Rocker said:

And good guitar playing is not easily transferable to bass.
And there you have it. Nobody has ever said “bass playing isn’t directly transferable to guitar.” Because it’s obvious. It’s like saying you can never get a McDonalds patty to taste like fillet steak.

The bass being the fillet steak.

chrisj1602 · May 2022

To me, when playing bass, I am part of the rhythm section and need to be on the ball. A bum note on the bass is a very bad thing. Not that I throw loads of bum notes into my guitar playing but I just feel a greater responsibility when playing bass.

ICBM · May 2022

chrisj1602 said:

To me, when playing bass, I am part of the rhythm section and need to be on the ball. A bum note on the bass is a very bad thing. Not that I throw loads of bum notes into my guitar playing but I just feel a greater responsibility when playing bass.

But equally, a *wrong* note - in the right key - is usually less noticeable than one that’s out of time... it’s hard to explain why, but if you play solidly in time and in key then you can get away with being more ‘creative’, somehow.

EricTheWeary · May 2022

ICBM said:

chrisj1602 said:

To me, when playing bass, I am part of the rhythm section and need to be on the ball. A bum note on the bass is a very bad thing. Not that I throw loads of bum notes into my guitar playing but I just feel a greater responsibility when playing bass.

But equally, a *wrong* note - in the right key - is usually less noticeable than one that’s out of time... it’s hard to explain why, but if you play solidly in time and in key then you can get away with being more ‘creative’, somehow.

I remember something from an interview with Bruce Thomas that he learned bass by playing along with the rhythms on Motown tracks. He had decided that timing and groove were the most important thing and he could add the proper notes later. He did okay - Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega, noted expert on Bruce Lee (okay that may not be a bass thing).

But guitar and bass are broad churches. I don’t think there’s a single simple answer.

viz · May 2022

fretmeister said:

viz said:

Rocker said:

And good guitar playing is not easily transferable to bass.
And there you have it. Nobody has ever said “bass playing isn’t directly transferable to guitar.” Because it’s obvious. It’s like saying you can never get a McDonalds patty to taste like fillet steak.

The bass being the fillet steak.

Hehe touché

Tannin · May 2022

On bass, a wrong note is unimportant. If you smile and play the same note again, no-one even knows it happened. A note out of time, however, sticks out like the dog's proverbials and must be avoided at all costs.

UnclePsychosis · May 2022

Traditionally, two strings and one octave.

roberty · May 2022

The bass is a lot more physical to play, especially if you use your fingers. Combine that with the importance of feel and timing and you're in a very different world. Because bass tends to be played with little or no effects, the way you handle the strings makes a huge difference, that's where all of your dynamics and expression is coming from. And its role in the music is very different, you need a completely new approach

Funkfingers · May 2022

Speaking of fingers, a fair bit of guitar is played by fretting using the fingertips. Bass guitar tends towards the flat section of the digits,

In a dance music context, it is the bass to which one wiggles one's booty.

Play along with some classic Donald "Duck" Dunn bass lines, on a proper P Bass width neck, and you will find your fretting fingers more or less dancing between the fret positions.

James Jamerson bass lines are more sophisticated than Dunn. Adam Clayton's often less so. All are equally valid. Repetitive eight notes that lock in with the drums set a foundation over which almost anything can happen.

mrkb · May 2022

Is it that one attracts the opposite (or same) sex and the other doesn’t?

munckee · May 2022

mrkb said:

Is it that one attracts the opposite (or same) sex and the other doesn’t?

While the other renders you invisible.

fretmeister · May 2022

mrkb said:

Is it that one attracts the opposite (or same) sex and the other doesn’t?

Most of the time!

Mind you, on one solitary occasion after a pub gig a woman came up to me and asked me about my finger stamina and whether it was a transferable skill...

Unfortunately she asked in front of my girlfriend at the time.

MentalSharps · May 2022

It would be interesting to see an example where the bass parts of songs were played by a guitar, and guitar parts played by bass and see what the effects of making those substitutions.

fretmeister · May 2022

MentalSharps said:

It would be interesting to see an example where the bass parts of songs were played by a guitar, and guitar parts played by bass and see what the effects of making those substitutions.

I write like that sometimes.

Have a riff and a bass line and then swap them for part of the tune. It’s fun.

fretmeister · May 2022

I was just listening to The Yardbirds’ Lost Woman.

The bass is pretty much playing the melody and the guitars come in for stabby rhythmic things when needed.

Then there’s a bit of a guitar solo and the bass drops and octave for that bit.

it’s a great tune.

Musicman20 · May 2022

Nothing quite like dominant bass bands like Joy Division.....big 'lead' bass chords.

Musicman20 · May 2022

Also, I've personally noticed that higher gain guitar is much easier to sound good compared to clean bass.

fretmeister · May 2022

Musicman20 said:

Also, I've personally noticed that higher gain guitar is much easier to sound good compared to clean bass.

The best bass sounds have a surprisingly high amount of dirt on them

Youtube is full of isolated bass tracks that sound horrible on their own, but amazing in the mix. They sound much cleaner in the mix too.

ArchtopDave · May 2022

fretmeister said:

mrkb said:

Is it that one attracts the opposite (or same) sex and the other doesn’t?

Most of the time!

Mind you, on one solitary occasion after a pub gig a woman came up to me and asked me about my finger stamina and whether it was a transferable skill...

Unfortunately she asked in front of my girlfriend at the time.

Now that really is a good example of poor timing!

ICBM · May 2022

fretmeister said:

Youtube is full of isolated bass tracks that sound horrible on their own, but amazing in the mix. They sound much cleaner in the mix too.

It constantly amazes me that when I hear my bass through my fuzz pedal - which doesn't even have a clean blend - on its own, the bass sounds incredibly gnarly and distorted... but as soon as everyone else is playing, it's only slightly "not clean". I really don't know why!

roberty · May 2022

fretmeister said:

Musicman20 said:

Also, I've personally noticed that higher gain guitar is much easier to sound good compared to clean bass.

The best bass sounds have a surprisingly high amount of dirt on them

Youtube is full of isolated bass tracks that sound horrible on their own, but amazing in the mix. They sound much cleaner in the mix too.

The bass in Wonderwall is positively filthy. Disgustingly so

Dave_Mc · May 2022

fretmeister said:

Musicman20 said:

Also, I've personally noticed that higher gain guitar is much easier to sound good compared to clean bass.

The best bass sounds have a surprisingly high amount of dirt on them

Youtube is full of isolated bass tracks that sound horrible on their own, but amazing in the mix. They sound much cleaner in the mix too.

It's almost the opposite from guitar, then, guitar (I think!) seems to sound more distorted once it's recorded.

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What are the essential differences between guitar and bass

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