classical guitar = bass player?

dylan · Post by **dylan** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:03 pm

the other day a mate of mine picked up my bass - he had never played bass before, but was instantly able to play the instrument with great skill.

i was kinda amazed, till he pointed out that he had decades of experience playing classical guitar, and that the chops were basically the same.

come to think of it, i could play bass pretty much as soon as i picked it up, and i too played heaps of fingerstyle acoustic as a kid.

the plucking and muting with those two fingers by your thumb is pretty much identical, and the inate ability to play slap bass might be from the thumb plucking on a classical.

p.s when i say "playing the bass" i mean without a pick - yes, im biased:)

Timi · Post by **Timi** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:58 pm

I'm confused, you can play bass without a pick?

Post by Bg » Wed Apr 25, 2007 7:00 pm

I think a line needs to be drawn between a bass player who provides a solid backing rhythm and can fit with a drummer or the bass player who shreds and wanks on like a guitarist..... I'm sure his technique is great, but is he a 'Bass Player'

B45-12 · Post by **B45-12** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:27 am

Probably if he's a decent classical Guitarist, BG, yes he can hold the groove - besides flashy bits like Bach's bouree in Dminor or Chaconne in E, you spend lots of time working on other things like 'Recuerdos de los alhambra' which are strictly rhythem pieces (with tremelo) and South American things, like those of Ponce (I kid you not) which are mostly rhythem (some quite tricky ones as well) that bieng the home of the tango, sexual perversions, gauchos, armadildos etc.

raz · Post by **raz** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:25 pm

B45-12 wrote:Probably if he's a decent classical Guitarist, BG, yes he can hold the groove - besides flashy bits like Bach's bouree in Dminor or Chaconne in E, you spend lots of time working on other things like 'Recuerdos de los alhambra' which are strictly rhythem pieces (with tremelo) and South American things, like those of Ponce (I kid you not) which are mostly rhythem (some quite tricky ones as well) that bieng the home of the tango, sexual perversions, gauchos, armadildos etc.

and they even make armadillos into guitars - the Charango

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charango

foal30 · Post by **foal30** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:54 pm

I'm wearing an Argentine football top as I read this.

B45-12 · Post by **B45-12** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:25 pm

raz wrote:
B45-12 wrote:Probably if he's a decent classical Guitarist, BG, yes he can hold the groove - besides flashy bits like Bach's bouree in Dminor or Chaconne in E, you spend lots of time working on other things like 'Recuerdos de los alhambra' which are strictly rhythem pieces (with tremelo) and South American things, like those of Ponce (I kid you not) which are mostly rhythem (some quite tricky ones as well) that bieng the home of the tango, sexual perversions, gauchos, armadildos etc.
and they even make armadillos into guitars - the Charango

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charango

No doubt - but I didn't write armadillo!! -

raz · Post by **raz** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:46 pm

B45-12 wrote: No doubt - but I didn't write armadillo!! -

I know but I didn't want to post another picture of the Wangcaster

Kev77 · Post by **Kev77** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 5:27 pm

adam clayton said it takes a certain type of person to play the repeatitive bass line for the sake of a good groove, very different for the 'lead bassist'

dylan · Post by **dylan** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:33 am

"lead bassist" = oxymoron

but i love that part in "scarified" where the bassplayer plays lead on a rick with distortion and a pick - then goes back to playing bass after 4 bars.