I've been playing bass (5-string, 4-string, fretless and upright) for almost 29 years now. But my primary instrument is keyboards/piano/synths (40 years). I consider bass my 2nd instrument.
I picked up the bass in the Summer of 1995 partly out of frustration from working with certain bass players who drove me crazy doing things like overplaying, not putting fills in the right places, lack of pocket, resisting playing a 5-string, etc. I figured, if I complained that much, I might as well learn to play the bass my own damn self. So, having just graduated from college at the time, with my 2nd paycheck from my first job out of college, I bought a Musicman Stingray5 bass (I've always felt there's power in the sub-E notes, and it's easier to go from 5-string to 4-string than vice-versa) from a local bass store that was on consignment for $800. I spent the next 6 weeks woodshedding for 3 hours every day after work putting on my favorite CDs and playing the basslines from those. I noticed the music ensemble at my church didn't have a bass player, so I asked the musical director if they needed one. Boom, I became a bassist and played in that situation for the next 5 years. I also played bass for a couple cover bands during that time. I can also play drums and guitar, but I stop short of calling myself a "drummer" (I don't own a drumkit, nor have the room for one) or a "guitarist" (I don't own a pedalboard, lol). I do consider myself as a singer, keyboardist and bassist.
As a keyboardist, in my early bands back in high school, we had no bass player. The only guy who played bass in my high school was way too advanced for us, so I played left hand synth bass on a Casio CZ-101 while my right hand played a Yamaha DX7. It was through that that I subconsciously learned bass concepts like root harmony, groove/pocket, passing tones, etc. As a singer playing piano/keys, I comp myself like 90% of the time, so I default to playing basslines on my left hand and chords/arpeggios/melodies on my right.
Flash-forward 8 years later when I was woodshedding after work, locked in my room with my 5-string bass. That left-hand synth bass dexterity I built over the years made the whole fretting thing a familiar concept physically, while I was already familiar with the musical properties of bass. That's what helped me become a decent bassist in the span of only 6 weeks.
Synth bass is also a totally unique skill on its own, especially when it comes to legato, slides/glissandos, pitch bend/mod wheel techniques and overall timbre control, and I was in possession of a friend's Minimoog for around 16 years (before returning it a couple years ago - he hardly used it and just wanted someone to take good care of it - I maintained it and paid for new key bushings in return). So when I gig as a bassist, having that flexibility to also play synth bass is an invaluable skill.
In my current band, we haven't had a full-time bassist in several years. I played bass on all but one song (our original bassist played on it) in our album recording. For live gigs, sometimes I play left-hand synth bass, or have a sequencer do it, or play bass guitar while I sing (I'm also the lead vocalist) and the guitar player adapts his parts to cover more of the chordal harmonies. One of our backup singers also plays bass, and we might integrate him into playing bass in some songs, but we haven't done that yet. Ideally, I'd love to have another version of me (a bassist who also plays keys) who can play bass most of the time, with some synth bass, and also could cover the keys while I play the bass. But it's been a difficult journey finding anyone like that. I do know that whether I'm playing bass or not, the bassist always makes or breaks the sound of a band.
Are there other fellow bassists here who also play keys (whether as a primary or secondary instrument)? How do you put on your "bassist hat" or "keyboardist hat" when it comes to either instrument? Just wondering if we share similar approaches to music when it comes to either instrument.
I picked up the bass in the Summer of 1995 partly out of frustration from working with certain bass players who drove me crazy doing things like overplaying, not putting fills in the right places, lack of pocket, resisting playing a 5-string, etc. I figured, if I complained that much, I might as well learn to play the bass my own damn self. So, having just graduated from college at the time, with my 2nd paycheck from my first job out of college, I bought a Musicman Stingray5 bass (I've always felt there's power in the sub-E notes, and it's easier to go from 5-string to 4-string than vice-versa) from a local bass store that was on consignment for $800. I spent the next 6 weeks woodshedding for 3 hours every day after work putting on my favorite CDs and playing the basslines from those. I noticed the music ensemble at my church didn't have a bass player, so I asked the musical director if they needed one. Boom, I became a bassist and played in that situation for the next 5 years. I also played bass for a couple cover bands during that time. I can also play drums and guitar, but I stop short of calling myself a "drummer" (I don't own a drumkit, nor have the room for one) or a "guitarist" (I don't own a pedalboard, lol). I do consider myself as a singer, keyboardist and bassist.
As a keyboardist, in my early bands back in high school, we had no bass player. The only guy who played bass in my high school was way too advanced for us, so I played left hand synth bass on a Casio CZ-101 while my right hand played a Yamaha DX7. It was through that that I subconsciously learned bass concepts like root harmony, groove/pocket, passing tones, etc. As a singer playing piano/keys, I comp myself like 90% of the time, so I default to playing basslines on my left hand and chords/arpeggios/melodies on my right.
Flash-forward 8 years later when I was woodshedding after work, locked in my room with my 5-string bass. That left-hand synth bass dexterity I built over the years made the whole fretting thing a familiar concept physically, while I was already familiar with the musical properties of bass. That's what helped me become a decent bassist in the span of only 6 weeks.
Synth bass is also a totally unique skill on its own, especially when it comes to legato, slides/glissandos, pitch bend/mod wheel techniques and overall timbre control, and I was in possession of a friend's Minimoog for around 16 years (before returning it a couple years ago - he hardly used it and just wanted someone to take good care of it - I maintained it and paid for new key bushings in return). So when I gig as a bassist, having that flexibility to also play synth bass is an invaluable skill.
In my current band, we haven't had a full-time bassist in several years. I played bass on all but one song (our original bassist played on it) in our album recording. For live gigs, sometimes I play left-hand synth bass, or have a sequencer do it, or play bass guitar while I sing (I'm also the lead vocalist) and the guitar player adapts his parts to cover more of the chordal harmonies. One of our backup singers also plays bass, and we might integrate him into playing bass in some songs, but we haven't done that yet. Ideally, I'd love to have another version of me (a bassist who also plays keys) who can play bass most of the time, with some synth bass, and also could cover the keys while I play the bass. But it's been a difficult journey finding anyone like that. I do know that whether I'm playing bass or not, the bassist always makes or breaks the sound of a band.
Are there other fellow bassists here who also play keys (whether as a primary or secondary instrument)? How do you put on your "bassist hat" or "keyboardist hat" when it comes to either instrument? Just wondering if we share similar approaches to music when it comes to either instrument.
