6 String Or Bass?

In my school there was this whole big argument about which is harder to learn. The good ol' 6 string or a 4 string bass? Personally i strum the regular, but I have played around with a bass and I know people who play it.

Some people say that regular guitar is much harder because it has more strings, more complicated, and the music is harder to read. I think that is a good reason. However there is the other side of the story to consider.

Bass is basically the same instrument as a 6 string. But it has less strings and more space between them. so your fingers won't accidently mute the other strings as much. however a lot of people playing a 6 string only play power chords. Even basic bass is harder than that!

My thought is that it doesn't matter what instrument you play, from an african drum to a harp, the instrument can be as difficult as you want it to be. Neither bass or a 6 string is harder if you think about it, because the range of difficulty on a 6 string ranges from strumming 3 different power chords per song to jimi hendrix genius. Just wanted to know the thoughts of other musicians.

Comments

[StreamLine]

you're right, both are equally as difficult, whats more, its really up to the musician, how difficult it actually is. 4 strings too easy? obviously you've never heard any decent bassists....

however i prefer 5 or 6 string basses, for me they are just more complete instruments...

however
your point is perfectly right, good article.

[Oswald]

That depends of on what music you are playing.
I mean that a Riffer is not doing as much as a Soler....

[perfec_circl]

there are six string basses you know. it's actually a really cool instrument, whoever made it up is a genius.

[Muse(ic) ROCKS!]

they are totally different instruments, u cant really compare them as they do different tthings in a band, and there are some difficult sides to both, although id say it is easier for a guitarist to pick up a bass than a bassist to pick up a guitar and play without help.

[Backup Guitar]

They may not be harder, but my bassist friend julian says bass is boring.

I don't disagree with him - whenever I'm just playing one note at a time on guitar, its never as fun as crunching out some chords, even powerchords for that matter.

[BassGuitar]

Its all relative to the musician. If a guy decides one day that he wants to play bass but has never ever picked up a guitar, he is definently going to say that a bass is harder. Like wise the other way around too. But if a guy whose been playing guitar or bass his/her life and switches over, of course their going to say that their instrument is harder to learn. But good article i liked it.

[telecastermastr]

"well ya know what bitch, this article sucks, and i did your momma"

oooook... ummm, if you want my 45+ year old mom thats fine with me man, be as kinky as you'd like... and if you think the article sucks, that's one opinion... but u seem to be the only one who disliked it so far. i dont even see how u can get pissed at that article, i wasn't taking either side and put both sides to the story up there... but whatever, be an immature loser... bet you cant even play smoke on the water(on bass or regular)...

[BassPlayaNeener]

yea, i think both are equally hard to learn..

[BassPlayaNeener]

they're both equally hard to play, and personally i think both are equally fun to play.

[janna]

there are more brilliant guitarist than there are brilliant bassists, which indicated either -
1) the bass is a harder instrument to master, or
2) the bass player never get's the recognition they deserve.

most guitarists are under the impression that they already know how to play bass which is retarded...people like that need their face thrown on a grill. good article though

[TBCIV]

yeah its how you go with the instrument. Guitar you have more solos and chords, but my bassist in my band plays fast aggresive slap bass. Its crazy when he started parts of his fingers would come off and crap. He also plays frettless so you have to hit the fretline exactly. I know any old guitarist couldn't pick up a bass and do something like that. But most can play the roots of chords with a pick on fretted bass

[ad_lib_oz]

if u can play guitar u can play bass, i reckon...theres not that much difference to it, unless the different tunings are taken into account, like in a 5 or 6 string bass.
oh yeah a fretless or an upright bass would be quite a lot harder to play, quite a change from a string bass... there are a few other techniques i guess, slap and all that, but thats not that difficult to get the main idea of....meh i dunno my opinion

[Steph Bets]

yeh i think theya re differnet, and there fore both have different degrees of difficulty. you know what annoys me? when you go"yeh i play gitar" and people are "like bass or lead?" and im like, i play GUITAR not BASS guitar and not JUST lead or RHYTHM... ok sorry, that just really irks me

[und_keine_eire]

bass is harder to play if your really really talented like flea from RHCP, and Ryknow from Mudvanye, people who sat its hard are fooling themselves

[und_keine_eire]

whoops! i mean people who say its easy

[hdawg]

have any of you heard of jaco
pastorius he is the jimi hendrix of bass
buy his album and then decide

[telecastermastr]

"im sorry but simple bass is not harder than power chords..."

i wonder... have you even tried both? i wouldn't be suprised if you havn't... because yeah, basic bass is just one string at a time... in my opinion, and probably most peoples', one string at a time is harder than just one chord...

hdawg... decide on what? if you mean take a side to see which is harder, your statement just contradicted itself... you said that he is the "jimi hendrix of bass"... being that jimi is the undisputed best, jaco must be the best for bass too, agreed? well if they're equally talented then aren't you saying that both instruments would be equal too? if that didn't make sense dont worry about it, it makes sense in my head... hopefully you see what im getting at.

[marktomtravis]

yeah. youre totally right, i play 4 string bass and 6 string guitar, basically, if you only use powe chords on guitar, guitar is easier, but if you do more, it is harder

[telecastermastr]

umm... just cuz there are only 4 strings doesn't mean the notes are limited... personally i think you can do a lot less complicated stuff with bass and still make it sound badass

[boxcarblink41]

check out this 12 string bass site: http://www.12stringbass.c
om/MainFrames.html

[Ratiug318]

wow and i thought 7 strings was a lot for a bass

[Ibanez38956]

bass is harder than guitar in some ways and easier in some ways and guitar is harder than bass in some ways and easier in some ways .

[telecastermastr]

whoever just posted... um, that diddn't make ANY sense... first u say u set up the song... then u say u have to "go with" the drums and guitar... first of all, how can u set up the song but be playing to the other 2 at the same time? you cant, that's called contradicting yourself. second of all, the blending in with the 2 other instruments is exactly the same as with bass... very sad attempt to try to say bass is harder...

[magpies]

bass is actually boring for me. i mean, i've seen a lot of bassists around and i don't really find bass interesting. but a lot of people say bass is actually easier than 6 strings. but it also depends on the music. but some say it's really hard. but for me, i'd prefer 6 strings coz' it's much complete and it's much more enjoyable to play...

[[O]uT|aW]

i think that gutar is difficult to start as a beginner, and bass of course is freakin easy to start... But as ur standard increases... the bass tends to gets much deeper than the guitar. I dunno just my thoughts.

[janecoffin27]

Bass isn't necessarily so easy to start-it may depend on how much you've worked with music before.

Just say guitar, instead of 6-string, because as others have commented there are 6-string basses (which are ***in' awesome and you need if you wanna play a lot of Primus.) I have a four string and a five string. The extra string on the fifth is great, and it was my first and I thought 4-strings were just stupid, but i got a four and it's actually easier to play Iron Maiden and other speed metal on it. But I use the 5 for everything else.

[Metallica45]

Ummm...there really isnt anything else to say ,because everybody said pretty much how i feel about it....so METALLICA ROCKS!!!!

[Bubonic Chronic]

yah, someone will read this. *rolls eyes*

[cherry pie]

bands r usually shite without bass since theres no backup sound i have to learn how to play most of my guitarist music so that i can keep goin if she stops we work it tho sumtimes she learns my stuff an plays with me on her non exsistent bits bass is kinda complex if u have to make up the music u have to get it all timed out i say its kinda hard

[zakk_wylde4]

bass isn't that easy, strings are farther apart and there is a lot more room to screw up

[ithilien046]

here's my opinion on this issue:
i believe that in starting out, bass is easier to play than guitar because one note at a time, even though strings are thicker and spacing is farther, is easier than playing any kind of chord cleanly and with precision. so in this respect, beginning guitar is harder than beginning bass.
let me say this also though, it is easier to become an expert on guitar than it is on bass, because of the string sizes and spacing on a bass, combined with having to come up with bass lines that are more complicated but still are appropriate, whereas on guitar strings are smaller and spacing is less so you can do speedier and more complex things with more ease, and then guitar has a lot more leway to come up with their riffs because they usually have someone else playing something behind whatever they're doing as a foundation. in respect to mastering the instrument then, bass is much harder than guitar.

[charger356]

It really depends on what style of music you are playing. Listen to "Room On Fire" by The Strokes. Tell me what you think about the bassist. Basically, all he does is play two strings the whole friggin song. You'll see what I'm talking about...

[scotte_bass]

man that was awesome
lots of guitarist act like they already know how to play bass
obviously they're wrong
it seems like lots of people look down on the bass
im glad u posted this

[Civildp]

I can play both and Can tell you that the vast majority of bass is easier than guitar. On the flip side it is way harder to write a bass part for a song. thats why a lot of bass parts just follow the guitar

[undead_bunny]

Great Article! :P

[diablo83]

guitar to bass i think is easy, but bass to guitar CAN be hard. it all depends on how bad the bassist wants to learn. anybody can make any instrument easy or hard on themselves. i bet someone can make playing the triangle hard too.

[Schizoid Man]

Both instruments can be equally as hard. It just depends on how seriously you take your playing. There are people are people like Tom Delonge(Blink-182) who play extremely simple guitar parts, then there are people like Chris Squire,(Yes), Geddy Lee(rush), Greg Lake(emerson, lake, and palmer) or Les Claypool(Primus) who play bass parts that are much harder to play and can be very intricate. Or there are guitar players like Micheal Hedges, Buckethead, David Gilmour(Pink Floyd), or Wes Montgomery who play very complicated parts. These guitar players can be compared to bass players like a bass player in a pop punk band.

[Schizoid Man]

Both instruments can be equally as hard. It just depends on how seriously you take your playing. There are people are people like Tom Delonge(Blink-182) who play extremely simple guitar parts, then there are people like Chris Squire,(Yes), Geddy Lee(rush), Greg Lake(emerson, lake, and palmer) or Les Claypool(Primus) who play bass parts that are much harder to play and can be very intricate. Or there are guitar players like Micheal Hedges, Buckethead, David Gilmour(Pink Floyd), or Wes Montgomery who play very complicated parts. These guitar players can be compared to bass players like a bass player in a pop punk band.
Talk to me on AIM: timthemusicnazi

[BASSMOTHER]

Backup Guitar:
They may not be harder, but my bassist friend julian says bass is boring.

OBVIOUSLY YOUR FRIEND JULIAN ISNT A BASSIST. I COULD OWN A HAPR AND SAY IM A HARPIST BUT IT DOESNT MAKE IT SO. TO BE A BASSIST U HAVE TO LIVE AND BREATH BASS. WHEN A BASSIST BLEEDS THEY DONT BLEED BLOOD. THEY BLEED PURE BASS. WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING I EAT BASS FLAKES. YOUR FRIEND JULIAN ISNT A BASSIST. HES AN IDIOT !!!..

[NilsNiiils]

I totally agree, but maybe you should've written more? :P

[NilsNiiils]

Hehe, I totally agree with you, but maybe you should've written more? :p

[NilsNiiils]

Actually, I think guitar is way easier than bass to start with.. Cus on a guitar you may have more strings and do chords and shit, but hell! A bass needs way more training to play properly! You'll have to hold much harder, firmer and about the "one-note-at-a-time"-thin
g, it's not that simple.. I've played both instruments, but now I'm stuck at the bass since I find it way more fun to play! You can do pulses and things you usually can't do on a guitar, on a bass.
And we all know, THE MOST IMPORTANT instruments in a band are the drums and the bass. - fini -

[noob guitarist]

i used to play guitar but now im a bass guy i myself find it easier but its the persons own choice i guess

[AtreyuHxCKid666]

BASSMOTHER wrote:

Backup Guitar:
They may not be harder, but my bassist friend julian says bass is boring.

OBVIOUSLY YOUR FRIEND JULIAN ISNT A BASSIST. I COULD OWN A HAPR AND SAY IM A HARPIST BUT IT DOESNT MAKE IT SO. TO BE A BASSIST U HAVE TO LIVE AND BREATH BASS. WHEN A BASSIST BLEEDS THEY DONT BLEED BLOOD. THEY BLEED PURE BASS. WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING I EAT BASS FLAKES. YOUR FRIEND JULIAN ISNT A BASSIST. HES AN IDIOT !!!..

lmao!! mmmmm bass flakes... sounds tasty!!

[AtreyuHxCKid666]

but yeah, any intruments hard, it just takes motivation and patience to perfect them. good article!

[BassIsBest:)]

BASSMOTHER wrote:

Backup Guitar:
They may not be harder, but my bassist friend julian says bass is boring.

OBVIOUSLY YOUR FRIEND JULIAN ISNT A BASSIST. I COULD OWN A HAPR AND SAY IM A HARPIST BUT IT DOESNT MAKE IT SO. TO BE A BASSIST U HAVE TO LIVE AND BREATH BASS. WHEN A BASSIST BLEEDS THEY DONT BLEED BLOOD. THEY BLEED PURE BASS. WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING I EAT BASS FLAKES. YOUR FRIEND JULIAN ISNT A BASSIST. HES AN IDIOT !!!..

I totally agree i play bass myself and once you get to know slappin and poppin and stuff like that it sounds awsome... Julian obviously dosent play bass properly or they'd find it so much more fun Honestly if you just wanna hav a bit o fun and make funky noises remember ... BassIsBest

[dannyboy1992]

i think that it is probably equaly difficult to paly both properly,but my friends a pretty good bassist and hes been playin abou 3 months
but he played guitar for 6 years and wasnt tht great
generally tho i think its easier for a guitarist to pick up a bass and play it than a bassist to pick up a guitar
unless they now how to paly chords on a bass which most dont
peace

[dannyboy1992]

i think that it is probably equaly difficult to paly both properly,but my friends a pretty good bassist and hes been playin abou 3 months
but he played guitar for 6 years and wasnt tht great
generally tho i think its easier for a guitarist to pick up a bass and play it than a bassist to pick up a guitar
unless they now how to paly chords on a bass which most dont
peace

[brush200400]

this article SUCKS! they are equally difficult to play, and to learn, bass is easier.

[Sabscope]

I play bass, and I much prefer it because of the sound.
Here it is: the bassLINES are easier to play - basslines in most music are really simple.

As an interesting note, I've never practised chords, so can't play rhythm guitar that well, but because I learnt scales for bass, I can play lead guitar. Am I less skilled than a rhythm player but not a lead?
Basically, each is as difficult as the other when you start REALLY playing it - problem is it's guitarists who are generally ALLOWED to do that - try belting out a really INCREDIBLE bass line/riff/solo, it's just as difficult. What I'm trying to say is - it's as hard as you make it.

[cjlane]

My thought is that it doesn't matter what instrument you play, from an african drum to a harp, the instrument can be as difficult as you want it to be.

You're damn right.

[sucubus]

simple answer- 6 string bass