Down To The Bass-ics

A while ago I was asked if I would be willing to play bass guitar in an upcoming musical at my kids’ school. At the time I didn’t own a bass, but said that if they could find me a bass to play, that I would be willing to give it a try.

As luck would have it, not long after that, I found a bass that was being sold on consignment at my favourite music shop. It was affordable and playable, so after getting clearance from everyone who might have concerns about such a purchase, I took the plunge.

Playing in the musical was a ton of fun and the kids did a great job. And since then, I’ve been playing bass regularly in the “jam band” that I meet with from time to time. That’s been a lot of fun too.

And while I am a firm believer that dabbling in other instruments will never make you a better guitarist, I am now persuaded that playing other instruments can make you a better musician.

In this case, it has helped my ear greatly, which has always been one of my weaknesses. I have a much better sense of the important intervals (major  third, minor third, fifth, and dominant seventh) because playing bass is mostly about playing arpeggios (chords played one note at a time), and these are the intervals that form those arpeggios. It has also forced me to get to know my fretboard a little better, especially on the D and G strings where I have always had a tendency to just “fake it”.

I’ve also discovered that kids think that bass is way cooler than guitar.

Cool!

Finally!