Many people start learning to play a musical instrument at early age. I used to take classical piano lessons but didn't enjoy it so I quit. I'm always thrilled at watching people playing bass guitar but at the same time wondering whether I can still learn that because of my age. I just want to be able to play it, not be an expert.
130949
YES! You can learn to play it. I didn't start until I was 19 (I'm 33 now) after having played trumpet (of all things) for 9 years. To be brutally honest, one night it JUST CLICKED. I knew I had found MY instrument. \n\nLearning bass should be easy for you since you already have at least some musical experience AND you really like the bass. \n\nEven for someone who just wants to play "for fun", there are a few basic things you should know/do:\n\n1) Buy a decent bass. I know this is like listening to captain obvious, but one of the biggest mistakes that beginning players make is that they buy an instrument that is either too horribly set-up to be able to enjoy playing, OR one whose sound is so horrible that it is thouroughly UNINSPIRING. Now, what I mean buy a "decent" bass is that it plays easily, sounds ok, and is within your price range. Don't get hung on brands, just get what is cool to you. You should be able to acquire a decent used bass to start with(if you are not hung on looks either) for under $200.\n\n2) When buying a bass at a store, DON'T LISTEN TO SALESMEN. If you have to, bring a bass player along to give you some suggestions and maybe fill you in on some things maybe you are unaware of.........and oh yeah, TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT.\n\n3) After getting your bass, either take a few lessons (to get some sort of a grasp on technique) OR get a friend who will show you. With bass, usually books seem to be too "abstract" about what it actually takes to get a good sound from your fingers.\n\n4) Even beginning players have a certain "level" that they must attain in order to believe that they are "playing" ..... even if it is just for fun. Once you have attained this "level", start ENJOYING what you play. \n\nJust make sure that you don't skip this stuff. You don't want instant discouragement. These suggestions will make the road to playing bass MUCH MUCH smoother.\n\nHope this helps.\nThanks\nJon
443701
You won't learn the guitar if you keep hanging online!\n\nLearning to play takes time and effort.
37958
That really makes past guitarists look bad, huh? Personally I'm a 17 year old who loves Keith, Slash, Angus, Zakk Wylde, Joe Perry, Brian May, Jimmy Paige, and those other great guiarists. So you can't say I'm biast for liking something that goes with my age. I prefer the older guys. Unfortunely the new guitarists don't catch my attention. I don't see anyone worty of the title 'guitar god' that hasn't already been deemed it.
510453
You can, but if you ever want to play with a local symphany or something similar, you'll want to take at least a few lessons at the beginning to make sure you're not picking up any bad habits, posture, fingering trouble, etc that could keep you from being sucessful later.  Also, it's not as easy as it looks!  You'll want some advice on staying in tune, violin care and matinance, and where to get started musically.\n\nIf that's stand-up bass and not bass guitar, you may be ok to teach yourself, but I'd say take at least one lesson.  Local colleges and universities will have a teacher, or can recommend a grad student to help you out.
143892
Depends on how much talent you've got.  You're already familiar with music, so you've got a head start there, but the coordination for piano is very different from guitar.  Another thing is how "good" do you want to be?  Good enough for just family and friends?  Or Good enough to audition for paying positions??
573763
I've been playing the acoustic bass for about 7 years. I got better by learning other bands songs and then eventually writing my own.  Try to learn both easy and diffucult songs.  This will teach you how to move your fingers.  When listening to other music, listen for the bass and how it plays with the drums. Usually, the bass will hit each time the drummer hits a tom/snare drum. And as always.....practice.
208419
drummer is always the hard part. It takes a few months to get decent at guitar and like 5 years to get decent at drums.  Most slackers don't stick with it. when you find a drummer thats at all good, treat them like gold.
555779
Ask a question of a musician and you'll get all kinds of answers.  I have been a bass player and a lead guitarist and started playing at 16.  I can do both fairly fluently and I have done them professionally for years. To answer your question directly, playing bass guitar is nothing like guitar playing, although they share the same notes up and down the fret board and the same last 4 string notes...that is the end of the similarities.  Playing bass requires a totally different technique than playing guitar and I know plenty of bass players that can't play a lick on the guitar but on the bass they are amazing players.  Let's look at Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  He is a thumper, he uses his thumb to hit the root notes and his fingers to pluck the other strings one immediately after the other....it's called popping, this man is a phenominon.  John Taylor with Duran Duran also pops but not to the same extreme, he is a melodic player as well.  You really can't and don't do that on guitar.  Also, bass playing involves holding the groove with the drums.  The bass notes being played off of the kick drum rhythm.  it gives the kick punch a musical quality and is the drive for the song.  Guitars only carry on the top of the song, they are a texture and a mid range rhythm.  Not every band needs a guitar player, but every band needs a bassist.\n\nTell your mom that playing bass is nothing like the guitar.  Yes, learning the guitar is great, however, it takes so much more work to play the guitar initially than it does for the bass.  That is not to say that bass players aren't masters of their craft, it just doesn't invlove chord fingering and the same coordination.
477348
Many start there at a younger age, though this is not a hard and fast rule. Your musical qualifications certainly seem up to scratch. Good luck.
598550
I actually started playing piccolo after playing the flute for only a year.  It's really not hard at all; you just have to set your embochure as if you were playing higher notes on a regular flute.  The actual fingering is slightly different, but you probably only need like a day or two to get used to it.
170140
Nirvana is pretty good, and it's cool that you like them enough to learn alot of their songs. My recomendation, learn the more popular Nirvana songs, and your favorite songs, and then branch out to some other artists. If you ever play guitar for your friends, I am almost positive they would rather hear a variety of music rather than just nirvana over and over again.
272045
hey i just started playing guitar about 3 months ago and im pretty good already.  first u have to learn how to reead tabulature (tab).  go into google and type in how to read tab.  once you learn that you can go to guitartabs.cc and get tabs or i advise that u get a book :) thats wut i did:)
199025
I think this is WONDERFUL!!! You are homeschooling what age are they? I have Crystal 8 yr 2gr, Jeffy 6yr 1 gr, and Robin 5yr kgr.  I have taught my self and know how to read music and that's what I did is went to a few different stores started with my fav. home school store and they told me of their fav. music stores and found a few begg. song books 1 I got was How to teach Keyboard.  But if cost is the problem check out your library (really good if you live in a city!)  You can make copies and recheck out many times!  Or Check ebay they have lots of good cheap stuff!  and you don't have to use a credit card ( I thought this was the only way but learned many people will take money orders!)  Good luck and keep up the good work!  if you need another home school support mom to bounce around ideas always can email me tishniaeq069696@yahoo.com! Have fun!
415112
i was 10.  now 23.  my mom started to teach me, and now i think i'm pretty good. but from what i hear, everybody plays guitar nowadays. it didn't take me very long because i really liked music and i liked it so much i just played constantly. i started with an acoustic and i think it would be pretty good to start with. it's basic and you can find cheap ones to see if you like it. plus you won't have to get an amp for it. good luck.
208225
Different people have different interests.  Some people don't have the coordination and physical prowess to be good at it, and most people don't want to spend many hours a week trying to get good at it when they have no interest in it.  I could say, "why do people not know how to play a musical instrument or write music?"
4473
Drinking and driving is a great concern here (in the US) where many teenagers have access to the family automobile.  It is possible to learn how to drive in a relatively short time for example using Drivers Ed (I began on my 16th birthday - 67 years ago today!) but it takes much longer to integrate all the new knowledge with experience behind the wheel.  For example a skilled driver can spot danger well ahead even while wistling their favorite tune while a beginner may be entering a rotary (roundabout?) for the very first time.\n\nExperiments have proved that if two piano players start to drink until both are drunk at a given blood alcohol concentration, the less experienced piano player (with newly learned skills) will perform well below normal ability far sooner than the piano Pro (with well ingrained skills).\n\nTherefore it follows that new drivers drinking while still integrating skills under age 21 are more prone to lose their skills and judgement and cause fatal accidents, killing themselves and their friends and people standing or driving nearby.  Many below the age of 21 are still in high school and even drive to school.  Eighteen to 21 is an important transition age in many ways.  \n\nNo one should drink and drive - and no one wants to lose their teenaged sons or daughters.\n\nIt is good that UK children are taught moderation, hopefully in all things.
489617
Please let me know if he actually gets to learn to play the guitar from a book. I´d like to learn as well but have no much time and I have an erratic shcedule that won't allow me to take lessons.(P.S. You must really love your husband to be willing to endure constant headaches for the next few months; my wife would probably recommend I take painting lessons instead)