My DD wants to learn the bass guitar... Can anyone advise?

[HuggyBuggy]

I would have thought a normal acoustic guitar would be better but am not a musician! Can anyone advise?

Does she think it will be easier as it only has 4 strings? Wants to play more accompaniment rather than solos? Is she looking to make up a band with someone and the guitar slot is taken? Or maybe she just thinks it's cool? :)

I played bass for a bit as a teen. Combination of all above reasons :o I play acoustic/classical guitar now which I prefer TBH, but the bass wasn't a waste of time.

How old is she?

I assume you think an acoustic guitar makes more sense because you can play proper tunes by yourself and on a bass you need a band. Which I’d agree with too. It’s quite a different vibe though so if the bass is what appeals to her I doubt if you’ll have much luck persuading her that an acoustic is more fun.

My son plays the bass, quite casually at the moment but he’s started playing with the school jazz band and he really likes it. We were lucky that he tried it at a friend’s house and played theirs for a few months so we had some confidence he would stick with it before we invested in his own instrument. Might you be able to borrow one? You’ll also need an amp but she can practice with the sound turned very low or even off so it’s not too intrusive. And some headphones so she can play along to recorded tracks.

Guitars seem like one of the more successful instruments to learn independently or there are lots of online learning options. If you want her to have lessons, guitar shops are usually staffed by musicians who are often eager to teach for the extra cash.

My DD plays bass as her main instrument... I have no idea if it’s easier or not than guitar, I suspect not because she quite often has to transpose (I think that’s the right word, lol) her own music rather being able to just find it somewhere.

It makes it harder for her at college definitely because a lot of her tutors forget she needs different music.

But... she picks up slots in bands fairly easily because most bands need bass players and more people play guitar or sing.

DD took it up in Y8 (after a musical false start in Y5 on the piano, which she loathed, so we ditched quickly). She's never looked back and it's given her (and us) an enormous amount of pleasure. Lots of band performances at school, she did Saturday & summer holiday "rock workshops" etc. Now also plays the double bass and was warmly welcomed to her Uni orchestra, who'd not had a double bass for some years.

As a result of her passion, I'm now very conscious of the bass lines when listening to music .

It's a great instrument, with lots of social opportunities. Is your DD's school supportive of musicians / bands?

A lot of people think of bass as just an accompaniment to guitars but it really is an instrument in its own right, and there are a lot of very bass-driven rock and blues songs. Plenty of The Police, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Red Hot Chilli Peppers etc.

Bass players often have more involvement in writing songs (bass is more of a key role in a band than the guitars, even if the guitars get more solos) and gain a better understanding of the theory of music. And if she wants to pick up guitar later on I (as a guitarist who's dabbled) suspect it's easier to go from bass to guitar than the other way.

It's a great idea.

Depending upon her size, a shortscale bass might be better for her (get the case and strap thrown in for free), get a 20W practice amp, some good leads, tuner and some overear headphones, plus a 3.5mm jack lead to be able to play tracks through into the amp. Find out about good posture now, rather than let her get into bad habits - the number of people I know who play like Paul McCartney look dodgy as hell, but the number who complain of wrist tendonitis or back pain, but swing the thing round their knees and play like an ape are far greater. In comparison, I play despite arthritis and can still play even in a flare because I paid attention to posture sooner.

TAB is easiest.

She will have to use her ears - never trust anything on the internet that says 'it goes like THIS'. It never does.

Searching for Isolated Bass tracks on YouTube is interesting, but the stuff they isolate on is often beyond beginners.

The learning curve to play bass is much shallower than on guitar, so she will be competent quicker. Being able to play guitar as well is great, but not obligatory - I'd definitely recommend learning music theory from the start, though, as even knowing what three notes comprise a major or minor chord is really helpful in working out basslines.

Oh, and when she has proper lessons, get them from a proper bassist, not a guitarist. Despite the commonality in there being EADG strings in both, it's a completely different discipline - you wouldn't hire a violinist to teach cello, don't hire a guitarist to teach bass.

YY to music theory, and how fabulous that she wants to learn such a cool instrument!
I follow the bass/listen out for it in most songs I listen to - more than the guitar. (but then again I'm an aging rock chick)

I played bass for years when I was younger, I was convinced I was going to be Nicky Wire when I grew up!
Its different to guitar but it’s rewarding to learn as it’s quite easy to grasp the basics before going on to more complicated things.

It's a great idea. There are fewer bassists so she's more likely to be in demand to join a band. Also bass is the coolest instrument in any band. Tina Weymouth is my proof.

I agree get a real bassist to teach it, as the hand positions and fingering are totally different.

I started playing bass when I was about 13 and found it really easy pick up although I played other instruments so musical anyway. Bass tab (which shows the fingering below the notes) will probably be available online easily. Teach her to read music though, bass clef and treble clef so she can transpose on her own or, like i used to do, read the music in treble but play in bass (easier than it sounds, low c in treble clef is e in bass).

Charity shops or eBay for a cheap guitar to start with and let her crack on with YouTube videos etc until we get back to ‘normal’ and she can get some proper lessons.

My son played electric guitar and then later base guitar. He had lessons every week and did music grades. He enjoyed it and I don't think he found it too hard but he did practice 3 or 4 times each week. When he was doing GCSE's it relaxed him.

I've been a bass player for 33 years now, so I might be a bit biased but it is a great instrument. It's relatively easy to pick up the basics and play simple lines, but can be as complex as anything else, some of the solo bass pieces by players such as Michael Manring etc are just amazingly moving pieces of music irrespective of the instrument it was composed on.
There are many really good beginners instruments available, I would recommend a short scale instrument for a youngster, companies such as Squire and Ibanez have excellent short scale basses for not a lot of money.
I would second the suggestion above of getting proper lessons from a bass teacher, not a guitar teacher, the physical technique is different for a start and incorrect hand positioning can cause lots of problems further down the line. There are also excellent online tutors, the best of which is Scott Devine, of Scott's bass lessons, well worth checking out.
I'm happy to offer further adivice if you wish, just DM me.

Thanks everyone this is is so helpful and I will look into getting her one then I think!! Anything particular to look for; brands, sizes?, whether to buy new or not? She's an average sized twelve year old.

Cort shortscale. Don't cost much, not too heavy, perfectly good sound (seen them used professionally many times, especially when air travel means you don't want to risk far more expensive instruments).

Nice pickups and usually come so well put together that they don't need much of a setup, if any.

I'd recommend waiting until the shops are open.

I don't recommend Squire, though. Some of their recent offerings have been utter pigs and the cheaper Ibanez...ugh.

Maybe a good starting point :

There's a world of difference between bassists who just plonk the root note, and ones that add to the harmony of a piece. All while fighting the urge to be the next Flea and play a zillion notes a second.

I would start her out on a classical acoustic with nylon strings until she builds fingers up. She can just take of the 2 lightest strings and play an octave higher for bass stuff at first. Then moving on, id aim towards a fender jazz bass. Cant go wrong with them.

Oh, and look what popped up when I opened YouTube

What sort of music is she in to?

Ask your ndn which one they would prefer through the walls?!!!

If she likes bass guitar, get her to look up James Jamerson on youtube. Best bass player of all time.

That video is really good but Seinfeld gave me a lifelong hatred of slapbass (that and having to actually learn it)

I realise I’m late to this thread, and you’ve probably already bought one for your DD, but for other people who may be searching - you could look at an electro-acoustic bass so you can play it with or without an amp. Taylor do a 3/4 size one which is good as you don’t need long arms to play it.

OP - hope your DD is enjoying learning whatever you chose.

How is your DD getting on OP?

My son plays double bass - same strings so he also taught himself to play the bass guitar as it's so much more convenient.

I luvs it.