Glad you’re enjoying the bass, it’s such a cool instrument!!
Errrr, not true! I was asked to give an impromptu bass “concert” after Christmas dinner, for family and friends. Had them groovin’ in the dining room, although they were all half-cut 
BTW, I feel your pain with the recorder and violin - those instruments scarred my infant / junior school years!
The secret to why bar bands work 
Well I think almost everyone tried to play some instrument.
I can’t put better in words, when I tried to play other instruments (piano, guitar, drums…) its ok but I feel the “music” comes from the instrument, but in the upright bass and guitar bass I fell the music comes from me…
It’s weird but its how i feel it.
I know hat you mean, that same feeling is starting to come to me now when playing bass ( after a little more than a year of playing) had the same thing with playing drums when I was younger, but now I prefer the bass , like Marcus Miller said once in one of his clinics “ drumming with notes “ 
I use to play drums… I’ve always been musical and very into music - like a “music is life” person and quitting drums really killed me - but I had to because I injured my wrists and my wrists just can not take it anymore - so after years and years of being bummed out, I decided that I needed to learn an instrument that would be easier on my wrists - and I decided on bass because bass lines and drum lines go hand in hand, so I figured that learning bass was the next best thing to playing drums … and yeah, my wrists are still delicate flowers that hurt if I play bass too long, but I can play for an hour or so on bass (the length of most sets tbh) whereas I can only play drums for like 15 minutes tops before my wrists become useless and I can no longer hold the sticks … so that’s my story - bass is not my first love, but I do love bass
You know what the song says…if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.
Mine is stupid🙈
I was 11 years old and my father listened to a variety of (good) music.
In Poland the Welsh band Budgie was very popular and we had their vinyl at home.
There were photos of the band members inside and I liked looking at them.
The frontman and vocalist of the band played bass (and thanks to that I learned that there was such a thing as a bass guitar). Because of his voice (androgynous) and appearance (he looked like Janis Joplin), I got it into my head that Burke Shelley was a girl. And I started thinking that I wanted to play same “guitar”, just like "her"
Later I realized that it was a guy, but the seed had already been planted and there was no going back
One great Breadfan deserves another!
I know what you mean! in 1979, I was working at KFC, I sliced the end of my right index finger making cole slaw. To this day, I have a little bit of nreve damage.
Thanks for the post I haven’t heard that in decades…
My dad has always been into music - whether as an instrumentalist or vocalist. He played piano and guitar, though he is presently a singer in a few different bands around town. I played piano for about 5-6 years growing up, then I heard “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and loved the guitar solo, so I wanted to learn that. He has a Peavey T-60 he let me play around on, and I had this on-again-off-again relationship with guitar - played through middle school, into high school. At some point in high school, I bought an entry-level Ibanez, and then an OLP 5-string. Of course, I became distracted and put them down, lord only knows what actually happened to them… I played some guitar in my late 20s, again for about a 3 year stint. At the beginning of 2024 (literally NYE) I picked up my six-string for the first time in a few years and told myself this time was going to be different and that I would actually stick with it. Well, I wasn’t entirely wrong… played daily for 8-9 months, and then in September of last year, while I was shopping for a new six-string (thought that procuring a Jackson V-shredder would enable me to play some Randy Rhoads), I instead spontaneously put a TRBX305, Zoom B1Four, and Rumble 25 in my cart and purchased those. I’ve been hooked since, noting a far stronger gravitation to the lower frequencies. Feels a bit “square peg, round hole” for me as when I was playing six string, rhythm was never a strong suit, though I’ve definitely adapted
So my love of making music goes back to when I was a wee lad at the age of 11 (now 51), my dad being from MI was really into Motown, my Mother into Country (cline, cash, ect). MY “cool” uncle one day said listen to this to my shock it was SGT. Pepper, he played guitar I asked him to teach me. being 11 not being able to hold chord shapes he said " have you ever thought about the bass?" fast forward to middle school started playing t-bone had lessons and could read music so easy move plus all the cool kids were in marching band and played bass in the jazz band. fast forward to after college move to Chicago and just played with anyone who would have me, played a lot of folk gigs, rock gigs got into a touring cover /original band.
my nickname story I was playing a gig guitar/bass duo some girl asked my name I responded jeff- the girl I was playing with shouted Jeff the bass player and it stuck
My uncle passed away last year it was the first time I had a chance to share that story with his step kids. they knew he played guitar but had no idea how much he influenced my musical journey
Unfortunately, I never had a classical musical education which I regret but 5 years ago, I decided to learn an instrument due to a spontaneous jam sessions with musician friends where I was just singing and shaking some eggs. I was always very much into music but I thought but music is always mystified so I never started learning. However, this jam kind of motivated me to learn an instrument because it felt magical.
I didn’t know what to start with but always knew that bass and guitar were probably the best picks. Well, I found a teacher but he instructed guitar so I stuck with the guitar because it felt a bit more versatile as a solo experience.
However, over the years I have actually always preferred to follow basslines on guitar and kind of filled in as a poor mans bass with an octave pedal. During every concert and in other jams, I always found that bass players were the coolest and sometimes the more sophisticated musicians. Personally, I also don’t like to lead as much, never gave a damn about flashy solos. I just want to be part of something and provide a background for others. Bass just seems ideal for that.
The bass sound is always the part in a song that really gets me so I couldn’t resist and started to pick up the bass with B2B. Mostly because I want to be more versatile and fill in for jams because bass players are always missing.
I retired. My husband blindsided me and left. I needed a constructive activity/outlet. I was deciding to learn an instrument. I was thinking about piano or guitar or bass. Then I heard TOO SWEET by Hozier on the radio on the highway. I could not get enough of the heavy bass line and song. At that moment I decided it will be bass and adopted TOO SWEET as my separation theme song.
While I’ve always loved all sorts of music, I’ve particularly loved how it sounds with punk/pop punk music. I went to a meet & greet after one of my favorite bands played at the Paramount in Seattle. The bassist was super cool both musically and had a very down to earth personality. So I got the idea to get bass lessons from him. I just guessed his email address and pretty much assumed I wouldn’t get a response. But I did. And long story short is I took lessons from him in his studio for quite awhile and had alot of fun!
Many, many years pass and I wanted to start playing an instrument. I started piano but it triggered a prior injury and I had to go to occupational therapy, and I just thought huh I’d love to pick the bass back up again. So I bought myself another bass, signed up for BassBuzz and here I am. Although getting injured sucks, I think it was meant to happen - otherwise I might be still trying to slog through piano. I am so much happier and at home with the bass.
And for those that may ask why I’m taking bass lessons when I already had lessons well…it had been many many years since I played. Also, my teacher had been a professional musician for quite awhile (and still is today), but he had never taught a person before. I thought it might be a good idea to teach from an actual teacher …if that makes sense. Anyways loving the course, money well spent!
I sort of sideways slid into it. This is going to be a bit of a downer in the middle do to disability and illness, but there’s fun bits later on.
My first love was piano which I started at age 4. Could read sheet music before I could read words. Then onto violin at 6 (which I hated) oboe at 15 (which I enjoyed but my asthmatic lungs did not) and then onto classical guitar at 16, before getting an electric in my 20s. I liked the guitar but living in apartments and not wanting to antagonize my neighbors meant I didn’t practice as much as I should. But always appreciated bass lines without ever considering trying play myself.
Cut to the pandemic. I got sick at the very beginning of April in 2020. Completely wrecked havoc on every aspect of my life to the point I’m permanently disabled. The hardest part was that it thoroughly borked my brain. I formerly was a professional artist and now struggle to draw, couldn’t read for about 18 months, struggle with math, all my decades of music were completely wiped out, and my short term memory is completely fried, along with all other kinds of fun health issues.
A couple of years into working with a speech therapist we decided to try doing vocal training to improve my lung function and voice stability. I realized that a lot of those read a lot like bass lines and since I no longer am in an apartment with neighbors I put out a message in my local TrashNothing and Freecycle groups and a very very kind gentleman gave me his old Frankenbass, amp, and a couple pedals for good measure.
Pretty much instantly instantly was hooked. The only way I know how to describe it is that it felt like coming home to a place I’d never been but always had missed. Excitingly I also discovered that despite all the other borkage the music side of my brain actually worked better. I have had mild color/sound synesthesia my whole life but now its significantly more intense. To the point where I can sort of hotwire my completely glitching memory into being able to remember songs because I know that the blue stripy bit comes after the tan and orange section. And because neural plasticity is just wildly bizarre I have a much more innate sense of rhythm and for the first time in my almost 40 years of playing music can do transcribing by ear. I’m still relearning how to read sheet music, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to play guitar again but I did get my first set of drumsticks and a practice pad last week so I’m excited to see where that takes me as well.
I am not one to say “bad things happen for reasons.” I think bad things just happen and we’re left to make peace with them. BUT I am also grateful to have found something that makes me so exceedingly happy.
