Hey there,
I've just started up a band with my friends and i have nominated myself as bassist. thing is, i cant play bass. i know the basics, and i can play normal guitar. whats the difference? and also i wanted to buy a bass. what brand is good but not too expensive? Thanks for the help in advance.

I started playing the Bass in April 06, I only played the drums before. I was immediately put in a classic rock band and now we have about 45 songs in our list.
My tips are watch the rythym guitar player, when he plays G you play G (3rd fret bottom string) when he plays E you play E (bottme string open) and so on, concentrte on the major minor root stuff and it will all come to you. Since I cant read sheet music, I have learned to play TAB.

Crash
Bass player for Tuesday @ Nine

Thanks for the help but im trying to make up a band where the guitarist(one of my friends) has never picked up a guitar in her life. shes learning but in some songs the bass has a particular part. should i look the tabs up on a website(i've been reading tabs for a year) thanks again.

ok, then try going to Ultimate-guitar.com and pull up a song then click on the "chords". This one will allow you to pull/pluck a string when a certain word is sung. The chord version of a song is generally for a guitar when strumming but pulling a bass string will be similiar.

Get the Idiots Guide to Bass Guitar. It's quite good. If you don't feel comfortable with a full size instrument, try playing a 30" bass. (Some people don't feel comfortable with the weight and size of a full size bass) The Fender Bronco is a good example of this and also Daisy guitars has some nice basses. You can always re-inforce the root note of whatever chord the guitar player is playing but this gets boring after awhile (a lot of 50's and some 60's rock was like this) Start by playing warm up exercises such as chromatic scalar runs from the low E to the G string (open, 1st fret=1st finger, 2nd fret=2nd finger, etc) This will help you gain dexterity and build up strength in your hands. (This is important for the bass but not so much for the guitar as the string gauge is considerably lighter) Hope this helps.

Thanks for all ur help, i really appriciate it. but how much would a bass cost? and would it be better to have 4 strings or 5? thanks

The Fender Squier Bronco Bass is about 150 bucks online for a new one. You may find better deals in store or on the 'net. You'll have to shop around. It's a good/affordable starter bass. You should start with a 4 string and then later tackle a 5, 6 or even 7 string. You can find affordable 4 strings online & in a store for less than 200 dollars. Most low end basses are built better than cheaper guitars so whatever you choose will last you a while. Check ebay, you may find even better bargains.

i've just been looking at the fender squire bronco and i think they might be a bit small for me. i am taller than my dad ( him=5'9" me =5'10") so would u suggest i get a full size bass from the squire range? which one would you suggest? and before i commit to anything, i want to know, is it easy to play bass?

If you are still in your teens, then you will probably be close to 6 foot by the time you are in college. Your physiology is definitely suited to the bass. Your hands are probably already large based on your height so the bass will be comfortable to you. The bass, physically, is a bit more challenging than the guitar. The string thickness is heavier and therefore you have to exert more force to play the more challenging/advanced bass styles (pop, slap, tap, etc) Basic bass playing should not be a problem though. You can play with either a pick/plectrum or your fingers (called finger style) As to the Squier line, the most affordable of the line is the Affinity P-Bass. Not a bad starter bass and generally in the 150-175 dollar range. This is the low end equivalent of the Fender P-Bass (or Precision Bass, so called because it was fretted for Precision intonation) These basses, in one variety or another, have been around since the early 1950's and they are probably the most recognized design the world over. Go try a bass in a guitar store to see how it feels, even if you pluck a note you will get an idea of whether you like it or not. Whatever model/manufacturer you choose I am sure you will do fine. Just dive in from the deep end and go for it.

Thanks for the advice, i still havent tried it yet but i'm planning on going in the next few days. I think i only have medium sized hands coz im also a pianist so i have piano fingers (long, slender). also, i was playing my guitar earlier with my sisters pick and i couldnt do it. so do i have to know how to use a pick? And with prices, are they american dollars or australian dollars? And another question ( im very curious), what about amps? How do i use them? What brand? Argh, its so confusing!!! Help would be very appriciated.

As to prices, the ones I quoted were USD. Your hands are perfect for playing bass. You don't have to have giant hands to play the bass (but it helps sometimes) As far as the pick, you may have to heavy or too light of a pick and/or you might not be holding it properly. You don't have to play the bass with a pick. In fact, some players consider this to be a negative. I don't have a preference either way but a pick is considered optional and much more so than the guitar. (You'll find a lot more finger style bass players in proportion to finger picking guitarists) As too books and DVD's, once again, I would suggest "Idiot's Guide to Bass Guitar" by David Hodge and the Billy Sheehan instructional DVD's (2 volumes, basic and advanced). The basic (volume 1) is a good start. The advanced is good too and explains a lot about amps, effects, etc. As to amps, Ampeg is considered one of the best but Peavey makes a good line of affordable practice/smaller amps. Ampeg is a bit pricey and something to shoot for later on when you start doing gigs. A 15 to 30 watt bass amp would be a good start. A basic amp doesn't require much fiddling. Just tone controls and volume. Some of the more expensive amps have effects built into them as well but they generally cost a bit more. 20 watts or more is loud enough for your parents and neighbors to complain. 5 to 10 watts is enough for the folks to knock on the wall.

Hey to all you guys who have helped me!
I'd like to thank you all and I have great news. My mum was in the second hand store and there are lots of guitars there (they had two semi-acoustic basses and about 3 real electrics) so anyway, she saw this really nice blue one that she thought i would like. So she brought me to show me and i loved it straight away, it just felt so right. So my mum has put it on layby for me and i am paying it off. In total the guitar (without equipment) will cost me $400 AUD. I am so happy. It is an Ibanez Soundbank i think. And by the end of february it will be mine!! I will take photos of it, and it with me and me with it and I will learn hard and learn well. Maybe even get a teacher! Thanks for all your encouragement guys. Much appriciation.

Oh and by the way, with the amp, i told my mum i only needed a small one, but she said, why dont why wait a bit longer and just go straight for the good one? so instead of getting a 20watt amp... i'll probably be getting a 90 watt amp, or some horribly high number like that. mum is going to love me but i did warn her so its her fault. Thanks again guys.

Sounds like your on a good run there. All the advice above is first class.
Strenght your hands with exercises, they helped me from a guitar player to bass player. Stuart Hamm has one exercise. Move your first and third fingers forward then return them to original position then move your second and fourth fingers forward then alterate.

When playing in the band follow the drums be in sync kick drum with most of the notes your are playing.

And about the amp. If you are going get a bigger one. Think about what equipment you need when your in a gig. The amp has an output for plugging into a sounddesk and/or PA system?.
Small pub and/or family party a 150 watts is ampable.

Cheers