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fandomsecrets2014-04-29 06:51 pm
case) wrote in fandomsecrets2014-04-29 06:51 pm
[ SECRET POST #2674 ]
⌈ Secret Post #2674 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
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Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 044 secrets from Secret Submission Post #382.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
Musical questions help!
(Anonymous) 2014-04-29 11:24 pm (UTC)(link)My questions are:
1. What, if any, are the differences between guitar and bass? I realize that both are technically guitars, and that bass is generally a deeper sound, but that is the extent of my knowledge.
2. Can anyone who plays guitar play bass, and vice versa, or is Bill exceptionally talented, and Jim's out of luck?
3. I have a situation where Bill is chatting with a new friend and gets asked what instruments he plays. Would he actually say something like "Bass, and sometimes guitar", or is that just unnecessarily pedantic?
Write what you know, I know, but I didn't get sucked into a fandom that I understand...
Re: Musical questions help!
Re: Musical questions help!
(Anonymous) 2014-04-29 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)Re: Musical questions help!
From what I know it's pretty easy to go from one to the other. I only play piano myself, but my brother plays bass and guitar (and pretty much anything with cords in it, but that's because of his line of work) pretty well and he didn't ever need to take bass lessons or anything, he just came from guitar and learned on his own.
Someone who plays guitar for real (not like me who only ever play it for fun once in a while) will surely help a lot more. :)
Re: Musical questions help!
(Anonymous) 2014-04-29 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)A bass is technically a guitar, but it's pretty much always referred to just as a bass. The bass has four strings (usually) and a longer neck than a guitar, which has 6 strings. Generally speaking, bass parts are played one string at a time, rather than in chords. Guitar parts go either way. Bass players are often distinguished by *how* they play the bass - i.e., with fingers versus a pick, with how many fingers (it's usually two, but some really great players play with three), with all downstrokes (generally more of a punk/metal aesthetic), etc. Bass guitars tend to also be a bit heavier than regular 6-string guitars.
2. Can anyone who plays guitar play bass, and vice versa, or is Bill exceptionally talented, and Jim's out of luck?
Well, not really, no. But it's likely that a good guitar player could play bass, though they wouldn't necessarily be that great at it if they don't do it all the time. It's not nearly as easy for a bass player to play a guitar if they're not practicing guitar all the time. It is, however, very common for musicians to play more than one instrument, so it wouldn't be weird if your characters were able to play both guitar and bass.
3. I have a situation where Bill is chatting with a new friend and gets asked what instruments he plays. Would he actually say something like "Bass, and sometimes guitar", or is that just unnecessarily pedantic?
Nope, they're considered very different beasts.
Re: Musical questions help!
(Anonymous) 2014-04-30 10:47 pm (UTC)(link)Re: Musical questions help!
(Anonymous) 2014-04-29 11:50 pm (UTC)(link)1) Guitar is indeed a higher sound. It's typically 6 strings, got a slightly shorter neck, and in the vast majority of songs, will involve playing chords (so more than one note/string at once). Bass is lower, typically 4 strings, and much longer distances between frets (so you need larger fingers. This is why I will never be a bassist). In most bands, the baseline is single notes, and often technically simpler than the guitar line, but not always.
2) In my experience, it tends to go that guitarists *can* play bass (unless they've got tiny fingers), but bassists have more trouble switching to guitar. This mostly goes to the chords vs. single notes thing. There's definitely adjustments to be made either way, but I think guitar->bass is easier than bass->guitar.
3) Depends on Bill and who he's talking to. I'd say that talking to a person who's not particularly into music, he'd say "I play guitar" or "I play bass", but not both. If the person's at least somewhat into music, then "Bass, and sometimes guitar" or even "Bass and rhythm guitar" would be reasonable. (Rhythm guitar is the backup guitarist. So they'd be playing more standard chord progressions, while the lead guitarist plays solos/main melody lines.)
Re: Musical questions help!
(Anonymous) 2014-04-30 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)I did not realize that rhythm guitar meant backup. That's useful. Thanks!
Re: Musical questions help!
Most bass players could probably play guitar too, to some extent, just because it's such an easy instrument to learn. But again, it would take skill and practice on the bass player's part to play the complicated guitar parts.
Not sure if that helped.
Re: Musical questions help!
(Anonymous) 2014-04-30 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)Is there a reason for there to be extra rhythm other than the drums? Or are particular musicians listening for something specific? I don't know if that makes any sense... it made sense in my head last night. Also, it's not vital to the plot, I was just curious. I have a hard time distinguishing between instruments when listening to music, so it's probably a simple thing I'm just not getting.
Thanks :)
Re: Musical questions help!
Also, because it's a rhythm instrument, most people wouldn't use a bass to accompany themselves singing, like someone might do with an instrument like a piano or guitar.
Yeah, it can sometimes be a challenge to write about a topic you're not familiar with. Good luck on your fic, anon!
Re: Musical questions help!
(Anonymous) 2014-05-01 01:35 am (UTC)(link)Re: Musical questions help!
1. Typical electric basses have four strings, though they do also come in 5, 6, and sometimes more strings. Electric guitars are 6 strings. They have two strings that are higher notes than the 4 string bass. Bass strings are thicker than guitar strings, which is why the sound is lower.
2. Bass is played differently than guitar, but the basics are pretty easy to pick up for someone who already plays guitar. It's not uncommon for people to play both. Playing both doesn't make Bill exceptionally talented, unless he's playing them both exceptionally well; ie, he's just a talented musician.
3. Not pedantic. Like I said, different techniques, so definitely considered two different instruments.
Re: Musical questions help!
(Anonymous) 2014-04-30 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)Umm offhand, I don't know how many strings his bass has, and I don't feel up to digging through the source to find out, so I'll go with 4. 4 sounds good.
I had just assumed, I guess, since it was a specialized guitar, that it was more complicated. Other comments in this thread seem to disagree on whether guitar > bass is easier or bass > guitar. I guess it depends on how much time and effort you put in.
Re: Musical questions help!