SnowfaLL
Well-Known Member
Edit: I think my conclusion, is that I will just play Guitar as a hobby.. For my work, I will play bass primarily, since I enjoy it for everything, its just so fun. I will also work my butt off to get my Sax chops up to par, so I can eventually start doing more Sax gigs, which will fill my "melody/soloing" desires that Bass will be lacking. Theres nothing more fun in music than being on a good Horn section, ohh man. =]
The past 3 years of my life, despite going to college for two-years for Guitar, have been somewhat confusing.
I went into college all gung-ho thinking Guitar was my instrument, and my life plan.. But as the first year went on, the more I got into Jazz/fusion, I listened to mainly Saxophone players. Also, due to the big band, I took up Alto Saxophone because we only had one other Alto, and like 9 guitars. While I love the sound of Alto and just Sax in general, but its quite different than stringed instruments, so the journey is difficult. I can play decently, enough to do like high-school-level marching and basic funk sight-reading (we did some Tower of Power, that sorta stuff), I dont feel comfortable on the instrument yet.
Anyways, as I was saying, Guitar is my main instrument and I had to play it lots in college. But as the 2nd year was finishing, guitar started frustrating me. I was starting to realize that guitar is really a backing/chordal instrument 90% of the time in most music, I mean it is part of the rhythm section basically. Now, I went into college barely knowing my basic chord shapes, I never dug acoustic-guitar type music and I never played it, not to say I am a pure-metal guy (but theres inklings of it in there), I just never liked playing chords, I always wanted to be the melody.
So under this realization that guitar had very little melody unless you were fronting a band as a guitarist, or playing in specific genres like metal, I started playing more bass guitar; while knowing it wasnt the melody and still a backing instrument, I love the groove of it and if I am going to back someone up, I want to be the low end groove, not the nasally mid-range chordal instrument. I graduated last june, and basically from June to February 2010, I picked up my guitar twice. The whole time was dedicated to playing bass, and I learned how to fingerpick pretty decently, and I really grew a love of Funk/jazz on a whole new level because of Bass. Im somewhat slow though on fingerpicking fast(like metal), and my sightreading needs work (treble clef to bass clef is confusing at times)
Anyways, since February, I have been majorly confused on what instrument to really "focus" on.. I know I can play all 3 in small doses, but if I keep going like I am right now, I will be one of those "jack of all trades, master of none" people (well I already am), so I really want to settle on one as soon as possible, in order to apply for a certain music job I want in the next year (which will require a high skill in sightreading/session playing).
I want to be able to play in ANY musical situation possible; like if I sat in with a band from like, Kylie minogue to Children of bodom to garth brooks to chick corea, being able to fit in and play with anyone, that is my ultimate musical goal. I just dont know if I could do that on guitar and enjoy it.
So, I am not sure what to do. I love bass for EVERY genre of music, but I still miss melody/soloing when I play it. Guitar is great for some genres, but boring/annoying as hell for others. Alto sax is awesome too, but doesnt apply to every genre, and I will be very far behind if I want to apply for a cruiseship/etc as an Alto player.
What would you guys do in this situation? Ever be in a similar situation where you don't know what instrument you are "destined to play"??
(a side story about destiny; My dad really wanted to name me "Cliff".. my mom wouldnt let him.. But im sure you can imagine why he wanted that name. So anyways, just something interesting to think about, in terms of playing in bands, if I chose bass, I would be a 3rd generation bass player.)
The past 3 years of my life, despite going to college for two-years for Guitar, have been somewhat confusing.
I went into college all gung-ho thinking Guitar was my instrument, and my life plan.. But as the first year went on, the more I got into Jazz/fusion, I listened to mainly Saxophone players. Also, due to the big band, I took up Alto Saxophone because we only had one other Alto, and like 9 guitars. While I love the sound of Alto and just Sax in general, but its quite different than stringed instruments, so the journey is difficult. I can play decently, enough to do like high-school-level marching and basic funk sight-reading (we did some Tower of Power, that sorta stuff), I dont feel comfortable on the instrument yet.
Anyways, as I was saying, Guitar is my main instrument and I had to play it lots in college. But as the 2nd year was finishing, guitar started frustrating me. I was starting to realize that guitar is really a backing/chordal instrument 90% of the time in most music, I mean it is part of the rhythm section basically. Now, I went into college barely knowing my basic chord shapes, I never dug acoustic-guitar type music and I never played it, not to say I am a pure-metal guy (but theres inklings of it in there), I just never liked playing chords, I always wanted to be the melody.
So under this realization that guitar had very little melody unless you were fronting a band as a guitarist, or playing in specific genres like metal, I started playing more bass guitar; while knowing it wasnt the melody and still a backing instrument, I love the groove of it and if I am going to back someone up, I want to be the low end groove, not the nasally mid-range chordal instrument. I graduated last june, and basically from June to February 2010, I picked up my guitar twice. The whole time was dedicated to playing bass, and I learned how to fingerpick pretty decently, and I really grew a love of Funk/jazz on a whole new level because of Bass. Im somewhat slow though on fingerpicking fast(like metal), and my sightreading needs work (treble clef to bass clef is confusing at times)
Anyways, since February, I have been majorly confused on what instrument to really "focus" on.. I know I can play all 3 in small doses, but if I keep going like I am right now, I will be one of those "jack of all trades, master of none" people (well I already am), so I really want to settle on one as soon as possible, in order to apply for a certain music job I want in the next year (which will require a high skill in sightreading/session playing).
I want to be able to play in ANY musical situation possible; like if I sat in with a band from like, Kylie minogue to Children of bodom to garth brooks to chick corea, being able to fit in and play with anyone, that is my ultimate musical goal. I just dont know if I could do that on guitar and enjoy it.
So, I am not sure what to do. I love bass for EVERY genre of music, but I still miss melody/soloing when I play it. Guitar is great for some genres, but boring/annoying as hell for others. Alto sax is awesome too, but doesnt apply to every genre, and I will be very far behind if I want to apply for a cruiseship/etc as an Alto player.
What would you guys do in this situation? Ever be in a similar situation where you don't know what instrument you are "destined to play"??
(a side story about destiny; My dad really wanted to name me "Cliff".. my mom wouldnt let him.. But im sure you can imagine why he wanted that name. So anyways, just something interesting to think about, in terms of playing in bands, if I chose bass, I would be a 3rd generation bass player.)