Never played guitar. Want to learn to play bass. Is it better/easier to learn regular guitar and then bass or just go straight to bass? I can bass air guitar with the best of them...I'm sure I won't be as good when it's time to actually play.
To hold a basic rhythm it's pretty easy if you're not a complete ar-tard. To play it well is way harder than it looks. You aren't fat are you? Because Kill all fat bass players!
Get a bass and go for it. Playing along with music helps me, gets boring playing alone. Look at Craigslist, deals everywhere for a bass and amp. Or you could get an acoustic bass and play anywhere.
I just bought some strings for my beater bass today! I don't play, I'll stick to the skins. But I did try a little. If you get taught a couple of chords you can jam right along. But like Dave said, getting good at it is another thing. My hand cramped up after about 20 minutes. I bought a $150 Yamaha bass at Music Go Round just to have at the house and all the real bass players say it works fine. Biggest thing is, just start! I didn't start playing the drums until I was 38. Now 18 years later I can hold my own. But if I never started I'd still be wishing I had learned an instrument. Wife is in Houston, I'm jamming with the band tonight!
I can comment a little on this. I played guitar (right-handed) most of my life, but an old injury to my left arm has made it progressively more difficult to fret notes and move up and down the neck without serious pain. It got to the point that I would play for an hour or so and then have excruciating pain for at least a day. (The surgery is a no go, due to the lengthy recovery time and the fact that I only experience the pain when playing guitar or doing things like trimming trees.) So, one day I picked up a lefty bass in the local guitar store and was hooked. I have enough range of motion in my left arm to finger pick and (when I get there) slap, and my right arm has no motion restrictions. I sold all of my guitars and amps that didn't have sentimental value and bought a couple lefty basses and a nice amp. I haven't regretted the decision one bit! I really enjoy looking at music in a different way, and having nearly no pain is fantastic (I get a little from exercising my left hand, but it's improving). Since I'd never played lefty, I was essentially starting from zero in the technique department. I just grabbed a few books - Hal Leonard Bass Method, Black Sabbath transcriptions, etc - and went at it. I suck right now, but every day I improve a little bit. More important, I'm having a blast and finding bass more relaxing (for lack of a better word) than guitar. Do it; you won't regret it. I think you will find it easier than guitar, but doing it right most certainly is not easy. I watched some interviews with Jack Bruce and other legendary bassists, and they all agree that there is a real art to supporting a band, rather than just playing guitar one octave lower.
I started playing the Ukulele about a month ago. Lots of Youtube lessons. Kind of got hooked to the sound and vibe in the south pacific. Also they have 4 strings and a lot of songs only have 3 or 4 easy cords, but you can tell what the song is. Plus there small and relatively cheap. Just in case you lose interest your not stuck with a big base and an amp. If you find you like it you can always buy a bass.
