Considering learning Bass Guitar?

Question

well...

I play piano, flute, and a little bit of the trumpet, and now i would like to learn how to play the Bass guitar. i have no experience at all, and i plan on teaching myself. (my friend tought herself how to play the guitar, so i thought i would do the same) How long does it take to get the calluses on your fingers?

How much would a good bass cost?

how much would you consider too much?

Any recomended brand?

and most importantly, What would be the best method to teaching myself? (how do you learn to play it?)

Thanx for taking the time too look at my question

I WILL CHOOSE BEST ANSWER!!!!

Answer 1

well, callouses on your fingers take about a month practicing an hour a day.  longer if you practice less.  The thing about bass is that you could teach yourself how to play bass, or you could teach yourself how to play guitar on a bass guitar.  the difference is that you'll get very bored with the latter.  it gets very boring to simply play the same note as the guitar chord, and you'll want to learn some variation, this will be a bit harder but its very possible to teach yourself.  I recomend listening to alot of jazz, classic rock, and maybe even metal to get down actually playing bass.  You don't need to take lessons.  I never took a bass lesson in my life, and i've played in several jazz and funk bands, as well as with a few orchestras.  (for both bass guitar and standup)

A good bass...hmm...well I always recomend fender basses, as i'm endorsed by them, but they are a bit expensive for a beginner.  I'd say that Ibanez makes some fairly good basses at low prices, the cheapest being around 200 i believe.  Ibanez is good quality for a good price.  Schecter too, has great basses for a great price, but I'm not sure how cheap the y get.  cheapest might be around 300.

Just starting out, with no intention of taking lessons, too much for a bass is probably anything higher than 400, which is the average price for a fender bass i believe.

I already recomended the brand, but epiphone makes decent basses, if a bit overpriced, but they are still inexpensive.  Squier too, will make a good beginner bass.  it won't sound terrific, but it will be inexpensive and will stay in tune, which is what really matters.  stay clear away from overpriced brands such as BC rich, ESP, LTD, Dean, Daisy Rock etc.  some brands that are inexpensive, but you get what you pay for, which is still c**p, are yamaha and rogue

the best method to teaching yourself would be to look online and read about bass technique.  learn about scales and walking basslines, and learn the songs of your favorite bands.  maybe even learn how to read music.  ultimate-guitar.com often has lessons i think, and i'm sure a simple google search will serve you well.  

hope i helped.  email me with any questions

Answer 2

The calluses will depend on how much you play. It is very painful at first. You will get tiny blisters and then calluses.

Learn scales and learn note positioning on the fret board.

I play the guitar and upright bass. Guitar 10 years, bass 2 years. Both self taught. You have an advantage knowing how to read music, one thing I never learned. Basically, what I have learned is that there are several ways to play the bass to a note or a chord. It's kind of difficult to explain. It depends on what kind of music you are playing. Check out Activebass.com. They have tons of lessons and theory. I bought a couple of videos that were helpful, but that was for upright bass (rockabilly and bluegrass)

A decent bass will probably cost between $200-$400. My electric bass is a Washburn. Pretty good. I bought it from Sam Ash.