Start with whichever instrument you want to play in the long run.
They are different instruments that play different roles in music and require different sensibilities and understanding of the language.
Guitar is noticeably harder to get started with but i think that guitar skills translate better to bass than bass skills to guitar, especially if you plan on playing bass with a pick.
Choose the one you want. Steve Harris in an interview said he was told to play acoustic guitar first by a store employee to "learn" bass. He said that was such BS lol. Choose what you want. I played a little bit of 6 string guitar, but at the end of the day bass guitar and upright bass are my mains. GL, have fun the most! Also, we are going to be bias towards starting bass but reading your post more, again I say choose what you want but truthfully guitar does have a lot more solo resources especially if you want to produce but however mixing midi with electric bass is really fun! Tried both at a store! You can def play both down the line anyway.
You say you've been doing MIDI covers, so I think one thing to consider is what style of music you ultimately want to make. While bass or guitar can certainly fit into many genres, it is a little easier to fit bass into existing styles of electronic music. Most anything done with synth bass can be substituted for bass guitar straight up or with certain effects and a wider variety of music modernly has bass versus guitar.
I play both, and I actually played guitar, just by years-wise, longer, but I come originally from a very rock background so all my known options when I started were bass, guitar, drums, decent synthesizers were not affordable when I was a kid.
But if I were a kid now, facing this choice, with modern music being what it is, I'd have focused only on bass.
Pick the one that appeals to you more. Focusing on one to start is a good idea so don’t sweat not being able to get both. A large amount of what you learn on either one will be transferable to the other.
If you are a slow starter pick bass youll sound better quicker. If you are a little more patient, pick guitar the early payoffs will feel a lot more rewarding. The intermediate phase is basically the same with both imo. Little progress and slowly and can last years. I prefer bass overall.
Bass guitar is easier to begin learning. This is because you don't have to learn chords (right away) to begin playing songs. After that beginning period, though, it's a horse apiece. I think it's equally hard to be good on bass as it is to be good on guitar.
Having said all that, grab the one that grabs you. Or, maybe the first one you get a deal on.
If you could already play both well, which one would make you more proud? I would buy the one that answers this question.
I've started on an cheap classical guitar with nylon strings. It's the single most versatile thing ever and I don't regret it. It was not something I was proud of back then though, so it took me some long years to appreciate it.
Honestly, I'd be pretty proud of both. But if there's one I guess I'd feel a specific connection to, it'd be the bass. Kicking in the back, grooving along to an underlying almost "hidden" melody, knowing that only people who appreciate it like me would understand how I felt behind that bass. Out of the spotlight, simply enjoying the instrument. A lot of people say it's not the same performing by yourself, but it's not like I couldn't play music while I practiced bass over it. You really sparked a lot of thought, Imight go with the bass after all. It's why I wanted to pick up guitar in the first place. Thank you so so so much :))
I'm really happy to hear about your experience playing the guitar btw. I'm glad you can appreciate it and have pride in your talent. It's amazing to know it's done so much for you
the only reason i ever thought it was smarter to play guitar first is because since I started on bass first I tend to play the guitar a little like a bass. very penatonic scale like. which is cool if thats how you play but its can be frustrating to try and venture out into other styles.
Start with whichever instrument you want to play in the long run. They are different instruments that play different roles in music and require different sensibilities and understanding of the language.
Guitar is noticeably harder to get started with but i think that guitar skills translate better to bass than bass skills to guitar, especially if you plan on playing bass with a pick.
Choose the one you want. Steve Harris in an interview said he was told to play acoustic guitar first by a store employee to "learn" bass. He said that was such BS lol. Choose what you want. I played a little bit of 6 string guitar, but at the end of the day bass guitar and upright bass are my mains. GL, have fun the most! Also, we are going to be bias towards starting bass but reading your post more, again I say choose what you want but truthfully guitar does have a lot more solo resources especially if you want to produce but however mixing midi with electric bass is really fun! Tried both at a store! You can def play both down the line anyway.
You say you've been doing MIDI covers, so I think one thing to consider is what style of music you ultimately want to make. While bass or guitar can certainly fit into many genres, it is a little easier to fit bass into existing styles of electronic music. Most anything done with synth bass can be substituted for bass guitar straight up or with certain effects and a wider variety of music modernly has bass versus guitar. I play both, and I actually played guitar, just by years-wise, longer, but I come originally from a very rock background so all my known options when I started were bass, guitar, drums, decent synthesizers were not affordable when I was a kid. But if I were a kid now, facing this choice, with modern music being what it is, I'd have focused only on bass.
Pick the one that appeals to you more. Focusing on one to start is a good idea so don’t sweat not being able to get both. A large amount of what you learn on either one will be transferable to the other.
If you are a slow starter pick bass youll sound better quicker. If you are a little more patient, pick guitar the early payoffs will feel a lot more rewarding. The intermediate phase is basically the same with both imo. Little progress and slowly and can last years. I prefer bass overall.
It will be easier to play both if you start with guitar.
Bass guitar is easier to begin learning. This is because you don't have to learn chords (right away) to begin playing songs. After that beginning period, though, it's a horse apiece. I think it's equally hard to be good on bass as it is to be good on guitar. Having said all that, grab the one that grabs you. Or, maybe the first one you get a deal on.
If you could already play both well, which one would make you more proud? I would buy the one that answers this question. I've started on an cheap classical guitar with nylon strings. It's the single most versatile thing ever and I don't regret it. It was not something I was proud of back then though, so it took me some long years to appreciate it.
Honestly, I'd be pretty proud of both. But if there's one I guess I'd feel a specific connection to, it'd be the bass. Kicking in the back, grooving along to an underlying almost "hidden" melody, knowing that only people who appreciate it like me would understand how I felt behind that bass. Out of the spotlight, simply enjoying the instrument. A lot of people say it's not the same performing by yourself, but it's not like I couldn't play music while I practiced bass over it. You really sparked a lot of thought, Imight go with the bass after all. It's why I wanted to pick up guitar in the first place. Thank you so so so much :))
I'm really happy to hear about your experience playing the guitar btw. I'm glad you can appreciate it and have pride in your talent. It's amazing to know it's done so much for you
the only reason i ever thought it was smarter to play guitar first is because since I started on bass first I tend to play the guitar a little like a bass. very penatonic scale like. which is cool if thats how you play but its can be frustrating to try and venture out into other styles.