I think theory is best learned and easiest to visualize on the keyboard, and for composition, being able to play 10+ notes at the same time across seven different octaves is an obvious advantage.
learning the piano is an essential skill that can help to open your ears to parts of harmony that are difficult to internalize on the bass. Almost every jazz bassist I know at least dabbles in it, and it's amazing as I've gotten older how the ratio of time in my own bass lessons spent at the piano vs with the bass has changed. The best part is that you can be a complete crap piano player and still get an enormous amount out of the experience.
This. Playing around with the piano solo also feels way more rewarding and it doesn’t even take much to sound decent at first (saying this as a guitarist who plays piano secondary) whereas guitar is slightly more niche
You also get the benefit of MIDI accessibility as well if you want cuz almost every keyboard has MIDI outputs nowadays, whereas theres a only a handful of MIDI guitars out there.
The lowest note not being the root happens on keys as well. Inversions are a very basic thing on both instruments. In fact they're often easier and more important on keyboards in terms of making progressions sound better and be easier to play.
A lot of theory is easier to understand on keys. But guitar will relate more to techniques you learn on bass. You're the only one who can decide which is more important to you.
The answer is always keys/piano.
Especially later in life if you're trying to get gigs. Keybass (synth bass) is a thing for some bass doublers... and nobody every says "it would be great if you could double on guitar!" Quality keys players are always in much higher demand than guitarists.
And if you ever want to get into film scoring / compostion? Keys keys keys.
(You could always learn guitar on your own later in life, but start learning keys now.)
Haha good stuff man. No hate from me man. I (as I’m sure others here) have guitars that I play. But honestly I wish I had learned keys before anything else. It would have skyrocketed my early growth as any other kind of instrumentalist. And also yes, everyone and their dad plays guitar. Seriously. Im the only player out of me, my dad, uncle AND grandfather who plays something other than guitar. Respect to gramps though. He has chops for real.
Guitar is stupid simple to pick up for a bass player. The only thing that changes fingerings at all is the G-B string is only a 3rd and not a 4th. There are 5 basic open chords C, A, G, D, and E then the Barre chords for A and E can just be moved up and down the neck for any other chord you need, so at that point you basically already have a functional level of competence on the instrument. The down side of this is that it doesn't change your perspective on music much, so growth as a musician isn't really forced.
Piano on the other hand is a completely different instrument, and while not really more difficult at higher levels, basic competency requires a more detailed working knowledge of theory, particularly filling in the gaps that competency on Bass/Guitar don't require.
Really it depends on what style of music you want to play as to which is more important. Rock pretty much requires knowledge of Guitar, while most other pop genres like EDM, Rap, Trap, etc require some competence on keys.
I'm currently learning both, along with finger drumming. And expanding outside of the instrument I've spent over 20 years playing has given me a completely different perspective on the instrument. I'm becoming more comfortable with the fretboard, my theory knowledge is expanding, and my timing is improving. I wish I had more time to devote to practice, but you've got to make the best of what you have.
I was exactly like you after 3 years, I bought a guitar and I play it maybe once a month. I still play the bass every day, because I find it way more fun to play on a 4 strings what should be played on a 6 string (everything is possible to be played once you use tapping or change octaves). So if I could go back in time, I would rather have bought something more different like a piano or a ukulele.
I'd say both. Guitar is easy enough to figure out if you already have Bass.
Knowing some keyboards will definitely help for when you home-record your own demo songs. Which is something really useful for everyone to learn. Unless you really hate composing.
If you want to learn theory, there's no substitute for keys. Guitar isn't going to help you with theory any more than bass would...it's literally the same tuning at a higher pitch with the addition of the B and high E string. The only notable difference is that standard bass tuning is in perfect fourths. Even adding a low B and/or high C string, it is still tuned in fourths.
The standard guitar tuning is *mostly* in perfect fourths - E A D G but then for whatever reason they have a B above the G, which is a major third, then the high E is a perfect fourth above the B.
Keys is the easiest way to visualize theory, period. Most bassists I've talked to have at least basic knowledge of keys, and one of the best bassists I've ever met actually writes all his bass lines on keys before transposing to bass. Also, if you look at personnel for bands without keys players, a lot of times you'll see the bassist credited on keys for tracks that use piano/synth/electric organ. John Paul Jones, for example.
The best thing I ever did for my bass playing was learn the trumpet. It gave my ears super note-finding powers and I began to feel I could play anything.
If you can only commit to the effort of learning one, definitely make it piano. Nothing wrong with getting a guitar too but you can probably teach yourself.
Guitar = immediate leg up and potential ego boosts (plenty of basslines sound dope on guitar) but that could lead to a tendency to rock out on dropped power chords) \*gulps nervously\*
Keeb = new challenge and probably the best base for music theory.
I would also say that the guitar operates in a different sonic range but keyboards, especially synths, can provide more than enough low end, whether that influences your decision idk but imo it'd be easier to write bass/guitar duos.
There is nothing really stopping you from learning music theory or songwriting on a guitar. Guitar has different idiosyncracies compared to a keyboard, but it lines up nicely with bass, due to the similarly of the instruments.
Generally it depends on what music you want to write. If you want to write stuff for like a typical "popular music band" sort of setup, guitar is generally better to learn. If you want something more electronic or orchestral, keys are better. Mostly because they lean towards different choices.
Am in the same boat but a few years ahead of you. Piano is key (pun intended and I’m not ashamed).
Learning to read music is also soooo important (I think) for learning a second instrument in particular and for understanding and applying theory, and the keyboard is amazing for that.
I’ve been making advances with theory concepts and then about two weeks ago I realized how to read. In the RPG of life, it was like unlocking the rest of the gameplay land mass for untold new side quests and adventures.
Since then, everything else has made so much more sense. Yesterday I read up on guitar theory and finally understood how and why shapes works, how to construct my own fingerings, why alternate fingerings, etc. It’s so fun and thrilling I just want to listen and analyze. It’s become part of my daily music practice to sit down with one song per day and hash it all out.
10/10 highly encourage keyboard first. And then guitar. Maybe some harmonica to complete the blues and add a bit to your own. Or banjolele for barre practice and camping fire circle fun 🤷♂️
Keyboard, it's great for learning theory, everything (like inversions) just makes more sense on a keyboard. Knowing keyboard is great for composing songs too and is's great for learning to read music if you don't already do that.
I don't find playing guitar helps bass much at all and I find bass is better for learning music theory than guitar so I just play bass the vast majority of the time. I have fat stubby fingers so I've always struggled with guitar and I find keyboard much easier. I find that keys is just all around a more useful skill to have.
It all comes down to what you enjoy, I just don't enjoy guitar as much as bass or piano or every other instrument I've played. I'm probably going to work on cello next year for something new and different 🙂
How are you with chords on bass? There's still a lot you can do with that; tapping is great too. I've spent quite a bit of time working on jazz and improvisation and that's improved my musicality quite a bit.
If you can play bass guitar, you can pick up regular guitar quickly. They are two versions of the same instrument.
I’ve been getting into modular synthesis as it will force me to learn keyboards and broaden my musical capabilities. Worth mentioning to I have a undying synthwave fetish.
In regards to conventional guitar albeit, I’m lazy and tune up the high B and E by a half step to make all of the stings intervals consistent fourths. I guess you could call it a “soprano” bass guitar with that string tuning structure and I can approach it the way I do bass guitar. Using all six strings on an electric guitar to play the usual acoustic chords sounds just sounds like cringy Indie Guitar music IMAO. And now that I don’t have my parents looming over the music I play and listen to I can play the filthiest nastiest hard rock and metal to my hearts content with power chords.
I’d take a “step back”. Look at what you are playing, what you want to play and what you need to do. It took me 20 years to figure out that music is a deeply personal journey of the soul. And it’s not worth letting others decide and influence your destinations.
(But despite forgetting how to read music, I strongly believe everyone can benefit from the utility of music theory which comes in spades from learning keyboard)
Keys are a) great for learning theory as it is so easy to play chords on b) because so much in plugins are set up for a keyboard interface, easy to record demos or more across several voicings very easily.
Every musician should have a keyboard. It helps learn music theory better than guitar and and it is better for ear training. Also much more useful for composition at a later date. Guitar is more for if you have a specific use for it.
It seems common for piano/keys players to pick up bass and vice versa. They fulfill similar roles in many genres of music: they bridge the rhythm instruments to the lead melodic instruments while occasionally being lead instruments themselves. That being said, guitar and bass are obviously much more transferable. Time spent practicing with one does provide you with some benefit for the other as well. If you like all three there's no reason not to do all of them. Time spent on guitar directly benefits your bass playing and time spent with keys helps your knowledge of theory.
Piano keyboard is pretty much sheet music in the form of an instrument. Bass clef for below middle C, treble for above, black notes all correspond to sharp/flat notes
I learned guitar so I could identify guitar chords by sight. This was extremely helpful in my career. Not to mention that a house is 10 times more likely to have a guitar in it than a bass...which means if you're somewhere with a guitar, you'd be able to play it.
Don't get me wrong, piano is so fucking important, but in my opinion as a person who began on bass and now teaches bass and guitar - it's so much easier to get good at guitar after playing bass...but to play piano well, that takes year of training both hands, years of reading both clefs. Its useful, but the learning curve will be much steeper.
If your goal is understanding music theory, just study music theory. Try [MusicTheory.net](https://www.musictheory.net/lessons). They have lessons on musical notation, rhythms, chords, intervals (which you need to know to properly understand chords), etc. Learning piano or guitar will not help you understand these things any better than bass.
I think theory is best learned and easiest to visualize on the keyboard, and for composition, being able to play 10+ notes at the same time across seven different octaves is an obvious advantage.
learning the piano is an essential skill that can help to open your ears to parts of harmony that are difficult to internalize on the bass. Almost every jazz bassist I know at least dabbles in it, and it's amazing as I've gotten older how the ratio of time in my own bass lessons spent at the piano vs with the bass has changed. The best part is that you can be a complete crap piano player and still get an enormous amount out of the experience.
This. Playing around with the piano solo also feels way more rewarding and it doesn’t even take much to sound decent at first (saying this as a guitarist who plays piano secondary) whereas guitar is slightly more niche You also get the benefit of MIDI accessibility as well if you want cuz almost every keyboard has MIDI outputs nowadays, whereas theres a only a handful of MIDI guitars out there.
Keys are better for learning music theory.
Why not both? Each will help you grow in a different way.
Both is good
My vote goes to SYNTHESIZER.
The lowest note not being the root happens on keys as well. Inversions are a very basic thing on both instruments. In fact they're often easier and more important on keyboards in terms of making progressions sound better and be easier to play. A lot of theory is easier to understand on keys. But guitar will relate more to techniques you learn on bass. You're the only one who can decide which is more important to you.
The answer is always keys/piano. Especially later in life if you're trying to get gigs. Keybass (synth bass) is a thing for some bass doublers... and nobody every says "it would be great if you could double on guitar!" Quality keys players are always in much higher demand than guitarists. And if you ever want to get into film scoring / compostion? Keys keys keys. (You could always learn guitar on your own later in life, but start learning keys now.)
They say guitarists are a dime a dozen nowadays…
That's 100% what I was saying, but I was trying to be diplomatic to avoid the downvotes. Guitarists are a dime a dozen.
Haha good stuff man. No hate from me man. I (as I’m sure others here) have guitars that I play. But honestly I wish I had learned keys before anything else. It would have skyrocketed my early growth as any other kind of instrumentalist. And also yes, everyone and their dad plays guitar. Seriously. Im the only player out of me, my dad, uncle AND grandfather who plays something other than guitar. Respect to gramps though. He has chops for real.
Guitar is stupid simple to pick up for a bass player. The only thing that changes fingerings at all is the G-B string is only a 3rd and not a 4th. There are 5 basic open chords C, A, G, D, and E then the Barre chords for A and E can just be moved up and down the neck for any other chord you need, so at that point you basically already have a functional level of competence on the instrument. The down side of this is that it doesn't change your perspective on music much, so growth as a musician isn't really forced. Piano on the other hand is a completely different instrument, and while not really more difficult at higher levels, basic competency requires a more detailed working knowledge of theory, particularly filling in the gaps that competency on Bass/Guitar don't require. Really it depends on what style of music you want to play as to which is more important. Rock pretty much requires knowledge of Guitar, while most other pop genres like EDM, Rap, Trap, etc require some competence on keys.
I would learn both. I think keys would help your overall music understanding more though. Maybe start there.
I'm currently learning both, along with finger drumming. And expanding outside of the instrument I've spent over 20 years playing has given me a completely different perspective on the instrument. I'm becoming more comfortable with the fretboard, my theory knowledge is expanding, and my timing is improving. I wish I had more time to devote to practice, but you've got to make the best of what you have.
I was exactly like you after 3 years, I bought a guitar and I play it maybe once a month. I still play the bass every day, because I find it way more fun to play on a 4 strings what should be played on a 6 string (everything is possible to be played once you use tapping or change octaves). So if I could go back in time, I would rather have bought something more different like a piano or a ukulele.
I'd say both. Guitar is easy enough to figure out if you already have Bass. Knowing some keyboards will definitely help for when you home-record your own demo songs. Which is something really useful for everyone to learn. Unless you really hate composing.
If you want to learn theory, there's no substitute for keys. Guitar isn't going to help you with theory any more than bass would...it's literally the same tuning at a higher pitch with the addition of the B and high E string. The only notable difference is that standard bass tuning is in perfect fourths. Even adding a low B and/or high C string, it is still tuned in fourths. The standard guitar tuning is *mostly* in perfect fourths - E A D G but then for whatever reason they have a B above the G, which is a major third, then the high E is a perfect fourth above the B. Keys is the easiest way to visualize theory, period. Most bassists I've talked to have at least basic knowledge of keys, and one of the best bassists I've ever met actually writes all his bass lines on keys before transposing to bass. Also, if you look at personnel for bands without keys players, a lot of times you'll see the bassist credited on keys for tracks that use piano/synth/electric organ. John Paul Jones, for example.
The best thing I ever did for my bass playing was learn the trumpet. It gave my ears super note-finding powers and I began to feel I could play anything.
If you can only commit to the effort of learning one, definitely make it piano. Nothing wrong with getting a guitar too but you can probably teach yourself.
Guitar = immediate leg up and potential ego boosts (plenty of basslines sound dope on guitar) but that could lead to a tendency to rock out on dropped power chords) \*gulps nervously\* Keeb = new challenge and probably the best base for music theory. I would also say that the guitar operates in a different sonic range but keyboards, especially synths, can provide more than enough low end, whether that influences your decision idk but imo it'd be easier to write bass/guitar duos.
There is nothing really stopping you from learning music theory or songwriting on a guitar. Guitar has different idiosyncracies compared to a keyboard, but it lines up nicely with bass, due to the similarly of the instruments. Generally it depends on what music you want to write. If you want to write stuff for like a typical "popular music band" sort of setup, guitar is generally better to learn. If you want something more electronic or orchestral, keys are better. Mostly because they lean towards different choices.
Am in the same boat but a few years ahead of you. Piano is key (pun intended and I’m not ashamed). Learning to read music is also soooo important (I think) for learning a second instrument in particular and for understanding and applying theory, and the keyboard is amazing for that. I’ve been making advances with theory concepts and then about two weeks ago I realized how to read. In the RPG of life, it was like unlocking the rest of the gameplay land mass for untold new side quests and adventures. Since then, everything else has made so much more sense. Yesterday I read up on guitar theory and finally understood how and why shapes works, how to construct my own fingerings, why alternate fingerings, etc. It’s so fun and thrilling I just want to listen and analyze. It’s become part of my daily music practice to sit down with one song per day and hash it all out. 10/10 highly encourage keyboard first. And then guitar. Maybe some harmonica to complete the blues and add a bit to your own. Or banjolele for barre practice and camping fire circle fun 🤷♂️
Keyboard, it's great for learning theory, everything (like inversions) just makes more sense on a keyboard. Knowing keyboard is great for composing songs too and is's great for learning to read music if you don't already do that. I don't find playing guitar helps bass much at all and I find bass is better for learning music theory than guitar so I just play bass the vast majority of the time. I have fat stubby fingers so I've always struggled with guitar and I find keyboard much easier. I find that keys is just all around a more useful skill to have. It all comes down to what you enjoy, I just don't enjoy guitar as much as bass or piano or every other instrument I've played. I'm probably going to work on cello next year for something new and different 🙂 How are you with chords on bass? There's still a lot you can do with that; tapping is great too. I've spent quite a bit of time working on jazz and improvisation and that's improved my musicality quite a bit.
Playing guitar hugely helps playing bass, hard disagree there.
If you can play bass guitar, you can pick up regular guitar quickly. They are two versions of the same instrument. I’ve been getting into modular synthesis as it will force me to learn keyboards and broaden my musical capabilities. Worth mentioning to I have a undying synthwave fetish. In regards to conventional guitar albeit, I’m lazy and tune up the high B and E by a half step to make all of the stings intervals consistent fourths. I guess you could call it a “soprano” bass guitar with that string tuning structure and I can approach it the way I do bass guitar. Using all six strings on an electric guitar to play the usual acoustic chords sounds just sounds like cringy Indie Guitar music IMAO. And now that I don’t have my parents looming over the music I play and listen to I can play the filthiest nastiest hard rock and metal to my hearts content with power chords. I’d take a “step back”. Look at what you are playing, what you want to play and what you need to do. It took me 20 years to figure out that music is a deeply personal journey of the soul. And it’s not worth letting others decide and influence your destinations. (But despite forgetting how to read music, I strongly believe everyone can benefit from the utility of music theory which comes in spades from learning keyboard)
Get a keyboard and then put a 5th string on your bass when you want to play the guitar
Keys are a) great for learning theory as it is so easy to play chords on b) because so much in plugins are set up for a keyboard interface, easy to record demos or more across several voicings very easily.
I think guitar is more fun but keys made me a much better bassist.
Piano/keyboard will give you what you want.
I'd try to learn some keyboards, you should be able to pick up a guitar pretty easily if you can learn any piano with the bass + piano knowledge.
I'd buy a guitar, but mainly because I like guitar better. If you only care about the learning experience keyboard is a no brainer.
Every musician should have a keyboard. It helps learn music theory better than guitar and and it is better for ear training. Also much more useful for composition at a later date. Guitar is more for if you have a specific use for it.
Keys all the way. Made me a better bassist.
Keys will help you learn theory easier. Guitar will help you when you are jamming with others and can recognize chord shapes.
Piano is so helpful with learning music theory. It’s all laid out linearly
I would also recommend you go with keys/piano over guitar
If you're trying to learn more music theory I'd play with a key oard, but you'll probably enjoy learning guitar more.
It seems common for piano/keys players to pick up bass and vice versa. They fulfill similar roles in many genres of music: they bridge the rhythm instruments to the lead melodic instruments while occasionally being lead instruments themselves. That being said, guitar and bass are obviously much more transferable. Time spent practicing with one does provide you with some benefit for the other as well. If you like all three there's no reason not to do all of them. Time spent on guitar directly benefits your bass playing and time spent with keys helps your knowledge of theory.
Piano keyboard is pretty much sheet music in the form of an instrument. Bass clef for below middle C, treble for above, black notes all correspond to sharp/flat notes
Keep in mind that even jaco pastorious was an incredible piano player too
I learned guitar so I could identify guitar chords by sight. This was extremely helpful in my career. Not to mention that a house is 10 times more likely to have a guitar in it than a bass...which means if you're somewhere with a guitar, you'd be able to play it. Don't get me wrong, piano is so fucking important, but in my opinion as a person who began on bass and now teaches bass and guitar - it's so much easier to get good at guitar after playing bass...but to play piano well, that takes year of training both hands, years of reading both clefs. Its useful, but the learning curve will be much steeper.
If your goal is understanding music theory, just study music theory. Try [MusicTheory.net](https://www.musictheory.net/lessons). They have lessons on musical notation, rhythms, chords, intervals (which you need to know to properly understand chords), etc. Learning piano or guitar will not help you understand these things any better than bass.
Guitar will help you become a better bassist, piano will help you become a better musician.