I’ve started playing bass guitar. Yes, I’m 53 years old and female. Both are strikes against me. But you know what? I love being one of the many bass guitarists in the world! My goal is to play on a church worship band someday.
I’ve known this fact for years, but since I’ve begun playing, I’ve noticed more than ever the people playing those bass guitars, whether at church, on TV, or online. And I have yet to see female bass guitarists, except in those instances I search online specifically for one.
Why don’t females choose to be bass guitarists more often?
My Story
I officially started playing late on Christmas Day 2018. Everyone had gone to bed, and in my quiet house with Christmas lights glowing from the tree, my lighted houses collection, and the gas fireplace, I turned down the volume on the extensive Spotify Christmas playlist playing through the speakers and grabbed the bright red bass guitar from off the wall.
My first job was to figure out how to get some sound to come out from the instrument. I found a cord and plugged into a small amp I found in the porch. In trying to be quiet to respect those sleeping upstairs, I kept the volume low. But in all honesty, in my ignorance, that amp wasn’t even working (I discovered later!), so the sounds I made during my first practice session came from an un-amped guitar. Ignorance is so fun.
That night I learned the names of the four strings: E, A, D, and G. To be honest, over a year later, I still have to remind myself of those string names. Is that because I’m 53?
In subsequent lessons, I learned how to get sound to come from an amp, basic picking strategies, and how to locate notes on the fretboard. From the start, I was determined to “put in the time” to learn the basics. My goal with bass guitar is not to be OK. I want to be great.
Starting as a Bass Guitarist by Listening
In reality, my journey as a bass guitarist began several years before, during the time we would drive to our daughter Kallie’s college soccer games. Her school was four and a half hours away, and many times I ended up driving by myself to games, both home and away. My entertainment 90% of the time during long drives was music (podcasts 10%). When I wasn’t singing to keep myself awake, I tuned into the bass lines, trying to determine if chords were I, IV, V, VI, III, or something else. I fell in love with the unsettled feeling of the III chord. Sorry to geek out on the music terminology.
Anyway, on that Christmas evening in 2018, I determined I’d been thinking about playing bass guitar long enough. I’d been waiting (dreading, actually) the inevitable time when our youngest daughter would move out, so I decided I would reward myself with the new hobby. Even though she still had a few months to live with us before moving into her freshman dorm, the timing felt right.
Bass Guitarist without a Band
I should say, in some ways the timing felt right. Now, a little over a year later, with all the kids out of the house, I have the time to delve into my newfound passion. I practice almost an hour a day, five days a week. But the empty-nest era of life brought with it a church switch. Whereas in all our previous thirty-two years of marriage, we have attended small- to medium-sized churches (where I could have joined the worship team), we’ve now been attending a large church with professional-quality musicians. I don’t know that I’ll ever be good enough to be on one of these teams.
But that’s OK for now.
I continue to develop my skills for the time if/when I get the call to play. Like I said, I don’t want to be average. I want to be great. I feel like, as a middle-aged female, people’s perceptions would naturally be stacked against me. I’d rather not be the weak link on a worship band. So for now, I’ll keep practicing.
How About You?
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re female and have at least some interest in playing bass guitar. Join with me! Have you started yet? What barriers do you see/feel with being a female bassist?
Let me know in the comments how your journey is going.
And before you go, check out some of my other posts on recipes like cream cheese party dip, saving money with Swagbucks, or a new concept in footwear.
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