When I was very young, I remember admiring people who could play an instrument. I’ve wanted to be a musician as far back as I can remember and jumped at my earliest opportunity to learn music.
School Orchestra
When my family moved to Oregon, I saw that my new school district’s music program was very good. In the 3rd grade, part of the music curriculum involved buying a recorder and learning the very basics of music theory.
The following year, 4th and 5th graders had the option to join a strings program. This was a district-wide program that was available until students graduated high school, where students could learn to play the violin, viola, or cello and walk away with a solid foundation in music theory and live performance skills in both a group and solo setting.
When I told my parents I would like to be involved in this program, they were very supportive of my decision… so long as I didn’t pick the cello. They told me it was too hard to transport since it was so big.
“That’s too bad”, I thought; cello would’ve been my first pick! Even back then, I had a preference for the lower register. A childhood friend of mine had been playing the violin since she was three years old, so I chose the violin to follow suit.
The Bass Guitar
In high school, one of my best friends decided he wanted to start a band. He was really into guitar and needed a bassist. I agreed to play with him and eventually acquired my first bass guitar, a Squier jazz bass.
That band didn’t pan out, but I enjoyed the bass so much I never stopped playing. I am thoroughly convinced that the bass and I were made for each other, and I’ve been playing it almost exclusively since I left high school.
Since I graduated college I’ve played bass for a handful of local bands and every church I’ve ever attended. I prefer to improvise my bass lines where possible, taking inspiration from legendary session bassists such as James Jamerson of the Funk Brothers and Carol Kaye of the Wrecking Crew.
