To start a rock band and be the frontman should I play bass or guitar?
I’ve played both guitar and bass. After some frustration with guitar i switched to bass, and i found it great at first it lost it’s charm after a while. I want to be a frontman in a band, and my friend picked up the guitar so I’m thinking about picking up guitar again. But for this i’m not sure what’s the best option, should stick with bass, play guitar again, or play both.
When I think of a "front man" for a band, I usually think of someone who is a vocalist or guitarist. There are exceptions though.
Someone mentioned Les Claypool (he rules!). How he sings and plays like he does I’ll never know!
Sheryl Crow plays guitar and bass, and I definitely consider her a front ma…front person;)
In the realm of bass-playing front men, I’d consider Dusty Hill of ZZ Top a co-front man (along with Billy Gibbons). He’s sang on his share of hits.
There’s Gene Simmons of Kiss, bass and co-front man along with Paul Stanley. And, I would be a total schmuck if I didn’t mention Lemmy from Motorhead!
If I can go waaaayyy back, some other bass playing frontmen:
Peter Cetera of Chicago
Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake, & Palmer)
John Wetton (Asia, King Crimson)
That all being said, I can tell you that being a singing bass player is tougher than being a singing guitarist. Primarily, unless you’ve got a really good monitor system, you don’t have the entire chord to reference your notes from. But, I can tell you, the fact that I can play bass and sing harmony has gotten me a lot of work. I’m not the front man, but I’m taking checks to the bank 
In the end, play what you love and play for the song. And if you want to switch off on some songs, do that!
Greetings from Austin, TX
Ken
July 27th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
^.^ Guitar.
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July 27th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
you wil get in a band almost no matter what if you play bass
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July 27th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
You can be a frontman no matter what instrument you play. Guitar is the most common, but there are some good lead singers who are bassists (ex: Les Claypool). Hell, some bands even have the drummer as their lead singer. So just pick whichever instrument you would prefer to play.
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July 27th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
playing rhythm guitar can be easier than playing bass while singing because it does get tough to sing and play.
It really comes down to what youre comfortable with. if you can play lead bass and sing, go for it, if you are more comfortable on rhythm guitar, it could be good as well, try it out
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July 27th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Play both, man. If you wanna be a frontman, as in vocals, make sure you can multi-task, brother. That’s all I can tell you, it’s up to yourself to make decisions about this man. How do YOU feel about it?
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July 27th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
You should take singing lessons.
Vocalists are usually the frontmen.
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July 27th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
bass
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July 27th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
since when did it matter?
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July 27th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
The guitar and singer get all the attention. If it’s all in one guy . You are considered the front man. Rockers say the guitar is the extension of a man’s manhood. But play whatever you want or are most comfortable with.
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July 27th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
When I think of a "front man" for a band, I usually think of someone who is a vocalist or guitarist. There are exceptions though.
Someone mentioned Les Claypool (he rules!). How he sings and plays like he does I’ll never know!
Sheryl Crow plays guitar and bass, and I definitely consider her a front ma…front person;)
In the realm of bass-playing front men, I’d consider Dusty Hill of ZZ Top a co-front man (along with Billy Gibbons). He’s sang on his share of hits.
There’s Gene Simmons of Kiss, bass and co-front man along with Paul Stanley. And, I would be a total schmuck if I didn’t mention Lemmy from Motorhead!
If I can go waaaayyy back, some other bass playing frontmen:
Peter Cetera of Chicago
Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake, & Palmer)
John Wetton (Asia, King Crimson)
That all being said, I can tell you that being a singing bass player is tougher than being a singing guitarist. Primarily, unless you’ve got a really good monitor system, you don’t have the entire chord to reference your notes from. But, I can tell you, the fact that I can play bass and sing harmony has gotten me a lot of work. I’m not the front man, but I’m taking checks to the bank
In the end, play what you love and play for the song. And if you want to switch off on some songs, do that!
Greetings from Austin, TX
Ken
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40 years of playing guitar and bass
35 years of live performance
Life long music junkie
July 27th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Either to be perfectly honest, Slash was the front man in Guns n roses playing the guitar, which sounded amazing. On the other and though Gene Simmons,who played for Kiss, played the Bass which was also amazing and Gene still stands out as a very bold figure. Just play whichever you feel most comfortable playing.
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July 28th, 2010 at 12:14 am
Bass, its the most important element of a rock band
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