Over the course of about two years of dedicated practice, freshman Logan Wolfe has become infatuated with the sound of the bass guitar. Inspired by popular grunge and rock bands such as Nirvana, Guns and Roses and AC/DC in middle school, Wolfe first dreamt of playing guitar before ultimately committing to its deeper-toned four-stringed relative.
Wolfe’s dad shared this love of music too. Playing the electric bass as a teenager but lacking commitment, he had put down the instrument. Unaware that his son would take it up, he kept it for future use.
“I had been getting more into different music, and I wanted to start playing the guitar,” Wolfe said. “My dad had an old bass guitar from when he was a teenager, so he told me I could play the bass.”
Although it was not the initial instrument that he planned to learn, Wolfe took advantage of the instrument he had at home, determined to develop his musical skills despite the change from treble to bass clef. Through continuous practice, he soon was drawn to the instrument in an intimate way.
“When I play the bass I can make anything I want and I have infinite possibilities,” Wolfe said. “So it makes me feel kind of creative.”
Expressing himself with his evolving playing skills, Wolfe experiments with the deep tone of his instrument across some of his favorite genres such as jazz, rock and indie. As his talent expands, so do his music taste, inspiration and aspirations, challenging himself as his practice develops.
“There’s lots of bass players I admire, but I really like John Entwistle from The Who, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Les Claypool from Primus,” Wolfe said. “A goal for this year is to learn the bass solo from ‘Maxwell Murder’ by Rancid.”
This aspiring hobby turned out to be just the creative outlet that Wolfe needed for his experimental musical inclinations. Though he now reaps the rewards of his dedication to his practice, he recognizes the initial ups and downs of learning an instrument and the difficulty of being consistent.
“Listen to some professionals play, find out what inspires you the most, and try to play like an hour every one or two days,” Wolfe said. “Just don’t give up.”
