Profile: Armin’s decision to play bass

Curly-brown hair, calm, thin and a little bit shy - not the description of the average metal-enthusiast. Armin, a metal-listening, bass-playing 9th grader from the RSH, certainly doesn’t look the part, but behind his quiet appearance is a world of loud music.

Before metal had really moved him, he didn't listen to any music at all. He played the piano, still does, but his focus is on the bass guitar now.

“My parents suggested the piano to me when I was about 6 years old, and I thought it was cool. They organized lessons and a private teacher.”

He says he really enjoys the sound of it, as well as playing such a complex instrument.

Although he wasn’t always a fan of rock and metal in particular - nor music in general - he passively listened to it with his father in the living room and in the car.  

Armin’s change of taste came during a ski class trip. “We listened to rock a lot, and I quite enjoyed it. I think this was the time I got into this music.”

He didn’t have a speaker at home, still doesn’t, but finds himself listening to metal and rock when watching TV or playing computer games.

You might ask yourself now: How did he end up playing bass?

“It wasn't really my own decision to play bass, but it was a good one.”

He met two of his friends who brought guitars with them. They started jamming in the basement. Unfortunately,he couldn’t do anything because Armin’s only instrument, the piano, was in the living room upstairs.

That was the time his friends suggested he should play bass.

“I immediately thought it was a great idea, so for the rest of the day we looked and compared different basses online until I found the right one.”

Only four days after his Christmas present arrived - a full bass set with strap, cables and even an amplifier - the friends met again and had their first jam session. Armin was finally able to support his friends making music - you could say a dream came true.

Considering the short amount of time that Armin spent with his bass, he plays it really well. His preferred genre is obviously metal and songs like For Whom The Bell Tolls and No More Tears are his favourite ones to play.

Armin's biggest weakness when it comes to playing bass is practicing - he just can't find a good rhythm in his practice routine. “Sometimes I practice two days in a row and then not for a week”.

But when it's one of his practice days he is really determined. He watches Youtube videos of the songs he wants to learn or looks up the tabs on the internet.

Even his friends try to support him as best as they can. “When I meet my friends and we want to play a new song, they just learn the bass line on guitar and try to teach it to me then.”