Learning bass

[Lionelsax]

Happy new year to all !

I go back.
The OP wants to read.
So, I'm just sharing my experience.
I've played the guitar for many years, not fancy things. I used to play some classical, blues and rock.
So, pentatonic solos, strumming, fingerpicking...
My knowledge about the neck was limited like 99% of guitarists (the crowd is screaming !).
When I began to play the bass, I only knew the E and A string, that's silly but every guitarist knows very well these strings and maybe the B string.
So my knowledge was limited by positions, everything was relative to the two strings I named before.
So I began to write bass lines only on the first position, I automatically included open strings.
Then I put a capo on 5th and 8th frets, I wasn't transposing, I was learning the neck, so I was playing the real notes.
In my playing, I focussed more on the A D G strings than on the E string.
That's the biggest defect when guitarists want to play the bass, for them it seems there are only two strings and are lost when they play the D and G string.
That was just a point, then come the way of plucking and fingerings.
You can use a finger per fret but it becomes exhausting for the fretting hand, the best way is to mix upright bass and guitar fingerings. Plucking is another thing, ghost notes, dynamics... It's a new world !
That's not what the OP is asking.
So, what can I say about reading, the capo is a great tool !
At the end, I play better the guitar because of my bass experience.
Another thing, as you know, like on the guitar the written notes sound an octave lower.

[Woody Sound]

the hardest thing for you - as it is for most guitarists - will will most likely not be learning the instrument - but learning the role and feel that the bass occupies in a band.

This is *SO* true. I get a lot of musical pit work on bass. (I read well.) I just finished 3 nights of "Guys and Dolls. The times I've tried to play with a band I kinda stunk. The notes were there but the feel wasn't. I remember the drummer telling me "You sound too tight, just loosen up." He was being polite.

[Woody Sound]

I play trombone pretty well (bass clef) and am not too bad of a jazz-style guitarist. I got to wondering how tough it might be to learn bass. I figure a short scale bass like a Mustang.

You might want to try a Squier Bass VI. (I use one.) All the fingerings are the same as guitar. Ironically, the Squier version is more like the original Fender than the new Fender version.

[Ellenhansley]

I don’t think it will be too hard for you to learn bass. With proper time and chord tones, you can do really well with the instrument. However, one of the biggest hurdles that any guitar player has to overcome is to get into the groove and feel of the bass.

It is important to understand that you should keep it simple and support the band. Playing bass in jazz bands is very fun but can be a bit tricky at times. So, in the beginning, try to focus on the basics, and as you gain experience, slowly try new things.

[Realshotz]

I play trombone pretty well (bass clef) and am not too bad of a jazz-style guitarist. I got to wondering how tough it might be to learn bass. I figure a short scale bass like a Mustang. There’s a copy of the Hal Leonard course here in the house. How long might it take to become a competent reading bass player?

Welcome to the Jazz family. It takes few years to master the jazz guitar. Since you have an idea of how to play the trombone, should not be a tough task learning the jazz guitar.