Hello, people. I am the original poster.

Just to clarify for those who asked, I don't have an actual bass. If I did, I wouldn't know how to hold it much less play it. I painstakingly enter each individual note into a MIDI grid and slowly build a song. I enjoy it a lot and I like the results so far. I had begun to make music five years ago but soon gave up on it due to personal problems. I am resuming it now because... well, it's some kind of relief or distraction from my worries. I definitely need the stress relief.

I guess I could call myself a composer, but not a musician. I couldn't "jam" in real time to save my life. My approach is to use the computer to slowly build something that can only be appreciated after it's completed. It reminds me a lot of my childhood, when I used to draw. A drawing can only be appreciated after it's done and you can... uh... hang it on the fridge? :-)

Whatever instrument is leading I find very easy to write. I also handle the drums pretty well. I only struggle with the bass. I guess that's because it's a lot like garbage collectors: people seldom notice it but its absence becomes instantly clear. Songs tend to sound hollow without the bass, but I am not used to paying attention to bass lines because it's always been a "background" instrument. Since I only "play" (with air quotes) by ear, i.e. 100% intuitively, my failure to properly listen to bass lines during my whole life is coming back to bite me in the [*****] now.

I am enjoying the comments, thank you very much, including those from people who play the actual instrument in a way I never will. I always enjoy reading discussions about music. I've been checking out the tips offered. This whole forum is very nice. Thank you for your current and future participation.