Family: String instruments
Photo: autor nieznany, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
The bass guitar is an electric instrument with four (sometimes five or six) thick strings, usually tuned E–A–D–G, an octave below the four lowest strings of a guitar. In a band it is the glue that links the rhythm of the drums with the harmony of guitars and keyboards.
A short history
In 1951 Leo Fender introduced the Precision Bass. The name said it all: thanks to frets the bassist could play in tune (precisely), and the instrument fitted in a car and was not lost in the noise of the band – unlike the double bass. In 1960 it was joined by the Jazz Bass with a slimmer neck.
Fun facts
- Jaco Pastorius pulled the frets out of one of his basses and filled the slots – that is how his famous „singing” fretless bass was born.
- The slap technique (thumping with the thumb and popping the strings) comes from funk and gave the bass a percussive sound – its masters include Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Marcus Miller.
In rock and jazz
Rock: Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Geddy Lee (Rush), Steve Harris (Iron Maiden). Jazz and fusion: Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller.
Do you play this instrument? Share your experience in the comments below – tell others what is worth knowing.