d n a s e l y t S f e O h y T r o d t n s i i h H e e B s Th e u q i r n a t h i c u G Te s s a B By Daniel Newberry
Bass Guitar A bass guitar is similar to a six-string guitar in many ways, but the biggest difference being that it only has four strings, although you can get 5 and 6 string bass guitars. The four strings ( E, A, D, G) are the same as the four lowest strings as a six-string guitar, but they are tuned and octave lower. The bass guitar is normally played with a pick or with the fingers. The bass guitar's job is to be part of the rhythm section of a band, working with the drums and rhythm guitar, but also plays in collaboration with the lead instruments, like lead guitar and vocals.
Bass Amps A bass guitar is nearly impossible to hear without some sort of amplification, due to the low bass notes it produces. These come in many sizes, with a small 15 watt amp for a practice, and 400 watt stack amps being used by professionals playing for thousands of people. The cost goes up significantly in size and power, as they range from ÂŁ100 to about ÂŁ100,000. Many amps have effects built in, which can add a fun change to the sound of the bass.
Acoustic Bass Acoustic bass guitars are much more powerful in their bass tones than electric acoustics, but are many times more quiet. Just like some acoustic guitars, you can get inputs for them which amplifies the sound when plugged into an amp, but when you do plug them in, they loose all of the bass tones they are usually known for. They can be good practice guitars, as you don't need to plug them in, but if used with any other instruments, they get lost in the sound of the other instruments, especially other rhythm sounds, like drums.
Slap Bass Slap bass is a technique used by many bass players and creates a percussive sound, like the sound off the bass drum. You create the slap sound by tapping the bottom of the fretboard with your thumb. This technique was first used by bands in the 1920's, but only became popular in the 1960's. It is used in many rock, funk and jazz bands as a way of emphasizing the drums. Popping Popping is a technique that is commonly used with slapping, as it goes from a low sound (the slapping) to a high sound (the popping). You create the “pop� by putting any finger behind the string and pulling it forward in a fast way. This technique first became popular used in the 1960's, a few years after slapping became popular. It is common to use popping with slapping, but not just popping by itself.
Solos Bass solos didn't really become popular until bass player Jaco Pastorius of “The Weathermen� started taking the lead in many of their songs. Being able to play a solo takes great knowledge about what notes would sound good in what order and what chord sequence they are from. Michael Balzary (Flea) of The Red Hot Chili Peppers very rarely will play a song where the bass guitar has a more prominent role than the lead guitar. Many of their songs use complex bass riffs as an intro and outro.
Effects Bass effects range from distortion, which distorts the sound and makes it sound fuzzy, to chorus, which makes it sound like there is an extra string being played off nearly the same pitch. Many bass players choose to use them live, but they are mainly used in the recording of a song. Compression is one of the most used effects in recording, as it creates a perfect sound, with the quieter notes and the louder notes being compressed to the same loudness. The effects you use also depends on the style of music you are playing, as if you are playing pop, you are not going to be using the same effects as if you are playing heavy metal. Many styles of music don't require effects, like indie rock.
Different Bass Guitars Fender Precision Bass – Provides one of the most common bass sounds and is used by many bands. £446 Fender Jazz Bass – Is used mainly by Jazz bands, as it creates richer and warmer treble sounds as heard in Jazz. £510 Gibson Les Paul Standard Bass – Gibson aren't known for their bass guitars, but this one is used by many bands for it rich bass tones. £1,119
Fender American Deluxe Precision Bass – This is a more refined version of the standard precision bass, but it is made from the highest of quality parts. £1,395 Ibanez SR500 BM – This is a new bass, which features 3 band equalizer more more diversity in the tones. It also features a switch which changes the tone to make it sound like you play slap bass without actually slapping it. Modulus Quantum Bass – An amazing bass that is completely customisable. Starts off at £3,000 but with all the options available, can get up to £7,000
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Worlds Most Expensive Production Bass ÂŁ100,000