How Important is a Bass Guitar?

A typical band usually consists of a vocalist, a couple of guitarists, one drummer and one bassist. There has been a surge of bands currently in the music industry, and these bands have been known to sell a lot and have lots of fans all over the world. The likes of Coldplay, Fall Out Boy, and Bon Jovi have had fans worldwide and each member of the band is particularly well-known. What makes a band really that popular? It is about how awesome they blend in to make music. If ever one decides to form a band, one has to make sure they have good chemistry and camaraderie. To complete the band members, one must have a vocalist, a drummer, a couple of guitarists and a bassist who really knows how to use a bass guitar.

They say that one of the key members of the band is the bassist. If a bassist knows how to play the bass guitar right, then that band would definitely be infectious. What is really a bass guitar? This is a string musical instrument played generally either using the fingers or the hand itself. One can tap, pluck, pick, pop or slap the instrument in order to play. Unlike the electric guitar, this guitar has a extended neck and scale length. The typical bass contains four, five, six or eight strings depending on what kind one would buy. Bands before had the double bass as their main bass; however, as time passed by, the double bass was slowly replaced by this guitar. Typically, one would not be able to hear what the bassist is playing. The bass definitely plays a huge part in playing a song. The bass somehow secures the harmonization of each of the elements of the band while at the same time laying down the beat that should be followed.

Bass Guitar Techniques

There are a lot of techniques in tuning the bass. All of which depend on how many strings the particular guitar has. Also, there are different kinds of pickups as well. A bass can be played either sitting down or standing up and it can be performed with different techniques each having its own sound. There is the slapping which is also known as the “thumb style” as it uses the thumb in slapping the string, and the middle and index fingers in snapping a string. There is also the two-handed tapping style wherein one uses both hands to play by quickly pressing and keeping the string to the fret. These are not the only playing and performing styles available. There are lots of other techniques available in the internet ready to be taught.

The primary and most common role of a bass guitar is to really provide the chord progression of the music being played. It definitely sets out the beat of the song. Without it, the song would not stand on its own, and the words “flat” “sharp” “out of tune” would be present. The guitar is really present and applicable to a variety of genres.

Bass Guitar