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Abassist (also known as abass player orbass guitarist) is a musician who plays abass instrument such as adouble bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass),bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass),keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low brass instrument such as atuba ortrombone. Manymusical genres tend to be associated with at least one or more of these instruments.
Since the 1960s, the electric bass has been the standard bass instrument forfunk,[1]R&B,soul,rock,reggae,jazz fusion,heavy metal,country andpop. The double bass is the standard bass instrument forclassical music,bluegrass,rockabilly, and most genres ofjazz. Low brass instruments such as the tuba or sousaphone are the standard bass instrument inDixieland and New Orleans-style jazz bands. Tuba players are sometimes conflated with bassists, due to the instrument being used to double a part for the double bass in early music recordings.[2] Tubists who tend to fill the role of a bassist includeHoward Johnson,Herbie Flowers andSteve Brown among others.[3][4][5][6]
Despite the associations of different bass instruments with certain genres, there are exceptions. Some rock bands and bassists used a double bass, such asLee Rocker ofStray Cats,Barenaked Ladies andTiger Army.[7]Larry Graham, Bernard Edwards, Mick Hogan, Andy Fraser, and Mel Schacher used an electric bass guitar.[8] Some funk, R&B and jazz, fusion groups usesynth bass or keyboard bass rather than electric bass.Stevie Wonder,Bootsy Collins, andBernie Worrell have used a synth bass.[9][10] Some traditional jazz bands use double bass or electric bass instead of a tuba;Bill Johnson and Steve Brown was one of the earliest double bassists in the New Orleans traditional jazz genre.[11][6] In some jazz groups andjam bands, the basslines are played by aHammond organ player, who uses the basspedal keyboard or the lower manual for the low notes. Keyboard driven bass also occurs occasionally in rock bands, such asAtomic Rooster, andthe Doors whose keyboardistRay Manzarek notably used aFender Rhodes piano bass with his left hand.[12][13]
Electric bassists play the bass guitar. In most rock, pop, metal and country genres, thebass line outlines theharmony of the music being performed, while simultaneously indicating the rhythmic pulse. In addition, there are many different standard bass line types for different genres and types of song (e.g. blues ballad, fast swing, etc.).
Bass lines often emphasize the root note, with a secondary role for the third, and fifth of eachchord being used in a given song. In addition,pedal tones (repeated or sustained single notes),ostinatos, and bassriffs are also used as bass lines. While most electric bass players rarely playchords (three or more notes all sounded at the same time), chords are used in some styles, especiallyfunk,R&B, soul music,jazz, rock,Latin andheavy metal music.Phil Lesh, a bassist for the rock bandGrateful Dead was known for treating bass lines as counterparts, rather than emphasizing the root note.[14]Lemmy Kilmister, bassist for rock bandsHawkwind andMotörhead, was described by some musicians and writers to have a playing style reminiscent of an acoustic guitarist, sometimes using chords.[15][16]
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The double bass is the standard bass instrument forclassical music,bluegrass,rockabilly, and most genres ofjazz.
See theList of contemporary classical double bass players.
See theList of jazz bassists, which includes both double bass and electric bass players.
See theList of double bassists in popular music, which includes blues, folk, country, etc.
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