B is for bass

 

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The bass line in music is the lowest sound in music. Music from rock-n-roll, blues, drum’n’bass, hip hop to classical music all have a bass line. Where would Lou Reed’s most famous single, Take a Walk on the Wild Side, be like without that famous bass line introduction?

It is the bass sound that provides a link between the beat and the rest of the music, and it is the sound that gives a song its groove, making it so very danceable.

The primary job of the bass line in a piece of music is to establish the rhythm. The bass is one of the most important elements of the rhythm section - the other element is the beat.

More commonly, the bass guitar is the critical instrument in fulfilling the need for bass, but in different circumstances, the double bass, keyboard, TR-808 or the percussion, can fit in quite nicely.

The family tree of the bass sound can be traced back to the double bass – a relation to the slightly higher sounding Viola da Gamba that proceeded before – and still to this day shares design attributes and other physical traits as the bass guitar.

Double bass

The electric bass guitar itself was in production in the early twentieth century, but owes its mass popularity to Leo Fender who designed the first electric bass guitar for mass production in the early 1950s. The Fender Bass was revolutionary to a guitarist: it was much lighter than all predecessors and could be amplified without feeding back.

Today bass guitars have changed very little, but universally the secret of getting a good bass sound from a guitar is in the quality of the bass: it is found in the condition of the material, how the bass is put together and in the high-standard of ‘pick-ups’.

Like all electric guitars, the vibrations of the metal strings creating the electrical signals are called ‘pick-ups’. High-quality pick-ups can reduce any hiss that may appear through the amp or it could, quite simply, help define your sound better.

However, since the 80s, new music making technologies simulated the bass guitar sound with such success that an entire new genre of music was born. The transistor bass (TB-303), most famously developed by the keyboard makers Roland, is responsible for Acid House music of the late 80s, and is still used to fulfil bass requirements in some electronic music. 

The strongest bass sounds are found in hip-hop and drum 'n bass, and the squelchy and fat TB-303 bass sounds, and later from the TR-808 programmable rhythm machine, are very distinctive and easily recognizable. Masters of dance music, such as Roni Size and Fat Boy Slim are huge advocates of the bass replicating systems.

Nonetheless, when it comes to recording a high-quality bass sound, a good result doesn’t rely so much on

what instrument or machine it comes from, the sound just has to come from a good player.

All in all, the type of song you are recording should dictate the type of bass sound you are trying to achieve. The bass line almost defines the genre. However, within your genre, don’t let the bass line be the same for every song.

Furthermore, additional equipment will add to a quality sound, such as a direct box, amplifier and special care in the selection of speakers - whether you are sourcing your bass sound from a bass guitar or a 303, the speaker can really intensify the depth.

Most speakers are not capable of reproducing the lower frequencies of the bass sound. The subwoofer is specifically designed to reach the lowest frequencies and can sometimes be capable of handling frequencies as low as 15hz. A subwoofer is more likely to be seen and heard in capturing the bass lines in drum and bass and hip hop music – a place where a strong bass line is deeply respected.

Paul McCartney, arguably one of the greatest bass players of all time and became so during the Beatles’ most creative phase. McCartney’s reputation as a bass player was won by his constant experimentation and desire to find new direction for the instrument. McCartney is reported in saying that the bass line actually can control a band’s sound. 

The bass sound can rumble and dive between frequencies whilst being the groove to make people move, and as long as people want to dance to your music, the bass line will have a very special place.

For more information:

Read more articles in our A - Z library

Visit the Harmony Central pages on the bass guitar.

Click here for the latest from Roland.

Or for an interview with Paul McCartney, click here.

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