Sunseed Music

Most music has always had a bass line be it written or implied, today the bass part is fundamental to most of the music we listen to. From the pedal board for the bass notes of an organ, the orchestra double bass, contra bassoon or tuba, bass instruments serve as a needed harmonic reference point and a bass foundation for the music. Music would sound hollow and incomplete without a driving bass line. With styles of popular music changing and evolving, plus the increasing demands of the working musician for portability, playability and loud volume, there was a strong need for a new type of bass instrument. This is how the electric bass guitar era came into being.

Though the very first electric bass guitar was invented in the 1930’s it never achieved the critical mass of popularity until the Fender bass guitars brought the electric bass to the masses. The equivalent prior instrument, the upright bass existed for hundreds of years prior to this.  The electric bass guitar offered a distinct change from the sounds that people had grown accustomed to hearing from previous upright basses. Held and played horizontally like a regular guitar, the electric bass differed from it’s predecessor, the upright bass not only in it’s orientation during playing but also in it’s ease of use and portability. Electric bass players were no longer burdened with a huge lumbering akward instrument to carry and protect. The bass guitar looks similar to an electric guitar in that it’s body is solid, but the bass guitar has a longer neck than an electric guitar. Also while similar to an acoustic guitar in playing position, the electric bass differs in it’s sound production. The bass guitar has pickups underneath it’s strings, the pickups send the sound to the amplifier which the bass is connected to and we hear the notes via the amp’s speakers. The bass guitar generally has four strings which are tuned in 4ths like the 4 lowest strings on the guitar but they are tuned an octave lower than those on the guitar. It is often played by plucking or thumping the strings, unlike other guitars which are strummed. The Fender bass guitar is definitely a rhythm section instrument. When playing and interacting with a good drummer, a good bassist can help shape the vibe and pocket of the music in a way that non rhythm section instruments cannot. The electric bass is a special instrument and much more than a 4 string guitar.