# AI Wiki - Music - Bass Guitar ## Overview The bass guitar is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It looks like an electric guitar with a longer neck, and it is almost always played through an amplifier because the strings are too quiet and too low to be heard acoustically. Paul Tutmarc of Seattle built a fretted electric bass in the 1930s, but the instrument took off when Leo Fender and George Fullerton started producing the Precision Bass in October 1951. Because it had frets, a bassist could finally play in tune without the pitch guesswork of an upright, and because it was electric, a bassist could be heard next to a drummer and a guitarist. Monk Montgomery was the first to tour with one (with Lionel Hampton's band, 1953). If you play guitar, the bass is the easiest second instrument you will ever pick up: the strings are tuned the same way and the fretboard logic is identical. What changes is the job. A guitarist decorates the harmony. A bassist defines it, and does it in rhythm with the drummer. ## The Instrument - **Four strings** is the default: E A D G, from lowest to highest, each one octave below the guitar's four lowest strings (E A D G). Fourths all the way, so there is no "B string shift" like on a guitar. - **Five strings** add a low B under the E (B E A D G). Useful for playing in low keys, and for staying on one position instead of moving a lot. Six-string basses add a high C on top. - **Scale length** is the distance from the nut to the bridge saddle, and it sets string tension and finger spacing. Standard ("long scale") is 34 inches, which most players use. Short scale is 30 inches or less (easier reach, rounder and softer sound), medium is 32, and 35 inches is common on five-strings, where it keeps the low B tight. - **Pitch.** Bass parts are usually written in bass clef, and (as for guitar) they sound an octave lower than written. See [[AI Wiki - Music - Reading Standard Notation]]. - **Strings** are much thicker than guitar strings (roughly .045 to .105 for a four-string set, depending on brand). Roundwounds sound bright, flatwounds sound warm and thumpy (the classic Motown color). - **Pickups** matter more than on a guitar. A P-style split-coil pickup gives a thick, midrange-heavy sound. A J-style pickup is brighter and more focused. Many basses have both. ## What the Bass Does in the Band The bass sits between two worlds. Rhythmically it belongs to the drums, harmonically it belongs to the chords. Its three jobs, in order of importance: 1. **Play the roots.** The lowest note of a chord defines the chord for the listener. If the guitarist plays a G major shape and the bass plays E, the band is playing Em7 (G B D plus E), not G. For this reason the bass plays the root of each chord on beat 1 of most bars. 2. **Lock with the kick drum.** Where the bass drum goes, the bass goes. Bass and kick together form the floor of the groove, and the rest of the band sits on top of that. In [[AI Wiki - Music - Funk Music|funk]] the two land together on "the One", and in [[AI Wiki - Music - Reggae Bass and Drums|reggae]] the bass becomes the lead voice of the track and plays melodic lines against a one-drop kick. 3. **Connect the chords.** Between one root and the next, the bass fills in notes that lead the ear toward the next chord: passing tones, chord tones, chromatic approach notes from a half step below or above. A good bassist is rarely noticed, until they stop. If you are playing with a drummer who does not have a bassist, you will feel a hole; that hole is what the bass fills. ## Root-Fifth and Walking Lines The simplest bass line is **root-fifth**: the root of the chord on beat 1, the fifth (seven semitones above the root, see [[AI Wiki - Music - Intervals]]) on beat 3. It works in country, folk, early rock and a thousand pop songs. Root-fifth with an octave jump on the root is the next step up. A **walking bass line** plays four quarter notes per bar, one per beat, built from chord tones and passing notes. It is the standard line in [[AI Wiki - Music - Jazz Music|jazz]], jump blues and swing, and it takes its feel from [[AI Wiki - Music - Swing and Shuffle Feel|swing]]. A classic recipe: beat 1 is the root, beats 2 and 3 are chord tones (3rd, 5th, 6th), and beat 4 is an approach note, a half step or a whole step from the next chord's root. This is what makes the line feel like it is walking towards the next bar. Plain-text tab, since there is no bass instrument in the notation plugin yet (see Open Questions). The four lines are G D A E from top to bottom, and the numbers are frets. A root-fifth line over C (root on beat 1, fifth on beat 3, numbers under the tab are beats): ``` Root-fifth, C major (C = A string, 3rd fret; G = D string, 5th fret) G|------------|------------| D|------5-----|------5-----| A|3-----------|3-----------| E|------------|------------| 1 3 1 3 ``` A four-bar walking line over C, F, G7, C. Each bar goes root, chord tone, chord tone, then a note that leans toward the next root (E is a half step under F, A is a step over G, B is a half step under C): ``` Walking line: | C | F | G7 | C | G|------------|------------|------------|------------| D|---2--5--2--|------------|------------|---2--5--2--| A|3-----------|---0--3--0--|---2--5--2--|3-----------| E|------------|1-----------|3-----------|------------| C E G E F A C A G B D B C E G E ``` The notes are C-E-G-E, F-A-C-A, G-B-D-B, C-E-G-E. The last note of each bar is the one that points to the next bar, and picking it well is most of the art of walking. Try replacing each one with a different note and listen to what changes. ## Fingerstyle, Pick and Slap - **Fingerstyle.** Alternate index and middle fingers (never one finger only), and rest the thumb on the pickup or on a lower string. The two fingers pluck in a rake across the string, and the sound is round and warm. It is the default for most styles: soul, jazz, folk, pop, reggae. - **Pick.** Gives a clear attack and an even tone, and it is the classic sound of punk, hard rock and metal because it cuts through distortion and keeps up with fast eighth notes. A guitarist usually finds this easiest because the right hand does what it already knows (see [[AI Wiki - Music - Picking Technique]]). Use a thick pick, thicker than you would use on guitar. - **Slap and pop.** The thumb hits the low string against the fretboard (slap) and the index or middle finger pulls a higher string so that it snaps back against the frets (pop). Slapping gives a percussive, bright, almost drum-like sound. Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone is credited with developing it in the late 1960s, and Bootsy Collins is another reference player. Left-hand muting is a big part of the technique: ghost notes keep the groove going between the loud ones (see [[AI Wiki - Music - Muting Techniques]]). A simple slap octave pattern in sixteenths on the E and D strings (`T` = thumb slap on E, `P` = pop on the D string two frets up and two strings over, `x` = muted ghost note): ``` Slap pattern, octave in E (T = slap E open, P = pop D string fret 2) Count: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a Play: T - x P - - P x T - - P - x P - ``` For more on how to count and place these sixteenths, see [[AI Wiki - Music - Sixteenth-Note Rhythms]]. ## How a Guitarist Transfers Skills What carries over directly: - **The fretboard.** The bass is a guitar with only the lower four strings, an octave lower, with the same fourths. Your knowledge of the notes on the E and A strings is already the whole bass fretboard. See [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Fretboard Navigation]]. - **Chord tones and arpeggios.** A bass line is an arpeggio with rhythm applied. If you can find the root, 3rd, 5th and 7th of a chord, you can write lines. See [[AI Wiki - Music - Arpeggios]] and [[AI Wiki - Music - Chord Tones and Improvisation]]. - **Pentatonic and blues scales** make most rock and blues lines. See [[AI Wiki - Music - Pentatonic Scale]]. - **Reading chord charts.** You already know what the symbols mean. What you will need to rework: - **Spacing.** Frets are farther apart, so you stretch more and shift more. The one-finger-per-fret position is the same, but you will feel it. - **Right hand.** Plucking with two fingers evenly is a new skill. Practise the alternation slowly, with a [[AI Wiki - Music - Metronome and Speed Building|metronome]]. - **Restraint.** The hardest part. You play less. Repeat a good two-bar pattern for eight minutes and make it groove, instead of improvising busy lines. - **Muting.** Strings ring much longer on a bass. Both hands damp the strings you are not playing. See [[AI Wiki - Music - Muting Techniques]]. - **Chords.** Don't play them on bass unless the arrangement asks for it. Thick low strings turn into mud. Play two-note dyads if you must. See also [[AI Wiki - Music - Switching Between Guitar Types]] for the general idea of moving between instruments with different necks and strings. ## Gear Basics - **Bass.** A used P-style or J-style bass from any major maker is the safe first choice. Check that the neck is straight and the action (string height) is comfortable. A short-scale bass is a good fit for small hands. - **Amp.** A bass amp (not a guitar amp: the speaker cannot handle the low frequencies and will blow). Fifty to a hundred watts is enough for rehearsals, and more for gigs. See [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Amps and Tone]] for the general signal chain; the principles are the same. - **Cables, tuner, strap.** A clip-on tuner is handy. Use a wide strap, because a bass is heavy and pulls on your left shoulder. - **Effects.** Often none. A compressor evens out your attack, and an overdrive or an octave can help on specific songs. Most of the tone comes from your hands. ## Songs and Players to Study - **James Jamerson (Motown):** "What's Going On" (Marvin Gaye, 1971) and "My Girl" (Temptations, 1964). Played on a P-bass with one finger, with sixteenth-note ghost notes. Part of the Funk Brothers, Motown's house band; see [[AI Wiki - Music - Soul and R&B Music]]. - **Donald "Duck" Dunn (Stax):** "Soul Man" (Sam & Dave, 1967). Short notes, never in the way. - **Paul McCartney:** melodic lines in "Something" and "Rain" (The Beatles). - **Larry Graham:** "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" (Sly and the Family Stone, 1969), the origin of slap on records. - **Aston "Family Man" Barrett (The Wailers):** reggae bass, see [[AI Wiki - Music - Reggae Bass and Drums]]. - **Bernard Edwards (Chic):** "Good Times" (1979). See [[AI Wiki - Music - Funk Music]]. - **Jaco Pastorius:** fretless jazz bass. The instrument is also played upright in jazz. ## How to Practise 1. Learn the notes on the E and A strings, then the D and G strings. You know most of this already. 2. Play root-fifth lines on a three-chord song with a drum loop, until the kick and bass sound as one instrument. 3. Add the octave, then the 3rd and the passing tones. 4. Learn one walking line over a 12-bar blues in two or three keys (see [[AI Wiki - Music - Blues Music]]). 5. Play along with records and try to copy one bass line by ear (see [[AI Wiki - Music - Transcription and Playing by Ear]]). 6. Record yourself against a drum machine and listen for rushed or dragging notes (see [[AI Wiki - Music - Recording Yourself]]). ## Key Points - Four strings E A D G, an octave below the guitar's low four; five-string adds low B; standard scale is 34 inches. - The bass plays roots, locks with the kick, and connects chords. - Root-fifth is the basic line; walking bass uses chord tones plus approach notes, one note per beat. - Fingerstyle for warm sound, pick for punch, slap and pop for funk. - A guitarist already knows the fretboard and chord tones; the new skills are restraint, two-finger plucking and muting. ## Open Questions - The notation plugin has no `instrument: bass` yet, so this article uses plain-text tabs. The request is open at dsebastien/music-notation#27 ("Bass: tunings, positions and sound"). Once it lands, the tab blocks above should become real notation blocks. - Which exact note choices does James Jamerson make on beat 4 and the sixteenth-note ghost notes in "What's Going On"? Published transcriptions differ, so this needs a source with a verified transcription. - The attribution of the first slap bass (Larry Graham versus earlier players) is repeated in many places but was not checked against a primary source here. ## References - Wikipedia, "Bass guitar": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar - Wikipedia, "Slapping (music)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slapping_(music) - Wikipedia, "Walking bass": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking_bass ## Related - [[AI Wiki - Music - Reggae Bass and Drums]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Funk Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Soul and R&B Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Jazz Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Blues Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Electric Guitar]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Muting Techniques]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Picking Technique]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Switching Between Guitar Types]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Sixteenth-Note Rhythms]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Rhythm Guitar Comping]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Slash Chords]]