“A teacher can point out details you would likely never notice yourself, such as how you hold your hand/fingers. Many of these seemingly minute details become very useful later at a higher level of skill.“
Bass lessons at Sinclair Music Studio are designed to teach the techniques and musical tools necessary to become a valuable asset in any musical situation.
Bass is often one of the most over-looked instruments in a musical group. Many audience members have no idea what a bass even is. Despite this fact, bass is probably the most critical instrument in a group. It is rare to find a performing band without a bass player. As a budding bassist, you should be happy to know there is always a high demand for bassists—especially good ones.
The Responsibilities of the Bass Player
Traditionally, the bass performs two basic and vital functions within a band or group:
- Bass provides the rhythmic foundation.
- Bass provides the harmonic foundation.
The Rhythmic Foundation
The rhythmic foundation refers to the consistent pulse of the music. A skilled bassist supports the group by providing a good-feeling, steady pulse. Most music that is well received has a steady rhythm, or beat, to it. This is the responsibility and priority of the bassist.
The drummer, when present, also aids in providing the pulse. However, don’t be mistaken that it is the drummer’s job to create the pulse and you are only along for the ride. Your sense of rhythm must be very solid and independent of anyone else in the group. Each group member should have good rhythm independently while playing together as a whole.
Your rhythmic skills are the most important thing for you to master as a bassist. It doesn’t matter how perfect your choice of notes is. If your notes are in the wrong place rhythmically, it won’t feel or sound right.
The Harmonic Foundation
Most people realize the bass player helps with providing the rhythm. A lot of people don’t realize the other important function of the bass player — supporting the harmony.
Harmony means together. In music, harmony is the playing of several different notes at the same time. Sometimes one person alone, such as a guitarist or pianist, creates this harmony. Other times several people, such as an orchestra, rock band or a string quartet, create the harmony together.
The bass plays a powerful role in how we hear harmonies. When we hear several notes played at the same time, we hear them all relative to the lowest sounding pitch — the bass note.
The bass player’s second major traditional role is to properly define the harmony by supplying the correct foundational notes.
In Summary
As you continue studying music, you will learn that music is comprised of three main elements—rhythm, harmony and melody. The bass lays the foundation for two of these three elements. Studying bass means to study rhythm and to study harmony, and the techniques to create them on the bass.
Bass is a very powerful instrument. A good bassist can often rescue a mediocre group, while a bad bassist can easily destroy a great group.
So what are you waiting for?
Let’s get started learning about rhythm and learning about harmony.
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