Bassist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A bassist is a musician who plays a double bass or electric bass (also referred to as bass guitar). Certain musical genres tend to be associated with each of these instruments. Since the 1960s, the electric bass is the standard bass instrument for rock and roll, jazz fusion (and occasionally other forms of jazz), heavy metal, country, reggae and pop music. The double bass is the standard bass instrument for classical music and Swing-era and Bebop-era jazz music. However, there are exceptions in both cases. Some 1990s and 2000s rock, pop, and punk rock/psychobilly bands use a double bass, such as Barenaked Ladies, Tiger Army, The Living End, and HorrorPops. Some composers of modern art music use the electric bass in a chamber music setting, and some jazz big bands use electric bass.
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[edit] Electric bass players
Electric bassists play the bassline, which is a single low-pitched monophonic line of music. In most jazz, rock, and pop genres, the bass line outlines the harmony of the music being performed, while simultaneously indicating the rhythmic pulse. In addition, there are different standard bass line types for different genres and types of song (e.g. blues ballad, fast swing, etc.). Basslines often emphasize the root, third, and fifth of the chords of the music. In addition, pedal tones (a repeated or sustained single note), ostinatos, and bass riffs are also used as bass lines.
Though less common, some bass players employ a polyphonic style of playing instead of a single-note melody, using full chords and double-stops to accent their basslines. Examples of players who have used this technique are Adam Nitti and Jaco Pastorius.
Some of the most notable electric bass players include: Stanley Clarke<ref>Stanley Clarke received the Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.</ref>, John Entwistle,Jaco Pastorius, Larry Graham, Carol Kaye, James Jamerson, Jeff Berlin<ref>Berlin was voted #1 Jazz Bassist in Guitar Player magazine's Readers' Poll two years in a row.</ref>, Jack Bruce<ref>Jack Bruce received the Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.</ref>, Steve Harris, Cliff Burton, Les Claypool, Bootsy Collins,Flea, Jerry Jemmott, Louis Johnson, John Paul Jones, John Deacon, Lemmy Kilmister, Mark King, Geddy Lee, Paul McCartney, Marcus Miller, Joe Osborn, Billy Sheehan, Alain Caron, Gene Simmons, Sting, Mike Watt, Victor Wooten, Bill Wyman, Roger Waters and Dave DeFilippo.
- Further information: List of bass guitarists
[edit] Double bass players
[edit] Notable classical double bass players of historical importance
- Domenico Dragonetti (1763-1846) Virtuoso, composer, conductor
- Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889) Virtuoso, composer, conductor
- Franz Simandl (1840-1912) Virtuoso, composer
- Edouard Nanny (1872-1943) Virtuoso, composer
- Serge Koussevitzky (1874–1951) Conductor, virtuoso, composer
[edit] Lists of double bass players
- See List of contemporary classical double bass players
- See List of jazz bassists, which includes both double bass and electric bass players.
- See List of double bass players in other popular genres
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
- Bass Player magazine - Bass Player magazine
- BassPlaza.com - Thousands of bassplayers listed.
- BassGirls web magazine - monthly web magazine
- Five-string.co.uk - Find Session, Freelance & dep / step-in bass players in the UK. Also, home site of session bassist Greg Muddda:Bassist
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