Bass Players

For me, this was an extremly easy topic to write about because I am a bass player. I've been playing bass now for about a year and it is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I discovered my intrest in music and my talent for playing the electric bass all before the age of 14. Bass in my opinion is the backbone of a band and hold the most responsability for keeping the band going. In this article i am going to talk about bass players today, why I love bass, and my opinions on bass in general.

The bass players of today do not get the recognishion they deserve. They are simply told to stand at the back of the set/ stage and play the same note throughtout the song. But the thing is, some people dont realize how important this can be. Although it may sound boring, all music needs a rhythm, and bass provides that. But bass isn't just about playing the same not and keeping the bead and rhythm...bass players have amazing talent and amazing skills like no other. Lots of the time bass players have solos that can blow your mind, an example of one of the most talented bass players to me is Flea, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His talents and skills are jaw-dropping and could put you in awe. I know they do for me. The solos bass players have are so much fun and so challenging some times but its rewarding when you learn how to play them correctly.

Any one who doesn't play bass or let alone any other instrument is missing out big time. It's alot of fun and something to do when you are bored. It can be painfull and feel so great at the same time. Music is an amazing thing and too many people take it for granted and don't appreciate it all that much. Same goes for bass. If it was up to me, I would like to see more bass players, and females getting into instruments, and music such as myself. I haven't looked back yet and I don't plan to. I hope to have a career in music and be in a band, playing bass.

So get out there and get into music, live your life and make music a part of it. Trust me you wont regret it :) Thanks for reading my article and I hope to see you in the music industry in the future.

Comments

[pooch0072]

BASS ROCKS
been playing 3 months now, loving every minute of it! gr8 article

[pooch0072]

chick bassists rock 2:P

[yertletheturtle]

^^ yes they do
; )

[cakehead]

bass is a clumsy instrument, no offense

[Muse(ic) ROCKS!]

Flea sucks

[JuStAkId182]

alot of grls are following my lead (im a boy) and learning bass

[azerty_66]

you're basically just telling us "bass is the best you should all play bass"

[AngryBen]

sam rivers is also an amazing bassist

[stratstrummer40]

i luv playin bass great article. p.s. victor wooten is the best bassist ever

[elms2988]

bass players are like linemen in football-they are necessary for the team and if they screw up its chaos, but they get very little recognition

[GypsySpiritXIII]

as far as bassist go... you cant go better than steve harris. he's the best... ever... :P

an yeah, btw. i a bassist.

[rockyou2death]

les claypool from primus is an amazing bassist

[jdude]

I play bass and guitar and this article has no information that I care about because it just says why this guy likes bass so much.

[Jesusdude89]

good article man, bass is awesome, i've been playin about five months, and bass is just so awesome. cheers to you and your article.

p.s. yes, Vic Wooten is the best bassist i've ever heard.

[ad_lib_oz]

thanks for preaching how awesome the bass is, i really needed to know.
it really needed the "recognishion" lol...


its RECOGNITION DAMMIT!

[TRAKTEMENT]

ive been playing bass for 4 years now and i can only agree with you

[abby]

hey, i wrote this article, lol and i just wanted to let u know im not a dude, im a girl ahaha..oh and sorry to "ad_lib_oz" bout the spelling its recognition dammit ahah

[scheck006]

whoever said bass is a clumsy instrument is dumb, if you find one that can shred you will be amased at how fast, clean and smooth he can make the thing sound. Especially when he picks up your guitar and shows you up, because he is used to extremely high string gauges, and does some amazing stuff on your guitar

[abby]

what?

[givo_87]

^^^^
ad_lib_oz, you fool, just cos you don't like the bass guitar hahahaha, give all of us bassists out there a break! HAHA

[givo_87]

hey, and ad_lib_oz, what you up to this week newyas?? when's ur guitar getting fixed, cos we need to kick out the jams....get it........HAHAHA, god i amuse myself sometimes.......hehe

[star0nfire]

hey you all !

I play guitar.. but I think a band without a bassist is something like.. a garden w/out flowers..
I think playing bass is something I'd like to learn, even though I'm happy playing the guitar.. :P

[ibanez6soad]

Muse(ic) ROCKS!:
Flea sucks

why wasnt this crap deleted? anyway good article. bass doesnt have to be just a rhythm instrument. you can do just as much with it as guitar.

[abby]

oh i know...thats also what i was trying to say, if it was just rythem it would b boarin

[boxcarblink41]

flea is the best!

[boxcarblink41]

twang twang twang his bass goes!

[michael_bryant]

I have only just really started bass having played the accoustic guitar, but still i have to say if a band has no bass it has no umph. the bass guitar is what makes the floor shake. Without it music is nothing. I just done a concert on the bass, went well. but one of the other bands playing didn't have a bass guitarist and thare was no rumble!

Hooray for Bass!!!

[michael_bryant]

and Flea IS the best!!! lol

the white stripes have no bass, just a guitar and drums, so i dont agree that every band needs a bass.

[Geldof the Grey]

yeah, but the stripes have always had bass in their sound except for in the white blood cells album. It's the album everyone remebers them for so people don't think they have a lot of bass. And there's always the bass drum...

[*Truly Ninja*]

You aren't much of a writer, to tell you the truth.

[*Truly Ninja*]

Sorry that was harsh...

[murdock]

getty lee.

[skasolo]

the white stipes tune the guitars down low, so the bass isnt need as much

[theyoungangus]

bass solos are really easy to learn I play guitar and if i sit down with a bass its simple. In AC/DC the bass doesn't do much at all its all bput the guitar

[HappyClam]

Good article, ive bin playing for about 6 moths now on my bass and i think its annoying that people are more amazed by just power chords than a realy good bass solo cause they think that bass is crap

[tibs]

bass players in a band dont always play just 1 note i think this guy dont know his shit and just wanted to act like he did

[abby]

by the way, im a *girl*...yes i do no what im talking about, i play bass...get a clue
from : abby

[KevinHallX]

ok ya sure flea is great but what about some others? like Matt Freeman of Rancid, Fieldy of KoRn, and Tre of Greenday? great bassists the lot of them. of courseMatt and Tre do play pretty pop-punk most of the time, down-stroked eitth notes, with a pick, never leaving the root note, they do some interesting stuff. and Fieldy is probably almost as good as Flea, got some good pop-and-slap sometimes.

[joestrummer]

as you said all you have to do is look at flea and watch him playing for a minute. but you said they normally get pushed to the back of the stage, this depends on the player themselves, agaiin look at flea, but think about it, noone can pull you up on a live gig

[joestrummer]

flea is one of the best bassist ever, but also he is among the top performers ever to grace our stages.

[ibanez6soad]

skasolo:
the white stipes tune the guitars down low, so the bass isnt need as much

jack uses an octave pedal.

[pyrotech]

The white stripes need to realize that you need a bass player and tuning down won't help, that is a common mistake among many guitarists
BASS PLAYERS RULE
2 years on bass

[Shae]

Bass is often overlooked and does not get much appretiation I've been playing a year now and I am in love and one of the best bassist is in primus "les" that guy rocks

[ithilien046]

one: flea kicks ass
two: so do les claypool and victor wooten
i've been playing bass for a year and a half, and i have a decent ammount of playing experience. it is a real shame that bassists today dont get a lot of attention, but there isn't much you can do about it but complain if dont try to make your presence felt, musically and in performance. know why everybody loves flea? because he has amazing stage presence and he makes bass lines that add a lot to their songs. dont try to play a complicated bass line for a song just for the sake of playing something more interesting, play something appropriate. sometimes a simple bass line is what the song needs, and you should give the song that. if the song has room for you to stand out and do something more complicated, more power to ya. dont overplay though, too many notes and trying to do too much sounds like shit. whatever you play, play it with feeling and you'll get a better response. even if nobody pays attention to you, they dont know it - but "their butts are all movin to the bass guitar." - Joe's Blues by Todd Snider
GO BASS PLAYERS!!!!

[fascist d]

pyrotech:
the white stripes need to realize that you need a bass player and tuning down won't help...

hey their sound seems to be working for them, so i don't think they need a bass player.

[basssk8r666]

I just read your article and it's all true. i go to a school where everyone who plays guitar plays electric. i am one of the few bass players and don't get the recognision we deserve. i've been trying to get the word out for a while and this article might help a lot. bass players represent.

[Shae]

Okay dudes, yea its true bass players dont get much recognition but in a way its okay because its a very unique instrument and its something not everybody understands besides its what makes us different I dont want to be like everyone else anyways. thank God for creating music and bass peace out

[Oswald]

Flea is one good bassist but I play guitar.

[riffer_raffer]

i can't wait to pick up the bass, i play electric and acoustic guitar right now but bass would be sweet to play......les claypool from primus is the best bassist i've ever heard..flea is good too, but not as diverse as les.

[Remy_Deathy]

why is it the ugly guy in the band is always on bass....especialy with all this new wave 'punk' stuff....maybe this is something girls just notice...(ya im a chik if ya dunt get it...) oh and wats up with drummers always being guys (except fur that chik who play fur kid rock and that insulting white stripe drummer who should be attacked with metal sporks.....and the drummmer frum velvet underground)

[Metdude711]

Cliff Burton is (was) the Best Bass Player Ever

[snugs]

remy deathy:why is it the ugly guy in the band is always on bass.
Paul McCartney off the Beatles was the guy that all the chicks liked.
Oh yeah the bass is cool n all but bass provides the rhythm?yeh maybe if ur in a punk band playin the the root note at fastly,but for most cases its about being tha harmony of the band to give it a fuller sound.
And you said its the backbone of the band,on the contrary(for most cases),if you took it the bass out you would lose some harmony,yet if u took out the rhythm guitar or the drums u would have a problem

[PunxNotDead7688]

hell yeah dude i've been playing for probably 6 years now. The bass players never get the chicks.... its all about the guitarist or the singer....but no no no my friend we are infact better with our fingers than the damn singers.

[LastRockShow]

DUDE, YOU FORGOT THE BASSIST IN PRIMUS! He played a lot of Master Of Puppets' guitar part on bass, he's awesome! i aint sayin he's tha best, but DEFINATELY some skill therre!

[ESPbassdude]

Thank you! someone finally gives the bass the recognotion it deserves.
IMO - Burton, Flea, Geezer, Newsted, Claypool are all bass gods

[ESPbassdude]

the bass finally gets its due
Burton, Flea, Geezer, Claypool, are all bass gods

[ESPbassdude]

oops

[BassPlayer4Hire]

ok i hate you all: only some of you mention Claypool, who is undoubtedly (and i mean that) the best bassist ever in the FUNK GENRE. While Flea is an amazing rock bassist and Jeremy Enigk (who no one mentioned plays amazing distrorted bass lines while singing, which most bass players should kno, is Realllyyy hard.

[abby]

OK SORRY! Les Claypool is great

[ibanez88e]

ahmen bass rules without it you have no beat or rhythem , bass is the soul of the music i love bass, i play bass and guitar and love them both but bass is the soul of music. without it you have nothing no beat. so every band needs a bassist. GREAT ARTICLE

[MinorThing]

abby! as 14 yr old, and a bass player, and a canadian citizen, and a BIG fan of red hot chili peppers, i can honestly say FLEA IS KING, and that you wrote a great article!

[scotte_bass]

hey awesome article
im a bassist and we dont get enough recognishion
bass rocks...and screw any1 who says otherwise

[abby]

thanks

[GwEn]

Bassplayer4hire--- Flea is about the FUNK, first of all!! funk bass isnt just about popping&slapping... much respect to Les Calypool, but i wouldnt classify him as a funk bassist... i mean, primus is a genre all its own, more jam band, ya dig?

[GwEn]

i picked up bass just before a huge wave of 13 year olds did, and let me tell you, the majority dropped it within a month. It was a sad sight. 3 years later, i'm still thumpin' away on the 4 string and lovin' every minute of it. one bassist i feel deserves recognition would have to be Eric Wilson from Sublime. his basslines are soo smooth and just flow so nicely, his highly improv style is killer... Tony Kanal lays down some pretty good basslines as well.

[undead_bunny]

yay! bassist credit!

[undead_bunny]

i'm a girl and i know guitar and i'm learning to play bass.....WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
O!!!!!!!!!!

[yungbassist]

dude no one cares about how bass changed ur life & this article had no point at all & u shudnt talk about how u no the best bass players & they dont get enuff credit wen u have only benn playin for 1 year write an article wen u have played for atleast 5 & if u want more credit then play lead guitar

[yungbassist]

i have played bass since i was 7 & i still feel no urge to rite an article about it & i am sik & tired of hearing aout ppl playin an instrument becuz its the cool thing to do & flea is most definatly one of the funkiest bass players in a rok band becuz his dad played blues & les claypool is primus & wen he hooks up wit bukethead of gnr it is gunna kik so much ass!!!!!!

[abby]

DONT READ THE FUCKING ARTICLES THEN!!!

[Thebassrocks131]

Hey i've ben playin for bout 2 weeks now and i wish i would have started erlier. it was easy for me to learn but a new song is always a chalange

[DefunctPunk06]

i've been playin bass for six years and i love it to death. i'll never give it up.

[happywac]

whats all this shit about flea being the best bass player around,im amazed that no ones mentioned jaco pastorius or charly mingus. jesusdude89 victor wooten
is a very alented bass player but not the best he uses
simple chording techniques on a low action bass and pulls arpegieos roughfly to get a fast slap sound.

[chinko]

happy wac u are too right no-one knows jaco. he has some of the greatest basslines out there, up to 5 min bass solo's which only get boring after the 50000 listen. he was better than flea will ever be,flea just makes alot of funky tunes, and flea is gud, just not incredible

ive played bass for 6 months and i mostly play solo's cos jammin one note tabs is WAAAAAY too boring. if you want to do solo's in songs ask your band (if ur in one) cos they cud like fit u in between songs, and show them a solo so they see that it will be worth it. if all else fails just play the same EEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAA tune for the rest of your career

good article abby!

[diablo83]

very good article. i play guitar and hopefully someday i want to learn bass. Matt Freeman of Rancid to me, is probably one of the best bassists out there

['tallica07rhcp]

Flea sucks

no man you suck
you really really really suck. SHould be beaten severly for saying that, you dont even kno...

[BASSMOTHER]

im sick of hearing about flea. YOU SHOULD BE LISTENING TO THE CLASSICS. roger waters, john entwistle, john paul jones. all the best bassists were called john. the most memorable bass lines are in older songs like dazed and confused or money or set the controls for the heart of the sun or my generation. not some shitty new age punk crap like green day. any retard can strum a few strings and fantasise about playing guitar. but real bassist use there fingers.

[ZoSo.Led.Zep.]

Flea does suck. Eveyrone should listen to what BASSMOTHER has to say he must be some type of bass-nazi maniac fanatic who obviously knows his shit. I bet his fingers are leather and I bet his bass is right up under his chin and that makes him a real bassist. none of this low bass strumming shit. God bless you BASSMOTHER for you are a true rocker in every way.

[ZoSo.Led.Zep.]

PS BASSMOTHER is the reincarnation of John Entwistle. So now all shall refer to BASSMOTHER as OX. God bless.

[Uber Bhudda Fat]

Yeah dude, I started out playing guitar, and loved it... But then i picked up my friends bass and was like, this is my instrument.
Bass Players own.

[ringobassist]

hey, this article has too many people dissing it, what's their problem, bassists deserve to give themselves a pat on the back for playing a great instrument and not playing guitar cause they think its more showy, i been playing bass guitar as a bolton bassist since i was 14 and i been playing for 2 years (that makes me 16) and im grade 5 on the upright (double bass) both are indeniably cool, and as long as you keep it up you WILL be noticed. As for great artists, to learn the basslines flea and jaco p and wooten, john entwistle all rule, but not all bands need a showy bassist, just do what you want, do what works! And all you people insulting things and people stop it! Bassist's should live in peace, as guitarists are too busy showing off to live in peace. This is a good article abby! shut up if you disagree

[jesusgonewrong]

BASSISTS KICK ASS. WITHOUT BASSIST'S ROCK WOULD HAVE NO BACKBONE, SO STOP DISSING BASSISTS SUCH AS MYSELF, AS IF YOU THINK YOU CAN COPE WITHOUT ONE THEN YOUR SADLY MISTAKEN!!!!

[Mosseydebassist]

Gr8 article, playin bass every day since got it at christmas, can only agree with all above mentioned bassists as being awesome! Can sum1 tell me what the story with my Jack & Danny musicman copy, (it's my first bass) can get very little volume when slap on it but understand if that comes with practise. FLea Rules!!

[somechicksn]

im a bass player also . ive been playin for like 3 years and everyone says i rock . and when i go to school all the guys look at me weird .... just cause i ahve a bass (btw i liked the articale)

[matthew123]

[quote]rockyou2death :
les claypool from primus is an amazing bassist
POSTED: 12/15/2003 - 071 pm / quote |

Agreed Totally

[Demonbreed]

I have to say, that in todays society bassists are highly underestimated and unappreciated. I dont believe this is fair, and as i have been playing bass for near enough two and a half years, i believe we deserve some god damn resepct from all the guitarists out there that think they are better than everyone else. I like the article though. Its good to know there are more enthusiastic bassists out there, that enjoy what they play, and dont feel the need to "hog" the stage.
Bass kicks arse!

[metalbassist988]

ZoSo.Led.Zep. :
Flea does suck. Eveyrone should listen to what BASSMOTHER has to say he must be some type of bass-nazi maniac fanatic who obviously knows his shit. I bet his fingers are leather and I bet his bass is right up under his chin and that makes him a real bassist. none of this low bass strumming shit.


dude, i play bass at waist level with a pick.are u saying that im not a "real" or "true" bassist? **** that man.thats like saying only real men have short haircuts, wear hollister, and have big muscles. or that non-jewsh people with blonde hair and blue eyes are the dominent race.youve forgotten what music is about. its about loving ur instrument, having fun, and lettin other people live their lives, even if u think its not "real".thats what seperates musicians from the rest of the closed minded people in this world.as u can tell, i am a metal bassist. my influences are david elefson,steve harris, and cliff burton and jason newsted. im also influenced by rocknroll bassist like duff mkagan and john paul jones.all of those guys are undoubtably awsum at bass, yet none of them play their bass up at their chin. i tried playin my bass real low, then i tried playin it real high. but i ended up playin at waist level because its more comfortable. the same thing goes for every bassist on earth, u play where its comfortable.i also play bass for hours every day and my fingertips are like stones. dude, im cool with you playin at chin height and everything, but keep ur fascist comments to urself.

P.S.i can kick ur ass at bass, and flea can too

[Mikeoman]

I think I'll try to learn bass. Looks fun.

[smash007]

im a chick and i play bass, we rule

[libertyheroes]

dood ive been playin bass since ive been 12 and im 13
so about the same time u have been playing and u are totally right and i was just talking about the same thing earlier tonight on how bass players arent appreciated enough but u cant make a decent band without 1 every1 thinks its just dundundundundun but when u look at flea or even the common bassist with the skill to pop and slap like me its not just dundundundundun its amazing and in my opinion bass is harder then guitar cause guitar is only chords pretty much and 1 more thing i actually wouldnt like to see more bass players because we are the smallest and most unique insturment player and being unique is what rock is all about
BASS PLAYERS RULE!!!!!

[AtreyuHxCKid666]

cakehead wrote:

bass is a clumsy instrument, no offense

how??

[AtreyuHxCKid666]

smash007 wrote:

im a chick and i play bass, we rule

and sexy