Regardless of the age of a piece of music, there has always been a musical line composed for a bass part. No matter what the instrument is, a bass line is usually always represented in some form or another, from the lower instruments of an orchestra, to the bass notes played by a solo acoustic guitarist, the bass line serves as the foundation and root for the music. Without a bass line to provide a point of reference for the chords and harmony, much of the music we listen to would sound incomplete. As music styles evolved into modern jazz, blues, rock and roll and r&b, there was a need for a new type of bass instrument to provide the necessary strong bass line support. This is when the bass guitar came into play.
Technically, the electric bass guitar was invented in the 1930′s although it never enjoyed a mass popularity at that time. It’s predecessor has existed for many prior years in the form of the double bass or acoustic bass. With it’s range of tone, techniques and amplification the bass guitar offered a bass sound that was different from any other that had been heard before from more traditional bass instruments. Instead of playing it vertically and either plucking the strings or pulling a bow across the strings, the bass guitar is played just like a regular guitar and is held horizontally. With the exception of a longer neck and having 4 strings instead of 6, the electric bass guitar looks very much like the electric guitar as they both have a solid body that is often shaped the same. Also while similar to an acoustic guitar in playing position, the Fender bass guitar 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. With four strings tuned in 4ths just like the four lowest strings of a regular guitar except tuned an octave lower, the bass guitar is similar to the guitar and guitarist sometimes play bass and vice versa. While guitars are primarily strummed and picked, the bass can be played with a variety of techniques as well including, fingering, picking, slapping,thumb play, muting thumping and more. 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 feel 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.