bassist

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A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments. Since the 1960s, the electric bass is the standard bass instrument for rock and roll, jazz fusion, heavy metal, country, reggae and pop music. The double bass is the standard bass instrument for classical music, bluegrass, rockabilly, and most genres of jazz. Low brass instruments such as the tuba or sousaphone are the standard bass instrument in Dixieland and New Orleans-style jazz bands.

Despite the associations of different bass instruments with certain genres, there are exceptions. Some 1990s and 2000s rock and pop bands use a double bass, such as Barenaked Ladies; Indie band The Decemberists; and punk rock/psychobilly groups such as The Living End, Nekromantix, The Horrorpops, and Tiger Army. Some fusion jazz groups use a lightweight, stripped-down electric upright bass rather than a double bass. Some composers of modern art music use the electric bass in a chamber music setting. Some jazz big bands use electric bass. Some fusion, R&B and house music groups use synth bass or keyboard bass rather than electric bass. Some Dixieland bands use double bass or electric bass instead of a tuba. In some jazz groups and jam bands, the basslines are played by a Hammond organ player, who uses the bass pedal keyboard or the lower manual for the low notes.

Electric bass players

Geddy Lee

Electric bassists play the bass guitar. In most rock, pop, metal and country genres, the bass line outlines the harmony of the music being performed, while simultaneously indicating the rhythmic pulse. In addition, there are many different standard bass line types for different genres and types of song (e.g. blues ballad, fast swing, etc.). Bass lines often emphasize the root, third, and fifth of the chord progression being used in a given song. In addition, pedal tones (repeated or sustained single notes), ostinatos, and bass riffs are also used as bass lines. While most electric bass players rarely play chords (two or more notes all sounded at the same time), chords are used in some styles, especially jazz, progressive rock or Heavy Metal.

Double bass players

Classical double bass players

• Johannes Matthias Sperger (1750–1812) Composer
• Domenico Dragonetti (1763–1845) composer, conductor
• Giovanni Bottesini (1821–1889) composer, conductor
• Franz Simandl (1840–1912) composer
• Edouard Nanny (1872–1943) composer
• Serge Koussevitzky (1874–1951) Conductor, composer
• Gary Karr (1941-present)
• Edgar Meyer (1960–present)

Jazz double bass players

Eddie Gómez

• Jimmy Blanton
• Paul Chambers
• Jimmy Garrison
• Ron Carter
• Scott La Faro
• Richard Davis
• Ray Brown
• George Mraz
• Eddie Gomez
• Terry Plumeri
• Milt Hinton
• Sam Jones
• Charles Mingus
• Esperanza Spalding

Blue Grass double bass players

• Barry Bales

See also

• List of contemporary classical double bass players
• List of jazz bassists