The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass) is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb (either by plucking, slapping, popping, tapping, or thumping), or by using a pick.
The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, which also corresponds to one octave lower in pitch than the four lower strings of a guitar (E, A, D, and G). In order to avoid the excessive use of ledger lines, bass guitar is notated in bass clef an octave higher than the sound it makes (as is the double bass). Like the electric guitar, the electric bass guitar is usually plugged into an amplifier and speaker for live performances.
Since the 1950s, the electric bass guitar has largely replaced the double bass in popular music. The bass guitar provides the low-pitched basslines and bass runs in almost every style of music including rock, metal, pop, blues and jazz. It is also used as a soloing instrument in jazz, fusion, Latin, funk, and in some rock styles. |
