This might also go a long way toward explaining why the mainstream public is interested in so much awful music! Without the bass guitar, songs in every genre sound weak and empty, detuned guitars or not. It adds depth to guitar riffs and helps the drummer establish the rhythm of the song.
There is a reason there are so few bands without bassists: It is important to the overall sound of the band. If you are low-ender, hold your head high. Your work is important, and your fellow musicians know how much you mean to the band. Keep on practicing your craft and getting better. If you are thinking of learning to play bass , I hope this article helped to squash any worries about being looked down on by your peers.
Believe me, every band appreciates a good, reliable bassist. Finally, if you are a non-musician who still doesn't understand why the bass is so important, I invite you to crank up some of your favorite songs and imagine how they would sound without the bass.
I started playing guitar and really loved it but I never knew the role of a bass until I showed up randomly to a practice session of my friends. I was totally mesmerized by that I felt like the songs were taken to a completely different level by bass. I decided to pick a bass! As I started learning how to play notes on bass and some self research, I found that my most favorite songs actually were either backed heavily by bass or had very touchy bass lines.
It was amazing to know that fact! Like mentioned above in the article, you can feel the music that you like but you actually need to have some aptitude in music in order to distinguish and understand the different pieces in the music. Guy on Safari through the jungle hears some incredible drumming coming from a distance. The following conversation ensues with his local guide:. Fantastic article. I have always prided myself in having a producer's ear but even as someone immersed in music I never REALLY heard the bass in so many songs.
Because of that I don't begrudge the lack of recognition I get as a newly dedicated bass player. And to all the bass players that have put in all the time and have come up with all those inspirational passages that I'm working on Not just for your talent, but for your motivation.
No one plays bass to become famous and those that stick with it are in it for the love and power of the music itself. I love. The bass i would like to learn to play a bass. I am looking. To buy a use bass. So that. Ican l can learn to play i listen for the bass in all of. Funny things can happen in life and you have no idea why.. I said that all to say in younger life a friend and i attended a sock hop yes.. Im that old and seeing the fun the musician were having along with how attracted the girls were to them, we came to one conclusion..
We can do this.. He had a guitar within the next couple of days thanks to dad. Me on other hand got stuck in bass position and had to work for mine. Couple of weeks and 13 dollars later here me and my pawn shop bass come. While never taking a lesson.. Ended up in some of the hottest band going. Over the years i never really felt down played because i seen to many times to know that me and my co partner the drummer can and do carry the show.
Subconsciously the audience may not know who or what they are rocking or moving to try keeping yout rock or movement to the solo so we wont put them into shock by revealing who it. So yes there are life time riffs and solos but its all built on the foundation of who.
To all bass players and up coming players, just remember, you build nothing without a good solid foundation. Listen to all the really great rock bands,the one thing they all have in common they all have a really great bass player,many of the bass players write the music,for a rock band to be great they need a great bass player. This is of course my opinion. As a bassplayer for more years that i want to admit.
I have to say that you are either a bassist or u arent. Its a different mind set people. Its all about the percussion. Most guitar players make good bassist. Jaco was a drummer before going to Bass. Like myself I found Bass guitar more interesting than guitar. It was like drums with notes That's just me. Frequencies are a big reason too. A lot of people have a hard time hearing that register of frequency.
Where are those names? My brother Bob Kibler, was one of the finest bass guitar players of all times. He gained the most noteriety when playing in a New York based band called Taxi. They backed up Gary U. Bonds, The Shirelles, Chuck Berry, etc. They also played in concerts with many current artists. Bob passed away at age Love, Brother Dan. Many good suggestions below, but I agree Herbie Flowers must not be omitted. Who has not got the start of Walk on the Wild Side in their head somewhere!
Also should include an honerable mention list for those not quite at the list but instantly recognizable. Rainy Day…………..
Crosstown Traffic…….. Tony Levin should be top 5. Chris Squire should be on 1. Paul Newton Uriah Heep is missing on the list and should at 2…. Clayton had to learn on the fly. In an interview, Bono claimed that he was accepted into the group because he was the only one with an amp. I believe there are tons of great bass player all over the world better than the 50 on list, but are they popular? Or famous? Who did the riffs we all remember or we recognize just few notes?
Another one bites the dust? I was Made for loving you? My generation? Who was a rock and roll star on stage? Much can be said about Ian Anderson, but he always brings the best musicians. Tull bassists were always expected to be well rounded — even down to wielding the stand-up bass when needed. As a bassist — yeah. Paul McCartney is a great in the rock world, no doubt, but bass is just what he did because The Beatles needed a bassist. To your argument, any list excluding John McVie, in my opinion, is not valid.
And, with Fleetwood Mac? No Jack Casady? No Greg Ridley? No Andy Fraser? No Felix Pappalardi? This list is pure BS! And thanks to all the mentions of the incomparable Rick Danko of the Band. Most notable moment? Phil Lesh way to low. He should be top 5. I mean what is the point of even commenting? Jaco should be in first place. Chris Squire, 2nd. And where is Jeff Berlin? No doubt, he is one of the greats! Look most of these list that are on the web today are popularity contest of pop culture.
We stopped educating out kids on music diversity a long time ago. So yes those with a broad range of understanding and experience would would never rank Jaco lower than 2nd.
But remember this is a list compiled by people with a small amount of musical education and even smaller amount of experience. Jack Casady is clearly missing, and he should be high ranked. Tal Wilkenfeld. I think the voting is a popularity contest more than anything to do with talent. Tal is in a different class than just about anybody on this list.
I agree, she is a class to herself. She is young and female, those 2 things kept her off the list, not talent. I agree, Mel Should get his props! Hate these lists! They rarely get anything right. Jamerson for example, influenced many of the players listed above him. Technically Jaco would have to rate near the top.
However I do not think his tone and sound has aged very well. I love Roger Waters, but do not think for one minute, he belongs on this list. Popular and greatest are not the same thing. Woodstock, The man deserves an award for keeping up with the late great Alvin Lee. Tim Bogart is undoubtedly the greatest I ever heard live. Pretty versatile. Come on. No GPJr is absolutely awful. Same with Jack Casady and Ron Carter. Oteil Burbridge and David Schools….
WTF you put flea before Entwistle hes far better than flea, to be honest hes far better than geddy lee as well. So Les Claypool… I understand 6th is up there in a list of 50 but, come on below Flea? As far as talent. He writes most if not all Lyrics, most tunes, Self taught, Creates the claymation videos, Lead Singer and makes the bass the primary instrumental.
No other band puts Bass in the front. Oh and Primus Sucks! His playing is so far removed from anything resembling normal bass lines that many people just scratch their heads as he chirps and thumps every fret of an 8 string monstrosity. You are missing the point with Claypool and are hopeless because of it. Go away…this list sucks anyway. Whomever constructed it ought to he feed to Tammy Fae Baker inbetween make up sessions.
The order is completely jacked. Victor Wooten is arguably the most technically accomplished of any living bass player on this list. And Jaco is the greatest who ever lived—he did more to shape the world of electric bass than anyone on this list. Victor destroys Sheehan.
Sheehan has nowhere near the musical vocabulary that Victor does. Victor is the best living bass player on the planet Stanley Clarke probably a close second.
Sheehan is great, and a super nice guy, but he simply could not do what Victor does. I have met and hung out with them both, and have seen them play in may scenarios. Oh man.. Jaco should be in No. Im a bass player also, my brother played bass for the righteous brothers in the 60s and mack davis to name a few, my point is ive listened to a lot of bass players over the yrs.
My two favorites are paul and peter, the beatles and chicago. Jason who took peters spot is great also, his dad was the b p for elvis. Victor Wooten is nice but cannot play like Les Claypool in many ways.
One is very technical and a bit boring and the other is a technical mutant of very strange music which can play such crazy solos which nobody could play today just check his tommy the cat solos…. Flea is the most entretaining but his creativity is limited without John Frusciante and he usually play similar riffs. I scanned through the list, finding almost everyone I thought should be on here.
Then I did a page search for Jerry Scheff. Which brought me to your comment. Yes just like the last time Jack Casady is missing, and loads of others.. Besides bassplaying is not only reserved for the british, americans and canadians!!
Again i must insist that you recognize our german friend Hellmut Hattler here as one of the best ever, go 6 min into this video :. Paul McCartney number 5? And Chris Squire only at number 16? Same with Larry Mullin. Also, Jack Bruce at 8??? Just stop…. I am glad to see Entwistle at the top where he belongs.
Paul was actually a better guitarist than John, but John had a brand new Rickenbacker and he was the leader at that point, so Paul went to bass duty.
As a guitarist, he winded up doing some interesting and progressive things at bass, much like Entwistle did with The Who. What, no Meshell Ndegeocello? Her bass-work is sublime.
Agree with all the above, especially on Casady. No electronica players? Joke right there, out and out crime not having Peter Hook at least mentioned. Bill Black, the late eccentric double-bass player for the Hillbilly Cat, certainly deserves a mention.
Norman Watt-Roy from the Blockheads…. Carol Kaye very impressive, but mostly in studio, she played on so many of the big hits. She is very high on my list as well. Look her up on YouTube. Cool to see all the top hits she played on, especially Motown. Sat in the pocket between two of the best lead guitarists ever. I saw them both in concert three times and never was less than amazed!
Missing is Paul Newton, the original bassist from Uriah Heep. Casady, Geddy Lee, the guy from Van Halen…meh!
This coming from a long-time bassist. McCartney is a very, very good bassist. He is not a technical wizard, but very solid. He would still be on this list, I think, without being in the Beatles, and probably be regarded better as a pure player.
Very emotional bass lines as well, and an innovator. They have Roger Waters above Chris Squire, which is wrong in terms of playing the bass, although Waters was the prime mover of a more popular band. Again, however, Waters is solid on the bass and very loud. Notice much lower on the list you have some very professionally oriented bassists like Mike Rutherford, not to speak of Pino Palladino a little higher up, buried, and very distinct, enjoyable bassists like Tina Weymouth as well.
Chris Campbell for his work in the silver bullet band Jim Kale for his work with The guess who and my favorite live album live at the paramount Tommy Caldwell for his work in the Marshall Yucker band. Jaco should be in the top 10 and so should Leland Sklar….. Possible there are no bassplayers in the rest of the world. To me you forgot two icons…. Carol Kaye probably played bass on more albums than anyone else.
This list is a joke!!! If you are going to have Jazz Musicians on a list like this, you have to put them all at the top of the list. Paul M is better than Jaco? Give me a break!!!!! His name evades me. Stanley Clarke number 17 you have got to be kidding!!!
Victor Wooden learned from him. You guys have got to be kidding. McCartney is the best. This listis about half right. Yes agood case can be made for putting Entwistle on top. But a better case can be made forMcCarney, IF you are talking rock. You cannmot put Ray Brown and Stanley clarke ubder a phil Lynott for crying out loud! Abe Laboriel? This list has obviously been made based on fame and poor research. Honestly Victor Wooten alongside Marcus Miller and Jaco pastorious and others should be at the top to say the least.
I hold nothing against the famous band bass players , I love their stuff but this list is not correct. He should be in the top 25 at the very least. To put Stanley Clarke at 17?! His bass skills actually surpass the skills of the 6-string guitar players for the bands in numbers 1 through 9. Alex Webster-Cannibal Corpse 2. Alex Webster-Cannibal Corpse 3. Alex Webster-Cannibal Corpse 4. Alex Webster-Cannibal Corpse 5. Alex Webster-Cannibal Corpse 6.
Alex Webster-Cannibal Corpse 7. Alex Webster-Cannibal Corpse 8. Alex Webster-Cannibal Corpse 9. Alex Webster-Cannibal Corpse I used to think Jack Casady was pretty good until I found out that Jimi Hendrix had 2 bass strings on his guitar during Electric Ladyland. So why even open that door? Where is Paul Chambers?
Scott LaFaro? List not serious. Great list. However, what about Dennis Dunaway? Some great bass lines in the early Alice Cooper Band.
I heard Casady with the J. Airplane in Full-bodied sound like no other. Talk about understated bass. Millions to say about all others. I abstain. I would never dream of it. Aside from his big band w.
I had almost given up finding the link between the RC 4-tet and FZ. Finally it popped up, Tom Fowler. So did also Harvey Brooks. Big Thanks! Check out FZ:s , 6 pc band, G. Wow, the voices sure get loud for those omitted. He could play a lead bass as well as Entwistle, and had licks as good as McCartney or Casady. Go see them, they get better with age! Surely there are some great bass players listed here.
I do think Victor Wooten and others are too far down. So ridiculous! Lee Sklar at 49? Paul McCartney at 5? Flea at 3? Agree D. I am not not a huge Van Halen fan, but a passive fan. But you are wrong, Michael Anthony is a very good bass player, deserves to be on this list somewhere.
No Maurice Gibb of the BeeGees? He had some of the most complex, melodic basslines ever. Geezer Butler better than Charles Mingus!!!
Just repeat this sentence if you can. Although NO is so obvious answer. To not include on a list of bass players the genius who changed Jazz bass playing, and brought it to where it now stands is either a huge mistake, or complete stupidity…where on earth is Scott la Faro???????
Andy Fraser Free. No drop out on his top end. Pumping all the way through, the perfect bass player for a four piece,. Joke of a list to be honest. The placements are all out of whack and where are Mike Mills R. Too many omissions to take seriously to be honest. Berry Oakley at 41 is just ridiculous He is a top 5 easily. Stanley Clark is a Master. These list are so subjective and personal to the music of the listener. Give me a break. Not a single Frank Zappa bass player on this list.
Tells us everything we need to know about this list. At least you got the 1 correct! For me he is the best bass player of the world! His bass produses more pulsation of the song than drums. I love that style! All a commercially rigged poll! Shulman Brother. Anyone of my aforementioned Bassplayer can carry a song without other accompaniment. Okay, list is posted on the Hatfield and the North page, and no one even mentions Richard Sinclair? John Greaves? Ray Schulman? Another poll typically aimed at those under forty who have no clue about real music just noise.
The greatest ever bassist was without a doubt the man who made Chicago Blues and much more…the great Willie Dixon. No one can touch him. Also I would put Bill Black in second place. But Big Willie, oh what a player.
Great singer too…I played with him on gigs and recordings too…maybe not as famous as above.. Glyn was there…had the yanks stomping…. Ray Brown…. Dig Lil Abner! Agree with most on list….
Enthwistle always No1. Always overlooked in these polls Eric Avery…not mainstream so does not get a mention…. Too many rockers for my taste. And to have Jaco Pastorius as 1 is plain silly.
And oh btw you forgot Miroslav Vitous. Another one Bites the Dust, Under Pressure…was missed!!! Lists like this are always lacking and shortsighted. Please stop trying to promote a roster of the best of when most readers know there will always be a missed nominee. Wow, you certainly hit a few sore spots with some individuals.
He plays bass like no other. He should be close to the top! Joe Osborn from the wrecking crew played on over hits with the best known artist across the globe. He should be Number 1 of all time. He died dec. Surprised not to see Tai Wilkenfeld on the list.
I personally would have Jonas Hellborg up there with Wooten, and he is not even on the list. Kudos on your 50 Best Bassists list. EVERY head in the store silently and subliminally began bobbing in rhythm. An unforgettable sight, and a sweet memory some years later. No John Deacon of Queen.
A real bass players bass player. Right you are Alan! Clearly we need this to be a top bassists list. So many of our favorites are not shown. Deaky really should be high on the top He definitely belongs here! Why no Andy Faser? Try playing All Right Now without the bass. Nathaniel Phillips, Doug Wimbish. Things like crowd interaction, and banter, and eyeball-melting charisma. Guitarists suffer from this expectation, too, except they must somehow be all sexy and edgy whilst simultaneously busting out a solo and tap-dancing over a dozen pedals.
All the glory of being in a band, but none of the pressure - result! It would have no heart, no groove, no balls. Ask anyone to name their favourite song of the moment. Listen to said song.
Notice anything? Of course you do. The bass is insanely brilliant. It always is. Know why? Not every great bassline has a great song, but every great song has a banging bassline.
In a thousand years, when the Pop Historians dig up the song-mammoths of our long lost epoch, they will agree on this: nothing makes a song kick ass like a great bassline. Much like our six-stringed cousins, bassists have a wealth of shapes and styles to choose from when selecting a weapon of bass destruction. However, unique to the bass is the sheer level of engineering that goes into building our instruments. Look, it takes a certain type of confidence to be a bass player, right?
The mysteries of the low-end are not for those lacking in self-esteem, or for preening peacocks who thrive on attention. Ours is not a world of histrionics or flashy solos. To be a bass player is to quietly, cooly do your job, sometimes without praise, safe in the knowledge that without you, there is no roll in the rock, no rhythm in the blues. To play the bass is to believe that you and you alone can bring the funk should it be summoned.
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