A learning night presentation by Tony Tran on the role and sound of bass throughout the years

1. Bass Appreciation
Its role and sound
throughout the years
Tony T. Tran
South Bay Learning Night
Nov. 2015

2. Why is Bass Under-Appreciated?
• Often times, hard to hear 
• It isn’t what people hum/sing to
• Bass often just follows guitars
• Leads to preconception that bass is not
important, boring, and easy.

3. Bass
What Role Does the Bass play?
Melody
Harmony
Rhythm

4. Rhythm
• Commonly associated with drums
• Maintaining a pulse
• So how is the bass a rhythmic instrument?
• Percussive sound to maintain a beat

5. Harmony
• Combination of notes (tones) played together
• Chord
• How does the bass play harmony?
• We use the lowest frequency note as a reference point.

6. Putting it all together
• Provides the beat (foundation)
• Provides the context for the melody
• All together, it helps provide the feeling
for the song

7. So Let’s Listen to Some Good
Examples of Bass!

8. Walking Bass Lines
• Steady beat – simulates walking
• Origin: Baroque (?)
• Commonly found in:
• Swing Jazz, Blues, Boogie
• Notes:
• Bass walks up (down) from one chord to the next

9. Syncopated Beats
• Syncopate - displace the beats or accents in music (or
a rhythm) so that strong beats become weak and vice
versa.
• Predominant in Latin music and African rhythms
• Commonly found in:
• Ragtime, Jazz, Funk, Gospel, Reggae, Samba …
• Notes:
• Rhythmically more complex – accents the upbeat
• Still has strong structure
• Forms the groove by accents and space

10. Slap (& Pop) Bass
• Heavy emphasis on interesting rhythm
• Extremely percussive sound
• Common in:
• Funk and Soul
• Notes:
• Slapping is percussive like a bass drum
• Popping cuts through like a snare

11. Motown
• James Jamerson!
• Played on more #1 hits than The Beatles,
Rolling Stones, and Beach Boys combined
• Melodic style of bass playing
• but still very funky
• One of the most influential electric bass
players ever, but completely
underappreciated.

12. The Hook
• A riff that is used in popular music to catch
the ear of the listener
• Late 70s - early 80s bass lines become more
popular and prominent through these hooks
• Notes:
• Very recognizable bass lines

13. Rock
• It’s here because many of us are familiar
with and were raised on rock music
• Notes 1:
• Bass provides a lot of the progression for the
song – recall guitar/drum example
• Slap bass technique used
• Notes 2:
• Melodic bass line
• Influences of walking lines
• Listen to how the bass is a reference point for
the guitar

14. What about more recent popular music?

15. Questions?
or have I pitched the bassics well enough?