Modern Bass Basics

Before you begin learning the various styles of modern bass playing, it’s essential to have a bit of grounding in the basics. Below is a quick review of two of the most fundamental bass concepts: bass models and bass tone. If you already have the basics down, skip ahead to the subsequent sections, which cover specific bass styles, complete with many sample grooves. Remember that your tone and feel are paramount when exploring these examples.

Electric bass guitars come in various models and different numbers of strings: four, five, or six. Each type of bass is also available with frets (which is standard) or without. The latter type is known as a fretless bass.

The styles of bass playing available to you differ somewhat, depending on the type of bass you’re playing. All the examples here assume you’re playing a four-string model, which is the most commonly used type of bass. However, it is important to understand the main characteristics of each type and model. You may find this information useful for curiosity’s sake or when purchasing a new instrument.

Generally, a bass has four strings tuned E A D G from low to high. Nearly all the classic bass playing from the 1970s was played on a four-string model. The notes of the four-string bass, in tab and standard notation, appear below.

In the 1980s, five-string models featuring a low B string below the E began appearing on the market. The low string provides a fuller, more powerful sound and is especially popular among hard rock players such as Jason Newsted (formerly of Metallica).

The advent of the five-string bass quickly led to its logical extension—the six-string model. Six-string basses are tuned the same as the five-string, with the addition of a high C string above the G. Six-string basses are the least used of all the models. They are played most often by Latin- and jazz-style players.

Most bass players favor fretted basses but own a fretless that they use occasionally. A few bassists, however, have chosen the fretless as their trademark, the late Jaco Pastorius being the most obvious example. Pino Palladino, while not exactly a household name, is another great fretless bassist whose skills have been sought after by artists such as Elton John, Pete Townshend, Don Henley, and countless others over the past 20 years.

The fretless bass has its own particular sound and vibe. Jeff Berlin, a legend of the electric bass, has said he refuses to play fretless because there’s no way to do it without sounding like Pastorius, and if you’re not going to excel on the instrument, you may as well not even bother with it. Of course, this is a matter of opinion. There’s no doubt that the fretted bass is the more commonly used of the two, but some players find that they can express themselves with a fretless bass in ways that are not possible on a fretted bass and vice versa.

There are many contributing factors to a bassist’s tone—the way the bass sounds—but three concepts are particularly important in determining your tone:

All bass playing, regardless of musical style, is about attitude, groove, and your personal touch. Speed and fancy techniques are secondary. Fittingly, there’s an old musician’s adage that states, “Tone is in the hands.” Many people happen to agree with this. You can play through your favorite bass player’s amp using his exact bass, but you’ll never sound just like him, even if you play all the right notes. The way one plays an instrument, regardless of his or her skill level, is intensely personal.

The actual physical locations where you pluck the strings make up a big part of your sound. If you pluck right near the bridge, your tone will be tight and punchy. As you pluck closer to the neck, the sound becomes duller and produces more of a thud. (Think of Geezer Butler’s playing style in Black Sabbath.) In some songs, you can actually hear Butler’s aggressive plucking-hand technique cause the strings to hit the pickup.

Another key tone component is your pickup configuration. Most basses have two pickups: one located near the neck, one located near the bridge. If you want a sharp, punchy tone à la Pastorius, the bridge pickup is the way to go. If you’re more of a funk/traditional rock player, you’ll want to go with the neck pickup for a deeper midrange tone.

Most basses let you activate each pickup separately or in tandem by way of a pickup switch. The tone controls on the bass and where you pluck the string offer plenty of tonal options before the signal even reaches the amp.