From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the style of UK garage music, see bassline (dance music)

A bassline (also spelled bass line) is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, trance and funk, for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass or keyboard (piano, Hammond organ, electric organ, or synthesizer). Basslines are in the bass, which means that they are lower in pitch than the other musical parts (chords, instrumental melodies, and vocal melodies).

Basslines in popular music often use "riffs" or "grooves", which are usually simple, appealing musical motifs or phrases that are repeated, with variation, throughout the song. Bassline riffs usually emphasize the chord tones of each chord (usually the root note, the third note, and the fifth note of a chord), which helps to define a song's key. At the same time, basslines work along with the drum part to create a clear rhythmic pulse, with the type of rhythmic pulse varying widely in different types of music.

In swing jazz and jump blues, basslines are often continuous quarter notes called a "walking bass line." In latin, salsa music, jazz fusion, electronica, and some types of rock and metal, basslines may be very rhythmically complex and syncopated.

Though basslines may be played by many different types of instruments and in a broad musical range they are generally played on bass instruments and in the range roughly at least an octave and a half below middle C. In classical music, basslines play the same harmonic and rhythmic role; however, they are usually referred to as the "bass voice" or the "bass part."

Most popular musical ensembles include an instrument capable of playing low-pitched bass notes. In the 1930s and 1940s, most popular music groups used the double bass as the bass instrument. Starting in the 1960s, the louder, easier-to-transport electric bass replaced the double bass in most types of popular music, such as rock and roll, blues, and folk. By the 1970s and 1980s, the electric bass was used in most rock bands and jazz fusion groups. The double bass was still used in some types of popular music that recreated styles from the 1940s and 1950s such as jazz (especially swing and bebop), traditional 1950s blues, jump blues, country, and rockabilly.

In some popular music bands, keyboard instruments are used to play the bassline. In organ trios, for example, a Hammond organ player performs the basslines using the organ's bass pedalboard. In some types of popular music, such as hip-hop or house music, the basslines are played using synthesizers, sequencers, or electroacoustically modeled samples of basslines. In electronic music and house music, basslines are often performed on electronic devices such as the Roland TB-303.

In modern popular music, the bassline is generally played by an electric bass player. The bassline bridges the gap between the rhythm part played by the drummer and the melodic and harmonic lines played by the lead and rhythm guitarists. Bass players also perform fills in between the phrases of the vocal melody, and they may also perform bass runs or bass breaks, which are short solo sections.

"In any style, the bass's role in the groove is the same: to keep time and to outline the tonality. When developing bass lines, these two things should always be your goal" (Santerre 2001, p.iv).

Some rock bassists, such as John Entwistle, John Deacon, Phil Lesh, or Geddy Lee, have developed a lead sound, incorporating bass solos along with their rhythm playing. Funk bassists often use slapping and popping, in which the bassline uses a number of percussive muted notes.

• bass run
• ground bass
• walking bass
• electric bass
• double bass

• Cadwallader, Allen (1998). Analysis of Tonal Music: A Schenkerian Approach, p.45. ISBN 0-19-510232-0.
• Santerre, Joe (2001). Slap Bass Lines. ISBN 0-634-02144-3.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Bass guitars

Wikibooks' Guitar has more about this subject:

Bass Guitar