Is bass mostly a percussion instrument?

NickInMesa · #1 08-23-2010, 10:22 AM

I personally like to think so.

Often the complaint from a drummer about a bassist is that the bassist has no rhythm. I went to see a local cover band for which the bassist is about to leave and the drummer's chief complaint about the bassist is just that.

The bassist was actually not too bad, but it was obvious that he was what I guess he was: a converted guitarist, who switched to bass after he was asked to in a previous band who could not find a bassist.

He did hit the right notes, but his fingering technique was also very typical of a guitarist. He did not have any stretch at all and his fingers were clenched together.

On top of that, he was absolutely still. No tapping, no swinging, no nodding.

I was taught by my very first teacher to hit the 1st note harder than the others and the advice I got early on from older bass players was to swing, tap and nod, feel the beat.

Granted, you need to hit the right notes, as the bass is the one instrument that is likeliest to trash an entire song by playing the wrong ones, but a bassist who does not understand that bass is a percussion instrument will never get to the next level.

Am I the only one to think that it is MOSTLY a percussion instrument?

bubinga5 · #2 08-23-2010, 10:25 AM

depends how you play it....not primarily...it wouldnt have notes if it was...its role is a fondation for melody and harmony..

its certainly not how you should see it IMO..

Mayers · #3 08-23-2010, 10:28 AM

Everyone in the band have to have good rythm ... it is not just the job of the drummer and the bass player.

The first note louder ? yeah ... it is how it is suppose to be no matter the instrument you play ... at least it is how classical music is showed.

Third ... it depends what kind of music you play ... I prefer how bass is percived in jazz, prog and classical musique where the bass is more the low voice than the one you play root-5th with some fill there and there...

And if you dont play slap I don't see how it is percussion

Essen · #4 08-23-2010, 10:29 AM

Bass is about rythm. I remember reading that the bassist's job is to translate the "language" of the drummer to something the guitarist can understand.
The problem with some converted guitarists, is that they still think like guitarists.

hdracer · #5 08-23-2010, 10:29 AM

Percussion ? It could be.

But I would say more of a rhythm.

From Wiki:
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. The term usually applies to an object used in a rhythmic context or with musical intent.

The word "percussion" has evolved from Latin terms: "percussio" (which translates as "to beat, strike" in the musical sense, rather than the violent action), and "percussus" (which is a noun meaning "a beating"). As a noun in contemporary English it is described in Wiktionary as "the collision of two bodies to produce a sound". The usage of the term is not unique to music but has application in medicine and weaponry, as in percussion cap, but all known and common uses of the word, "percussion", appear to share a similar lineage beginning with the original Latin: "percussus". In a musical context then, the term "percussion instruments" may have been coined originally to describe a family of instruments including drums, rattles, metal plates, or wooden blocks which musicians would beat or strike (as in a collision) to produce sound.

Ric5 · #6 08-23-2010, 10:29 AM

One time I was at an open jam and I didn't know what the chords were so I played in percussion mode. I muted the strings and did a thud sound like a bass drum. It actually worked. But I prefer to be more melodic.

recreate.me · #7 08-23-2010, 10:32 AM

I think it all depends. I can see where your coming from about the converted guitarist. If you try to look at bass as a normal guitar its harder for it to do its job, if you play it with the drums and build off the drum line i enjoy it much better, but i id rather have a mix.

MNAirHead · #8 08-23-2010, 10:34 AM

IT's closer to a timpani than a guitar.

dvh · #9 08-23-2010, 10:34 AM

The beauty of bass and the thing I love about it is that it is both rhythmic and harmonic (melodic). We get to ride that edge of not only filling a percussive role but also making it sing some sweet notes....

**pacojas** · #10 08-23-2010, 10:39 AM

i approach bass from both a drummer and keyboardist perpective. obviously it has guitar written all over it, but at times i like to play notes without any hint of finger noise. like buttah if you prefer. my kid calls it, "flowing like water"!

pbass337 · #11 08-23-2010, 10:45 AM

i agree that it has some percussive qualities. im a drummer for 10 years and bassist for 5. i started bass after playing timpani in my schools band because i liked having that percussive feel but also adding to the melody. theres definitely ways to make a bass more of percussion instrument i.e dampening notes and slap.

elavate7 · #12 08-23-2010, 10:53 AM

bass is not a prcussion instrament, but it is a rhythm instrament thaat work hand in hand with the drummer.

Knifedge · #13 08-23-2010, 10:55 AM

I would rather call the bass an "expressive" instrument

That's just me though .... I am silly that way

jumbosilverette · #14 08-23-2010, 10:57 AM

"Is bass mostly a percussion instrument?"

Not the way some people play it!

phillipkregg · #15 08-23-2010, 11:09 AM

I was actually playing in a group this weekend that consisted of acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals, and me on bass.

Since there was no drummer I found myself filling in more of a rhythmic role. I was playing a lot of ghost notes in between my regular bass parts to fill in the missing drum rhythms. It actually ended up working out really well.

A lot of slapping is very percussive in nature, so I can definitely see how some people could see it as percussion from that perspective, but the fact that you can play melody and harmony makes it a harmonic instrument. If you want to see it used more rhythmically, watch some bluegrass players. That music often doesn't have a drummer, so it's up to the bassist to keep the beat going.

The bass seems to fill a very nice niche since you can use it percussively, rhythmically, or melodically. Like any instrument, it's really just up to your imagination what you want to do with it.

lunarpollen · #16 08-23-2010, 11:14 AM

No, it's not primarily a percussion instrument. Traditionally, it's primarily a rhythm instrument, but rhythm and percussion are two different things. And some players do incorporate percussion techniques into their overall playing style.

Swimming Bird · #17 08-23-2010, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickInMesa

I was taught by my very first teacher to hit the 1st note harder than the others and the advice I got early on from older bass players was to swing, tap and nod, feel the beat.

Uhh... It's very important to be able to accent any beat, not just the first. In fact, it's totally essential to playing different feels and genres. IMO only accenting on the one is worse than always playing 4/4, always doing 8th notes or always playing root-five.

I would say bass is not a percussion instrument, though percussion does have a strong place in bass playing.

NKUSigEp · #18 08-23-2010, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickInMesa

I personally like to think so.

Often the complaint from a drummer about a bassist is that the bassist has no rhythm. I went to see a local cover band for which the bassist is about to leave and the drummer's chief complaint about the bassist is just that...Am I the only one to think that it is MOSTLY a percussion instrument?

According to Webster:

Percussion Instrument - a musical instrument (as a drum, xylophone, or maraca) sounded by striking, shaking, or scraping.

So by definition, not at all. It may have percussive qualities when you slap and pop, but the sound of your bass is made from the vibration of strings. What you seem to be talking about is style and technique. Your story really has nothing to do with "percussion instruments" at all. Better luck next time.

Deluge Of Sound · #19 08-23-2010, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Essen

Bass is about rythm. I remember reading that the bassist's job is to translate the "language" of the drummer to something the guitarist can understand.

I agree... I also think it goes both ways.

But, you know, its all about how you play it.

phillipkregg · #20 08-23-2010, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NKUSigEp

According to Webster:

Man, everybody quotes that kid. He must be really smart!