Do you listen to music without bass?

Give me a reason not to listen to it.....

 

Music without a bass is just...empty. The only band I listen to that doesnt have a bass are the Doors, but they cover that with a keyboard.

 

As much as I love bass guitar and upright bass, I also love solo piano, solo guitar, and chamber music.

 

I listen to a lot of stuff without bass because it gives me room to be creative and make up something that fits with the recorded music.

I also listen to lots of stuff with tuba or didjeridoo. The styles, what comes naturally on a different bass-clef range instrument, is often very different from what most DB or BG players tend to do.

Get the Big Blow and the Bushwackers album, Handy and see what I mean. Especially their one track called, "La Porte en Arriere." This dude blows some bass fills on tuba that I can't even get close on my bass!
http://www.cdbaby.com/found?allsearch=big+blow&allsearchsubmit=Search

 

Lately I've been listening to a lot more instrumental stuff. In fact, right now I'm listening to a Duke Ellington song I don't even remember downloading, but it's a kickass song and I'm gonna pick up the album asap. Anyway, most of the stuff I listen to has BG, but some of the stuff like some Stevie Wonder, lately a lot of Depeche Mode, and so on have synth-bass. Don't listen to too much stuff with upright bass, but I have been listening to that stuff a bit more (this Duke Ellington song has some pretty groovy bass in it) and such. There are very few songs that sound really good without bass -- most end up sounding hollow and missing something. Hell, even Santana has some bass in there to give it some balls. As long as there's something in the lower frequencies to fill out the song, it's good -- and most often, it's a bass guitar. Damn right.

 

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you're actually interested in the question and not just trying to annoy Bruce.

My two cents: I like good music, period. I don't give a crap if it has bass or not. I actually have quite a bit of techno in my collection... but that usually has bass synth, which is a bass instrument. I also dig Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, who usually don't record with bass.

 

I like plently Indian classical music, old acoustic blues and instrumental music of all descriptions, none of which has bass.

I also prefer Nick Drake's low-production, no-bass work over his more arranged stuff. It seems to me that adding bass would just stomp all over the feel and atmosphere of his songs.

It's crazy to think that something has value or not just because it includes your instrument of choice, or that anything lacking could be improved simply by adding it.

 

It's all good. I don't buy that "without a bass it sounds empty". Bass or no bass, if it sounds good, it is.

I like music with no bass, I like music with synth bass, I like music with BG, I like music with DB.

 

I love hearing sweet bass chops in a song...

but,if I enjoy listening to a song w/o bass...then so be it,I mean...I am not gonna ridicule the band and boycott there music just because they choose not to have a bassist...

So,to answer your question: Yes,I do listen to songs without bass

Example(s):

Some Techno crap...

Poison The Well(I think they have a bassist...but,he wasn't in the Botchla video )

...and thats about it.

Damn,maybe I don't listen to bands/songs without bass

-Jon

 

I listen to a lot of music without a bass, it can be solo piano or guitar, singer plus guitar or piano, and other combinations. Most of the time there is a "bass line" though, something that grounds or colors the harmonies, even if sometimes is an octave or two up from what's often meant when we say bass here. It's just not played by a bass guitar.

 

I wouldn't!!

I listen to a lot of Classical music as well as Jazz which both usually have DB - but there are quite a few pieces written for orchestral brass - in which the Tuba and Bass Trombones often play huge bass lines.

Also most chamber music doesn't have a bass instrument as such - unless you count Cello...

Another spectacular sound is the kind of organ you find in cathedrals and churches - now these can give out somr serious bass!! Lower than you can hear - just feel it through your feet.

I have a 6 CD boxed set of Olivier Messiaen's Organ music which has some spectacular sounds!

 

My side band, actually has no bass. I play drums and I guess it's more of a duo than a band, but it's just me on drums, and an acoustic guitar and vocals. It doesn't sound too empty for a happy hour band.

 

It depends on the type of music.

Rock music has to have bass in it, be it bass guitar, synth, or keyboard. Rock music with no bass is lifeless to my ears. I think that bass frequencies are essential to rock.

On the other hand, I can listen to classical and chamber music with no bass and enjoy it immensely. Bach piano concertos are some of my favorite things to listen to. Solo flute can sound magical if done well. Classical music, while it sounds really good if there is a good bass part to compliment the music, isn't as reliant on bass as rock/pop music is.

Rock/pop/jazz type music has to have bass IMO. Classical and chamber music isn't as reliant on it.

 

One of my favourite bands has 4 organs, 1 drummer and no bass.. Apparat Organ Quartet. They describe their music as machine rock & roll

 

I like the white stripes.

Not! Every time, on the song 'seven nation army', that the guitar goes into thet annoying upwords-octave-sh*t it feels like my nuts are going to fall off and explode.

 

kid606 and phantomsmasher own you (without bass)!!!

 

I can listen to and rock out to music that has no bass. There was a local band, reflux, they didn't have a bassist for a long time and they freakin owned. Poison the Well does have a bassist, but I donno if he was around when they did the video. I hate the White Stripes...*shudder*. I like Dashboard and stuff like that. I also like Q and not U and the bassist plays 2nd guitar in some of those songs live. So yeah, I do listen to music without bass.