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Is a bass player really necessary?

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#61
et0518 said:
I feel like you don't really need one. A guitar is only an octave higher and it can still cover a lot of the notes that a bass guitar does. Also, you could just use an eight-string guitar and tune the lowest string down to a low E. I know that some bands have eight string guitarists as well as bassists and the bassists play the same notes as the the eight string guitar players, but the bass will make the low end sound "fuller" because of how thick the strings are. But I don't think that really makes any much of a difference. I know this question might make me appear ignorant, but this is my own judgement.
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8 string guitars are usually in math rock bands and genres that end in "core".

Soul? Funk? R&B? Most jazz? Radio rock? Stadium rock? With no bass? I don't think so.

Step out of your comfort zone. Listen to some music that doesn't end in "core".
 
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#63
814C9608-4EFC-42C6-B50A-4C861B61232E.gif
et0518 said:
I feel like you don't really need one. A guitar is only an octave higher and it can still cover a lot of the notes that a bass guitar does. Also, you could just use an eight-string guitar and tune the lowest string down to a low E. I know that some bands have eight string guitarists as well as bassists and the bassists play the same notes as the the eight string guitar players, but the bass will make the low end sound "fuller" because of how thick the strings are. But I don't think that really makes any much of a difference. I know this question might make me appear ignorant, but this is my own judgement.
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#66
Is a Bass player necessary?

Yes and no. It depends upon the style of music and what other instruments could be used to play the low notes to make the sound full. Bass is just another instrument to fill that need and it does it very well.


Music without any low end sounds empty, even a Barbershop quartet or 50's style Doo-wop group has someone singing baritone.

I do agree with others that this thread maybe a trolling one.
 
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#67
two fingers said:
8 string guitars are usually in math rock bands and genres that end in "core".

Soul? Funk? R&B? Most jazz? Radio rock? Stadium rock? With no bass? I don't think so.

Step out of your comfort zone. Listen to some music that doesn't end in "core".
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“Core”. Isn’t that the first ingredient in a bass string?:smug:
“Core” to me is like a mattress. Without it, the sheets and pillows are just lying on a dusty uncomfortable floor.
I have listened to The Corr’s. I liked them.
What you say is true, though. ;)
 
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#72
Hey, to each his own. I hope the OP’s eight string guitar has kittens and 9 more strings. But I will guar-an-tee you that the next time I see a band with a eight string guitar and no bass player, I will set a new US record in the 40 running the opposite direction.
 
#74
et0518 said:
I feel like you don't really need one. A guitar is only an octave higher and it can still cover a lot of the notes that a bass guitar does. Also, you could just use an eight-string guitar and tune the lowest string down to a low E. I know that some bands have eight string guitarists as well as bassists and the bassists play the same notes as the the eight string guitar players, but the bass will make the low end sound "fuller" because of how thick the strings are. But I don't think that really makes any much of a difference. I know this question might make me appear ignorant, but this is my own judgement.
Click to expand...

If a piece of music is arranged for a string quartet, you need 2 violins, a viola, and a cello. Sure, you can play it without the cello, but it won't be the same arrangement.

Likewise, popular songs arranged for standard rock bands require drums, bass, one or two guitars, and maybe some other instruments such as an organ or a sax or something, depending.

So if your music is arranged for a bass part, you need a bass. Don't try to play Iron Maiden or Rush without a bass guitar unless you want to fail hard.

On the other hand, there are a handful of bands out there that did not arrange their music for a bass guitar. White Stripes, for example. The Moaners. Maybe your originals band. Some bands use keyboard or synth bass.

Bottom line: if the arrangement calls for specific instruments, you need those instruments to do it right. Since the majority of popular music, from Top 40 to prog metal, is arranged for bass guitar, it makes sense to have a bassist in your band most of the time. Even the Doors, who didn't officially have a bassist, relying instead on the organ, often used a session bassist on their studio recordings. Riders on the Storm only sounds right if your cover band has a bassist to play that main riff.
 
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#77
In the mid '70s I was in an acoustic duo with a friend back then. I call him my accompanying rhythm guitarist and singer. I played bass, acoustic guitar and mountain dulcimer while he backed up my playing these varying instruments and he did all the singing because there was no way I was going to bring the quality of the show down with my "singing". So, about half, or less, of our repertoire had no bass beyond the bottom end of the acoustic guitars and his pretty deep vocal range.
 
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