Is a bass player really necessary?

[Richland123]

 

[B-Lo]

I'm not sure why folks are jumping on the OP...his/her post was very enlightening.

Now I'm inspired to go to the Harley forum and tell everyone their motorcycles are irrelevant because they have two less wheels than cars. :-\

 

[tb4sbp]

As noted different instruments can do the same role
To me it comes down to the following
Beat: Drums, Percussion - gets the toes tapping and feet moving
Bass: Lower register instrument - gets the hips moving, arms wailing, body going, groove of the song
Guitar/Piano: Mid to high register - pleasing to the ears, melody and flashy bits
Vocals: Describes the song for the majority of listeners, includes audience participation

Bands can have less or more individuals and some songs can have less than this
This is just a general guide line that I follow but I feel kind of nails it
Bass Guitar is the most common to fit as Guitar or Piano is the most common for it's role

It also depends on the type of music
To me though the bass fits better across the board than any other instrument

 

[chadds]

Well some say that the audience doesn’t care about our tone etc. They are creating the atmosphere that bassists don’t matter.

 

[B-Lo]

Talented bass player's crisis response:

1. Missing drummer: "No problem, I can play some thumpy percussive notes."
2. Missing lead guitar: "No problem, I can play some hair-raising power chords."
3. Person playing keys broke 7/10 fingers: "No problem, I can play some mid to higher register notes to hold down the melody"
4. Missing vocalist: "You're screwed because I can't sing a lick!" (my response lol).

 

[micguy]

Without bass, you can listen to music, but you don't feel it. If you don't feel the music, nobody goes on the dance floor. If nobody goes on the dance floor, everyone goes home alone. We're important - without us, the species dies in 1 generation. It's that simple.

 

[CayGee]

Bass is only useful if you don't like watching people dance out of time

BUT! A bass player is quite necessary to keep 90% of those people on the floor clapping on 1 & 3. So ya, let's keep us around...

 

[Sixgunn]

I know this question might make me appear ignorant.

 

[Kukulkan61]

Does the Pope s*** in the woods...
Is a bear Catholic...

 

[Sixgunn]

I saw Lacuna Coil play without one. A MacBook is much cheaper apparently.

Really? Marco must have been sick or something. He's an integral member and main songwriter. The show must go on, though.

 

[Bassdokes]

If the OP is honest. Yes, there are a select few moments when the absence of bass adds to the delicious musical experience. Such as when a well played acoustic guitar is played with hauntingly intriguing vocals. Or when bass drops out in order to accentuate a solo or change up in a song.

Another less desirable situation in my opinion is when the guitarist is playing Marshall stacks (plural). Then he dials in a very loud, heavy Low and mid range tone. He comes to find out that he prefers the 100 to 400 ghz range (particularly 250) and he is finally in heaven. At which time, a bass player Becomes unnecessary. Because the guitarist who has insisted he loves guitar and will never change has unknowingly become the bass player, where he will finally enjoy low frequency tonal bliss. And even though he can’t hear you ( the actual bass player) over his stage volume, he is so happy that he still approaches you after the gig and says “hey, great show tonight man, you did awesome as usual “

 

[FirewalZ]

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.

I think your confusing an instrument with the role of a bass line within a song. Is a Bass Guitar as an instrument necessary vs a standard guitar as you describe, is a more valid argument. In addition, playing an accurate bassline that groves and fits the song is a different discipline than "playing guitar", you are interchanging these as if they are the same.

 

[AngelCrusher]

Folks, when someone asks an incredibly general question with a veiled insult you should know by now that it is going to be a classic 10-25 pager on TB and they will probably not return to discuss, because it was never their intent anyway. If they do return it will in the form of a flame fanner. Consider:

Exhibit A - User is fairly new but has their profile info shown as private already. Why would they do this?

Exhibit B - User asks an ignorant question based on extreme generalizations. A smarter version of this question would be to ask if a bass player is really necessary for X or Y genre. That would facilitate actual discussion. But by casting an ultra wide net, they can easily trigger the guy who plays blues on Wednesday nights all the way across to Reggae or Gospel guy.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

No, it's not.

Also not really necessary:
-fast cars
-Prime Rib endcuts
-television
-saxophone solos
-saxophones

View attachment 3191577

hamada hamada

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

no instrument is really needed

 

[Sixgunn]

NO, bass players are not necessary. Music is not necessary. Human culture is not necessary. It is not necessary to breathe or eat or sleep, as individual lives are not necessary to the universe in any way we can detect.

I'll see you on all that and raise you a "the universe is not necessary".

 

[Jeff Scott]

...I know that in our group the bass is as important as guitar, because that's all there is for instruments. I play the groove, my job is to be between the cajon and the guitar...

I hope you cajon player doesn't catch wind of the fact that he doesn't play an instrument.

 

[ZAR14]

View attachment 3191776

But yet they did use a Bass player in the Studio

 

[ZAR14]

I'm not sure why folks are jumping on the OP...his/her post was very enlightening.

Now I'm inspired to go to the Harley forum and tell everyone there motorcycles are irrelevant because they have two less wheels than cars. :-\

Don't you mean "Their" motorcycles?

 

[JCobbs]

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.

A bass is "unnecessary" to a band in the same way a windshield is "unnecessary" to a car. That is, you can operate without one, but the experience with one is far superior. I have played bass for over 40 years. I also play keyboards and various stringed instruments and am a vocalist by training, but bass has always been my preferred instrument. I don't play slap or fancy styles; just mostly 1-5 and some easy riffs. But I try to stay in the pocket and make sure what I do adds to the overall sound of the group. Every time, every time I play, I get comments and thanks from the other musicians and singers for adding to their sound. Not because I'm a great musician, but because most groups really do need a bass. A good bassist isn't missed until he/she isn't there.