Which is more important in rock music? Guitar or Bass?

[René_Julien]

smug women in all black {that one was for jazz girls}),

Hey, I like those.

But I never saw them at the few gigs I did until now. (with my new jazz band, me on double bass)
(eh, that band is also falling apart )


On metal, I personally stick with bass for this genre. I'm hoping, like some others here to turn things around on bass in metal. Guitar is important, for distortion, but a bass used wisely can do so much for metal. (most likely some subgenres.)

 

[the evil]

Hey, I like those.

But I never saw them at the few gigs I did until now. (with my new jazz band, me on double bass)
(eh, that band is also falling apart )


On metal, I personally stick with bass for this genre. I'm hoping, like some others here to turn things around on bass in metal. Guitar is important, for distortion, but a bass used wisely can do so much for metal. (most likely some subgenres.)

i learned its way to hard to turn people on to something. You not being a major band in media attention will only have the ability to affect maybe 5 people in your audience who will then soon forget about you after the hang over relieves. If someone in like gene simmons (though he is not a great/good player) place, or "if anyone can mention a popular modern bassist" (within the last 5 years) did more promotion for the instrument then maybe a change could happen, but unfortunately a lot of bass players in modern bands are not good enough or just too lazy (or JUST studio/touring bassists and not truly part of the band).

 

[BruisedOoze]

Okay i play bass and let me set something straight here. I am kind of tired of bass players taking credit for getting girls dancing. Let me put a situation out:

Go out and solo play a bass and ask a girl to dance, she wont and if she does she will look pretty dumb and out of sync.

take the same girl and play a drum beat, she will dance her heart out. The drums control people's feet and ars's not us. We may accentuate it but do not by any means control it. yes if you play fast root notes steady then they could move to it but then essentially your playing a drum beat on your bass.

"All we need is a drummer,
for people who only need a beat
I'm gonna add a little guitar
and make it easy to move your feet
I'm gonna add some bottom,
so that the dancers just won't hide"

Sorry. Obligatory Sly after reading that

 

[TheVoiceless]

I think that it truly depends on the band. Though most bands are guitar centered some bands do use the bass as a lead instrument. Tool and the Who come to mind. Even the Rolling Stones have songs that truly feature the bass as the melody. I don't think that a bass solo can ever meet the level of excitement as a guitar solo. The reason I say that is as soon as you leave the pocket as a bass player you lose the song and guitar can go off and still have the bulk of the song still in tack. Not saying that a bass solo isn't good just that I feel the bass is the song and everyone else usually compliments what he/she is doing.

 

[the evil]

I think that it truly depends on the band. Though most bands are guitar centered some bands do use the bass as a lead instrument. Tool and the Who come to mind. Even the Rolling Stones have songs that truly feature the bass as the melody. I don't think that a bass solo can ever meet the level of excitement as a guitar solo. The reason I say that is as soon as you leave the pocket as a bass player you lose the song and guitar can go off and still have the bulk of the song still in tack. Not saying that a bass solo isn't good just that I feel the bass is the song and everyone else usually compliments what he/she is doing.

i dont see tool's bassist as a lead, and am very tired of listening to people say it. Tool's bass is nothing but roots and simple changes, it's just heavier pop really.

The only reason you think its lead is because its loud enough to hear, which shows where the instrument is socially. and the reason a bass solo will never peak a guitar solo is because if 50 differant songs had 50 differant bass solos, they would sound like 2. there is a slap solo and a finger work solo, and in the end they dont share the variety a guitar solo has with its effects, string work, chords, melodies, and general appeal.

its lack of actual workability that restricts the bass solo. if you think about it, bass trying to use effects to solo like a guitar does, just well, makes you sound like a guitar. and the band is not playing around you. it is fabulous if you can think that way but in actuality you are just playing silently to the listening ear to accentuate everyone else. so you are playing for them.
A guitar player can easily take rythm while a bass player solo's, its just todays players are not eager enough, good enough, nor does the audience want to hear it.

 

[Tom Howland]

This is "Talkbass".

Silly question.

 

[TheVoiceless]

i dont see tool's bassist as a lead, and am very tired of listening to people say it. Tool's bass is nothing but roots and simple changes, it's just heavier pop really.

The only reason you think its lead is because its loud enough to hear, which shows where the instrument is socially. and the reason a bass solo will never peak a guitar solo is because if 50 differant songs had 50 differant bass solos, they would sound like 2. there is a slap solo and a finger work solo, and in the end they dont share the variety a guitar solo has with its effects, string work, chords, melodies, and general appeal.

its lack of actual workability that restricts the bass solo. if you think about it, bass trying to use effects to solo like a guitar does, just well, makes you sound like a guitar. and the band is not playing around you. it is fabulous if you can think that way but in actuality you are just playing silently to the listening ear to accentuate everyone else. so you are playing for them.
A guitar player can easily take rythm while a bass player solo's, its just todays players are not eager enough, good enough, nor does the audience want to hear it.

No the reason the bass IS the lead in most Tool songs is the Bass establishes the riff/idea of the song and the guitar follows suit. And try and listen to a rock station and say that the BASS is not the main idea of the song. NO not all songs are wrote that way. But take a song I just heard, Sultans of swing -Dire Straits
the bass is the song and the guitar adds texture.

I think its fair to say that we have plenty of musical talent in the world. Why is the bass solo not as important?? Because 9 out of 10 songs are rooted by the bass line. I played lead bass in a band with a guitar player that could hold the rhythm. And yes I would try and achieve guitar like tones while soloing. But the song lacked something because I would remove the foundation while playing higher on the neck. Now if we had a keyboard player to play roots in the lower octaves it could have been less of a sacrifice to play bass solos.

 

[René_Julien]

No the reason the bass IS the lead in most Tool songs is the Bass establishes the riff/idea of the song and the guitar follows suit. And try and listen to a rock station and say that the BASS is not the main idea of the song. NO not all songs are wrote that way. But take a song I just heard, Sultans of swing -Dire Straits
the bass is the song and the guitar adds texture.

I think its fair to say that we have plenty of musical talent in the world. Why is the bass solo not as important?? Because 9 out of 10 songs are rooted by the bass line. I played lead bass in a band with a guitar player that could hold the rhythm. And yes I would try and achieve guitar like tones while soloing. But the song lacked something because I would remove the foundation while playing higher on the neck. Now if we had a keyboard player to play roots in the lower octaves it could have been less of a sacrifice to play bass solos.

I have to agree on most parts with you here.
But you can make lead bass interesting in the genres rock and metal.
My first band (trashmetal) I was the lead musician, mostly because I was the only one with a musical background (classical clarinetist before bass). The guitarist who was just starting out only played rhythm. Tons of distortion, lot of low end. And a drummer who knew how to appy bassdrums creativly.
Why didn't I choose guitar in those days? Because I was a Cliff Burton fan (still am) and so where the guitarist and drummer.
So they allowed me space to do whatever I wanted with my bass.
I'll never find such great guys again.
It was not appreciated by everyone, but most metalheads we knew didn't think our setup was bad.

And there was no loss of low end. I moved a lot from high register to low register, and the guitarist and drummer provided all the lows they where capable of.

 

[poop49]

it all depends on the way that the instrument is played

 

[MadMan118]

This is like comparing apples to oranges. Both instruments do completely different functions in a band.

 

[BTBplayer]

I play both . bass in one band / guitar in the other .

"Equally important" !

 

[MtManiac]

Okay i play bass and let me set something straight here. I am kind of tired of bass players taking credit for getting girls dancing. Let me put a situation out:

Go out and solo play a bass and ask a girl to dance, she wont and if she does she will look pretty dumb and out of sync.

take the same girl and play a drum beat, she will dance her heart out. The drums control people's feet and ars's not us. We may accentuate it but do not by any means control it. yes if you play fast root notes steady then they could move to it but then essentially your playing a drum beat on your bass.

And if you count media attention out of band finance, the guitarist and singer are usually the wealthiest.

And sorry BillMason
"+1 that rhythm guitar is also part of the rhythm section, and sometimes that means they have to play *what the bass plays* in the song, and sometimes they play something different."

But even if the rythm guitar is playing what the bass created, to the thread creators point of consumer/audience appreciation, you are still following the guitarist and NOT him following you. Its the nature of the beast.

I think we have a foundational difference of opinion - in our band, when the guitars drop out and it's just the bass and drums kicking it, girls scream. Just drums - nothing.

 

[gkbass13]

you need it all.

but i would pay to see a solo rock performer with only a few instruments....guitar and piano. these are the instruments that can really capture an audience still without any accompanyment. bass is al fine and dandy ina solo setting and virtuoso type playing, btu not really for rock in ym opinion(sorry billy sheehan). for these reason, i vote guitar in a big way and think the majority of the bass votes are biased. haha. with that all said, i will be a bass player forever, this is just how i feel on this topic.

 

[JimmyM]

I like the White Stripes, and I like Death From Above 1979. Therefore, I think both are equally important and unimportant alternately. What's the commonality? Drums. Therefore, drums are way more important than either.

 

[the evil]

I think we have a foundational difference of opinion - in our band, when the guitars drop out and it's just the bass and drums kicking it, girls scream. Just drums - nothing.

the point was try and play "just bass" and see how many girls scream.

people "can" dance to drums alone due to the steady tempo where as a bass would be filling in and fulling in the drums. This means the bass alone would have to many empty soundless areas people would not be able to keep a dance to. Now if you played straight notes in some sort of equal timing then they could dance, but in my opinion you would be playing drums on your bass.

yes technically the MOST important instrument is the drums by far. but the thread was which is most important bass or guitar and the only true way to answer this would be by thinking like those who listen and not play because in all respect a band "could" function without either. so; what would the fans miss more in a band, bass or guitar?

and 99% of listeners would, without hesitation, say guitar. that is how i based my answer. no intent on offending anyone, just how me and my friends (musicians and not) would see it. AND YES; the bass answers are extremely biased i am sure. no one wants to admit openly they are unnecessary and under appreciated.