Bass

            Bass, which is a unique instrument playing a vital role in today’s musical structure.  This instrument provides a supporting and even a leading role in the structure of all kinds of music. The bass is an instrument not often given very much public acclaim, but there is a wide base of materials that make up the musical theory and specific mechanics of the electric bass. I will show to you the roots of where the electric bass got its beginnings. Also I will bring to the fore ground all the knowledge about an amplification system needed to purchase and run one. This paper will enlighten you on all the aspects of the modern bass.

            The electric basses roots extend deep into the depths of the electric guitar. So, in order to properly explore the roots of the bass we must first understand the roots of the electric guitar. The first major success of the electric guitar was largely contributed to the rise of Rock and Roll. This Guitars volume and tone appealed to these young people. This revolution in music came about in the 1950s changing the face of modern music forever. This revolution was centered around the heart, and soul of it, the electric guitar. The 1939 singerland is the earliest known commercially produced Spanish  solid-body. There are other well known designers of the solid body guitar. A few of them are Gibson, Fender, and Les Paul. Through electric guitars made by these ever expanding guitar companies the electric guitarist becomes the superstar of rock. Slowly the sound of the music they produce changes, and as the sound progresses the guitarist begins to experiment with different effects.  Some of these effects were created through such things as effects boxes. Things like distortion were created this way, and still there were other ways with which to create effects. Such effects as Feedback was not created by additional equipment, but by the equipment that is normally used in playing. In the 1970s and 80s a new fad came about  in the electric guitar realm. This new fad called heavy metal was and still is characterized by power chords, overall volume, and flashy solos. Later on the electric guitar was influenced by different pioneers such as women, and the industry continues to change as people continue to experiment. From all this change in music with electric instruments the power for the electric bass was born. It was developed out of the ideas of the pioneers in the electric industry.^[1]

            This brings us into modern day, and it’s instruments the electric guitar and it’s extension  the bass. This unique instrument is separated from several like instruments by several key features which creates a sound only found by an electric bass. To know the bass and how it works I must first take you back to basic music theory. First of all you must know that a piece of music is composed of a series of notes. Notes are organized by categories that we call octaves, and these octaves contain twelve notes. Each of these notes have a  name going in alphabetical order from A to G. A being the lowest and G# being the highest. There are normal notes such as A and notes called sharps which are a half step up from the note. There is one exception to the idea that every note must have a sharp in that the note of B has no sharp. The strings of the Bass guitar are tuned to produce four different notes as there are four strings. Going from the thickest string to the thinnest they are made to produce the notes E, A, D,  and G. This means that the G string is therefore the thinnest string on a bass. After the previous knowledge it is important to know that music is arranged in time. One of the major reasons this is so important is that the two things that a bass is needed for in most music is to provide a solid beat, and also to connect the beat of the drum to the melody of the song. This allows the song to move with more fluidity and with stronger accents. Songs are divided into measures which are markers of  beat, and in each of these measures are beats. These measures all hold a certain number of  beats, and in most music that is modern there is a common usage of four beats a measure. The last thing to know about music has to deal with rests. A rest is when you are not playing, and the purpose of this is to emphasize or to demphasize a certain part of a song. These basic components of music will help you to better understand the aspects of  music that affect a bass player, and the music theory that influences his musical action.^[2]

            In order to better understand this instrument you must know the basic components that complete this instrument making it what it is now. The basis divided into three general sections that can be broken down into smaller components all of which are essential to the bass’s function. The first general section of the bass guitar is the head. this is the part of the bass at the top of the neck it contains many key components to the bass guitar. In fact these components are important in almost all forms of guitar. It contains tuning machines, and there are four of these on a bass. These tuning machines are used to keep the bass in tune which gives it a good sound keeping the notes you are playing where you should be playing them. It is very important to the use of the guitar that it be kept in prime and working condition. Another major component of the headstock is the string tree which separates the strings from each other. This device helps to keep the sound of the bass crisp and clear. The second of the three main components of the bass is the neck of the guitar. This neck extends from the main body of the electric bass to the headstock. This neck also known as a fret  board contains many important things. First of all you will find that it contains frets, and although frets are present on most basses they may not necessarily be present on all of them. Some more experienced bass players may prefer a bass without frets, as this may produce more of a warm tone. The purpose of frets is too mark where the fingers of the player must be placed and pressed to produce notes. The bass with frets is more likely to produce a harder crisper tone than the other style of bass without frets. The other main piece of the neck is the position markers which are on most basses, but again as with the frets they may not be on every bass you may come in contact with or see. The last major part of a bass guitar is the main body. This contains the bottom connections for the four strings of the bass, and is situated at the bottom of the neck of the guitar. The strings are attached to a bridge which keep the strings from touching the guitars frets, and also keeps it off the body and neck of the bass. This little device allows the sound produced to be free from extra buzzing, and it can be adjusted up or down and backwards or forwards as the case may be. The next main piece in the body is the pickups, and these consist of wires wrapped around a metal piece. These combined with other electrical equipment provide a way for the sound waves produced by the bass to be turned into electrical current. This current travels out of the bass through an output jack which is another part of the main body. A chord is attached to this jack, and it is this chord that carries the current to the amplification system. Other system components that are important to the sound produced by a bass are the controls. The basic controls are those of volume and tone, and are very rudimentary not allowing you  to precisely control the sound you produce. There are some basses that have more control  knobs these are better, but it is best to control your sound more accurately from the ampflication unit. The last component is a minor one, and that is the strap pin. This device is helpful to hold a strap on to play the bass while standing.^[3]

             The sound an electric bass produces is different from most instruments in a way that cannot quickly be explained. The bass creates a sound that can only be heard if properly amplified, and in order to do this correctly you must have a good amplification system. You should also have the basic knowledge of how it works. The basic amplification system has four main components. The first of these is known as the preamplifier. This is the part of the system that has an input jack for you to plug your instruments cable into. As aforementioned  this cable is carrying an electrical version of the sound wave put out by your bass guitar. The preamplifiers main job is to prepare the basses electric current to be amplified. All this is done by simply making the voltage alot higher. Something that is often included in the preamplifier is the signal processor which makes up the second part of the amplification system. This is where you gain precise control of what you want your sound to be like. It could be a very simple system or a more complex one, and it is important to know what all the buttons and knobs do on your ampflication unit so you can  make your system sound exactly as you want it too. The fairly simple signal processor may consist of just a bass and a treble knob, or if it is a fancier model it may contain several other tone knobs and a built in equalizer with a complex effects unit that may contain things such as a compressor or even a chorus. The next stage  in the system is that of the power amplifier. This is where the signal we have formed through all the earlier channels is increased to the voltage levels that are required for the sound to be loud. A bass has a lower frequency and it requires more voltage to boost it to the level needed. Today even small amplification units may have up to 100 watts of output power which is quite large. The last  part of this amplification unit is the speaker cabinet. This turns our perfectly created electrical current into mechanical energy. This device is what puts out all the sound in a system. The electrical signal is passed to a voice coil attached to a flexible cone which moves in and out creating a sound wave. These different parts of the system are put together in three main ways. The first and the simplest is the combo ampflication unit, and in this system all the components are contained in a single unit. This type is the most common. For the bigger gigs you might have what is called a stack or piggyback system. This system is contained in two parts the first is called the head, and this part of the system contains everything but the speaker cabinets. This is so it may be hooked up to more than one speaker cabinet allowing for a louder more spread out sound. The most common among professional bassist is what is called a rack system. This contains a roadcase which houses the pre amp the power amp and the signal processor. These units are totally modular allowing for a quick change, and also for other styles as a different setup may require. It is the most flexible amplification system available to date because it keeps all the components separate.^[4]

            The amplification unit being such a complex part of your basic system should make you take your time and carefully consider what you are doing when you buy such a system. There are several factors you should consider when you are looking into purchasing such a large expensive piece of equipment. These are contained in five essential questions that you should ask yourself when looking for an amplification unit. The first question is where will I use the system? This is eccpessialy applicable if you may have trouble transporting the system. This is also useful if you do not have the means to set it up. Although on the other hand if you will only be playing in one spot size may not be a matter as you will be going nowhere else to play. The second of these questions is how loud do I play? You do not want to max. out the power of your amp when you play. This is because you lose the clean sound you worked so hard to create. So, the general rule of thumb is if you have to turn the bass ampflication system up more than halfway to cope with your needs you should purchase a larger amp. The third question to ask is whether or not the unit is reliable. When you do this you must make sure that you do not ask advice from a company trying just to sell you the system. This is because they will often tell you most anything to sell you the unit. You might want to check at repair shops and see if the amp you are looking at comes in often for them to repair. The next question you should ask is it available for you to try out? This means are you able to play on the unit, and to mess around trying out its different effects, and the sound that the system produces. A amplification system is a large purchase so it is important to take your time when making such a hefty decision. The last question is will you be able to purchase it? Yes, can you afford it. First of all do not buy a bargain amp system just because it is inexpensive, but instead balance price with durability. It is essential that you buy a ampflication system so you don’t have to pay for it more in the future for repairs. You have to keep the maintenance cost below that of the purchase cost. Hopefully these questions will help you not only when you are just buying a bass system, but also in other large purchase decisions.^[5]

            When becoming a musician you must allow yourself time to understand and comprehend all the basics of the equipment. The equipment of what may seem like a simple instrument such as the electric bass can easily become something that is quite complex, and it is not hard to be overwhelmed. You just have to remember that only can you become a good musician or technician if you take the time to learn the necessary information.