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M123 Bass Guitar Tech Tip

Look to the Latin beat to liven up your groove

Playing bass guitar is all about good rhythms and grooves, even for the virtuosos like Vic Wooten, Flea, Billy Sheehan, and company. Read a couple of interviews and you will all hear them talk about the importance of the groove. That's your job as a bassist. But sometimes, your groove can get a little tired. Nothing to be ashamed of, it happens to everyone. A good place to turn to get your groove refreshed is Latin music. Find some Latin bands you like and check out the rhythm section. Don't listen to the bass player, though, listen to the timbales, the congas, the bongos, and other percussion. Listening to these rhythm-oriented instruments in the songs can help inspire your groove with fresh takes on the same old beats.

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M123 Bass Tech Tip

Keep your thumb up to keep your sound punchy

Here's a good rule of thumb (geddit?) for bass guitar players. Keep your thumb anchored on the E string when you play instead of on the body of your bass. When you need to play the low E string, just slip your thumb up to rest on the body or the top of a pickup. This will keep the E string from moving in sympathy with the other strings while you're playing, making your sound punchier and cleaner by eliminating the low-frequency rumble of a vibrating open string.

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M123 Bass Tech Dude

A double bass is simply, an upright bass. The name “double bass” refers to the large string instrument's name in classical music history. In the early days of the orchestra, the violoncello ('cello) was the “bass” instrument. The upright bass doubled the notes of the cello section down an octave, hence the name “double bass.”

When the electric bass was invented, the double bass was often called the “upright” bass to make a distinction. Electric basses are played transversely; the double bass is played in an upright position.

Over the years the double bass has gained a few silly nicknames like “the dog house,” “bass fiddle,” “bull fiddle,” and “the bass-ment,” just to name a few. The most common names now used for the instrument are “double bass,” “upright bass,” and “acoustic bass.” To make a distinction from the upright bass and an acoustic bass guitar, “acoustic bass” usually means, upright; “acoustic bass guitar” means an acoustic bass played in a transverse (guitar) position.

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