Picture a band rocking out and it’s likely you will see a wall of roaring amps behind them: huge eight-speaker cabinets pumping out maximum-volume rock and roll. We bass players have a rather more dependant relationship with our amps than guitarists, as an unplugged bass doesn’t make very much sound at all. Over the last few years, the range of technologies, shapes, and sizes of the bass amp has become almost overwhelming. In this article, we’ll explore the impact of amps on the quest for that elusive perfect bass tone.

One of the key differences between electric bass and electric guitar is the approach to amplification. An electric guitar recorded directly into the mixing desk sounds thin and uninspiring, while a bass can sound quite acceptable (especially if it has on-board EQ). We’re about to get pretty technical, so if you need a refresher on amps and distortion try these articles:

• Wired For Sound: Amps and Speakers
• Hearing Effects: Distortion

For an electric guitar, the amplifier and speaker are integral parts of the sound. Guitarists love the harmonics that hard-driving valve amplifiers bring, and the tonal shaping that the speakers apply. In contrast, bass players typically favour a more hi-fi approach to amplification. Valve amplifiers with sufficient power to drive a stage rig, due to their massive size, weight, and cost are relatively rare. Even the majority of professional bassists still choose solid-state amplification rather than valve amps.

Example: Guitar Amp vs. Bass Amp

To give us an idea of how bass amplification differs from guitar amplification let’s compare the set-up of a rock guitarist (in this case, Queen’s Brian May) to a typical bass set-up.

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Continuing our discussion of how bass playing technique affects the sound of the bass, this week we’re looking at slides and slurs.

Slap bass is all about the right hand getting funky, but what about when the left hand wants to get in on the action?

If you want a fast flurry of notes but your fingers can’t keep up, or you need a super-smooth sound without all the attack of the notes, you need to get legato. Legato is a classical music term for tied-together notes, but to bass players it’s the combination of two techniques: “pull-offs” and “hammer-ons”, which collectively are known as “slurs”.

Pull-offs

To pull-off, you remove the finger fretting the sounding note, so that a lower-pitched note sounds. You need to remove the finger quickly, so that the string continues to ring out, sounding the lower note.

Bass Pull-Off Example

Here a riff is played first normally and then using pull-offs. Listen for the difference it makes!

Hammer-Ons

The companion technique, a hammer-on (or just “hammer”), involves using a finger of the left hand like a hammer to pound down onto the string so that it sounds without being plucked.

Bass Hammer Example

Here a riff is played first normally, and then using hammer-ons. Can you hear the difference? How does it compare to the pull-offs in the previous example?

Combining a string of hammer-ons and pull-offs creates a trill: a rapid fluctuation between two notes. Maintaining a fast trill on the bass takes a lot of stamina!

Bass Trill Example

Here a riff is played using trills, combining hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Tapping

You can use a hammer when a note is already sounding, or from silence—in which case it’s called a “hammer from nowhere” or a “left hand tap.” Now, I imagine the smart ones among you will be thinking Click to read the rest…

Before you put the blame on your lack of singing skills to quitting high school choir, you might want to check out your hearing. Years of drumming, jamming in a rock band, or working as a sound tech can wreak havoc on your hearing. While medical hearing tests can check how well your ears compare to a specific standard, Tone Tester has the musician in mind and checks how well your ears can detect one pitch from another.

Many people don’t realize that when they play the note B flat, their right ear may detect B flat while their left ear identifies it as closer to B natural – a difference of up to one semitone! Click to read the rest…