The Role of the Bass in Music | StudyBass

What is the purpose of bass in music? In this video I discuss the three basic areas of music--melody, harmony, and rhythm--and where the bass fits in.

The traditional role of the bass is to set the rhythmic and harmonic foundations in music. Low bass notes are essential to complete a listener's experience of music. Bass guitar, double bass, or tuba instruments are found in most groups because they play such a vital role in music. But, "bass" is not limited to bass guitar. "Bass" means the low frequencies of the music. This includes the bass guitar, the low notes of a piano, synth bass, or the low notes of a guitar. If there are two notes, one of them is the lowest...one of them is the bass note.

The better you understand the role of the bass, the better you'll know what to practice and learn as a bass player.

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StudyBass teacher and creator, Andrew Pouska, has taught hundreds of private students for over 20 years and created StudyBass in 2003.

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0:00 Introduction
0:12 Most Bands Have Bass Players
0:39 Melody Harmony Rhythm
1:07 Harmony on... Guitar
1:19 Harmony with...
1:39 The Bass Foundation: Rhythm & Harmony
1:55 Bass and the Rhythmic Foundation
2:49 Bass and the Harmonic Foundation
4:09 Combining the Roles in a Band
4:34 Drums Pure Rhythm...
4:45 Guitar Chords...
5:26 The Bass Connection
5:53 The Harmonic Power of the Bass in a Band
6:23 A Minor 7th Chord!
6:35 In Summary...