Evolution Of Bass Essay
Ask most people who created the modern electric bass guitar and they will tell you it was Leo Fender. However, there were at least five other prototypes resembling the now well-known design of the modern bass, each created well before Fender introduced the world to the Precision bass in 1951.
The modern bass is a direct descendant of the double bass, which dates back to the 17th century. However, it was not until the early twentieth century that the design of the bass was changed to be more practical.
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In the 1920’s, Lloyd Loar, working for Gibson, designed the first 'electric double bass’. The bass used an electro-static pickup, but amplification of bass frequencies was as yet undeveloped, …show more content…
so there was no practical way of hearing the instrument. In the early 1930’s, Paul Tutmarc became the first known individual to refine the double bass to a more practical size. The first prototype was about the size of a cello, and featured a rudimentary pickup, but this was found to be too heavy, and the design was refined to be more like a guitar. This new bass was 42 inches long, solid body, made of black walnut and piano strings and, like the previous, featuring a pickup.
In the mid ’30s, several established musical instrument firms - Lyon & Healy, Gibson and Rickenbacker to name a few - began marketing experimental electric basses that were, like Tutmarc’s prototype bass, much less bulky than a standard double bass. However, these were all still tall, unfretted, upright instruments held in the standard vertical position.
Around 1940, Paul Tutmarc Jr began manufacturing guitars and basses, including the Serenader bass. This was distributed by L.D. Heater Music Co., in Portland, Oregon, and was the first time a large distributor handled the electric bass. The genius was that this new instrument was a bass Guitar - a compact, fretted instrument that could be held and played horizontally
There was very little progression until Leo Fender famously created the Precision bass in 1951.
This was named the Precision bass as the frets on the instrument allowed the notes to be played with precision. This was, to many people, the first real electric bass, as it was the most mass-produced and recognisable bass guitar at that time, and still is. Its design is the most copied in bass guitar history. In 1957, the pickup was changed to be a split pickup, and the pickguard and headstock were redesigned.
In 1960, Fender designed and created the Jazz bass, with two separate pickups rather than a split pickup like that of the Precision. The popularity of the Fender basses meant that later followed bass guitars from Gibson, Rickenbacker, and Hofner. This led to a surge of popularity in the modern bass guitar, and led to it being known as it is today - an important part of rock, blues, jazz, funk, reggae and countless other genres of popular music
4-STRINGS
So, basically, the tuning is the same with those two. It's (from low to high) E - A - D - G (the highest open string-G, is an eleventh, an octave and a fourth, below middle C). This is also a tuning of a 'regular' 6 stringed guitar, only Bass is one octave lower.
Keep in mind that there are also different tunings for 4-strings, that give totally different workplace for you.
[pic]
If words like - octave, fourth, eleventh and some others - if they sound strange, if you don't know the meaning, don't worry. You can learn that on a hop! I'll write about the same, if there is some interest. You can use comments. Or mail. (people that know this - don't laugh)
5-STRINGS
They provide a greater lower or upper range than the 4-string Bass, and has better hand position for notes. Tunings are:
B-E-A-D-G (usual one, rock, metal music), sometimes A-D-G-C-F
E-A-D-G-C (Tenor tuning, in jazz music)
C-E-A-D-G (not so usual)
6-STRING
This is a 4-string bass + low "B" string and a high "C" string. Not so common, but some of the artist use them for studio recordings. Tunings:
B-E-A-D-G-C (usual)
B-E-A-D-G-B (you notice the first 5 strings? like on the guitar)
E-A-D-G-B-E (completely like guitar)
E-A-D-G-C-F and F#-B-E-A-D-G (rare ones)
[pic]
100-STRING
The 8, 10, 12 and 15-string basses, are basically built on the same principle as the 12-string guitar (regular one). The point is to group strings, so that they make unison or octaves. They are played simultaneously. There's no super human after all.....
8 String
[pic]
10 String
[pic]12 String
[pic]15 String
[pic][pic]
The modern bass is a direct descendant of the double bass, which dates back to the 17th century. However, it was not until the early twentieth century that the design of the bass was changed to be more practical.
| |
In the 1920’s, Lloyd Loar, working for Gibson, designed the first 'electric double bass’. The bass used an electro-static pickup, but amplification of bass frequencies was as yet undeveloped, …show more content…
so there was no practical way of hearing the instrument. In the early 1930’s, Paul Tutmarc became the first known individual to refine the double bass to a more practical size. The first prototype was about the size of a cello, and featured a rudimentary pickup, but this was found to be too heavy, and the design was refined to be more like a guitar. This new bass was 42 inches long, solid body, made of black walnut and piano strings and, like the previous, featuring a pickup.
In the mid ’30s, several established musical instrument firms - Lyon & Healy, Gibson and Rickenbacker to name a few - began marketing experimental electric basses that were, like Tutmarc’s prototype bass, much less bulky than a standard double bass. However, these were all still tall, unfretted, upright instruments held in the standard vertical position.
Around 1940, Paul Tutmarc Jr began manufacturing guitars and basses, including the Serenader bass. This was distributed by L.D. Heater Music Co., in Portland, Oregon, and was the first time a large distributor handled the electric bass. The genius was that this new instrument was a bass Guitar - a compact, fretted instrument that could be held and played horizontally
There was very little progression until Leo Fender famously created the Precision bass in 1951.
This was named the Precision bass as the frets on the instrument allowed the notes to be played with precision. This was, to many people, the first real electric bass, as it was the most mass-produced and recognisable bass guitar at that time, and still is. Its design is the most copied in bass guitar history. In 1957, the pickup was changed to be a split pickup, and the pickguard and headstock were redesigned.
In 1960, Fender designed and created the Jazz bass, with two separate pickups rather than a split pickup like that of the Precision. The popularity of the Fender basses meant that later followed bass guitars from Gibson, Rickenbacker, and Hofner. This led to a surge of popularity in the modern bass guitar, and led to it being known as it is today - an important part of rock, blues, jazz, funk, reggae and countless other genres of popular music
4-STRINGS
So, basically, the tuning is the same with those two. It's (from low to high) E - A - D - G (the highest open string-G, is an eleventh, an octave and a fourth, below middle C). This is also a tuning of a 'regular' 6 stringed guitar, only Bass is one octave lower.
Keep in mind that there are also different tunings for 4-strings, that give totally different workplace for you.
[pic]
If words like - octave, fourth, eleventh and some others - if they sound strange, if you don't know the meaning, don't worry. You can learn that on a hop! I'll write about the same, if there is some interest. You can use comments. Or mail. (people that know this - don't laugh)
5-STRINGS
They provide a greater lower or upper range than the 4-string Bass, and has better hand position for notes. Tunings are:
B-E-A-D-G (usual one, rock, metal music), sometimes A-D-G-C-F
E-A-D-G-C (Tenor tuning, in jazz music)
C-E-A-D-G (not so usual)
6-STRING
This is a 4-string bass + low "B" string and a high "C" string. Not so common, but some of the artist use them for studio recordings. Tunings:
B-E-A-D-G-C (usual)
B-E-A-D-G-B (you notice the first 5 strings? like on the guitar)
E-A-D-G-B-E (completely like guitar)
E-A-D-G-C-F and F#-B-E-A-D-G (rare ones)
[pic]
100-STRING
The 8, 10, 12 and 15-string basses, are basically built on the same principle as the 12-string guitar (regular one). The point is to group strings, so that they make unison or octaves. They are played simultaneously. There's no super human after all.....
8 String
[pic]
10 String
[pic]12 String
[pic]15 String
[pic][pic]