Bill M.'s definitions

upright bass

Another term for a double bass, acoustic bass, or bass fiddle. It's the largest of the string instruments (resembling a giant violin) and lowest-sounding instrument found in an orchestra. Can be played with a bow or plucked with the fingers. The word "upright" means that it is to be played while standing up while holding the instrument upright, as opposed to how a bass guitar is held (on the lap or at a 45 degree angle). Also not to be confused with the cello, which is smaller and played while sitting down.

Paul Chambers and Ron Carter each played the upright bass at one time or another for Miles Davis.

by Bill M. August 27, 2004

Liberal media

A term that implies that news reporting has a bias towards "left" or politically liberal ideas, but in reality is an illusion created when highly opinionated people inevitably use selective hearing to filter out and pick up on topics they don't like, forgetting the rest.

You can find some on-line conservative newspapers that claim to be "the real news, not the liberal media kind!" as well as some on-line liberal papers that claim to be "the real news, not the conservative-bias kind!"

by Bill M. August 27, 2004

chorus

In music-

1) The repeating part of a rock, pop, or country song that the main verses lead up and return to, usually the section where the title of the song is sung.
2) A common electronic effect used for guitar and other audio which takes a copy of the original audio signal, delays it by a number of milliseconds, and plays it back with the original signal, resulting in a warmer, spacious sound.
3) An organized group of singers

1) In the Rolling Stones song "Honkey Tonk Women", the chorus goes like this: "It's the honkey tonk women, that give me, give me, give me, the honkey tonk blues."
2) I bought a chorus stompbox at the music store for $50.
3) He missed chorus practice today.

by Bill M. August 30, 2004

bass

Short for either the bass guitar (also known as the "electric" bass) or the upright bass (also known as "bass fiddle", "double bass", "contrabass", "string bass", or "acoustic bass"). Although different in design, both of these musical instruments essentially serve the same role: providing a low bottom-end to the music and a link between the rhythm and lead sections of a band. Though plenty of exceptional players have shown that the bass can additionally be a versatile lead instrument in its own right.

"At night I could hear the bass reverberate through the neighborhood. The guitars and drums were muffled, but the bass traveled everywhere. I loved that, and wanted to have the power to shake buildings. Also, the bass was big and manly; guitars were little and wimpy, with these thin little strings that looked like Velveeta cheese cutters." - Billy Sheehan

by Bill M. August 30, 2004

Dio

1. Heavy metal band fronted by Ronnie James Dio, formed in 1983 after leaving Black Sabbath.
2. Ronnie James Dio himself, a heavy metal singer best known as popularizing the "horns" hand guesture in the world of heavy metal, which is still seen at heavy metal concerts today
3. (adjective) refers to a band's albums or time span that feature Ronnie James Dio; more specifically in reference to Black Sabbath and Rainbow

1. The songs "Holy Diver", "Rainbow In The Dark", "The Last In Line", and "Hungry for Heaven" are by the band Dio.
2. "Dio? Yeah, he rocks!"
3. "When it comes to the band Rainbow, I really like the Dio years. I also like Dio-era Black Sabbath."

by Bill M. September 10, 2004

Rainbow

Hard rock band formed in the mid-1970s by guitar virtuoso Ritchie Blackmore after leaving Deep Purple. Initially fronted by singer Ronnie James Dio who eventually left in 1979 to replace Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath. Rainbow incorporated medieval themes and classical-inspired guitar work into heavy metal.

Rainbow's big songs include "Man on the Silver Mountain", "Long Live Rock N' Roll", "Stargazer", "Since You've Been Gone", and "Stone Cold".

by Bill M. September 10, 2004

base

1. The phonetic but incorrect spelling of bass, still occasionally seen in ads that bands put up in music stores.
2. A juvenile way of measuring how "far" a couple has gotten in terms of sexual activity, drawing an analogy to a game of baseball. Typically, "First Base", "Second Base" and so on refer respectively to tongue kissing, some type of heavy groping, oral sex, and full intercourse. Though the precise definitions have been known to vary.

1. "Our hevey metel band is seeking a drumer and base player."
2. "You went out with Cindy last night? So, dude, did you get to third base with her?"

by Bill M. September 10, 2004