An electric, portable version of the
double bass designed in the 1930s and first mass produced in the early 1950s by Fender. Shaped like a guitar but larger, many people mistake the bass as a regular guitar. There are more techniques available to a bassist than a guitarist, like slapping and popping. A bass is often played fingerstyle, like a classical guitar, but some prefer to use a pick for the harder more trebly sound produced.
The bassist's role in a rock or metal band is to provide a rhythmic link between the guitar and drums, creating the foundation for a song. In a lot of avant-garde and jazz genres, the bass is featured as a solo instrument, although rock/metal bassists like
Cliff Burton have used the bass in this way. A common misconception of the bass is that guitarists are able to play bass using guitar techniques, but this is untrue. A guitarist using techniques for a guitar would only be able to lay down a very simple bassline. Bassists are often overlooked in a band setting because the guitar has a higher volume and plays the role of the lead instrument in most
rock and
pop bands.
