An article was recently published on our website " 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" At the same time, bass guitarists, whose contribution to the success of rock music can hardly be overestimated, remained undeservedly deprived of attention. It seems that the magazine also agrees with this Rolling Stone, which in 2011 conducted a survey among its readers to determine the best bass players of all time. True, unlike the guitarists, they only had enough “powder” for the top 10. According to the survey results, they came up with the following ten best of the best:
1. First place, quite deservedly, goes to (John Entwistle)- bass guitarist of the legendary British rock band The Who. In addition to being a member of The Who, John Entwistle, also known as " Ooh" (bull), also released several solo albums. One of them called " My Generation" is an example of probably the most famous bass solo in rock history.
2. In second place was (Flea) from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Flea became widely known among musicians and the public thanks to his unconventional style of playing the bass - fast, aggressive, and at the same time quite melodic. He is also considered a recognized master slap(use of “slaps” during the game). In a similar survey conducted by the British channel BBC in 2010, Flea took first place.
3. Honorable third place goes to a veteran and living legend, owner of an incredible number of awards and achievements Sir Paul McCartney And (Paul McCartney). There is no point in talking about one of the members of the legendary Fab Four. As they say, no comments.
4. Received a "wooden" medal Geddy Lee from the Canadian rock band Rush. Thanks to his technical and masterful playing and unique style of playing the bass guitar, he had a significant influence on rock music. In addition, Geddy Lee is known for his unique tenor. In general, he is a very extraordinary and versatile musician. Video
5. The top five is completed by Les Claypool- bass guitarist, lead vocalist, best known for his participation in an alternative rock band Primus. Known for his special style of bass playing, which includes elements of heavy funk. Les is one of the best slap bass players in the world.
American bass guitarist. A legend of his time. Inventor of his own style of playing the bass guitar. Any self-respecting bass player films Wooten or at least watches his master classes and lectures. He doesn’t hold anything back, good-naturedly talks about his playing technique, and still no one has ever surpassed him. In 2011 the magazine Rolling Stone recognized Wooten as one of the best bassists of all time in a poll.
Victor Wooten records solo albums and also participates in world-famous groups such as Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and bass group SMV. If you haven't listened to these bands, be sure to check them out. In addition to the amazing music, the following is noteworthy about them: despite the fact that Victor Wooten is an incredible lead singer, in the group Bela Fleck he plays the accompaniment without interfering with the solo of the founder of the group. A striking example of a conscious musician with a subtle sense of taste.
Flea is the musician's nickname (flea). Flea is probably the most famous bass player in the world. All bassists around the world are crazy about Flea, or rather about his unique playing technique. He plays fast, but at the same time extremely melodic. Flea is also a virtuoso of Blindness. The main field of his activity is to be an integral part Red groups Hot Chili Peppers. The rest of the time he manages to work in such groups as Jane's Addiction, Alanis Morissette, Axis of Justice, The Mars Volta, Atoms for Peace.
By the way, Flea has incredible funny video master class where he talks about how he plays the bass. Be sure to watch it.
Marcus Miller
Jazz bass guitarist. Worked with almost all the great musicians such as Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, David Sanborn and Luther Vandross.
How the composer wrote the famous “tutu” for Miles Davis. By the way, it was this composition that determined Davis’s future fate.
Luther Vandross, a legend of rhythm and blues, collaborated with Marcus for many years. During this time, many hits written by Miller accumulated, such as Till My Baby Comes Home, It’s Over Now, Any Love, I’m Only Human etc.
Watch any live performance by Marcus Miller, he will not leave you indifferent.
Jaco Pastorius)
The greatest bass player of all time. Experimenter. With his experiments, he incredibly expanded the capabilities of the bass guitar. He was the first to play on high frets, not only melodies, but also intervals and chords. It was a breakthrough at that time. Pastorius also paid a lot of attention to strokes and where his hand was when making sounds. Mixed my right hand with different sounds in different situations.
Like a real star died tragically.
He had a unique, internal sense of rhythm.
In memory of him Markul Miller And Miles Davis wrote a composition “Mr. Pastorius."
John Patitucci)
American jazz bassist and double bassist, of Italian descent. There are 12 albums on his shield. Worked with the most famous musicians of his time, such as Roger Waters, BB King, Bonnie Raitt, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Grusin, Natalie Cole, Bon Jovi, Queen Latifah, Sting and Carly Simone.
Award Winner Grammy.
An excellent technical musician. Patitucci has wonderful master classes. Be sure to check it out.
New names:
Esperanza Spalding)
Jazz singer, double bassist, bass guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and just a beauty!
What is she doing on stage?
2011 Grammy winner.
Polyrhythm is her strong point. A new word in performance craftsmanship.
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Avishai Cohen)
Israeli jazz double bassist, bassist, arranger and singer.
He owes his career to the famous pianist Chick Corea, who noticed the talent of young Cohen and took him to his team. After almost 10 years of successful work, Cohen left Chick Corea and began a solo career.
The energetic handsome man won the hearts of millions. Tender and piercing songs will be engraved in your memory for a long time and touch your very heart.
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The bass guitar is used in various modern styles of music. It creates a rhythmic foundation in the composition, as well as a feeling of “fullness”. It is very important to know certain basics of this tool in order to make right choice at the time of buying.
In this post we will talk about how to choose a bass guitar. You will learn about bass guitar design, electronics, body types, pickups and much more.
Goals and budget
Bass guitars vary widely in variables such as price and quality. So before you start buying anything, ask yourself: “How much money am I willing to spend on this?”.
For beginning bass players who are unsure of their talent or dedication to learning, there are many good, affordable beginner bass guitars. These instruments are aimed at satisfying all the needs of a beginning bass player, although they have certain disadvantages. For example, in order to save on production, a manufacturer may equip a guitar with low-quality electronics or save on wood when making the body of the instrument. Money is the cornerstone on which the quality of the instrument directly depends.
However, if you are a more experienced or dedicated guitarist, then you may want to invest in a guitar that has higher quality wood, better electronics, and a more attractive design. More expensive instruments will sound better, be more comfortable to play, and last much longer.
What you choose is up to you.
Bass Guitar Construction and Design
Before buying a bass guitar, it is very important to have some idea and understanding of how it is designed, what the individual parts of the instrument are called, etc. All this will help you ask the right questions to the seller and make informed decisions.
Vulture
The neck of a bass guitar includes the headstock, fingerboard, and an internal truss rod that connects to the body of the bass guitar.
Headstock
The headstock is attached directly to the neck of the guitar. So-called pegs (rotating, clamping mechanisms) are installed on it, which hold the strings in proper tension. Also, with the help of pegs, the instrument is tuned. A nut is placed on the headstock, which separates the headstock from the fingerboard.
Fretboard
The fingerboard is usually made of rosewood, maple or ebony. The highest quality linings are made based on their smoothness, hardness and rigidity. The higher the wood processing, the higher the level of these variables, and accordingly, the higher its cost. Metal frets are glued into the fretboard, which form the notes we all know.
There are also bass guitars that do not have frets. They allow you to create a smoother “glide” when playing, but at the same time they require certain skills from the guitarist.
anchor bolt
It is located inside the neck of the guitar and prevents the neck from curling due to changes in temperature and humidity. In addition, the strings of a bass guitar are much thicker (compared to the strings of an electric or acoustic guitar), as a result, they place much more stress on the neck of the instrument, which can also lead to twisting and bending of the neck. The anchor helps the wood not bend under tension, and also allows you to adjust the height of the strings relative to the neck.
Bass Guitar Neck Types
There are three types of bass guitar neck:
- screwed on
- Pasted
- Through
Each name represents the method by which the neck is attached to the body.
Screw-on neck involves connecting the neck to the body using bolts. This type of connection is budget, so it is less expensive to implement. The advantage of this method is the simple replacement of the neck in case of repair. The downside is lower sustain compared to a glued and solid neck.
Glued neck - involves gluing the neck into the body of the guitar using epoxy resin. This mount conveys the acoustic properties of wood much better than a bolted mount, which gives the instrument a warmer sound and good sustain.
Through neck is the richest in sound due to the fact that the neck occupies 1/3 of the body. The neck is placed along the entire length of the body, after which it is glued into it. This mount conveys the greatest essence compared to the previous two and is an indicator of the high cost of the instrument.
Scale length
Scale length- this is the distance between the nut and the bridge. The most common scale length is considered to be 34″. This size is considered standard for most guitars.
Instruments such as the Fender Mustang, Hofner Violin Bass and Gibson EBO have a scale length of about 30″. They are great for young guitarists with small hands who have trouble with standard sized models.
There are also 35″ instruments that have big amount frets Typically, this scale length can be found on 5-6 string bass guitars. They are large in size, but also have great sound capabilities.
Housing types
Bass guitars, the body of which is made from a single piece of wood, are considered the most common. In more expensive instruments, the body is usually made of alder, maple, swamp ash, mahogany, or some other type of wood that is excellent at transmitting the vibrations generated by the strings. For instruments in the low price category, the body is usually made of sheet or pressed wood, which negatively affects the sound.
There are also bass guitars with a hollow body (like acoustic guitars), which are equipped with the same pickups as solid-body ones. This type of guitar is preferably used by jazz and folk guitarists, as well as in music that requires an acoustic-like sound. For example, the bass guitarist of the legendary The Beatles used Hofner Beatle Bass, which also has a hollow body. The advantage of such guitars is their lightness. The downside is that they are very limited in volume and can cause a response.
Another type of hollow bass guitar is the electro-acoustic. In fact, it is an acoustic instrument with a hollow body that is equipped with a piezo transducer. This type has pronounced acoustic properties compared to all others.
There are also semi-acoustic enclosures, which have a solid body, in which two cavities of certain sizes are cut out at the preparation stage. This adds a certain stability to the guitar's sound and increases sustain.
Bass guitar bridge or tailpiece
The bridge is located on the bottom of the bass guitar body. Strings are threaded through it and secured into special grooves called “saddles.” When a guitarist plays sound with strings, the vibrations generated by the strings are transmitted through the bridge to the body, where they can be picked up by a pickup, amplified, modified, and then output through the speaker on the amp. The highest quality breeches are made from brass and plated with chrome or nickel-plated silver.
Most bass guitar tailpieces fall into one of three types:
- Through the bridge
- Through the body
- Bridge and tailpiece combination
In the first type, "Through the Bridge", the strings are threaded through the back of the bridge and placed into the saddles.
The second type is “Through the body”, the strings are threaded through the back of the body, where they are also secured to the saddles.
The third type is the "Bridge and Tailpiece Combination", where the strings are threaded through a separate tailpiece that is not connected to the saddles.
Pickups: Single coils or humbuckers?
Pickups are electromagnetic devices that pick up the sounds created by the vibrations of the strings and body of the guitar, then convert those sounds into an electrical signal. Most bass guitars have two sets of pickups, which provide a larger sonic range. Pickups that are located near the neck of the guitar have a smooth, low-frequency sound, while pickups that are located near the bridge have a sharp, mid-high range sound.
The most common types of pickups are:
- Singles
- Humbuckers
There are also others, but they are variations of these types.
The singles were the first and most simple view pickups. Each pickup has just one coil and one magnet, which creates a bright, focused sound. The only downside to them is the noise they pick up and transform along with the sound of your bass guitar. However, this is exactly what humbuckers were invented for.
Humbuckers were created to get rid of the annoying noise and dirt produced by single coils. The idea of humbuckers is that they have two coils wound in series and polarity magnets that are placed opposite each other. It is this design that helps to almost completely get rid of unnecessary interference and noise. Hence its name (humbucker from English noise suppressor). Humbuckers have a fatter sound compared to single-coils and produce virtually no noise when connected to an amplifier.
Split-coil is one of the popular single-coil variations found on the Fender Precision Bass. This type of pickup is a single-coil pickup that functions like a humbucker. This is achieved by the fact that the pickup is divided into two halves, each of which has a different polarity. Thus, they create a sound that closely resembles the sound of a single coil without interference or noise.
Electronics: Passive and Active
The terms "Active" and "Passive" refer to the preamp circuitry of a bass guitar. The preamp boosts the output signal from the pickups and provides control over sound shaping.
Passive preamplifiers operate without an additional power source and have several control levers:
- Volume
- Pickup switch (if there is more than one)
The advantage of passive bass is the fact that it does not depend on a battery, which can die right in the middle of a concert. Another advantage is ease of use. Passive electronics produce a more traditional sound, while active electronics produce a more modern sound.
Active electronics require additional power, which is usually provided by a built-in battery. The advantages of active electronics are that they output a more powerful signal and have greater control over tone shaping. Active bass guitars are often equipped with a built-in equalizer, which is divided into three frequency groups: low, mid and high. They may also have a special switch that instantly changes the EQ profile. On some basses you can find a coil pickup switch that disables one of the humbucker coils, thereby making it sound like a single coil.
How many strings?
Four string bass guitar
Most bass guitars have four strings and in my opinion, beginning bass players should start with a four string instrument. Such bass guitars are quite suitable for most musical styles and, compared to five and six-string instruments, have a smaller neck, which makes them excellent option beginners.
Five and six string bass guitars
An additional string is added to five-string bass guitars, which is tuned to B (B), thereby giving the instrument a wider range. The neck of a five-string bass is much wider than a four-string bass, and therefore will be more difficult to learn on. Five-string bass guitars are popular in genres such as hard rock, metal, fusion and jazz.
Six-string instruments have a wider range than the previous two, due to the fact that two additional strings are added to their arsenal, which are usually tuned to B (B) and C (C). Six-string basses require an even wider neck, which can be uncomfortable for many guitarists. Although difficult, they are ideal for musicians who play a lot of solo parts and need a wide range for creativity.
Fretless bass guitars
Standard bass guitars are equipped with metal frets that are glued into the fingerboard and divide it into sections. The scales help you easily navigate the guitar neck and see the notes.
Fretless bass guitars have a smooth fretboard that closely resembles a double bass or violin. Hitting the right notes with proper intonation is not an easy task and is not for beginners. Bass players who play these instruments rely on muscle memory and a well-trained ear. They choose this instrument because of its smooth and special glissando effect that is commonly heard in double bassists and violinists.
Wood
The wood that is used to make the body and neck of a bass guitar greatly affects its sound and resonance. Beginners do not necessarily need to pay attention to this fact, since they simply will not notice the difference between expensive varieties or, say, sheet wood. However, if you expect a certain sound from an instrument, then you should not forget about this fact.
Alder
Alder is commonly used to make cabinets. It creates a very balanced, clear and cohesive sound. 
Agathis
A very popular tree due to its relative cheapness. Agathis is used in the manufacture of bass guitar bodies. It has a very balanced sound, with minor accents in the lower range, resulting in a very rich sound.
Ash
There are several types of ash that are used to make bass guitar bodies. They all have minor differences, but generally speaking, ash has a bright, solid tone that is very reminiscent of alder in its properties. Swamp Ash is the most popular due to its superior grain. 
Linden
Often used on inexpensive instruments since basswood is a “soft” wood. It does not produce enough resonance like other types. Some bass players think that it creates a "flat" sound, while others think that the short sustain is ideal for fast and complex musical passages.
Red tree
Mahogany is a very popular wood because it produces a soft, warm sound that emphasizes the low and mid range of the tone, as well as creating long sustain. Mahogany is very dense and therefore heavy. 
Maple
Maple, like mahogany, creates a good body, but at the same time, it produces a bright and clear sound. Many musicians find it ideal for the studio.
Expensive models of bass guitars can be made from exotic woods such as African rosewood, wenge, koa or cocobolo. 
Which bass guitar is right for me?
Here are some tips (not rules) to help you with your choice:
- Buy the best bass guitar you can afford. A good bass will make it easier for you to learn to play and it will serve you for a long time.
- Don't be fooled by the beauty of the fretless bass; it's not easy to learn, especially if you've never played a stringed instrument. Choose bass guitars that are equipped with frets and good markings.
- Give your preference to a bass guitar with a shorter scale length (if you are a young guitarist or if you have small hands).
- To make your life easier, choose an instrument that has four strings.
- Choose an instrument with simple controls for volume and tone, so you can focus on the strings rather than being distracted by levers, buttons, and knobs.
- Choose a bass whose color and shape suits all your desires. It may not sound great, but the appearance may motivate you to play more.
1. James Jamerson.
It’s worth starting with this black genius, who appeared in the early 60s in the studio “Motown” - one of two Detroit concerns: “Ford” produced cars, and “Motown”, in the same industrial volumes, produced black pop music - soul , funk and rhythm and blues. With his own, easily recognizable style of playing, Jamerson largely shaped the studio's signature sound: when one speaks of the "Motown sound or style" one always means James Jamerson.
In addition, Jamerson had a major influence on the development of accompaniment in pop music. Being the “calling card” of the studio until the early 70s, this bass player was in such demand that he often even had to interrupt his tour to return to the studio. He recorded bass for almost all the label's artists, including Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Isley Brothers, Jackson 5 and many others. Over time, he was even given a salary of $1,000 a week, which greatly exceeded the standard salary of a studio musician.
Jamerson was so jealous of his own sound that he was even afraid to change the strings on his Fender Precision, just so as not to lose the sound. Subsequently, this played a bad role in his career: when the fashion for sound changed in the mid-70s, Jamerson was unable, and most likely did not want, to change with fashion. He began to be invited to recordings less and less often. As often happens in such cases, the musician became depressed and began to drink heavily. By 1980, he could no longer get serious work, and in ’83 he died from complications caused by cirrhosis of the liver.
In 1989, Allan Slutsky’s book “Standing in the Shadows of Motown” was published, and in 2002 a documentary film of the same name was released. Jamerson is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Fender Hall of Fame. Finally, it is worth saying that almost all of the bass players described below admit in their interviews that they were largely formed as musicians thanks to him - James Jamerson. Therefore, James Jamerson has every right to be first on this list, because... without him, this list, and all popular music, would look completely different.
2. Paul McCartney (The Beatles).
Perhaps the main popularizer of the bass guitar, despite the fact that he became one, one might say, forcedly. Initially, being a guitarist in John Lennon's band (the first name was The Quarrymen), Paul continually replaced bassist Stuart Sutcliffe at concerts, whose musical abilities he was extremely skeptical about. Soon Sutcliffe left the group, and Paul had to take the bass, to his initially undisguised displeasure: “Bass guitar in those days was associated with fat, sedentary guys in the far corner of the stage,” he recalls. Later he acquired the famous Hofner 500/1, only because it was easy to convert it to left hand(Paul McCartney is left-handed) due to its symmetrical "violin" shape. It was thanks to this “big violin” that the viewer, who usually does not distinguish a guitar from a bass, now paid attention to this instrument, which was not at all difficult because Paul shared the role of frontman with John Lennon, being both a vocalist and co-author of lyrics, and a composer, and even, in part, a producer of the group.
Possessing a remarkable musical sense, Paul played and plays amazingly beautiful, melodic and ingenious bass lines even in their simplicity. Many of his parts have been included in music textbooks all over the world, but the significance of the group itself in the history of music cannot be discussed at all.
After the breakup of The Beatles, Paul McCartney began a solo career as the leader of his own band and multi-instrumentalist, gaining fame as the most successful musician in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. Paul still plays the Hofner Violin Bass (marketed under the name Paul Beatle Bass), which became the “calling card” of both Sir Paul McCartney himself and The Beatles in particular.
3. Jaco Pastorius (real name John Francis Anthony Pastorius III).
This man is officially recognized as the Greatest bass player of all time, although his name, work and biography are known more to professionals than to the general public. The influence of Jaco Pastorius on music is so great that it is customary to divide the bass guitar into “what happened before Pastorius and what happened after.” Like many bassists, he did not start out as a bass player. At the age of 12, with the help of his father, Jaco mastered the drums; soon after breaking his arm, he switched to guitar, saxophone and piano, but fate seemed to know in advance about his higher destiny, and at the age of 17, after a second operation, he chose the bass guitar. Being a true genius, Pastorius has gone far in his development from the generally accepted meaning of the bass guitar: in the hands of Jaco, the bass for the first time ceased to be part of the rhythm section and turned into a solo instrument, flying and rushing, screaming and singing, laughing and crying. The speed of solo performance was not inferior to the works of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Pastorius personally tore the frets out of his Fender Jazz Bass and filled the cracks with epoxy resin, and until his death he preferred to play the fretless instrument. Constantly improving his own style of playing, Jaco breaks all known stylistic boundaries; his playing still does not fit into any genre definition. He himself called his music “punk-jazz”.
All this, coupled with the expressiveness of the musician (and Jaco knew no limits in anything), made him the most popular artist of its time. Pastorius, without interrupting his virtuoso playing, rushed around the stage like a madman, climbed onto the speakers and jumped down, threw the bass and beat him with a belt: the audience packed any hall to capacity just to see and hear this. Realizing his importance, already in his youth he introduced himself to the super-musicians of the time as “The Greatest Bassist in the World,” not forgetting to add: “It’s not bragging if you can prove it in practice.” And it really wasn’t bragging: already at the age of 24 he recorded solo album"Jako Pastorius", which was twice nominated for a Grammy and is still considered the best album ever recorded by bass players.
Unfortunately, Joe Zawinul, with whom Jaco played in the band Weather Report, became addicted to alcohol, which he repented of for the rest of his life. This served as the starting point for the decline of the great musician’s career. Unable to cope with alcohol and drug addiction, which also provoked his mental deviations, Pastorius quickly lost the respect of his colleagues, the public and show business sharks. His family, tired of his antics, turned away from him. King musical world turned into a drug-addicted vagabond, lived in parks and basements, begged money from passers-by, repeatedly pawned his Jazz Bass and constantly sought death. He found her in the person of a 25-year-old nightclub security guard, whom he himself provoked into a fight. Doctors determined irreversible brain damage, and Jaco Pastorius soon died without emerging from a coma.
In 2003, the memorial album "Words of Mouth Revisited" was released, where Jaco's parts are performed by the best bassists in the world.
Fender produces a signature model of the Jazz Bass - Jaco Pastorius, and the fretless version from the Custom Shop is made with grooves filled with epoxy. In addition, all the chips, abrasions and other damage caused by the expressive genius at the moment when he left this world are reproduced in detail.
4. Chris Squire ("Yes").
In the 70s, rock music developed rapidly, new techniques, approaches to performance, and accompaniment concepts appeared. Chris Squire, the founder and only permanent member of the progressive rock group Yes, is deservedly considered one of the best rock bassists of that decade. The owner of his fourth Rickenbacker 4001 bass imported from the US to the UK, he remains devoted to this instrument, although his arsenal is rich in bass guitars, both classic and as bizarre as the music of Yes. One of the first rock bassists, he began to successfully use guitar effects, due to the stereo channel of his permanent Rickenbacker. His dedication extends to his pick playing, making his sound aggressive and dynamic, and his love for classical music left its mark in the form of amazing melodicism. Despite being heavily influenced by Paul McCartney and John Entwistle, Squire soon developed his own style of playing, thanks in large part to his musical drive and fanatical attention to detail: his exactingness and precision were sometimes painful for the group, which served as a cause of conflict in the team. Forcing him to spend hours in the studio redoing the slightest inaccuracies, he infuriated everyone who had to work with him, but the result was always amazing. With his playing, Squire led the group into their own orbit. However, this outwardly stern giant with the face of a Viking is the "guardian of the hearth" in the group. It is believed that only thanks to him, over many years of discord, internal confrontations and even disintegrations, Yes have survived and are performing again with their “golden” line-up.
5. John Entwistle (The Who).
Born in 1944 into a family of musicians, John Alec Entwistle mastered piano, trumpet, horn and trombone from childhood. At the very beginning of the 60s, he already played winds in a jazz band with Pete Townshend, but soon replaced the winds with a bass, which he made himself. Together with Pete, they joined the Detours, later renamed The Who. The group brought together a unique instrumental trio: John, Pete and Keith John Moon. The absence of a lead guitarist in the group gave John the idea to replace him on his own: he began to play melodic patterns on the bass guitar, which, coupled with his powerful delivery and technique, formed the unique sound of “The Who” and helped the group rise to the top of all kinds of charts. For his own playing technique, which he rightly called a “typewriter”, he received the nickname “Thunderfingers” - “Rattling Fingers”: the essence of this technique is that all the fingers of the right hand are involved in sound production, beating both one and all strings immediately, which gives the widest scope for musical solutions (this technique should not be confused with slap and tapping). For all his creative unrestraint and power, Entwistle was distinguished from his colleagues by his amazing calmness on stage, while the rest of The Who, with their behavior, instantly earned themselves the title of one of the most expressive groups on the planet: by being the first to start smashing guitars, they attracted a huge following. attention. Fortunately, their musical talent allowed them to maintain this attention.
John Entwistle was the first of The Who to record solo albums, on which he widely demonstrated his amazing mastery of the instrument: having become rock classics, these recordings also have special value for bassists, because. contain a huge amount of high-quality "bass" material.
In 2002, on the eve of the American tour of the reunited "The Who", in a Las Vegas hotel, stripper Alicen Rose woke up in bed with a cold 58-year-old John Entwistle, who had died in his sleep from a cocaine overdose.
6. Jack Bruce
Without exaggeration, one of the most "restless" bassists and one of the first bass virtuosos of his time. His musical education began with learning to play the piano and cello; he later entered the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, which he left three months later, unable to find common language with the professors - the teachers, of course, did not want to accept the ideas of a 17-year-old student. This character trait will largely determine him further career. Jack changes a huge number of jazz and blues lineups, staying in some for just over a month, until he was invited to his new group by Eric Clapton, where Jack was able to fully reveal his musical abilities. During the “Cream” era, Bruce became the first bassist to fully appreciate the wide capabilities of the then “young” instrument. The albums recorded with Clapton became classics of rock music, and for all subsequent generations of musicians - a serious school.
After the collapse of "Cream", Bruce began solo work, continuing to combine jazz, blues and art rock, but the picky musician was unable to assemble a stable lineup.
Subsequently, Jack Bruce participated in a huge number of projects, recorded solo, recorded other people's music, and in the eighties completely stopped his musical activities.
In the 90s, an attempt to restore "Cream" conceived with Ginger Baker and Gary Moore did not last even a year. In 2003, after a liver transplant operation, he released the album "Rope Ladder to the Moon", which is not inferior to his classic works. The artist’s full discography is so large that only the most inquisitive specialist can understand it.
7. Louis Johnson
A self-taught virtuoso, the inventor of slap, a specific technique for playing the bass guitar, built on a combination of strokes and plucking with the fingers of the right hand, while the strings hit the frets of the neck, producing a loud, ringing sound. Thanks to this technique, the bass partly takes on the function of the drums, due to the sharp attack of the sound and the ability to brightly emphasize almost any rhythmic patterns. Johnson and Larry Graham, who discovered this technique independently of each other, are considered the “fathers” of slap.
Leo Fender, who left Fender and then opened his own company, Music Man, together with Johnson developed special pickups for the Music Man Stingray bass, which were intended specifically for aggressive slap playing. The magnets in the pickups were so strong that when installed they simply repel each other, so quieter and therefore less expensive pickups were developed for mass production.
Johnson is best known as a studio musician, having been used by Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, and many others. Notable is his work with Michael Jackson, for whom he recorded bass on the albums "Of The Wall", "Thriller" and "Dangerous"; for example, the bass that carries the entire song in “Billy Jean” is his doing. Louis Johnson has released a wonderful video school for playing the bass guitar, where he easily and accessiblely shares the secrets of his technique, describing in detail the process of its invention. Johnson, who began his career with Motown, is still actively recording and performing.
8. Marcus Miller
An outstanding multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, Marcus Miller is a true icon especially for bass players. Although his career can be safely taken as an example not only in a musical sense, but also in a universal human sense.
Born into the family of a church organist, little Marcus constantly played something on his father’s piano. The parents, of course, made every effort to develop their son’s abilities, especially since life in Brooklyn did not prepare anything good for the black boy. At the age of eight, Marcus began learning to play the recorder, and when the family moved to even less prosperous Queens, he switched to the clarinet (his father insisted on the violin, but his son, who was familiar with street concepts, refused, explaining that with a violin on the street he would simply be beaten) . Marcus was most diligent about his music studies, and in high school he entered the High School of Music and Arts, where, in addition to school activities played in the school orchestra and even took private lessons. Around that time, he developed a love for the bass guitar. He learned to play it by ear, because... In those days, bass was not yet taught: the instrument was then very young and had not yet received wide recognition, most bass players were self-taught, and only a few could boast of knowledge of musical notation. A musical education quickly allowed Marcus to master the basics of accompaniment, and at the age of 14 he was already playing popular music of the 70s with the boys from the block - funk, soul, rhythm and blues, and later jazz. “It turned out to be as important as studying at school,” Miller recalls, “only then did I understand what funk, groove, and how to convey my feelings to people through sounds.” He soon left the School of Music due to uncertainty in his chosen instrument (clarinet) and entered the best college in Queens. A year later, Marcus received an invitation to one of the best studio groups in New York: the ensemble of the popular television program "Saturday Night Live". Work on television, studio work, as well as the vast experience and talent of the young musician did their job - the stars became interested in Marcus and began to invite him to recordings. In 1980, David Sanborn, having heard Miller's original plays, invited him to record them together. 20-year-old Marcus produced the album, which immediately received a Grammy. A year later, he was invited to join his team by Miles Davis himself, with whom they collaborated fruitfully in the last years of Miles’ life, toured together, and in ’86 they recorded the album “Tutu,” which became the pinnacle of their collaboration: Miller not only produced the recording, but also played parts of almost all instruments.
Marcus Miller is amazing positive character, for a star of his level, there are no scandals associated with him, he does not drink alcohol or use drugs: “Many of those who were at the top and could have done much more simply died from this rubbish. Even during their lifetime, some of them advised I don’t want to repeat their mistakes. I’m only halfway through my journey and I want to do a lot more,” explains Marcus. In recent years, he has been working closely at his home studio in Los Angeles, not forgetting to pay attention to his wife, daughters and parents: Miller draws inspiration from the world around him, which he creates with his own hands. Maybe that's why he, in his fifties, looks like he's in his early thirties?
9. Les Claypool (Leslie "Les" Claypool, "Primus")
Without exaggeration, the most eccentric of virtuosos and the most virtuoso of eccentrics. This is clearly evidenced by his music and his constantly changing, but always crazy, image (just look at the group’s videos and photo sessions). At the same time, one of the main musicians in the world is self-taught: the youthful desire to learn how to play was not stopped even by the inability to distinguish a guitar from a bass guitar, however: “I chose the bass due to its killer and deep sound, while a simple guitar sounds too thin, without causing nothing but irritation," says Claypool. Around the same time, he met Kirk Hammett, the future guitarist of Metallica, who instilled in him a love for Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. Later he was influenced by Geddy Lee and Stanley Clarke, which largely determined his craving for slap and the development of his own style of sound production.
The first half of the eighties saw a series of brief stints with outside bands: “most of which were complete junk,” recalls Les, and even an audition for Metallica, who were then looking for a replacement for the deceased Cliff Burton. Claypool passed the audition, but was not accepted into the group because... “turned out to be too good and should mind his own business,” as James Hetfield explained. It should be noted that in those years, Les, who was drawn to funk, had practically no idea how thrash metal was played.
By that time, he had already written a lot of his own material, which he was still embarrassed to perform in public, and only after Primus was formed did Claypool dare to sing (or rather, narrate) his songs on his own. In the 90s, the group recorded a series of amazing albums, unlike each other and what was happening in music earlier: critics were confused when choosing a definition for their music, while the musicians themselves constantly had fun inventing terms like "trash funk" and even "psychedelic polka". In addition, the group "Primus" is the only group for which there is a personal genre for the ID3 tag in the Winamp player.
If there are many bands in whose music the bass occupies a central place, then “Primus” occupies a central place among these bands themselves: “First among equals” - this is how their name can be translated. Claypool's bass performs a function that is too heavy for others: being the main supporting structure in the song, it takes on both rhythmic and harmonic tasks without losing its solo status, decorating the compositions with highly complex parts and inserts. Constantly experimenting with sound production and sound processing techniques, he is literally shocking with what he produces: his instrument can sound like a lost kitten or a lion defending its territory. Drummer Tim Alexander copes with Claypool's intricate rhythmic tricks with surprising ease; and guitarist Larry La Londe, whose task becomes completely incomprehensible, finds amazing solutions, shading and complementing the wonderful melodicism of the bass guitar with dissonant and atonal solos. All this makes Primus truly the best independent band, and Claypool himself is rightfully considered the most outstanding bassist of the 90s. Cult meaning This figure is emphasized by the fact that the musician played himself in a dozen television and feature films. He also wrote and performed the title song of the animated series "South Park": the guy in glasses and a hat with a bass guitar at the ready in the title screen is none other than Les Claypool.
10. Flea (Michael "Flea" Balzary, "Red Hot Chili Peppers").
An outcast as a child due to his accent and unfashionable musical tastes, Flea has become almost the main role model since the second half of the 90s. “Playing like Flea” is the dream of almost all beginning bass players. This is not only due to the exuberant artistry of one of brightest characters modern stage, but also an extremely expressive technique, combining fast and aggressive, but at the same time extremely textured slap, with soft, quiet and melodic playing. Thus, Flea created a new standard of playing in rock music.
Surprisingly, the musician has absolutely no knowledge of musical notation. Learning to play on his own, by ear, Flea came to a non-academic understanding of music, which he still adheres to: he attaches great importance to what happens during the game in the heart and soul, in the mind, and often mentions cosmic connections. Even his video school is not like a lot of others precisely because of this: he does not show how to play scales, does not talk about techniques and techniques. He spends most of the lesson talking about the internal approach to creating music, the state of the soul and consciousness, and the fact that it is worth following your own individuality rather than strict rules. He talks about this in many interviews, in particular in the one that his friend, actor River Phoenix, with whom he starred in the film “My Own Private Idaho,” takes from him. In general, Flea is one of the most active musicians acting in films (more than 20 films), he also writes music for films and voices cartoons. In addition to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flea collaborates with a lot of the most famous musicians from Alanis Morissette to Metallica, and recently he surprised everyone again by joining the ranks of the group that Thom Yorke assembled to record a solo album.
The bass guitar is a musical instrument that is a special element of the entire jazz culture. It was the bass guitar that first became a successful replacement for the banjo, which was used to create high-quality rhythm sections, which is the basis of the rhythmic texture of each composition. Over time, bass guitars began to merge more and more with jazz music, and after a short period of time, this instrument began to be used by musicians to create various chord fingerings.
In jazz they acquired a special three-dimensional sound, which differs from classical rhythms. In the thirties, guitarists created a special style of playing with a pick, which began to prevail in jazz music. With the advent of the electric guitar in 1931, a new jazz style, “swing,” appeared, which became an absolute legend of this musical movement.
However, the development of jazz using the bass guitar is impossible without talented musicians who, with the help of their instruments, were able to give us a large number of unique tracks. All these people went down in history as the best jazz bass players, and I decided to make a special rating of famous bass players that all fans of modern and classical jazz should know about.
Victor Wooten
Popularity - million | Born 09/11/1964 | USA, Idaho
Victor Wooten is one of the most famous jazz bass players in the music industry. He became the only three-time winner of the Bassist of the Year statuette, thanks to his unique technique of playing the bass guitar. In addition, the musician twice won a Grammy Award, which only confirmed his skill and status as one of the most talented Baathists in jazz culture.
Victor Wooten is called a true master of the bass, because this unique musician has mastered absolutely all the techniques of playing the bass guitar and successfully implemented them in his work. Wooten's secret is that he plays his right thumb like a pick, from top to bottom, which allows him to create solo bass lines. He makes them fast, flexible and warm. He became not only a talented bassist, but also a producer, vocalist and arranger, which allowed him to wonderful person create unique arrangements for many famous compositions. Mesmerizing tapping and crazy slap have made Victor Wooten popular in the field of music. He also tried many other musical genres, such as rock fusion and country bluegrass.
Victor Wooten first appeared on the big stage with a bass guitar at 5(!) years old! He played in The Wooten Brothers Band. After that, Wooten had many more projects that brought him real success. These include the group Bela Fleck and Flecktone, with which he received a Grammy statuette and won the Bassist of the Year award three times. Together with legendary bassist Steve Bailey, the already famous Steve formed Bass Extremes, where their legendary album Just Add Water became a true gem of music created by bass players.
Marcus Miller (Marcus Miller)
Popularity - million | Born 06/14/1959 | USA, New York
Known primarily as a talented bass player and musician who has worked with Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, Luther Vandross and David Sanborn. Winner of the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, which was released in 2001 (titled “M²”), and also awarded for Best R&B Composition in 1991 (titled “Power Of Love/Love Power”) .
Marcus Miller is, above all, a fine songwriter who has created gold hits for stars such as Miles Davis, David Sanborn and blues legend Luther Vandross. Until 1993, the musician collaborated as a producer with many jazz stars, but in the early 90s he decided to start his own solo career, which quickly made him a real jazz star due to his talented compositions, charisma and unique presentation of music through the bass guitar.
The most popular albums are The Sun Don’t Lie (1993), Tales (1995), and of course M2 (2001), which became one of the best albums of the year and his career. At the moment, Miller often writes music for films.
John Patitucci (John Patitucci)
Popularity - million | Born 12/22/1959 | USA, New York
One of the most sought-after musicians in modern jazz music. John Patitucci is not only an outstanding bassist, but also a very talented double bassist. He has many musical works to his credit as a jazz composer, making him one of the most prominent jazzmen in modern music.
My musical career young John started out at just 10 years old playing guitar, which led him to the big stage at the age of 12. At the age of 15, the young musician began to become interested in bass, which allowed him to master many guitar playing techniques. It all started after graduating from university, when John worked in a recording studio as a studio musician, recording various compositions with world jazz stars such as B.B. King, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker. In the 1980s, while participating in the Elektric Band and Akoustic Band groups, people started talking about him as a talented bassist. However, after the release of his solo album in 1988, he won many awards and became the best jazz musician of the year several times.
One of the most popular was his first solo album, “John Patitucci,” which was released in 1988, but his other albums, which the musician published under his own label, were also widely appreciated by jazz music lovers. You need to pay special attention to its last album"Songs, Stories & Spirituals" (2003), which John Patitucci recorded with his friends - vocalist Luciana Souza, church singer John Thomas, Venezuelan pianist Edward Simon and drummer Brian Blade (Brian Blade) This disc received a Grammy Award.
Jaco Pastorius (Jaco Postorius)
Popularity - million | Born 12/01/1951 | USA, Pennsylvania
Jaco Postorius is one of the most popular American jazz bass guitarists and composers. After developing an original and unique style and technique of playing the instrument, he became one of the most famous, sought-after and respected bassists during the second half of the twentieth century. Pastorius became known to the public for his work with Weather Report from 1976 to 1981. In addition, he became famous for his original solo musical projects.
Jaco Pastorius became very popular for his distinctive bass lines, which combined Latin American influences with rhythm and blues. His unique funk bass lines often featured "dead notes" (played without the strings being pressed against the fingerboard). This technology was used in the bass parts in the musical compositions “Come on, come over” and “The chicken”. Pastorius was also known for popularizing the fretless electric bass, on which he achieved a timbre reminiscent of brass instruments, especially when played in the upper register.
Many jazz fans consider Pastorius to be one of the greatest bass players ever. In 2011, Jaco Pastorius was voted one of the best jazz bass players of all time in a poll conducted by Rolling Stone magazine.
Stanley Clarke
Popularity - million | Born 06/30/1951 | USA, Philadelphia
According to most world music ratings, Stanley Clarke is one of the most unique and interesting composers and musicians of our time. His musical skill fascinates and amazes with its impeccable technique and perfection of a true jazz master. Stanley Clarke masterfully plays a large number of instruments, which cannot but please many listeners from all over the world. His music is full of unusual sounds and special excitement. Fusion rock and jazz are two musical styles in which the famous musician has achieved great success.
After graduating from high school and moving to New York, Stanley quickly began to attract the most prominent musicians, which allowed him to gain great popularity among fans of jazz music. Stanley Clarke worked with such musicians as Stan Getz, Gil Evans, Art Blakey and Chick Corea, with whom they created a successful musical tandem.
Clark’s best works can be considered “The Bass-ic Collection”, “At the Movies”, “The Rite of Strings”, “East River Drive”, “Live 1976-1977”, “If This Bass Could”, “Project” , "Time Exposure". And also the last disc “The Toys of Men”, released in 2007.
Larry Graham (Larry Graham)
Popularity - million | Born 08/14/1946 | USA, Texas
The name of the outstanding Larry Graham is popular today among several generations of guitarists. This artist is endowed great feeling rhythm and musicality. It is these qualities that are so inherent in many black jazz performers. Having excellent musical talent, jazz bass guitarist Graham added his name to the glorious list of true legends of world jazz and rock music.
Thanks to the changing attitudes towards black people that prevailed in the United States in the sixties, Graham's music became quite popular. After all, it was the euphoria of equality that betrayed Larry Graham's present creative inspiration to creating high-quality jazz music. Real fame came to the musician in the group “Larry Graham Central Station”, in which the jazz bassist released more than ten successful albums.
Graham's work can be divided into two parts - his music created as part of the bands in which he performed, as well as his solo albums, which certainly deserve special attention: “One in a Million You” (1980), “Just Be” My Lady" (1981), "Sooner or Later" (1982), "Victory" (1983), "Fired Up" (1985).
Anthony Jackson (Anthony Jackson)
Popularity - million | Born 06/23/1952 | USA, New York
Known primarily for inventing the six-string bass guitar, which made him truly popular among all others jazz musicians. In addition, he is a talented jazz bassist who received a Grammy Award for his work.
During his lifetime, Anthony Jackson had a brilliant musical career, performing in more than 30 countries around the world. In total, he was able to record over 3,000 tracks in over 500 different music projects. By inventing his own six-string bass guitar, he became truly legendary and provided the opportunity to deepen the musical spectrum of the bass guitar.
Many world artists recorded their biggest hits with Jackson. His star partners include Madonna, Denis Chambers, Hank Crawford, Urbie Green, John Scourfield and many others.
Steve Bailey (Steve Bailey)
Popularity - million | Born 02/10/1960 | USA, South Carolina
Steve Bailey is considered one of the main exponents of the fretless six-string bass school. This musician is currently one of the most famous American bass guitarists. Many modern musicians learn from Steve Bailey's experience, and all his concert shows are based on virtuoso playing on the six-string bass guitar and clearly demonstrate the unique skill of this musician.
Steve Bailey's creativity lies in the fact that he simultaneously accompanies himself, playing virtuoso solo parts. Each listener has the unique impression that a whole orchestra is performing on stage. Because of this unique quality, some fans have nicknamed Bailey a one-man band. Steve Bailey feels great playing all types of modern music. At his concerts he performs unique improvisations on many famous hits of various musical styles such as pop rock, jazz-rock and also various classical works.
Bailey formed a joint band with Victor Wooten called "Bass Extremes". They released two albums, Evolution and Dichotomy, which earned Steve Bailey two Bassist of the Year awards in 1994 and 1996. Most listeners change their understanding of the bass guitar by attending unique concerts by the musician.
Paul Chambers, Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. (Paul Chambers)
Popularity - million | Born 04/22/1935 | USA, Pennsylvania
Paul Chambers is one of the most famous jazz bassists, double bassists, who flawlessly performed his rhythm parts in every musical composition. Known for his skill and ability to convey the sound of the double bass in the foreground, and not as a background instrument.
During his short life, Paul Chambers managed to build brilliant career, performing together with world jazz virtuosos. The key moment for the musician was the collaboration with the legendary saxophonist Coltrane. Chambers took part in the recording of two major jazz concerts, along with Coltrane and Wynton Kelly.
The jazz album “Kind of blue” by Davis and “Giant steps” by Coltrane eventually became a standard in jazz music.
Louis Johnson
Popularity - million | Born 04/13/1955 | USA, California
Louis Johnson is an American musician and renowned jazz bass guitarist. He became famous for the music of his band The Brothers Johnson, as well as for his unique method of playing the bass guitar called “Slap,” which became his calling card in musical creativity. This musician released the best-selling album of the 1970s and 1980s called “Thriller”.
What is the technique of playing the bass guitar called “Slap”? When playing the bass guitar, slap playing is done by hitting the strings with the knuckle of the thumb. Most often, blows are struck on the thick (third or fourth) strings of the instrument. Alternating the blows of thick strings with sharp picks of thin strings is a very important element of this technique. The result is the effect of characteristic sharp clicks and metal frets. In this case, the strings are clamped onto the fingerboards with the other hand, as when playing a guitar pick.
Louis Johnson collaborated with a large number of world stars, but released a small number of solo singles and albums - “Passage” (1981), “Kinky” / “She’s Bad” (1985), “Evolution” (1985), “Star Licks Master” Sessions" (1985).
Richard Bona
Popularity - million | Born 10/28/1967 | Cameroon, Minta
Another talented jazz bassist who received a high Grammy music award. His talent on the bass guitar makes him one of the most talented and popular bassists in the world of jazz.
The talented Richard's career began to develop rapidly after he moved to Düsseldorf, and soon to Paris, where he studied music and began performing in various jazz clubs along with musicians such as Manu Dibango, Salif Keita, Jacques Higuelin and Didier Lockwood. Soon he moved to New York, where he met even more jazz virtuosos and already in 1998 he became director of the European tour of Harry Belafonte.
His debut solo album, Scenes from My Life, was released in 1999. In 2002, Bona went on a world tour with the group Pat Metheny. The release of the successful album "Speaking of Now" this year marked a profound change in direction for this band. In 2005, Bona released his fourth solo album, Tiki, which included a collaboration with John Legend. The album was nominated for "Best Contemporary World Music Album" at the 49th Grammy Awards.
Avishai Kohen
Popularity - million | Born 04/20/1970 | Israel
Ron Carter is one of the most recorded jazz bassists and cellists in the history of jazz music. More than 500 albums were recorded with Carter's participation. In addition, this musician is one of the most famous accompanists and the owner of a virtuoso playing technique.
In addition to many personal achievements in his creative musical career, Ron Carter is known as the inventor of a new musical instrument called the bass piccolo. This musical instrument is similar in size and shape to a cello, but is tuned not in fifths, but in fourths. He played this instrument masterfully as part of his band (1972 - 1980). In 1980-1983 he joined the updated V.S.O.P. (Hancock, Williams, Marsalis brothers).
Throughout his career, Ron Carter created music with a large number of musicians and was a member of many groups, such as the New York Jazz Sextet, New York Jazz Quartet, V.S.O.P. "Tour, Milestone Jazzstars." Since 1972, he has created and led his own team, whose permanent members are: Kenny Baron, Buster Williams.
Ray Brown (Ray Brown)
Popularity - million | Born 10/13/1926 | USA, Indiana
This legendary American jazz musician is one of the best jazz double bassists. Ray Brown performed his work in the popular genre of bebop. Music experts and fans note that his playing is distinguished by precision, beauty and distinctive sound. Many of the music features bass solos as well as dynamic jazz swing.
Throughout his long and distinguished musical career, Ray Brown recorded with many famous musicians. Brown created his world famous music project"Some of My Best Friends Are...", in which he creates music with the most eminent musicians of old and new jazz.
According to the American Internet publication DDD, Ray Brown ranks 4th among the best hard-bop jazz musicians, as well as a high 7th place among the best jazz bassists. In addition, his musical compositions occupy high places in many authoritative ratings around the world.
Scott LaFaro
Popularity - million | Born 04/03/1936 | USA, New Jersey
Scott LaFaro is an American jazz bassist who is known for his work in the Bill Evans Trio. His career lasted only 6 years, but he managed to become one of the brightest bassists in jazz music.
Even despite the fact that the musician had a very short musical career (due to sudden death at the age of 25), he managed to have a great influence on subsequent generations of double bassists. He took a rather innovative approach to the instrument and developed unique technique game, which at that time was more melodic and pure. He increased the volume of the instrument by using a “guitar-like” sound production technique. This helped the young and talented Scott LaFaro make the double bass an equal member of the ensemble, and not a background instrument, as was the case in many compositions.
In addition, creating jazz hits with Bill Evans, LaFaro had a significant influence on the formation and development of the jazz trio genre.
In my opinion, it was these 15 musicians who did a lot to ensure that jazz culture not only developed, but also sounded completely new. It is these people who need to be known and remembered, because their work makes our world brighter and jazz more diverse.
What do you think: Which of the young bassists of the new generation will become a true legend of modern jazz? ;)
