The+Basics+of+Bass+Guitar

Understanding the basics of bass guitar includes understanding what makes a bass a bass and how a bass guitar fits into a band. In the right hands, the bass is a tremendously powerful tool, because it gives a band its feel and attitude.

What is a bass guitar?
Bass guitars differ from their high-strung cousins (otherwise known as the other guitars) in several significant ways: > > > >
 * **Basses normally have four strings, while guitars have six.** Today, you can find five- and six-string basses, but four-stringers are still the norm.
 * **Nearly all bass guitars are electric.** Other guitars come in all flavors: electric, acoustic, or a combination of the two.
 * **The bass strings are an equal distance musically from each other.** The sound of each bass string is tuned an equal distance from the string above it, making the instrument perfectly symmetrical.
 * **The bass has a lower [|pitch] than the guitar.** The deep notes of the bass fill the lower end of the sound spectrum.
 * **The bass is longer than the guitar.** The longer the string, the lower the pitch; the shorter the string, the higher the pitch.
 * [[image:webkit-fake-url://0FCFB378-912A-4608-826C-9EF8B236C86F/bass.gif caption="bass.gif"]] []