there's more to bass than just the bass guitar

[Barking Spiders]

Clearly BC generally seen as a forum dedicated to the bass guitar but obviously there are also many instruments which use the bass clef. What about the bass singer in opera or doo-wap groups? The tuba in brass bands?  The (contra) bassoon in orchestras? The bass synth in dance music? Anyone here play the euphonium or baritone horn? For me some of the best bass sounds come from the church organ, I mean those big muthas in cathedrals with pipes several metres tall.  Is this  kinda talk sacrilege? 

Edited May 29, 2018 by Barking Spiders

[Dood]

The church organ has got to be the mother of all bass instruments in my mind. Capable of some truly gut rumbling low end. I had to look it up again, so hopefully I am right in saying that a 32' pipe (open) on a church organ is capable of a 16hz fundamental. I can't think of any bass guitar cabinets off the  top of my head that can entertain that lol.. 

Edited May 29, 2018 by dood

[Dad3353]

I play a bass drum; does that count..? 

[BassBus]

For me a cathedral organ played at full pelt beats everything else hands down, bass guitar included. I've been in York Minster and Glasgow Cathedral with the organ having it large (is that too down wiv da yoof?). Utter magic. Don't forget the trombone plays the bass clef too.

Edited May 29, 2018 by BassBus

[Cat Burrito]

Just upright bass for me. My stepson was playing the baritone horn for a while and I must confess I'm liking the thread as I think our ears do naturally lean towards all things bass

[Dom in Dorset]

I played bass clarinet for a while in the 90's , we needed an acoustic bass instrument that worked without the need for amplification. 
 

[LegateNaarifin]

I'm only a bass guitarist myself, but I love and appreciate all things bass

 

...Apart from the left hand of a keyboard player. 

[Akio Dāku]

I have to say I'm a lover of synth bass, groups like "Infected Mushroom" and "kalya scintilla" really speak to me because of the heavy neuro bass. Some of the sounds you can achieve with software like Native Instruments' Massive and Image-line's Harmor are out of this world! Like Dolby sub tests meets Michael Bay transformer noises! 

[josie]

I was only allowed classical music as a child, but I can remember sitting on the floor in front of the one speaker of our mono record player, intensely tracking the cello line in Mozart string quartets. Just by instinct. I must have been about 6 at the time.

The BBC programme "Why is music addicted to bass" is still available:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07vwg5w

and (as you'd expect) some very well informed and interesting discussion here:

 

[bartelby]

3 hours ago, dood said:

The church organ has got to be the mother of all bass instruments in my mind. Capable of some truly gut rumbling low end. I had to look it up again, so hopefully I am right in saying that a 32' pipe (open) on a church organ is capable of a 16hz fundamental. I can't think of any bass guitar cabinets off the  top of my head that can entertain that lol.. 

I got to see the wonderful Anna Von Hausswolff playing stuff like this, on the organ in Birmingham Town Hall:

 

The organ is massive, you can just make out where the player sits at the bottom of the photo. 

https://mander-organs.com/birmingham-town-hall/

[BreadBin]

I quite enjoy mixing dance tunes - especially the ones with proper dirty fat baselines. 

[Count Bassy]

I love church organs for the bass, literally an earth moving experience. Unfortunately you really have to be there as any sensible loudspeaker/PA cannot do it justice.

[plangentmusic]

A good understand ing of good bass movement and voice leading in the bass register can only help in playing the bass guitar better. 

[xgsjx]

16 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

I play a bass drum; does that count..? 

Well, you are on Basschat, so it must do.  

Me myself, I play bass guitar.  I also play synth bass too.  I'm a lover of the groove & using the right tools to make that groove.

[Skol303]

Well for starters there are entire genres that have developed around synth bass… Drum’n’Bass, Dubstep, UK Bass, Miami Bass, Future Bass, Bassline and not forgetting the imaginatively named Bass Music. It’s a big part of the dance music scene for obvious reasons.

One performance that always sticks in my mind is LFO at the Sheffield Octagon sometime in early-mid ‘90s. When they played their titular track, ‘LFO’ (below), it caused some of the bottles behind the bar to shake loose and smash on the floor. All rather exciting at the time. And you don’t get that with a 4-string playing Sex On Fire

 

[JellyKnees]

5 hours ago, plangentmusic said:

good bass movement

Is this what happens when you hit the infamous brown note?

[xgsjx]

I hit the brown note at band rehearsal last night.  Came straight out the low end & everyone left the room. 

[Rich]

"...We don't get fooled again" PARP