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{{For|the EDM style|Bassline (music genre)}}
{{redir|Bass part|the vocal part|SATB}}
{{redir|Bass line|the marching band section|Bass line (drumline)}}
{{other uses}}
{{Short description|Low-pitched instrumental part}}
[[File:Victor Wooten 2.jpg| thumb |[[Victor Wooten]] soloing on the electric bass guitar]]

'''Bassline''' (also known as a '''bass line''' or '''bass part''') is the term used in many styles of [[music]], such as [[blues]], [[jazz]], [[funk]], [[Dub music|dub]] and [[electronic music|electronic]], [[traditional music|traditional]], and [[classical music]], for the low-pitched [[Part (music)|instrumental part]] or line played (in jazz and some forms of popular music) by a [[rhythm section]] instrument such as the [[bass guitar|electric bass]], [[double bass]], [[cello]], [[tuba]] or keyboard ([[piano]], [[Hammond organ]], electric organ, or [[synthesizer]]).

In unaccompanied solo performance, basslines may simply be played in the lower [[register (music)|register]] of any instrument while [[melody]] and/or further [[accompaniment]] is provided in the middle or upper register. In solo music for piano and pipe organ, these instruments have an excellent lower register that can be used to play a deep bassline. On organs, the bass line is typically played using the [[pedal keyboard]] and massive 16' and 32' bass pipes.

==Riffs and grooves==
Basslines in [[Pop music|popular music]] often use [[ostinato#Riff|"riffs"]] or "[[groove (music)|grooves]]", which are usually simple, appealing musical motifs or phrases that are repeated, with variation, throughout the song. "The bass differs from other voices because of the particular role it plays in supporting and defining harmonic motion. It does so at levels ranging from immediate, chord-by-chord events to the larger harmonic organization of {{sic|a}} entire work."<ref>Cadwallader, Allen (1998). ''Analysis of Tonal Music: A Schenkerian Approach'', p. 45. {{ISBN|0195102320}}.</ref> 

Bassline riffs usually (but not always) emphasize the chord tones of each chord (usually the root note, the third note, or the fifth note), which helps to define a song's key. Basslines align or [[syncopation|syncopate]] with the drums. Other rhythm instruments join in to create a more interesting rhythmic variations.
The type of rhythmic pulse used in basslines varies widely in different types of music. In [[Swing music|swing]] jazz and [[jump blues]], basslines are often created from a continuous sequence of quarter notes in a mostly scalar, stepwise or arpeggio-based part called a "[[#Walking bass|walking bass]] line". In [[Latin music (genre)|Latin]], [[salsa music]], [[jazz fusion]], [[reggae]], [[electronica]], and some types of  [[rock music|rock]] and [[metal music|metal]], basslines may be very rhythmically complex and [[syncopation|syncopated]]. In bluegrass and traditional country music, basslines often emphasize the root and fifth of each chord.  
[[File:Fotothek df roe-neg 0006311 021 Musiker mit einem Kontrabass.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A German double bass section in 1952. The player to the left is using a German bow.]]
Though basslines may be played by many different types of [[musical instrument|instrument]]s and in a broad musical [[Range (music)|range]], they are generally played on [[Bass (instrument)|bass instruments]] and in the range roughly at least an [[octave]] and a half below [[middle C]] (roughly the range of the [[bass clef]]). In [[European classical music|classical music]] such as string quartets and symphonies, basslines play the same harmonic and rhythmic role; however, they are usually referred to as the "bass voice" or the "bass part".

==Instruments==
Most popular musical ensembles include an instrument capable of playing bass notes. In the 1890s, a [[tuba]] was often used.  From the 1920s to the 1940s, most popular music groups used the [[double bass]] as the bass instrument. Starting in the 1950s, the [[bass guitar]] began to replace the double bass in most types of popular music, such as rock and roll, blues, and folk. The bass guitar was easier to transport and, given that it uses magnetic pickups, easier to amplify to loud stage volumes without the risk of [[audio feedback]], a common problem with the amplified double bass. By the 1970s and 1980s, the electric bass was used in most rock bands and [[jazz fusion]] groups. The double bass was still used in some types of popular music that recreated styles from the 1940s and 1950s such as [[jazz]] (especially swing and [[bebop]]), traditional 1950s [[blues]], [[jump blues]], [[country music|country]], and [[rockabilly]].

In some popular music bands, keyboard instruments are used to play the bass line. In [[organ trio]]s, for example, a [[Hammond organ]] player performs the basslines using the organ's [[pedal keyboard]]. In some types of popular music, such as [[hip-hop]] or [[house music]], the bass lines are played using [[bass synthesizer]]s, sequencers, or electro-acoustically modeled samples of basslines.

[[File:TB303 Front View.jpg|right|thumb|330px|TB-303 front panel]] 
Basslines are important in many forms of [[dance music|dance]] and [[electronic music]], such as [[electro (music)|electro]], [[drum and bass]], [[dubstep]], and most forms of [[house music|house]] and [[trance music|trance]]. In these genres, basslines are almost always performed on [[synthesizers]], either physical, such as the [[Minimoog]] and the [[Roland TB-303]], or [[softsynth|virtual]], such as [[Sytrus]] and [[ZynAddSubFX]]. In [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]], producer [[Rick Rubin]] popularized the technique of creating basslines by lengthening the bass drum decay of the [[Roland TR-808|TR-808]] drum machine and tuning it to different pitches.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/8-ways-the-808-drum-machine-changed-pop-music-w453714|title=8 ways the 808 drum machine changed pop music|last=Leight|first=Elias|date=6 December 2016|newspaper=Rolling Stone|access-date=16 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207154255/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/8-ways-the-808-drum-machine-changed-pop-music-w453714|archive-date=7 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Chinese orchestra]]s use the zhōng ruǎn (中阮) and dà ruǎn (大阮) for creating basslines. Other, less common bass instruments are the lā ruǎn (拉阮), dī yīn gé hú (低音革胡), and da dī hú (大低胡) developed during the 1930s.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} Russian [[balalaika]] orchestra use bass balalaika and contrabass balalaika.

Australia's indigenous music and some [[World music]] that is influenced by Australian music uses [[didjeridus]] for basslines.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}

===Classical music===
[[File:BeethovenSymphonyNo5Mvt3Opening.png|thumb|300px|The opening of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, third movement is often used as an orchestral excerpt during bass [[audition]]s. {{audio|BeethovenSymphonyNo5Mvt3Opening.mid|Play}}]]

In [[classical music]], the bassline is always written out for the performers in [[musical notation]]. In [[orchestra]]l  repertoire, the basslines are played by the [[double bass]]es and [[cello]]s in the [[string section]], by [[bassoon]]s, [[contrabassoon]]s, and [[bass clarinet]]s in the woodwinds and by [[bass trombone]]s, [[tuba]]s and a variety of other low brass instruments. In symphonies from the Classical period, a single bassline was often written for the cellos and basses; however, since the bass is a [[transposing instrument]], and it is notated an octave higher than it sounds, when cellos and basses play the same bassline, the line is performed in octaves, with the basses an octave below the cellos. By the end of the Classical period, with Beethoven's symphonies, cellos and double basses were often given separate parts. In general, the more complex passages and rapid note sequences are given to the cellos, while the basses play a simpler bassline. The [[timpani]] (or kettledrums) also play a role in orchestral basslines, albeit confined in 17th and early 18th century works to a few notes, often the tonic and the dominant below it. In a small number of symphonies, the [[pipe organ]] is used to play basslines.

In [[chamber music]], the bassline is played by the cello in string quartets and the bassoon in wind chamber music. In some larger chamber music works, both a cello and a double bass are used to play the bassline. In a Baroque era ({{circa|1600}}–1750) piece accompanied by [[basso continuo]], the accompanying musicians would include a chordal instrument (e.g., [[harpsichord]], [[pipe organ]] or [[lute]]) and a number of bass instruments might perform the same bassline, such as the cello, [[viol]], double bass, [[theorbo]], [[serpent (instrument)|serpent]] (an early wind instrument), and, if an organist was present, the lower manual of the organ and the low-pitched [[pedal keyboard]]. In 2000s-era performances of Baroque music, the basso continuo is typically performed by just two instruments: a chordal instrument and one bass instrument (often harpsichord and cello).

{{quote|[The bass part is] the groundwork or foundation upon which all musical composition is to be erected.|[[Christopher Simpson (musician)|Christopher Simpson]] 1667:19<ref name="Perlman"/>}}
{{quote|[The bass part is] the base and foundation of the other parts, since one builds them upon it.|Charles Masson 1669:31<ref name="Perlman"/>}}
{{quote|[The bass part is] the foundation of harmony.|[[Gioseffo Zarlino]] 1561:239, 1558:179<ref name="Perlman">Perlman, Marc (2004). ''Unplayed Melodies: Javanese Gamelan and the Genesis of Music Theory'', p. 188. {{ISBN|9780520239562}}. "fondamento dell'harmonica"</ref>}}

===Popular music===

In many genres of modern [[traditional music]] (ranging from [[folk rock]] to blues) and popular music (ranging from rock and pop to reggae to funk), the bassline is generally played by an [[bass guitar|electric bass]] player. In [[rockabilly]], [[psychobilly]], traditional blues and [[bluegrass music]], the bassline is played by a [[double bass]] player. The bassline uses low notes that provide a rhythm while simultaneously setting out the foundation of the [[chord progression]]. The bassline bridges the gap between the rhythmic part played by the drummer and the melodic lines played by the [[lead guitar]]ist and the chordal parts played by the [[rhythm guitar]]ist and/or keyboard player. In most traditional and popular music styles, the bass player is expected to be able to [[musical improvisation|improvise]] a bassline which they base in the [[chord progression]] of a song. When a bassist is playing a [[cover song]], they may play the bassline that was originally used on the recording. A [[session musician|session bassist]] playing in a music studio is expected to be able to read a bassline written in [[musical notation]]. Bass players also perform [[fill (music)|fills]] in between the phrases of the vocal melody, and they may also perform [[bass run]]s or bass breaks, which are short solo sections. Rhythmic variations by the bass, such as the introduction of a syncopated figure can dramatically change the feel of a song, even for a simple groove.

<blockquote>"In any style, the bass's role in the [[Groove (popular music)|groove]] is the same: to keep time and to outline the tonality. When developing bass lines, these two things should always be your goal"<ref>{{harvnb|Santerre|2001|p=iv}}</ref></blockquote>

{{quote|[One] may view in it [(the bass part)] all the other parts in their original essence.[[Thomas Campion]] 1967:327<ref name="Perlman"/>}}

==Walking bass==
<!-- Linked from redirect Walking bass -->
{{See also|Blues shuffle}}

A '''walking bass''' is a style of bass accompaniment or line, common in [[Baroque music]] (1600–1750) and 20th century [[jazz]], [[blues]] and [[rockabilly]], which creates a feeling of regular quarter note movement, akin to the regular alternation of feet while [[walking]].<ref>{{harvnb|Buelow|2004|p=40}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Friedland| 1995|p=44}}</ref> Walking basslines generally consist of [[syncopation|unsyncopated]] [[musical notation|notes]] of equal value, usually [[quarter note]]s (known in jazz as a "four feel"). Walking basslines use a mixture of [[Musical scale|scale]] tones, [[arpeggio]]s, chromatic runs, and [[passing tone]]s to outline the [[chord progression]] of a song or tune, often with a melodic shape that alternately rises and falls in pitch over several bars.  To add variety to a walking bassline, bassists periodically interpolate various fills, such as playing scale or arpeggio fragments in swung eighth notes, plucking muted percussive grace notes (either one grace note or a "raked" sequence of two or three grace notes), or holding notes for two, three, or four beats. Some songs lend themselves to another type of variation: the [[pedal point]], in which the bassist holds or repeats a single note (often the tonic or the dominant) under the chord changes.

Walking basslines are usually performed on the [[double bass]] or the [[bass guitar|electric bass]], but they can also be performed using the low register of a [[piano]], [[Hammond organ]], [[tuba]] or other instruments. They can also be sung, as is done by some a capella vocal groups. While walking bass lines are most commonly associated with jazz and blues, they are also used in [[Rock music|rock]], [[rockabilly]], [[ska]], [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[gospel music|gospel]], [[Latin music (genre)|Latin]], [[Country music|country]], and many other genres.<ref name="Building">{{harvnb|Friedland|1995|p=4}}</ref>

=== Examples ===
Walking bass in the [[pedal keyboard]] part of Baroque organ music (J.S. Bach's ''[[Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland]]'', BWV 659, from the [[Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes]]):

<!--this image displayed wider than 500px for clarity-->
[[File:Excerpt-BWV659.png|700px]]
:{{Audio|Organ-BWV659.mid|play}}

Other walking bass lines can be heard in the opening movements of [[Joseph Haydn]]'s [[Symphony No. 22 (Haydn)|Symphony No. 22]] (nicknamed "The Philosopher"), [[Anton Bruckner]]'s [[Symphony No. 5 (Bruckner)|Symphony No. 5]] and [[Edward Elgar]]'s [[Symphony No. 1 (Elgar)|Symphony No. 1]].[[File:Haydn Symphony 22 opening.wav|thumb|Haydn Symphony 22 opening]][[File:Haydn Symphony 23 opening.png|thumb|center|500px|Haydn Symphony 22 opening]]

[[File:Bruckner Symphony No. 5, opening.wav|thumb|Bruckner Symphony No. 5, opening]][[File:Bruckner Symphony No. 6, opening.png|thumb|center|500px|Bruckner Symphony No. 5, opening]]

[[File:Elgar Symphony No 1 opening.wav|thumb|Elgar Symphony No 1 opening]][[File:Elgar Symphony No 1 opening.png|thumb|center|500px|Elgar Symphony No 1 opening]]

Walking bass often alternates quarter notes:

<score>\relative c' \repeat volta 2{ c g c g c g b a g d' g, d' g, d' e d}</score>
:{{Audio|Walking bass I-V.mid|play}}

giving rise to the term.

Many [[boogie-woogie bass]]lines are walking bass lines:

[[File:"Texas & Pacific" boogie woogie bass.svg|500px|Typical boogie woogie walking bassline]]
:{{audio|"Texas & Pacific" boogie woogie bass.mid|Play in G}} or {{audio|Twelve bar boogie-woogie blues in C.mid|in C}}

Walking bass often moves in stepwise (scalar) motion to successive [[root (chord)|chord root]]s, such as often in [[country music]]:

[[File:Walking bass I-IV.PNG|400px|Walking bass I-IV]]

:{{audio|Walking bass I-IV.mid|Play}}

In this example, the last two quarter notes of the second measure, D and E, "walk" up from the first quarter note in that measure, C, to the first note of the third measure, F (C and F are the roots of the chords in the first through second and third through fourth measures, respectively).

In both cases, "walking" refers both to the steady duple rhythm (one step after the other) and to the strong directional motion created;<ref name="Building"/> in the examples above, from C to F and back in the second, and from root to seventh and back in the first.

In [[bebop]] jazz, the walking bass has a stabilising effect, offsetting and providing a foil to the complexity of the improvised melodic lines, for example in [[Sonny Rollins]]’ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59aXJ8GvMYE “Blue Seven”].

==Bass run==<!--[[Bass run]] redirects directly here.-->
{{Further|Fill (music)}}
{{verify section|date=May 2025}}

A '''bass run''' (or "bass break") is a short [[instrumental break]] or [[fill (music)|fill]] in which the [[Bass (instrument)|bass instrument]] (such as an [[bass guitar|electric bass]] or a [[double bass]]) or instruments (in the case of a marching band) and the bassline are given the forefront.<ref name="van der Merwe 1989 283">{{harvnb|van der Merwe|1989|p=283}}</ref> The bass part for a bass run often differs from the usual bass [[accompaniment]] style, in terms of the register, [[timbre]], or melodic style that is used, or the number of notes per beat which are played.

A bass run may be composed by the performer or by an [[arranger]] prior to a performance, or it may be [[improvisation|improvised]] onstage by the performer using scales, arpeggios, and standard [[lick (music)|lick]]s and [[riff]]s. In some cases, a bass run may incorporate a display of [[virtuoso]] techniques such as rapid passages or high notes. During a bass run, the main vocal or [[melody]] line usually stops, and in some cases, the [[percussion instrument|percussion]] or [[Drum kit|drums]] may also stop.  The technique originated in the [[march (music)|marches]] of the "[[John Philip Sousa|Sousa]] school", though its resemblance to [[Call and response (music)|call and response]] techniques familiar to [[African-American music|African American music]]ians indicates an earlier origin.<ref name="van der Merwe 1989 283"/>

===Electric bass===

In a [[Rock music|rock]] song in which the bassline consists of low-pitched quarter notes played on the electric bass, a bass run may consist of a rapid sequence of sixteenth notes in a higher register, or of a melodic [[riff]] played in a higher register. In some cases, the bassist will select a "brighter"-sounding pickup or increase the treble response of the instrument for a bass run, so that it will be easier to hear.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

In a [[heavy metal bass|heavy metal]] song where the bassist was ordinarily playing low notes without overdrive to accompany, for a solo, they may turn on a [[fuzz bass]] pedal and use a [[wah pedal]] to create a more pronounced tone (an approach used by [[Cliff Burton]]), and then play an upper register riff or scale run. Some [[shred guitar]]-style bassists may do two-handed [[tapping]] during a bass solo (e.g., [[Billy Sheehan]]).{{cn|date=May 2025}}

In a [[Pop music|pop]] song in which the bassline consists of notes plucked on the electric bass, a bass run may consist of several bars of percussive [[slap and pop|slapping and popping]]. Bass solos and guitar solos are rare in pop. In the rare cases that instrumental solos occur in pop, they are often played by [[synthesizer]] or, in some bands, by [[saxophone]].{{cn|date=May 2025}}

In a [[Electronic dance music|EDM]], [[House music|house]], [[dubstep]], [[Grime (music genre)|grime]], and [[Electronic music|related genres]], [[synthesiser bass]] is used (along with [[Bass drum|kickdrums]]).{{cn|date=May 2025}}

In a [[funk]] song in which the bassline already consists of percussive slapping and popping, a bass run may consist of a virtuosic display of rapid slapping and popping techniques combined with techniques such as glissando, note-bending, and harmonics.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

===Double bass===

In a [[jump blues]] tune in which the bassline consists of low-pitched quarter notes played on the double bass in a scalar walking bass style, a bass run may consist of a bar of swung eighth notes played using a percussive slap bass style, in which the right hand strikes the strings against the fingerboard.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

In a [[Swing music|swing]] tune in which the bassline consists of low-pitched quarter notes played on the double bass in a scalar walking bass style, a bass run may consist of a descending chromatic scale played in a higher register.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

In a [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]] tune in which the bassline consists of low-pitched quarter notes played on the double bass on the root and fifth of each [[chord (music)|chord]] on beats one and three (of a 4/4 tune), a bass run may consist of a walking bass line played for several bars.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

In a [[psychobilly]] band, a bass solo will often consist of a virtuosic display of triple and quadruple slaps, creating a percussive, drum solo-like sound.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

===Wind bass===
In a [[marching band]], a bass run may consist of a several bar unaccompanied passage composed for the tubas and sousaphones which displays either rapid passages of notes or higher-register techniques. In New Orleans jazz, the tuba may provide a walking bass line similar to that of the double bass.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

==See also==

*[[Ground bass]]
*[[Lament bass]]
*[[Drum and bass]]
*[[Bassline (music genre)]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
*{{citation|title=A history of baroque music|first=George J.|last= Buelow|publisher=Indiana University Press|year= 2004|isbn=0-253-34365-8|page=40}}
*{{citation|last=Friedland|first= Ed|year=1995|title=Building Walking Bass Lines|isbn= 0-7935-4204-9}}
*{{citation|last=van der Merwe|first=Peter|author-link=Peter van der Merwe (musicologist)|year=1989|title=Origins of the Popular Style: The Antecedents of Twentieth-Century Popular Music|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-316121-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/originsofpopular0000vand}}
*{{citation|last=Cadwallader|first= Allen|year=1998|title=Analysis of Tonal Music: A Schenkerian Approach|isbn= 0-19-510232-0|page=45}}
*{{citation|last=Santerre|first= Joe|year=2001|title=Slap Bass Lines|isbn= 0-634-02144-3}}


==External links==
{{Wikibooks|Guitar|Bass Guitar}}
*{{cite web|url= http://www.music.sc.edu/ea/Jazz/Improv/219/244BassLinesF.pdf|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060318122128/http://www.music.sc.edu/ea/Jazz/Improv/219/244BassLinesF.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2006-03-18  |title=Bass Lines }}&nbsp;{{small|(41.4&nbsp;KB)}} - 244 million bass lines in F
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sttpeVdSYTs An audio/video example of a walking bass line played on electric bass guitar]
*[https://www.jazzguitar.be/blog/walking-bass-lines/ Walking Bass Lines and Comping on Guitar]

{{Bass (sound)}}

[[Category:Bass (sound)]]
[[Category:Rhythm section]]
[[Category:Accompaniment]]
[[Category:Musical composition]]