Heavy metal bass
Heavy metal bass is the use of the
Metal bassists play many different types of
Roles and playing styles
Most metal bassists play by plucking the strings with their fingers or by
Most of the time, metal bass players play basslines which consist of a single note played at a time; that is, without playing multiple notes at the same time to form chords, the way a rhythm guitarist would on an electric guitar. There are, however, a few metal bassists who play chords. Robert Trujillo of Metallica is known for playing "massive chords" [4] and "chord-based harmonics" [5] on the bass. Lemmy of Motörhead often played power chords in his bass lines. When asked about whether he had begun as a rhythm guitarist, he stated:[6]
No, I play a lot of notes, but I also play a lot of chords. And I play a lot of open strings. I just don't play like a bass player. There are complaints about me from time to time. It's not like having a bass player; it's like having a deep guitarist.
Soloing
While bass guitar solos are much less common in metal than
Heavy metal bass players such as Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse), Cliff Burton (Metallica), and Les Claypool (Primus, Blind Illusion) have used chime-like harmonics and rapid plucking techniques in their bass solos. In both published Van Halen concert videos, Michael Anthony performs unique maneuvers and actions during his solos. When playing bass solos, rock and metal bassists sometimes use effects such as fuzz bass or a wah-wah pedal to produce a more pronounced sound. Notably, Cliff Burton of Metallica used both effects. Due to the lower range of the bass, bass guitar solos usually have a much lighter accompaniment than solos for other instruments. In some cases, the bass guitar solo is unaccompanied, or accompanied only by the drums.
Training
There is much less formal training available in college and university for metal bass, the way there is for bass guitarists learning
Roles
Metal bassists play in groups ranging in size from the
Professional metal bassists may have a
Role of women
In relation to the gender composition of heavy metal bands, it has been said that "[h]eavy metal performers are almost exclusively male"[7] "... [a]t least until the mid-1980s" [8] apart from "... exceptions such as Girlschool."[7] However, "... now [in the 2010s] maybe more than ever–strong metal women have put up their dukes and got down to it",[9]"carv[ing] out a considerable place for [them]selves."[10] Given that most heavy metal musicians are male, most metal bassists are male. Almost all of the most well-known metal bassists are male.
Women have less roles in rock music genres like metal because the "... rebellion of rock music was largely a male rebellion."
Notable women metal bassists include:
- Jennifer Arroyo from the Canadian metal band Kittie
- Talena Atfield (Kittie)
- Jo Bench from the death metal band Bolt Thrower
- Suzi Quatro (hard rock)
- Jeanne Sagan from All That Remains and The Acacia Strain
- Sean Yseult of White Zombie
- Alla Fedynitch
- Share Ross from Vixen
- Gail Greenwood of L7
Equipment
Bass guitars
Some metal bassists use unusually-shaped instruments, such as Gene Simmons from Kiss, who had an instrument custom made in the shape of an axe, or those who use instruments like ES Guitars' Avenger, which has a jagged design. Many metal bassists use electric bass guitars that are used in other rock genres, such as the Fender Precision Bass.
Amplifiers and effects
Heavy metal bassists use many different brands of
One early bass stack was the 300-watt Super Vacuum Tube (SVT) amplifier head, which was intended for large performance venues. The SVT was intended for use with one or two speaker cabinets containing eight 10" speakers. Some metal bassists use vacuum tube amplifiers, which were the dominant active electronic components in bass amplifiers manufactured until the early 1970s. Many bass players believe that tube amplifiers produce a "warmer" or more "natural" sound than solid state amplifiers when lightly or moderately overdriven, and more pleasing distortion characteristics when heavily overdriven.
Some metal bassists play with a
References
- ^ Weinstein (2000), p. 24
- ^ Weinstein (2009), p. 24
- ^ "Cliff Burton's Legendary Career: The King of Metal Bass" Archived 2015-11-06 at the Wayback Machine. Bass Player, February 2005. Retrieved on November 13, 2007.
- ^ Warwick Robert Trujillo Signature Bass. February 19, 2012 in basses, Featured by G.M. Jameson. "Robert Trujillo Demands Something Solid" Available at: www.rottenbass.com/warwick-robert-trujillo-signature-bass-57 Accessed on June 24, 2013.
- ^ Metallica Bassist Robert Trujillo Funding Jaco Pastorius Biopic Posted 06/04/2012 by Damian Fanelli Available online at: www.guitarworld.com/metallica-bassist-robert-trujillo-funding-jaco-pastorius-biopic Accessed on June 24, 2013.
- ^ "We Do Not Bend The Knee. Motorhead Interview". Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ^ a b Brake, Mike (1990). "Heavy Metal Culture, Masculinity and Iconography". In Frith, Simon; Goodwin, Andrew (eds.). On Record: Rock, Pop and the Written Word. Routledge. pp. 87–91.
- ^ Walser, Robert (1993). Running with the Devil:Power, Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal Music. Wesleyan University Press. p. 76.
- ^ Eddy, Chuck (1 July 2011). "Women of Metal". Spin. SpinMedia Group.
- ^ Kelly, Kim (17 January 2013). "Queens of noise: heavy metal encourages heavy-hitting women". The Telegraph.
- ISSN 0300-7766.
- ^ S2CID 191508078. Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
- ^ Weinstein, p. 23
Works cited
- ISBN 0-306-80970-2.