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Decoding The Bass Guitar

Decoding The Bass Guitar

I remember when I started my first job working in a music store (actually that was the only 'real job' I ever had); my work consisted of approximately 60% teaching and 40% instrument sales

As a sales assistant I was often amused and perplexed at the number of customers who would come in to the music store and ask for a 'lead' guitar or a 'rhythm' guitar; amused because to me a guitar was just a guitar, you could play anything on it.

The problem was how to deal with the customer who had his/her mind set on buying a 'lead' guitar, no matter how I tried to explain things to them I couldn't seem to get through to them; I know a heap of them left the shop more confused than ever before and most of them simply went to another store where they did sell 'lead' guitars!

Desperately searching for a solution to my dilemma, I stumbled across a musical instrument catalogue that listed 'lead' and 'rhythm' guitars... hallelujah... I'm saved! It gets even better these guitars were available in a variety of colors.

I couldn't wait for the next guitar customer to come into the store, when they asked for a 'rhythm' guitar, I smiled and opened the catalogue and simply asked what color they would they like the guitar in... problem solved!

Seriously, I was so thankful to stumble that catalogue... guitar players have their own 'guitar talk' language which makes it hard to explain even the most basic musical concepts; I mean have you ever heard of someone asking for a 'lead' piano or a 'rhythm' piano... of course not it's just a piano, it's what you play on the piano that functions as melody or harmony.

Pick up any guitar magazine and you will see what I mean...guitar players regularly talk about lead guitar and rhythm guitar but only a handful truly understand the musical function of each player and how they blend together with the bass and drums in a professional group.

I'll try to shed a little light on this confusing area of guitar playing...

Lead guitar players play melody (single notes).
Rhythm guitar players play harmony (chords).

The basic elements of music are rhythm, melody and harmony.

The sonic sandwich approach: It helps to think of music as a sonic sandwich with the rhythm at the bottom, harmony in the middle and melody on top!

Rhythm is the beat, it's the dancing part.
Melody is the tune you whistle or hum, it's the singing part.
Harmony is the musical glue that holds it all together.

I've written about rhythm and melody in previous articles today I'll focus on harmony

 Decoding The Bass Guitar NOW

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All Fucking Metal

Heavy Metal Bands erupted on the scene in the late 1970's and since then have split into many sub-sets and styles. Each style carries its own variation with other styles mixed in. What we now call Traditional is usually a grouping of some of the original bands that were around before the genres split. Some examples of these groups include Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple.

Heavy Metal Styles

Black - Originates from Speed metal, Thrash metal and hardcore punk in the early 1980's. Black metal has had much opposition from mainstream culture due to many of its bands having an anti-Christian worldview. Typical instruments include vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar and drums.

Death - Originates from Thrash metal and early Black metal in the mid-1980's. Uses heavily distorted guitars, blast-beat drumming, and deep growling vocals. Inspired by groups such as Slayer, Celtic Frost and Kreator.

Doom - Originates from classic heavy metal, especially Black Sabbath albums of the early 1970's. Uses slower tempos and a much heavier and "thicker" sound. Lyrics tend to evoke a sense of dread, doom or despair.

Drone - Became more popular in the early 1990's. Drone metal melds Doom metal with the long duration tones of drone music.

Folk - Developed in Europe in the mid 1990's. It fuses classic heavy metal with traditional folk music through the use of folk instruments.

Glam - Also known as "hair metal", it arose in the late 1970's and stayed popular through the 1980's. It combined the looks of glam rock with the power chord hard rock style of music.

Gothic - Combines heavy metal with gothic rock. Originated in the early 1990's from a mixture of death metal and doom metal. Popular bands include Paradise Lost and Anathema. Lyrics are brought out through gothic fiction and personal experiences.

Groove - Sometimes referred to post-thrash, originated in the early 1990's from genre's including thrash metal and hardcore punk. A popular Grove Metal album would be Pantera's Cowboys from Hell.

Industrial - Draws from heavy metal and industrial music using sequencer lines, distorted vocals, sampling, and repeating metal guitar riffs. Established in the late 1980's, popular bands include Fear Factory, Ministry and Nine Inch Nails.

Metalcore - Gets the name from a fusion of hardcore punk and heavy metal. Metalcore is different from other punk metal bands because of the emphasis on slower and more intense breakdowns that are conducive to moshing.

Neo-Classical - Heavily influenced by classical music, Neo-classical metal is a very technical music performance that was established in the 1970's and 1980's.

Nu-Metal - Developed in the 1990's, this music blends both hip-hop and grunge with classic heavy metal. Popular bands include Korn, Deftones and P.O.D.

Post-Metal - Originated in the early 2000's, post-metal is characterized by minimal vocals with distorted guitar and heavy atmospherics. The group, Isis, is usually credited with originating and making popular post-metal music.

Power - Originating in the mid 1980's, it is a mixture of classic metal with speed metal which adds in a symphonic element, usually through the use of keyboards.

Progressive - Established in the mid 1980's, progressive metal is a mix of classic heavy metal with progressive rock. Early bands mixed heavy metal from groups such as Metallica and Megadeath with progressive rock bands, namely Rush and King Crimson, who were already fusing some heavy metal into their music.

Sludge Metal - Originating in the late 1980's, sludge metal is a mix of both doom metal and hardcore punk. It is aggressive with shouted vocals, contrasting tempos and heavy distortion. It moves through slow paced songs that have brief hardcore tempos.

Speed - Established in the 1970's and 80's, speed metal is characterized by extremely fast and technically demanding song sets. While still popular today, more prevalent is the toned down version of speed metal called thrash metal. Motorhead and Judas Priest were two of the most influential bands of this genre.

Thrash - Originating in the early 1980's, thrash metal descends from speed metal. It is characterized by low-register guitar riffs and shredding style lead work. The "Big Four" of thrash metal are Metallica, Slayer, Megadeath and Anthrax.

There are many other types of Metal that cross genres to create their own style, including Alternative, Avant-garde, Christian, Crust Punk, Extreme, Funk, Grindcore, Rap, Symphonic and Viking Metal and others.

Walking by your guitar wishing you could play? Play Heavy Metal Guitar with your favorite groups in days, not weeks. Video and book show you how without learning theory or reading music. Check out http://www.playheavymetalguitar.com.

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The Marimba In Symphonic Metal

The Marimba has come a long way - both geographically and technically speaking. The proto-marimba has long been a part of Amazonian, West African, and Central American cultures. In our society, they are the epitome of a classy, well respected instrument usually featured in high culture circles (such as in academia and orchestras). Marimbas are one of the most beautiful sounding percussion instruments. While very long and heavy, marimbas are capable of making very low to high tones that add an ethereal quality to many music pieces.

People interested in percussion (and perhaps even piano, since the overall layout is somewhat similar) should studyand master the marimba. While playing the marimba is standard on the collegiate level, not too many people play the marimba before or after college, which is a shame. Although high school students may briefly encounter the marimbas in marching bands and drum and bugle corps, it is usually an insufficient amount of time to truly appreciate the complexity and necessity of this instrument.

The reason for the high concentration of marimba playing in college, as opposed to any other time, is that marimbas are very expensive instruments. Often running a couple thousand dollars, they are too expensive for the average person. However, many reputable music schools should have one or two of these at their disposal, and these places make for great practice areas (besides the fact that a professional will be teaching you proper technique). There are affordable ways to get behind a marimba - do it!

The marimba is composed of metal keys of varying lengths hit by soft yarn mallets to produce varying tones. Many marimba players play using two mallets, or even using two mallets in each hand (resulting in four mallets being used simultaneously). Some of the more advanced players can use even more mallets...which is truly amazing. There are many techniques to striking the marimba, so a good deal of emphasis is placed on proper mallet holding methods. Depending on your personal style/capabilities and your teacher's personal preference, you may learn the "traditional grip", the "Burton grip", or the "Stevens grip", amongst many others.

The marimba is an octave lower (an octave is equivalent to eight complete notes) than its smaller counterpart, the xylophone. The main difference between the two instruments is the resonators featured on the marimba. These resonators (usually made of a light metal such as aluminum) are of different lengths and widths to help the marimba achieve its varying sounds. For the lower sounding notes, the resonators beneath the keys sometimes have to bend so as not to go straight through the floor!

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OZZY osbourne

Ozzman Cometh is the latest release from Heavy Metal Sensation Ozzy Osbourne, and I can only think of one word to describe this CD... AWESOME!

It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that's exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it's own.

Heavy Metal music fans will recognize some of the well known guests that have been assembled to play along with Osbourne on several of the tracks. Artists like Rick Wakeman and Geezer Butler just to name a couple.

Listen to and I think you'll agree that the song choices are excellent, the production is outstanding and Ozzy Osbourne is clearly in top form.

While the entire album is outstanding some of my favorites are track 1 - Black Sabbath, track 8 - Bark At The Moon, and track 15 - Back On Earth

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 14 - I Just Want You. Good stuff!

Ozzman Cometh Release Notes:

Ozzy Osbourne originally released Ozzman Cometh on June 25, 2002 on the Epic label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Black Sabbath - (previously unreleased, Ozzy's basement tapes)

2. War Pigs - (previously unreleased, Ozzy's basement tapes)

3. Goodbye To Romance

4. Crazy Train

5. Mr. Crowley

6. Over the Mountain

7. Paranoid - (live, with Randy Rhoads)

8. Bark At The Moon

9. Miracle Man

10. Crazy Babies

11. No More Tears - (edit)

12. Mama I'm Coming Home

13. I Don't Want To Change The World - (live)

14. I Just Want You

15. Back On Earth

Personnel: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals); Tony Iommi, Randy Rhoads, Zakk Wylde, Jake E. Lee (guitar); John Sinclair, Kevin Jones, Rick Wakeman, Michael Beinhorn (keyboards); Geezer Butler, Bob Daisley, Rudy Sarzo, Bill Susan, Mike Inez (bass); Bill Ward, Lee Kerslake, Tommy Aldridge, Randy Castillo (drums).

Producers include: Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, Max Norman, Ron Nevison, Michael Beinhorn.

Engineers include: Michael Wagener, Paul Northfield.

Recorded between 1970 & 1995.

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Alternative metal

Alternative metal

Main article: Alternative metal

Alternative metal is a style of heavy metal and alternative rock which emerged in the mid 1980s, and gained popularity in the early 1990s

Alternative metal usually combines heavy metal with influences from genres like alternative rock, and in some cases hardcore punk, and other genres not normally associated with metal as well. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by heavy guitar riffs, melodic vocals, and unconventional sounds within other heavy metal genres, unconventional song structures and sometimes experimental approaches to heavy music. Proéminent bands in This genre incluse

 Alice in Chains

Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr (who was replaced in 1993 by Mike Inez).

Although widely associated with grunge music, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and acoustic elements. Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released four studio albums, three EPs, two live albums, four compilations, and two DVDs. The band is known for its distinct vocal style which often included the harmonized vocals of Staley and Cantrell.

Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with other Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. The band was one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s, selling over 25 million albums worldwide, and over 14 million in the US alone. In 1992 the band released their album Dirt which was critically acclaimed and has been certified quadruple platinum. The band also achieved two No.1 Billboard 200 albums (Jar of Flies and Alice in Chains), 14 top ten songs on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and eight Grammy Award nominations.

Although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity from 1996 onwards due to Staley'ssubstance abuse, which resulted in his death in 2002. The band reunited in 2005 with new lead vocalist William DuVall, and released their fourth studio album, Black Gives Way to Blue, in 2009. The album was a success, being certified gold by the RIAA in 2010. Alice in Chains recently finished recording their fifth studio album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, which is due for release in the spring of 2013.

Breaking Benjamin

Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently consisting of Benjamin Burnleyand Chad Szeliga. The band has released four studio albums, an EP, and a greatest hits album. The band took an indefinite hiatus due to frontman Burnley's recurring illnesses and inability to tour in mid-2010. Further complications arose in August 2011, when Mark Klepaski and Aaron Fink were fired from the band.

Breaking Benjamin has sold over five million albums in the United States.

  

 Faith No More

Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Faith No More was originally formed as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Mike Morris, and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, who along with Gould and Bordin, formed Faith No More. After going through a series of singers which included Courtney Love Chuck Mosley joined the band in 1983. The same year, Jim Martin was recruited to replace guitarist Mark Bowen. That lineup released the band's first album, We Care a Lot, in 1985. Within a year, the band signed up with Slash Records, and in 1987 their second album Introduce Yourself was released. Membership remained stable until vocalist Mosley was replaced by Mr. Bungle vocalist Mike Patton in 1988. In 1989, the band released their successful albumThe Real Thing, which featured their breakthrough hit single "Epic".

The band's next album Angel Dust (1992), was also successful and spawned the hit "Midlife Crisis", which became their sole No. 1 hit on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in their career. Angel Dust is widely considered to be one of the most influential albums of the 90's. Faith No More, however, declined in popularity in the subsequent years. Longtime guitarist Jim Martin left the group in 1994 and was replaced by Mr. Bungle guitarist Trey Spruance. After the release of their next album King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime (1995), Spruance was replaced briefly by Dean Menta, who would eventually be replaced by their current guitarist Jon Hudson. After releasing one more album Album of the Year (1997), Faith No More broke up in April 1998, and all members began work on side projects.

On February 24, 2009, Faith No More announced that they would be reforming for a European tour with the same lineup at the time of their breakup In June 2009; they performed together for the first time in 11 years at the Brixton Academy in London, United Kingdom, as part of their The Second Coming Tour. Throughout 2010, the band continued to perform at multiple live venues. In September 2010, the band announced that the reunion tour would come to an end in December and plans for a new album had been scrapped, although bassist Billy Gould said that the band might continue. Faith No More returned again in November 14, 2011 at the SWU Music and Arts Festival, in the Brazilian city of Paulínia, as well on three other dates Trey Spruance joined the band onstage for the very first time to perform the King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime album in its entirety in Santiago, Chile in November 2011.