Bass guitar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The bass guitar[1] (also called electric bass,[2][3][4] or simply bass; 
The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a longer neck and scale length, and four, five, or six strings. The four-string bass—by far the most common—is usually tuned the same as the double bass,[5] which corresponds to pitches one octave lower than the four lower strings of a guitar (E, A, D, and G).[6] The bass guitar is a transposing instrument, as it is notated in bass clef an octave higher than it sounds (as is the double bass) to avoid excessive ledger lines. Like the electric guitar, the bass guitar is plugged into an amplifier and speaker for live performances.
Since the 1950s, the bass guitar has largely replaced the double bass in popular music as the bass instrument in the rhythm section. While the types of basslines performed by the bassist vary widely from one style of music to another, the bassist fulfills a similar role in most types of music: anchoring the harmonic framework and laying down the beat. The bass guitar is used in many styles of music including rock, metal, pop, punk rock, country, blues, and jazz. It is used as a soloing instrument in jazz, fusion, Latin, funk, and in some rock and metal styles.
Bass Guitar Tunings
From:
http://www.tunemybass.com/tuning/bass_guitar_tunings.html
Standard Tunings for the Bass Guitar
Be sure to check out the online bass tuner on the home page if you need to tune.
4-String Bass Tuning
The standard tuning for a four-string bass from lowest pitch to highest (thickest string to thinnest) is:
E – A – D – G
5-String Bass Tuning
The most common standard tuning for a five-string bass from lowest pitch to highest (thickest string to thinnest) is:
B – E – A – D – G
This tuning has one lower pitched string added to the standard 4-string tuning giving you 5 lower notes.
Some people tune a 5-string bass adding a higher string instead:
E – A – D – G – C
This tuning gives you 5 higher notes.
6-String Bass Tuning
The standard tuning for a six-string bass from lowest pitch to highest (thickest string to thinnest) is:
B – E – A – D – G – C
8-String Bass Tuning
An eight-string bass is really like a 4-string bass, but with a second string doubling each of those four strings. The doubling string is tuned an octave higher. The result is:
E(e) – A(a) – D(d) – G(g)
This gives off a very full, thick sound. The same idea is used on a 12-string guitar.
Piccolo Bass Tuning
A piccolo bass is a standard bass tuning up an octave. You need to buy special strings for this! It can be pretty fun playing an octave higher. It’s not very bass-like. It’s like the bottom 4 strings of a guitar.
