In the music world it seems there are never enough bass players. So often do we here the story of famous bands that have a bass player that originally was a guitar player. While the two instruments have many technical similarities, the approach to playing them is very different. When I learned to play the bass I spent a great deal of time learning to think like a bass player, not a guitar player playing bass.

As a part of the rhythm section the bass player creates the drive for the rhythm, keeping the pulse steady for the rest of the ensemble. It is also important that the drummer and bass player play together to create a tight "groove" for the rest of the musicians.

The main purpose of the bass is to provide a harmonic foundation for the chords played by the other instruments. This can be achieved by playing walking bass lines, alternating 2-beat patterns, riffs, or combinations of all three. In this respect, the bass player has more impact on the feel of a song than any other instrument.

It is important that the bass player is not too active. You do not want to get in the way of the other musicians. Yet you do not want to be too boring either. It is a fine line between interesting and intrusive.

The trick is to listen to the bass players that defined the style you are interested in. Here is a list of some bass players to check out: Jaco Pastorious, Ron Carter, Sting, Phil Lesh, Christian McBride, Bootsy Collins, Victor Wooten, Flea, John Pattitucci, and Stanely Clark.