Thread: Electric bass in classical music

Does anyone here think that the electric bass can be actively involved in classical music? Or would anybody like it? I have known bassist to have played solo classical music like Victor Wooten's Classical Thump but what about in an orchestral or symphonic sense? Being fully aware that the double bass is already a part of an orchestra, I wonder if the electric bass could have a part. Any thoughts?

No, all electric Guitars are spawn of the Devil IMO, Don't like em at all

Originally Posted by Andante

No, all electric Guitars are spawn of the Devil IMO, Don't like em at all

Come on, Andante. You don't like Wes Montgomery, Pat Metheny, Tal Farlow, Jim Hall? All electric jazz guitarists.

Who?? . No its acoustic only for me, no 1000w amps to contend with.

Originally Posted by Andante

Who?? . No its acoustic only for me, no 1000w amps to contend with.

Really you don't like Jim Hall or Wes Montgomery? Are you sure you're a jazz fan?

These guitarists hardly play with 1000w amplifiers. In fact, Jim Hall and Montgomery are known for playing through small amps. Not only that, but they don't run any effects at all either. It's just a nice, mellow clean tone, which for me, is the true essence of jazz guitar.

Quite honestly I can’t say that I have heard them but if they were playing electric then I wouldn’t want to, it is too close to the sound of Rock for my taste no matter what they are playing, it is the sound that I don’t like, I am of the old school.
There are quite a few Classical composers that I don’t like but that does not mean I am not a lover of classical it is purely my taste you have yours I have mine, and as for Electric Guitars, Violins etc in classical I just can’t see that they would be accepted except by the Avant-garde brigade. So sorry but not for me!

Originally Posted by Andante

Quite honestly I can’t say that I have heard them but if they were playing electric then I wouldn’t want to, it is too close to the sound of Rock for my taste no matter what they are playing, it is the sound that I don’t like, I am of the old school.
There are quite a few Classical composers that I don’t like but that does not mean I am not a lover of classical it is purely my taste you have yours I have mine, and as for Electric Guitars, Violins etc in classical I just can’t see that they would be accepted except by the Avant-garde brigade. So sorry but not for me!

You never even heard Jim Hall or Wes Montgomery and you're already dismissing them just because they played electric guitars? I don't understand your logic at all, Andante.

Electric guitars in jazz can be traced all the way back to the days of Charlie Christian who made it okay for jazz guitarists to play improvised solos. Around the time of and before Chrstian, you had guys like Eddie Lang and Freddie Green who just played rhythm guitar on electrics.

I'm electric bass player and I've played some classical tunes on it, but I don't think that it's a good idea to use this kind of instrument in classical music. Stanley Clarke made some classical-styled pieces and althought his main instrument is electric bass, he used double bass to record those pieces. Maybe in future we will be able to hear stuff like Concerto for Electric Guitar in D or electric symphony orchestra with electric guitars, basses and rock drum sets instead of classic stuff but I belive it wouldn't sound too good.

Originally Posted by Mirror Image

You never even heard Jim Hall or Wes Montgomery and you're already dismissing them just because they played electric guitars? I don't understand your logic at all, Andante..

I am not dismissing them, they may be brilliant for all I know, its just that I have not heard them at least not that I know off, it’s the instrument not the player that I dislike surely you understand.

Aramis I used to play Double Bass, Jazz and classical I tried an electric bass but did not like it.

Originally Posted by Andante

I am not dismissing them, they may be brilliant for all I know, its just that I have not heard them at least not that I know off, it’s the instrument not the player that I dislike surely you understand.

You're a jazz fan and you never heard Wes Montgomery or Jim Hall? I'm sorry, but I find this unacceptable, especially considering that Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall were two of the biggest names in jazz guitar in the late 50s to the 60s. Montgomery died in 1968. Jim Hall is still around, though his output has been less prolific since the 80s.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p...ifyxqy5ldhe~T1

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p...ifrxqt5ldse~T1

Originally Posted by Andante

I am not dismissing them, they may be brilliant for all I know, its just that I have not heard them at least not that I know off, it’s the instrument not the player that I dislike surely you understand.

Aramis I used to play Double Bass, Jazz and classical I tried an electric bass but did not like it.

As much as I think this poster uses a bad logical process in parsing reality, I'm going to agree here: for a lot of things, electric guitars and basses are simply "not right."

In particular, rock guitar grates on my ears. Drop-d distorted and gated guitar, that's another story.

I think you could use electric bass with classical if you produced it correctly, but it seems to me the double bass has a wider range of sound and technique appropriate, so I wonder why.

In particular, a simple experiment would be to hook your bass up to a sound processor and select some kind of "concert hall" sound panned hard to center rear. This drops out the grating loudness and makes the bass able to interact with acoustic guitars.

Originally Posted by Conservationist

As much as I think this poster uses a bad logical process in parsing reality,

Please explain

I think you could use electric bass with classical if you produced it correctly, but it seems to me the double bass has a wider range of sound and technique appropriate, so I wonder why.

.

Have you ever attended a classical Concert????, The Bass is bowed how on earth can you bow an Electric Guitar, I can't wait to read your explanation

Originally Posted by Andante

Have you ever attended a classical Concert????, The Bass is bowed how on earth can you bow an Electric Guitar, I can't wait to read your explanation

You can do it easily. I used my violin bow to play electric bass - it makes nice, deep sound, although you can't use all strings, so at the long run it makes no sense. Also, there was few guitarists in rock music, which used bow to play electric guitar.

Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRfR8AIVVAg

Originally Posted by Aramis

You can do it easily. I used my violin bow to play electric bass - it makes nice, deep sound, although you can't use all strings, so at the long run it makes no sense. Also, there was few guitarists in rock music, which used bow to play electric guitar.

Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRfR8AIVVAg

I think it is obvious that it would be a nice, deep sound, although I am not sure of nice and it would be a lot of use if you can't play the A and D strings that may be great for rock or metal but not of much use in a St Qt or Orchestra. No I'm sorry its a non starter

The electric bass has some advantages that the upright bass does not have. Like harmonics (ik but you can't hear them), fretted harmonics, tapped harmonics, two hand tapping, easy amplification, slap/pop, and you can play it like a classical guitar.

Please consider these two musicians as a solo "classical" instrument.

Victor Wooten: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FvXUVHECwM ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TDnz...aynext_from=PL

Jaco Pastorius: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JIfrgGCBMY ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXOnh...om=PL&index=17

But as part of a symphony it would have its disadvantages, such as overbearing, but you can play from bass to alto on it so...

The electric guitar, in my opinion, is the same as the classical guitar EXCEPT for its common use.
I used to hate eclectic guitar until I found good musicians like Phil Keaggy, Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery, John Michael Talbot, and some other guys, and now I don't hate any instrument.

Consider Yngwie Malmsteen, although widely hated by classical musicians.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtpZH...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcG-FQyuX3k

Also I believe that music should be judged by the content and intent, not style, genre, artist, or intrument. I can't stand some rap because of the things they say in it, but i love Paul Simon's music because it sounds cool and it has non-offensive lyrics. I love music from Switchfoot just as much as I love music from Mahler and Weather Report.

But Whatever...

Aramis Bow? That's a cool idea! But i don't want to ruin my bow...
"Concerto for Electric Guitar in D or electric symphony orchestra with electric guitars, basses and rock drum sets instead of classic stuff but I belive it wouldn't sound too good." Good idea, I'm going to try that now.....


Mirror Image ""A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything." - Gustav Mahler" love that quote, and that guy's 3rd symphony.