In a rock and roll rhythm section, the drummer and the bass guitarist provide the essential foundation over which the electric guitarist (lead and otherwise) and vocalist can provide melodic movement and main thematic material. Take the mighty Led Zeppelin for instance; Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's virtuosic exploits were made possible because of the sure and true foundation provided by the locked in groove of drummer John Bonham and bassist John Paul Jones. An excellent bassist must have the ability to be a seamless extension of the rhythm of the drums. Perhaps better described, drummer and bassist should be the two-headed monster, inextricably bound by beat and groove.Everybody knows the guitarists and the singers get the girls (exceptions and apologies of course to the many female artists like Joni Mitchell and Ann Wilson who "get the guys"). You never hear of the offstage antics of the Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman, only of Sir Mick's latest conquest (continuing to sire new heirs in his late sixties). Bassists have been painted as workmen over the years, playing their basses with precision (pardon the pun), but always staying out of the way of the fleet fingered, show-stopping guitarist noodling away stratospherically above. Case in point, can anyone think of memorable lines offered by Van Halen's Michael Anthony? Without his sure foundation would Eddy's slick lines be possible or could they get any monkey, strike that, Wolfie to do it? Okay, maybe Michael Anthony isn't the best example, known mostly for his accomplished background vocals, not for his prodigious counterpuntal basement bass lines, but the point should be well taken. Bass playing has not been the choice of most young men and women growing up in America because it has been painted as boring compared to guitarists' exploits. Name one bassist who has set their rig aflame or smashed it. Okay, I'll give you Nirvana's Krist Novoselic, any others? What America's youth need to remember when thinking about picking up a bass or a traditional guitar is that guitarists are a dime a dozen. An excellent bassist is in high demand, because so many are simply "want to be" guitarists. A bassist in a rock and roll band might not be glamorous, but he or she is nonetheless essential. This is a call to all youngsters, get down to your local guitar shop like Austin's Strait Music Company, and pick up a sweet bass guitar. Feel its heft in your hands. Plug it in and give that low E a good pluck or thwack. You won't be sorry. You might not be on a course to move mountains like Hendrix's Voodoo Chile, but you'll most definitely move hips and booties if you hone those chops just right!
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