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Bass Guitar
String instrument
Other names electric bass guitar, electric bass, bass
Classification ( or )
Hornbostel-Sachs Classification 321.322
(Composite )
Inventor(s) Paul Tutmarc
Developed 1930s
Playing range
(a standard tuned 4 string bass guitar)
Related instruments
Electric guitar Double Bass Acoustic bass guitar

The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass or simply bass is a played primarily with the or (either by plucking, slapping, popping, tapping, or thumping), or by using a .

The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an , but with a larger body, a longer and length, and usually four tuned to the same as those of the , which correspond to pitches one lower than those of the four lower strings of a guitar (E, A, D, and G). The bass guitar is a , as it is notated in an octave higher than it sounds (as is the double bass) in order to avoid the excessive use of . Like the electric guitar, the electric bass guitar is plugged into an for live performances.

Since the 1950s, the electric bass guitar has largely replaced the upright bass in as the bass instrument in the . While the types of performed by the bass guitarist vary widely from one style of music to another, the bass guitarist 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 and It is used as a soloing instrument in and in some and styles.

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