Bass line - Definition and Overview

A bassline is a series of notes with tones that are low in pitch or frequency. Various known instruments can create bass notes such as drums, bass guitar, double bass and cello.

Electroacoustic modeling enables countless bass sample instruments. In electronic music, a classic bassline may be a Roland TB-303 bassline. Bass is a very pulsy sound as contrasted by sharp and solid sounds from the lead and rhythm, and so the bassline tends to sound like it is plodding along in a song. It can also be said that any bass tones in a sequence (melody) that is in the bass range is considered a bassline. Therefore, drums could be used to create basslines although they are generally classified as percussion. Alternatively if you take an instrument that plays in the treble clef and transfer its melody to the bass clef, again a bassline is formed.