The bass guitar is an electric guitar that is often played by plucking the strings. Its appearance is not too unlike that of the regular electric guitar, but it is a little larger with a longer neck and bigger body. Like the double bass, the bass guitar only has four strings that are tuned the same as the double bass; the strings being tuned to E, A, D and G. In the past, the double bass would often be used by many bands to get the sound that they were looking for, but since its first construction in the early twentieth century the bass guitar has been used in its place.



It could be that the bass guitar was easier to play and transport, being as it is quite a bit smaller than the double bass. Being as it has more or less replaced the double bass in much of the music today; it is often used in the same genres as the double bass was including jazz, bluegrass, rock and roll and blues. The bass guitar also covers more modern genres including latin, funk and fusion.

It really wasn't until the second half of the 1900s that the popularity of the bass guitar grew, which is coincidental as it happens to have become popular with the introduction of many new forms of music. It is little wonder that the bass guitar became popular because it is so versatile in what it can do.

While much of the bass guitar's design probably came from the double bass, the bass guitar has changed so much that connections with the double bass can often be missed by the inexperienced. Not only do modern designs of the bass guitar almost look nothing like the basic design of the double bass, but the bass guitar is also constructed out of completely different materials.

The instrument will often be constructed out of graphite, rosewood, alder and maple instead of the traditional materials used in the construction of the double bass. There are also some bass guitars that have as much as five or six strings, making it even more different from the double bass. There are quite a few different kinds of bass guitar that a person can choose to play.

The final decision usually has to do with what the musician requires of the bass guitar. Depending on the kind of music they play, the musician may only require a four string bass guitar, but someone else might find that a five or six string will better suit their needs.

Instead of the bass guitar, new musicians will often overlook it for the basic acoustic or electric guitar these days because they miss how important the bass guitar is in much of today's music. When looking at much of the music being played today, one will notice that the bass guitar is used quite often. The reason why the bass guitar has only become more popular over time is because of the important role that the bass guitar plays in much of the music.