Definition of Bass guitar

The electric bass guitar (or "electric bass") is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, popping or using a pick. The bass is typically similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and scale length, and 4 or 5 strings tuned one octave lower in pitch than the bass strings of a guitar. Since the 1950s, the electric bass has largely replaced the double bass in popular music. The bass is typically used to provide the low-pitched bassline(s) and bass runs in many different styles of music ranging from rock and metal to blues and jazz. The electric bass is also used as a soloing instrument in jazz, fusion, Latin, funk, and rock styles.