Classical guitars come in a range of sizes. At the larger end is the bass guitar. As an ensemble, all the music we’ve played to date has only required the occasional dropped D on the sixth string. Looking for new pieces to expand our repertoire we came across a 4 part score for the ‘Pink Panther theme’ which included a score for bass guitar. Our Musical Director happened to have one and, always up for a challenge I volunteered to give it a go.

So, what’s it been like to play? Like wrestling with a bear, very physically demanding and with lots of deep growling. Think humpbacked whale song! You actually feel the vibrations of the guitar body the lower you go.

Let’s start with the strings. All six are wire wound and are more akin to piano strings so forget about gliding smoothly up the strings so different solutions are needed. The 6th string is twice the thickness (2mm vs 1mm) of that of a standard guitar. The thicker strings need a lot more pressure when pushing and holding down. They are also very unforgiving on the buzzing front so accurate finger placement is needed on the back edge of the fret to get a clean note.

The string length from nut to bridge is 8cm longer than my standard guitar so the lower frets are slightly longer and the fret board meets the guitar body at fret 13 rather than 12 so a whole lot of adjustments needed where longer fingers are a definite advantage.

The sound is ‘Simply Awesome’. The additional resonance the lower octave brings with it warmth and changes the whole soundscape and dynamic of the ensemble. As it’s name implies, it’s a base so can offer an anchor for the other parts.

All in all, the bass guitar is big all round and demands respect and practise time to get the best out of it. It’s a good way to get a physical workout and great fun. Can’t wait for some audience feedback when we play the piece in concert.

So, what other pieces might it be useful for? While I’m writing this ‘Bare Necessities’ from the ‘Jungle Book’ comes to mind. Think I’ll nickname it Baloo…!