Bass lines matter. In pop music, especially, we look for the bass line to tell us how to get into the groove of the song, and that holds true for a cappella. Even when the other harmonies are off engaging in some rhythmic shenanigans, the bass continues to ground the group in the correct key and time signature so that they don’t get off-track. The sad thing is that basses tend to get the least interesting parts that just involve singing the root of chords with some variation of “dm” or “bm.” As a former baritone, I’ve felt that pain of being underutilized. Singing the same note repeatedly at various speeds; it’s not just tiring, it’s also not mentally stimulating. You don’t need a good bass for any of that.
There’s an argument to be made for arranging these simple bass lines for the sake of expediency or for inexperienced voices. If the bass line is simple, it’s easier to learn and people are less likely to make errors. A mistake on the bass line is in many ways as harmful to a performance as a mistake by the soloist; it’s noticeable and has the potential to throw other parts for a loop. The opposite extreme, making too complex a bass part, is equally ill-advised. What I strive for is a bass part that is repetitive but not dull. Repetitive parts mean less time spent learning and more time perfecting the sound, but the desire to make the bass line fun and interesting should always take priority over simplicity. If parts aren’t written to be fun, singers can’t use them to express any emotional depth or show off their ability.
Syllables are a nightmare for me to come up with. I’m terrible at it, and that’s too bad, considering syllables make all the difference in a cappella. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been singing choral music so long that I’m trapped in the belief that more experimental syllables like “bomp” are too clunky, even when they work just fine in some situations. When I test out my own bass lines, everything that isn’t stock phrases just stands out too much. Being mostly inexperienced with this aspect of arranging, I prefer to play it safe and give the basses something with no chance of sounding clunky.
Another major concern with basses is ensuring they can be heard. There is significant variation between bass’s ranges and how well they sound on increasingly low notes, so when writing their parts I need to be certain that I understand their physical limitations. Volume typically drops considerably after G2 and all but disappears by D2, so unless the bass is exceptional (or has a microphone), the audience will be straining to hear them. It is critical that basses be audible, even if it means giving up on your dreams of some killer bass line that drops into the abyssal reaches of the human voice. Maybe next time.
Pop Filter: Based Basses
