Acoustic
Double bass
Also called the upright or contrabass. It is the foundation of jazz, bluegrass and orchestral music, played plucked or with a bow.
Low End
Bing Bass Players Quiz – Famous Bassists & Bands Trivia
From Motown sessions to stadium rock and fretless jazz, the bass holds the music together. Pluck the right string on twelve questions, keep your groove streak alive, and find out if you belong in the rhythm section.
Plug in & play ↓Listen closely to almost any hit song and you will find the bass doing two jobs at once: locking in with the drums to drive the rhythm, and outlining the chords so the harmony makes sense. When it is missing, music feels thin and unsteady. When it is great, it is the part that makes people move without quite knowing why.
This Bing Bass Players Quiz celebrates the musicians who mastered that low end, from studio legends whose names few people know to frontmen who sang while playing intricate lines. Every question is a set of four strings, E, A, D and G, just like a standard bass. Pluck the one you think is right. Answer correctly several times in a row to build a groove streak for bonus points. You can switch on sound to hear each string.
Please note: this is an independent educational quiz. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Microsoft, Bing, any musician, band or instrument maker mentioned. Song titles are referenced for educational purposes only.
E·A·D·GStandard tuning of a four-string bass, low to high
1 octaveHow much lower the bass sits than a guitar’s four lowest strings
1951Year Fender put the Precision Bass on sale
2,221Recording credits behind Ron Carter’s Guinness record
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Take the Bing Bass Players Quiz
Each correct answer is worth 100 points. Keep a streak going for a groove bonus of 25 extra points for each consecutive correct answer, up to +100. Watch the amp’s VU meter climb as you play.
Soundcheck
Twelve questions. Four strings. One groove.
- Pluck the E, A, D or G string to choose your answer
- 100 points per correct answer, plus a groove streak bonus
- Sound is off by default; turn it on to hear each string
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What Does a Bass Player Actually Do?
The bass guitar is tuned like the four lowest strings of a guitar, E, A, D and G, but one octave lower. That low register lets it bridge the drums and the rest of the band, which is why bassists are often called the glue of a group.
- Rhythm partner: the bass locks in with the kick drum to create the groove a band is built on.
- Harmony guide: playing root notes and passing tones tells the listener which chord is happening.
- Melodic voice: players from Paul McCartney to Jaco Pastorius showed the bass can carry melodies too.
- Felt as much as heard: the lowest notes of a standard bass vibrate around 41 hertz, close to the bottom of human hearing.
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Meet the Bass Family
The modern electric bass grew out of the acoustic double bass. Leo Fender’s Precision Bass, first sold in 1951, made a portable, amplified bass practical, and its frets let players hit notes with “precision,” which inspired the name.
Since 1951
Precision Bass
Fender’s original electric bass. Its punchy, solid tone is still a studio favorite across rock, soul and pop.
Since 1960
Jazz Bass
Fender’s sleeker follow-up with two pickups and a narrower neck, prized for its growling, articulate tone.
Hollow body
Violin bass
The lightweight, violin-shaped Höfner 500/1 became world-famous in the hands of Paul McCartney.
No frets
Fretless bass
Without frets, notes slide smoothly for a singing, vocal tone, the sound Jaco Pastorius made famous.
Extended range
Five- and six-string
Adding a low B string, and sometimes a high C, extends the range for modern genres such as metal, gospel and fusion.
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Motown Session The Beatles The Who Led Zeppelin Queen Rush The Police Funk Funk Funk rock Jazz fusion Jazz Jazz Jazz New wave Grunge Punk Noise rock Metal
Legendary Bassists by Genre
Filter by genre to explore the players most likely to appear in music trivia, from session heroes to bandleaders.
James Jamerson
The Funk BrothersThe uncredited bassist on a huge run of Motown hits, famous for inventive lines played with a single finger.
Carol Kaye
The Wrecking CrewA prolific Los Angeles session player heard on countless 1960s pop, film and TV recordings.
Paul McCartney
The Beatles · WingsA melodic, left-handed bassist whose Höfner violin bass became iconic. His long-lost original was returned to him in 2024.
John Entwistle
The WhoNicknamed “The Ox,” he turned the bass into a lead instrument and played a celebrated solo on “My Generation.”
John Paul Jones
Led ZeppelinA multi-instrumentalist and arranger who also played keyboards and mandolin for the band.
John Deacon
QueenWrote “Another One Bites the Dust,” a U.S. No. 1 built around his bass line.
Geddy Lee
RushSang lead, played bass and handled keyboards and foot pedals, often all in the same song.
Sting
The PoliceFronted the trio as lead singer and bassist before a long solo career.
Larry Graham
Sly and the Family StoneGenerally credited with inventing slap bass, which he calls “thumpin’ and pluckin’,” to imitate a drummer.
Bootsy Collins
James Brown · Parliament-FunkadelicA flamboyant funk icon known for star-shaped basses and deep, bouncing grooves.
Flea
Red Hot Chili PeppersBrought high-energy slap and punk attitude to one of the biggest rock bands of the 1990s and 2000s.
Jaco Pastorius
Weather ReportRedefined the fretless electric bass with singing melodies and harmonics after joining Weather Report in 1976.
Ron Carter
Miles Davis QuintetHolds the Guinness World Record as the most-recorded jazz bassist, with 2,221 recording credits as of 2015.
Charles Mingus
Bandleader & composerA towering composer and double bassist behind albums such as Mingus Ah Um.
Esperanza Spalding
Solo artistIn 2011 she became the first jazz musician to win the Grammy for Best New Artist.
Tina Weymouth
Talking Heads · Tom Tom ClubHer minimal, danceable lines were a key part of Talking Heads’ sound.
Krist Novoselic
NirvanaCo-founded Nirvana and played bass on Nevermind and the band’s other albums.
Mike Dirnt
Green DayKnown for melodic punk bass, including the instantly recognizable intro to “Longview.”
Kim Gordon
Sonic YouthA founding member, bassist and vocalist of the influential New York band.
Cliff Burton
MetallicaPlayed bass on Metallica’s first three albums and brought classical influences and bold solos to metal.
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Bass Playing Techniques
How a bassist strikes the string shapes the sound as much as the instrument does. These five techniques come up again and again in music trivia.
Fingerstyle
Plucking with the index and middle fingers for a warm, round tone.
Pick
A plectrum gives a brighter, punchier attack loved in rock and punk.
Slap & pop
Striking with the thumb and snapping with a finger for percussive funk.
Tapping
Hammering notes onto the fretboard with both hands, like playing piano.
Walking bass
A steady line of notes on every beat that “walks” through the chords in jazz and blues.
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Famous Bass Lines Worth Knowing
Some songs are instantly recognizable from their opening bass notes. Here are a few that regularly turn up in music quizzes, plus one famous myth.
- “Another One Bites the Dust” · QueenWritten by bassist John Deacon around his own funky riff.Bass-led hit
- “Come Together” · The BeatlesPaul McCartney’s slinky, sliding line opens the track.Classic intro
- “My Generation” · The WhoJohn Entwistle takes a rare bass solo in a 1960s rock single.Bass solo
- “Money” · Pink FloydRoger Waters’ riff is famous for its unusual 7/4 time signature.Odd meter
- “Longview” · Green DayMike Dirnt’s rolling intro is a rite of passage for punk bassists.Classic intro
- “Seven Nation Army” · The White StripesOften mistaken for a bass, the riff was actually played by Jack White on a guitar through an octave-down pedal.Myth buster
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Tips for Acing Bass Trivia
- Learn the singing bassists. Paul McCartney, Sting, Geddy Lee and Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead all sang lead while playing bass.
- Match players to their basses. McCartney and the Höfner, Jaco and the fretless Jazz Bass, Leo Fender and the Precision.
- Remember the session legends. James Jamerson (Motown) and Carol Kaye (the Wrecking Crew) played on hits without being household names.
- Know who invented what. Larry Graham is credited with slap bass; Leo Fender with the first mass-produced electric bass.
Still in the mood for music? Try Today's Music and TV Quiz for daily pop culture questions, or tune in to the headlines with Today's News Quiz.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Bing Bass Players Quiz?
It is a free, 12-question educational music quiz about famous bassists, bands and bass instruments. You answer by plucking one of four bass strings, and every answer comes with an explanation. It is independent and not affiliated with Microsoft or Bing.
How is a bass guitar tuned?
A standard four-string bass is tuned E, A, D, G from lowest to highest, the same notes as a guitar’s four lowest strings but one octave lower.
Who invented the electric bass guitar?
Several inventors experimented with electric basses in the 1930s, but Leo Fender’s Precision Bass, first sold in 1951, was the first widely successful mass-produced electric bass.
Who invented slap bass?
Slap bass on the electric bass is generally credited to Larry Graham, who developed the technique in the 1960s and played with Sly and the Family Stone.
Who is the most-recorded jazz bassist?
Ron Carter holds the Guinness World Record as the most-recorded jazz bassist in history, with 2,221 recording credits as of September 2015.
What is the difference between a fretted and fretless bass?
A fretted bass has metal strips that mark each note precisely. A fretless bass has a smooth fingerboard, allowing slides and a smoother, more vocal tone, but it requires more accurate finger placement.
Sources & Further Reading
- Fender Precision Bass – history overview
- Encyclopaedia Britannica – Leo Fender
- Slapping (music) – origins of slap bass
- Guinness World Records – Ron Carter, most recorded jazz bassist
- Oregon Encyclopedia – Esperanza Spalding
- Encyclopaedia Britannica – Jaco Pastorius
- The Who (official site) – John Entwistle