bass

Other forms: basses

A bass sound or instrument is the deepest. If a barbershop quartet sings “Happy Birthday” to you, the guy with the lowest voice is singing the bass part. A bass is also a type of saltwater fish.

The word bass has two main meanings with separate pronunciations — bass with a high vowel sound (like base) ironically refers to very low sounds — bass instruments and singers are in the lowest part of the musical range, like the low rumble of a bass guitar. If you say bass with a low vowel sound, it's a type of fish. That kind of bass doesn’t add much to a harmony but is delicious with mashed potatoes.

Definitions of bass

1. noun

   the lowest part of the musical range
   type of:

   pitch

   the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
2. noun

   the lowest part in polyphonic music
   synonyms: bass part

   types:

   ground bass

   a short melody in the bass that is constantly repeated

   basso continuo, continuo, figured bass, thorough bass

   a bass part written out in full and accompanied by numbers to indicate the chords to be played

   type of:

   part, voice

   the melody carried by a particular voice or instrument in polyphonic music
3. noun

   the lowest adult male singing voice
   synonyms: bass voice, basso

   types:

   basso profundo

   a very deep bass voice

   type of:

   singing voice

   the musical quality of the voice while singing
4. noun

   an adult male singer with the lowest voice
   synonyms: basso

   type of:

   singer, vocaliser, vocalist, vocalizer

   a person who sings
5. noun

   the member with the lowest range of a family of musical instruments
   types:

   bass fiddle, bass viol, bull fiddle, contrabass, double bass, string bass

   largest and lowest member of the violin family

   bass guitar

   the guitar with (usually four) strings that has the lowest pitch

   bass horn, sousaphone, tuba

   the lowest brass wind instrument

   bombard, bombardon

   a large shawm; the bass member of the shawm family

   euphonium

   a bass horn (brass wind instrument) that is the tenor of the tuba family

   bombardon, helicon

   a tuba that coils over the shoulder of the musician

   type of:

   instrument, musical instrument

   any of various devices or contrivances that can be used to produce musical tones or sounds
6. adjective

   having or denoting a low vocal or instrumental range
   “a bass voice is lower than a baritone voice”

   “a bass clarinet”

   synonyms: deep

   low, low-pitched

   used of sounds and voices; low in pitch or frequency