I picked up this amazing and organic sounding instrument when I was only 12. The bass guitar was bigger than me, and I'm pretty sure it was also heavier. Nevertheless, I took the initiative to attempt to play it after my parents refused to let me take guitar lessons because of how small my hands were.
Some of the bassist listed are by no means the most technically acclaimed. They represent however, different stages of my musical ventures.
5. Mark Hoppus (Blink-182) The first songs I ever played were all the hits from "Enema of the State." Yeah, they were all tonic notes as you would expect in a punk band. He isn't a virtuoso or anything like that. But for beginners, he's a real source of inspiration because it gives people something to look forward to play.
4. Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) After surpassing my teen punk phase, I started getting musically cultured with older and more classical rock music. As a result, I stumbled into GNR. I wasn't hooked because of Axl's insane voice or Slash's melodic and powerful guitar, rather, it was Duff's blissful half-step-down tuned bass lines dipped in a signature chorus effect. His bass lines were unlike anything I had heard because they didn't rest on tonic notes. This was the first bassist I heard playing around with notes effectively.
3. Paul McCartney (The Beatles) A consistent presence in any list or ranking, Sir Paul opened my eyes to how important the instrument is to all the Beatles classics. Most, if not all of the songs are driven by his Hofner bass, and that's when I finally understood the crucial role of the bass guitar.
2. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) I've never been a huge funk person. But Flea and his slapping and thumping style made me appreciate the bass more than I ever had before. He was the first bassist I heard my friends saying that he was truly the man of the band.
1. Chris Wolstenholme (MUSE) Presently, my biggest musical influence. His style is just crazy. I hated bass effects until I heard Muse for the first time. He manages to find a unique sound for every song he records, and it always fits the emotion perfectly. He's definitely the most underrated bassist.
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