# Rock songs that feature bowed double bass **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 5, 2007, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897 "2007-12-05T11:09:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/1 "2007-12-05T11:09:35Z")
I’ve always wanted to play upright bass, and in several weeks this desire will become a reality when the bass I ordered from the Upton workshop in Mystic, CT arrives. (I will have the honor of taking lessons with one of the best bassists in town.) One of the main reasons I want to play upright is so that I can learn some classical technique and utilize arco (bowed) playing in the music that I create. I think the sound of a bowed bass blends very well with folky/acoustic or psychedelic rock. There are several rock songs I know of that feature bowed bass: Bukowski by Modest Mouse Star Witness by Neko Case California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade by The Decemberists Several songs on Yellow House by Grizzly Bear Do you know of any others? Aside: Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” does not feature any bowed bass, but it references it in a puzzling lyric: “Ten silver saxes, a bass with a bow/the drummer relaxes and waits between shows/for his Cinnamon Girl” ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/2 "2007-12-05T11:32:07Z")
Primus has at least three: Pork Soda and Mr. Krinkle from the album Pork Soda, and Glass Sandwich from Tales From the Punchbowl. I think it was an electric upright bass though, so I don’t know if you’re looking for that. I wouldn’t be suprised if Les Claypool also bowed occasionally in his other projects. Barenaked Ladies and Soul Coughing are two bands that have/had bassists who always played upright, but I don’t know if they did any bow work. Smashing Pumpkins used strings in some songs, so I wouldn’t be suprised if there was a bass in there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/3 "2007-12-05T11:52:51Z")
I think it features quite prominently in some songs by The Beatles (not sure if that fits within your genre criteria though). ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/4 "2007-12-05T13:59:03Z")
Claypool is insane at the bass guitar but I’ve heard that he downright sucks at double bass, from those who’ve seen him play it. Beatles definitely counts. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/5 "2007-12-05T14:14:07Z")
Didn’t Buddy Holly and the Crickets feature upright bass? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/6 "2007-12-05T14:15:15Z")
w/ a bow? ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/7 "2007-12-05T14:25:51Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] Claypool is insane at the bass guitar but I’ve heard that he downright sucks at double bass, from those who’ve seen him play it. [/QUOTE] Pretty much. He just does does for novelty on a few songs. He also plucks on it sometimes. Also he bows it on Coddingtown from the Brown Album. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/8 "2007-12-05T16:22:06Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade by The Decemberists [/QUOTE] Also their “Mariner’s Revenge Song,” towards the end The jazz bassist Richard Davis is all over Van Morrison’s _Astral Weeks_; he pulls out the bow for the last note of “Madame George,” he might play more elsewhere on the record. I assume you just want solo bass and not as part of a string section. Lou Reed’s “Street Hassle” seems to have a few spots where the bass plays the orchestral part solo. I don’t think I could tell a bass bowing high and a cello bowing low reliably enough to tell them apart, though. It’s not rock music, but Jerry Douglas, Russ Barenberg & Edgar Meyer’s _Skip, Hop & Wobble_ has a lot of great bass bowing. ---
**Author:** ![EvoDevo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@EvoDevo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvoDevo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/9 "2007-12-05T19:41:39Z")
Ben Folds Five’s big hit, “Brick,” features Robert Sledge eschewing his usual fuzz-laden style of electric bass in favor of a bowed upright bass. It’s a big part of why that song has such an atypically emo feel for a band normally known for raucous, piano-driven pop punk. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/10 "2007-12-05T19:51:32Z")
Check out The Living End, an Australian rockabilly/punk band featuring a great guitarist and a bassist playing a cool upright (with checkerboard sides). Speaking of rockabilly, if you want to be awed and humbled, get the Brian Setzer Orchestra Live in Japan DVD. It features his bassist - I think his name is Mark Winchester - who is a flat-out monster. I recognize that this does NOTHING for you in terms of using a bow - but I couldn’t resist mentioning both of these because they are so damn cool. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/11 "2007-12-05T19:55:19Z")
I don’t know if you would consider it a rock song or not, but you should check out _The Romantic Warrior_ by **Return To Forever**. Any serious study of the bass should include **Stanley Clarke**. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/12 "2007-12-05T20:27:44Z")
[QUOTE=riker1384] Barenaked Ladies and Soul Coughing are two bands that have/had bassists who always played upright, but I don’t know if they did any bow work. [/QUOTE] Yeah, Jim Creeggan w/ BNL plays upright on a lot of songs and does a lot of bow work here and there. I’m not sure which songs feature it for sure, but when you see them live he’ll bust out the bow quite often. ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-songs-that-feature-bowed-double-bass/428897/13 "2007-12-05T20:37:30Z")
Many of the songs by **Crooked Fingers** feature a bowed upright.