Define Bassists Meaning

the very heart and soul of any band
without him/her any rock band is no more
then a boy band with Marshall half stacks
they usually use a combonation of finger
picking,slapping/popping,and picking to get their orgasmic sound that makes the crowd jump,along with the drummer the bassist is the sexiest member of the group and thereby usually ends up with the most groupies...or a hot girlfriend.Oh, and a quick side note;recent archeological digs have proven that not only did jesus and budah play bass,so did Zeus.

A musically inclined person who, instead of being a showman (like most guitarists, but not all) is more the pure musician along with the drummer, the pianist, and the mandolin player, the "musician in the group.

But the main job (this, coming from a bass player) is to translate the languages between the guitarist and the drummer, for they speak two totally different languages.

And popular to popular opinion, the bass player does not usually create the rhythm or even state it for the guitarist to play along with, it is the drummer that does that in most circumstances. The bass player in most occasions adds to that rhythm and makes it more complex, or creates a bas(s)is for drum solos.

A bassist is a musician who plays either stand-up bass or the bass guitar. He/she provides the rhythmic and harmonic foundation to a song, and is found in most any type of music, including jazz, rock, heavy metal, salsa, classical, funk, and even hip-hop.

Due to simplistic and unimaginative musicians taking over the rock mainstream, the bassist is often looked at as the guy in the background thumping along on the E-string, playing root notes and doubling the rhythm guitar. Anyone who thinks this cannot rightly be blamed; after all, there are so many "I play 4 notes per song and contribute nothing" bassists out there such as Paul Thomas, Brent Wilson, Pete Wentz, and David Desrosiers (to name a few) that the instrument hardly gets any recognition among casual music fans. The aforementioned, however, are actually not bassists but something called "failed guitarists" who had too much trouble with bar chords but decided they wanted to be in a band anyway, and switched to bass. Such "musicians" have no business being in the same category as Les Claypool, Victor Wooten, Flea, and even nu-metalers like Fieldy and Ryan Martinie who gave something to music.

What goes unrealized is how the right bassline, played by a true bassist and not just a failed guitarist, can make an otherwise average song extraordinary.

a bassist is part of the glue in music along with the drummer
sometimes they may want to take control but who can blame them? they hardly ever solo and dont like guitarists intruding on their sonic space.

A bassist- short for 'bass guitarist' is the most underated musician in poular music. ordinary music fans generally just listen to the vocals and guitar while ignoring the bass, which is not really their fault, but the fault of crap bassists who dont play basslines, just root notes, and producers in the studio, who often compress songs so much that the bass is almost silent. bassists play the bass guitar, much like a guitar, but much bigger and based on the upright double bass. It is tuned one octave lower than the guitar and it usually has 4 strings and 21-24 frets, but you can get 5,6,8 and 12+ string basses and fretless basses to get differnt sounds out of the instrument. The Bassist is the band member that gets you dancin', (although you probably dont know it) and bassists play their instrument by picking, plucking with two to four fingers, slapping and tapping the strings. Many uneducated cretins believe that is 'just like a guitar, but its easier, cus you only have to play one string at a time... drool, slather...etc'. But in reality a good bassist lays down the groove, can walk all over the fretboard, and can lock with the drummer as part of the rythm section. Guitarists and singers may steal the spotlight, but the bassist is the one holding it all together. He is the musical glue, the perfect balance between the melody and the beat of the song. and pretty goddamn funky too.
some famous and talanted bassists include:
Jaco Pastorius,
Victor Wooten,
Les Claypool,
Flea,
Billy Sheenan,
John Myung,
Sid Vicous, (just joking!)
Stanley Clarke,
Geddy Lee,
Cliff Burton,
Steve Harris etc.

A passive aggresive musician. One who plays the bass guitar, an insturment with more influence than most non-musicians are actually aware of.

The simplest meaning of a bassist is one who plays the bass. Bass players are generally overlooked by the average person who simply follow the guitar and vocals. I am not saying that is a bad thing by any means, but it is ignorance, or a lack of knowledge due to the defiance of learning, in which people state that a bass player is not necessary for a band or all bassists suck. This is entirely incorrect. Bassists like John Myung (Dream Theater), Tony Levin (liquid tension experiment), Billy Sheehan (Mr.Big), and Les Claypool(primus) have the ability to outshred and outplay even the best guitar players. Comparative to guitar, a bass is much harder to play because of a wider neck and more pressure needed to be applied to the neck. Those who are impressed by guitar players tapping...don't be. It is much more difficult on bass because it takes strength to sound the notes while you can barely touch the string on a guitar and it will sound the note. No matter what technique used on the bass guitar, it is always interesting to watch a good bass player. Like any instrument, you can learn a lot by watching good players. As far as talent goes, bassists cannot be considered inferior to guitar players for lack of talent because there are many talented bassists who have gone to schools like Berklee. A bass player is a musician, and should be held in the same esteem as all other musicians.

Bassist-
Musician who plays the bass guitar.
Primaraly part of the rhythm section however can be considered a lead instrument in some bands (e.i Motorhead, Mudvayne, Old Metallica, Red hot chilli peppers etc.)
Though a bassist may choose to play with 4 strings, he may play anywhere up to 12 strings. These are called extended range basses, or ERBS.
Bassists may also play the upright bass or double bass.
Generally speaking, a bassist is much more inclined towards funk and groove playing. The bass is more or less the instrument that makes the girls shake their booty.
Bassists are important for a band because they are able to hold the song together whilst a guitarist solo's over the song. During solos the bassist and drummer may 'Lock', making it much easier for the guitarist to keep time, and makes the song much simpler.
Bassists may play in a variety of styles: Pick Style, Finger Style, Slapping, Tapping etc. Each adds its own element to songs.
Nowadays bassists use mainly picks, for a variety of reasons that may include: They prefer the timbre of pick playing or they arent fast enough with their fingers.
Many bassists are classically trained or inclined.

Some famous bassists include:
Les Claypool (Primus)
Flea (red hot chilli peppers)
Cliff Burton (metallica)
Lemmy (motorhead)
Victor Wooten (Bela fleck and the flecktones)
Jaco Pastorious (Weather Report)
Stu Hamm (steve vai)
Billy Sheehan (Mr Big)
Rob Trujillo (Suicidal Tendancies, Metallica)
Mark Hoppus (blink 182)
Feildy (korn)
Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue)
John Myung (dream Theatre)

And many many more.

The member of the band with the largest genitalia.

one who plays, well or not, the bass guitar.