Raised on the Southside of Chicago, Charles Mack describes the bass guitar as “the final topping on the cake”. He has consistently played the bass for over thirty years. Mack remains an example of a growing number of bassists eager for the spotlight that has long eluded bass musicians. Bassists like Victor Wooten, John Norwood Fisher and others have become increasingly known for their talents on the bass. Mack’s eagerness and drive to be well-acquainted with his instrument and its versatility allows for him not to shy away from playing 4-, 5-, or 6-string basses. While other bassists may not opt for the higher registers given by more than 4 strings, Mack notes the relative comfort with switching between the 3 basses.

“The 6-string bass allows you to go outside of the box,” Mack says. “It’s more like a guitar.”

The 6-string bass came into popularity after bassist Anthony Jackson commissioned a luthier, a stringed instrument maker, to create the first 6-string bass. The tuning between the 6-string bass depends on the player. Mack tunes his strings to a “low B and a high C”. Some of his influences, like Larry Graham, Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke, tend to also play bass guitars with the ability to go beyond the traditional, lower registers.

“The 5- and 6- strings just give you more options,” Mack says. “The 6-string is out of the norm and it peeks the interest [of audiences].”

Mack still contends that the role of the bass player is to listen to everything, lay a groove, and not make the performance his show. He believes that “laying down the identity of the music” makes for good bass playing. Mack recently left James Cotton’s band to pursue other projects, but he also still freelances with bands on the Chicago Blues circuit.

Labels: 6 string basses, bass players, blues music, chicago blues

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