Resolving the Limitation of Playing Sebene Patterns on the Five and Six-Stringed Bass Guitars

Abstract

This paper examines the string structure of the bass guitar and shows how technological advancements can end up limiting talent instead of improving it. The main objective is to show how scientific innovation can help overcome challenges associated with music production and performance. The study also outlines how different African musicians have dealt with this challenge before proposing a technical solution through the development of a convertible Bass Guitar, to be developed by the researcher and an Engineering graduate at the University of Nairobi, leading to a Kenyan solution to a global musical dilemma. When published, it is the researcher’s conviction that the innovation can be replicated anywhere in the world. To share the researcher’s story and suggestions as summarised in this paper, I read several publications on the history and techniques of playing the bass guitar, but also interviewed eight key Sebene players who have played for between eleven and thirty-two years.