Rhythm section
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A rhythm section includes the musicians in a popular music band or ensemble who establish the rhythmic pulse of a song or musical piece and lay down the chordal structure. The term "rhythm section" may also refer to the instruments in this group.
The core elements of the rhythm section are the drums and a bass instrument (either double bass for Swing or Bebop jazz or a bass guitar for pop, fusion, R&B and funk). Both instruments lay down the pulse for the music, and the bass lays down the harmonic foundation with a bassline. Most groups also use chordal instruments in their rhythm sections, such as rhythm guitar, piano or other keyboard instruments, such as the electric piano, Hammond organ, or vibraphone.
Swing big bands, Afro-Latin bands, and jazz fusion bands often use auxiliary percussion in the rhythm section such as claves, bongos, marracas and other cultural percussion. New Orleans or Dixieland Swing bands may use a Banjo in the rhythm section.
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[edit] Organ trios
In organ trios, the lower octaves of a Hammond organ or electronic keyboard are used as a substitute for bass guitar or double bass. Organ trios were a widely used type of jazz ensemble in the 1950s and 1960s. As well, organ trios are sometimes used in rock. The rock group The Doors used keyboardist Ray Manzarek to play the bass role, using a keyboard bass, or bass pedals.
[edit] Rock and pop
The rhythm section in rock and pop bands includes the drum set, bass guitar, and chordal instruments such as rhythm guitar, piano or other keyboard instruments, such as the electric piano, Hammond organ, synthesizer, vibraphone or xylophone. Along with these popular rhythm section instruments is an auxiliary percussion section. Rock and pop rhythm sections accompany the lead singer and lead guitarist by playing rhythmic patterns, laying out the chord structure, and performing riffs and ostinati that give each song its identity.
[edit] Dixieland bands
Some jazz bands use tuba or other low-pitched instruments in place of the more common double bass. The tuba may be used as a means of evoking brass band sounds reminiscent of early jazz, such as New Orleans or Dixieland Swing.
A non-musician might call the rhythm section 'background music'. However, their importance is much greater than that. In theory (and sometimes in practice) any instrument or instruments can provide a steady rhythm (listen to Jimmy Giuffre's clarinet, valve trombone, and guitar trio of the late 1950s, in which all instruments switch between lead and supporting roles. As well, the "rhythm" instruments often take featured solos in jazz bands.
