I am self-taught, and have been playing for about 25 years. A new player came up to me at a gig the other night and asked me why I never used open strings.

I can truly say that the question has never come up or even a comment about it.

Am I alone in not using open strings, or are there others out there like me who just never used them from the start.

My first cheapo bass didn't sound anywhere the same open as closed so I think that is where I got off on that foot.

I use open strings all the time if I'm playing in the lower positions. They're there, if convenient I'll use them.
They are also good for long whole note passages and drones.Open strings have such a nice rich tone and long sustain.
I tend to use them less in passages with a lot of notes to keep the tones sounding similar.

Don't let anyone else tell you how to play! :)

I use a mix of open and fretted or "closed" fingerings. The nice thing about using closed fingerings like you do is that they are intuitive and easy to move around the fretboard. It is a very natural and comfortable way to play the instrument.

Obviously, you need to use open strings sometimes if you want to play songs in E. :)

well for me i dont like the tone of open strings. Its to uncontrollable for me. I feel as though if i press a fret. I can control the tone. Thats just me.

Open strings are great for writing lines with a lot of octaves or lower notes...playing with my index on the fifth fret and throwing in some open strings is a great way to get a good range in fast passages and opens up a lot of options...There are some really great lines IMO that use open strings really well.... Schism and 46&2 by Tool are great examples of this.

I use open strings very little with the exception of the low E. It messes up the patterns I'm used to play, it's easier to control the notes and I also prefer the sound higher up the neck.

I've been told the late great Mr. Jamerson utilized open strings a lot...

A true craftsman learns to use every aspect of their tools to their advantage. Of coursse use open strings, if they sound different to you then practice and figure out how to use that difference.

As Marcus Miller said once... My Jbass isn't the best one ever made it has good notes and bad notes, some sound different than others. I learn how to use the good and bad, I use all those sounds.

i notice the open string has a bit more growl and punch compare to fretted. they sustain longer. so i use them when i want such sound..... other times, i play them because they are there and convinient

I use them often as part of the toolkit.

I sometimes mute the open string slightly to vary the tone
or harmonic content.

A light and lazy finger mute can give you the fundamental open
string tone. Try varying where you place your finger up and down
the fretboard and notice the tonal difference, especially at
full band volume.

Jack Casady has some good tips on his instructional DVD as
well on tone detailing by playing the same riff in different
postions and how further up the fretboard has a bit fatter
tone versus open positions with thinner edgier tone with
a nice discussion on how one can exploit the differences.
He is big on 'performance detailing'.

If you are happy with what you do and how you do it, don't
worry about it. OTOH if you are like me and you are never
satisfied with where you are at then you may want to experiment
with some different techniques to spice your
playing up. I tend to be on a lifelong quest for constant
self-improvement. That is not always the happiest path to be
on, believe me. :bawl: :help: :cool:

ive had this conversation before. i used to very rarely use open strings, then i studied jacos playing a lot more closely. look at how HE used open strings. why not use something thats so usefull..

also, look at how much upright players use open strings..

I use open strings a lot. There are times though when it makes muting a little more difficult, i.e., when the open string will continue to vibrate (if you don't you mute) while the next note is played on a different string - in that case I change the pattern if possible to avoid the open string.

I think open strings work better on a Fender-style bass with flats than a neck-through modern bass with rounds where they can ring uncontrollably. I tend to use fretted notes whenever possible on any bass, but I can tolerate them a lot more if the bass isn't a high end monster.

Am I alone in not using open strings, or are there others out there like me who just never used them from the start.

You're certainly not alone in not using open strings, although if you're now playing quality instruments that sound good, there's really no good reason to continue to not use them...

I play the open strings just about as readily as I do the fretted ones - particularly when I play fretless, in order to give myself that constant reference pitch for intonation purposes...

Occasionally someone will express surprise that I've chosen to play this way. Just as they're surprised that I fret with my little finger as readily as I do with the other three fingers. Or that I'm just as comfortable using a pick as I am playing fingerstyle. When I venture (soon) into the world of ERB, then there will be those who are surprised at that too... :rolleyes:

The point is, it's never a bad idea to think outside the box in terms of broadening one's technique and playing style. And if you can justify integrating the new technique or style on musical grounds, it can be a very good thing.

I guess we're all "in the box" to a certain extent. It's just that some of us have much larger - or smaller - boxes than others...

MM

I use open strings very little with the exception of the low E. It messes up the patterns I'm used to play, it's easier to control the notes and I also prefer the sound higher up the neck.

Sounds like you're a prime candidate for a five-string!

my 2 pennies....

I find that sometimes playing all the notes on one string will sound different than using different strings. Maybe because I play a lot of UB but everything has a different sound, in regards to where its played on the neck etc.:bassist:

I started by emulating upright bass players, and was dee-lighted to use open strings. They go so nicely with rockabilly style, which is mostly what we do (I should probably switch to playing washboard). You can get plunk from them, yes, you do have to learn to mute them but I think it's really fun.

I use open strings very little with the exception of the low E. It messes up the patterns I'm used to play, it's easier to control the notes and I also prefer the sound higher up the neck.



My exact thoughts.

My exact thoughts.

Another five-string candidate! You can play your low E on the fifth fret of the B-string, use all your favorite patterns from there, and get all that fat mid-neck tone in any key whenever you want.

Another five-string candidate! You can play your low E on the fifth fret of the B-string, use all your favorite patterns from there, and get all that fat mid-neck tone in any key whenever you want.

Yes, a five string would make a lot of sense...but then I would use the open low B...and also, there's something about 4 strings, they have more tradition. I am so conservative.

When I started out, I would use fretted notes exclusively. But as I started transcribing songs and studying bass lines, I saw the various ways that open notes can add flavor to a bass line. I know practice my lines in different ways, mixing up the fretted and open notes.

It has made a nice addition to my repertoire.

If your playing a fretless ,open strings give your ear a reference to listen to the correct note.

Another great thing about open strings is that you can use them to make large interval jumps quickly. I like those kind of surprises sometimes!

I use open strings wherever I can to allow my fingers to be playing other notes either simultaneously or in quick succession. I find writing with open strings in mind enables me to play more involved lines.

it's interesting how your conceptualising of the fingeboard adapts to overcome deficiencies of a bass..

eg I hardly ever play open D's unless I specifically need to 'bounce' off that open D... the D on the 'A' string (here we go... a pedant like onlyclave will say 'there's more than one D on the A string) invariably sounds better to me... wheras any time I need a strong 'A' the open A usually gets chosen

Usually only when I use it as a drone or when it is completely necessary.

I like the control I have over fretted notes.

...I like the control I have over fretted notes.
Good point! I think the lack of control I get from using lots of open strings probably contributes to the way I phrase things. . . never really thunk about it before.

Thanks guys for all the replies. I actually sat down and started practiced using some opens on the songs that I play near the nut.

I also agree that the use of an open now and then on the fretless, gives you a reference to where you are. (I do not look at the fingerboard or dots on the fretless, only to start the song. It is surprising how one can train the ear to keep in tune.

SInce I have been playing the fretless, I also notice that if I just start playing a riff by myself, I can tell that it is not on a key!
What a breakthrough for me!!!:hyper:

Open strings sound very nice on recordings.

As a beginner, I used open strings a lot. As I progressed I stuck to closed scale shapes since they are so movable it made "learning" all the keys easier.

After getting into Jamerson, I started really exploring the lower frets. I went back to using open strings a lot more. I kind of like seeing how each key feels unique under my left hand, it really underscores that I'm 'thinking' in a particular key.

I like to drop low open strings a lot in the keys/chords E A D G when I'm fretting the 5th fret and up..nice contrast to the tone of higher frets.

also , I use Jamerson's frequent motif of throwing in a very muted open string note as a percussive anticipation or off beat, regardless of what key i'm in.

I mostly use the open E when I need a long low note, but otherwise, I usually use the 5th fret of the next string instead.

I think when I was using 6 and 5 string basses with fairly bright strings and eletronics, then I tended to avoid open strings or used my right hand thumb to mute the sympathetic ringing.

But as I have played Jazz more and got into Double Bass I find that a lot of great bass lines make extensive use of open strings - so the more transcribing you do, the more you realise how the 'greats' used open strings hugely!

In fact I would say that some of the written bass lines I have been given to play as part of Jazz tunes are virtually impossible unless you use open strings - so otherwise there are huge leaps and impossible stretches.

But use the open strings and the lines start to make sense and are easier to play without fatigue.

I'm also with the crowd here who switched to using more open strings after learning James Jamerson lines. He transfered that way of playing from his upright bass playing. I believe that Jaco listed him as an influence as well.

Using open strings more has helped me to develop efficient string muting skills and has improved my tone and overall playing.

I would suggest buying the "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" book/cds as it has great transcriptions of Jamerson lines with the use of open strings. You have to be able to read music as it does not have tab.

When I started playing I read a Phil Lesh quote I live by: "Don't play the open strings unless you mean it". A concise agreement with Doc Bop's answer, methinks.

I'm also self taught, and have found myself favouring closed notes. It wasn't a conscious decision. The closed notes just sounded better. Plus I love slidy notes, as played, for example, by two o my fave players, Guy Pratt and Richard Page. Ultimate slider, Pino Palidino - I just can't figure that guy out he's sooo good! Anyway, over the last couple of years I have been working on using more open notes. It does give you freedom to get around on the neck that you don't when closed.

in phil lesh's book, he says that the best single piece of bass advice he got was "never play an open string unless you really have to."

i dont see the logic behind this.

playing open strings makes sense, its obviously a lot easier to do than fretting the same note, and allows you time to change positions. also, open strings sound different than fretted notes, and are very good for adding some balls to your bassline.

When I started playing I read a Phil Lesh quote I live by: "Don't play the open strings unless you mean it". A concise agreement with Doc Bop's answer, methinks.

i dont think your answer is that concise in its agreement with what docbop said, for the record.

i dont see any reason why somebody shouldnt use open strings.

in phil lesh's book, he says that the best single piece of bass advice he got was "never play an open string unless you really have to."

i dont see the logic behind this.

playing open strings makes sense, its obviously a lot easier to do than fretting the same note, and allows you time to change positions. also, open strings sound different than fretted notes, and are very good for adding some balls to your bassline.

Playing a stopped note (let's say A on the E string) has an attack and tone consistent with the Bb one fret higher. The open A is more harmonically rich and sounds out of place. This can make the bass jump out of an otherwise nice blend when it plays E A D or G. Also, the stopped note shortens the string and allows that note to speak faster because of the reduced string length. And, as an added bonus, if you happen to be out of tune you have better luck wrestling around a stopped note than an out of tune open one.

I prefer to play the stopped notes myself for those reasons I just gave. It helps me to connect the notes and be more musical.

Another great thing about open strings is that you can use them to make large interval jumps quickly. I like those kind of surprises sometimes!

+1 One of the good reasons - allows you to move or change position to catch some notes or complete a riff.

I think you have to play all of the instrument - choosing open versus closed it a matter of economy and the sound you want - but seriouly who does not pound on the open E???

If your playing a fretless ,open strings give your ear a reference to listen to the correct note.

That's why I use them!!!

They are best for pedal tones too.

Now that I've started on upright I'm seeing the obvious benefits of playing open strings:

- less stretching
- intonation reference
- playing faster on upright (goes along with point one)

On electric bass I hardly ever played open strings but I'm changing that also with the upright influence.