Just for you, I have copied the reply from Dan Glenn's forum on how to get good intonation on fretless bass :
Semi-tones from hell!
Hi Bootsy,
Great question. As you move forward exploring the fretless electric bass guitar, you will undoubtedly
be pummeled with everyone's opinions on intonation.
I have been praised in the press for my dead-on intonation, so please remember this as you draw your own conclusion, Ok?
When asked in an interview years ago about protecting a fretless fingerboard with epoxy, my dearly departed friend Jaco Pastorius said, "it's essential." He used these same two words to me speaking about the fret-lines. We have Jaco to thank for ripping out the frets on his old bass refilling the fret slots, thus marking the intonation.
Not all pioneers rode in covered wagons.
Some go into outer space, and some....well...just listen to Jaco Pastorius.
When some smarty pants tries to bust my chops asking me "what's the shortest scripture in the Bible?" I say "uhm...that would be..."Jesus wept."
I know this from being forced to go to Sunday school when I was a child. When someone says "what's the shortest scripture in the Fretless Bible?" I say...."It's essential."
Please don't ever let anyone shame you into thinking "you're not a real fretless player unless you play an unlined fingerboard." BULL!!!
Listen to great players (hey no names...many of them are my friends!) who play unlined fretless.
Awesome as they may be, you will always detact a pitch problem. Especially when they solo. Listen to some great players who play a lined fretless, and you will hear flawless intonation, because they had the common sense to give themselves a head start.
On a fretted bass Bootsy, (as you know) the finger falls just 'behind' the fret. Conversely on a fretless bass the finger is pinned directly 'on' the line.
Excuse me, but how in the heck are you supposed to nail this if the fingerboard is barren? I read a post once from a younger player advising "play a lined fingerboard until you have some experience, and then move on to a lineless fingerboard, because you can't consider yourself a "true" fretless player if you play a lined fingerboard."
WRONG!!!!!!!! :0 ahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Sorry, that was me pulling out my hair.
I've been playing fretless for almost 30 years. My first fretless was a lineless maple fingerboard. Then I heard Jaco about a year later. Duh. A simple case of 'this won't hurt....did it?'
Do you approve of, and like Jaco's intonation?
Yeah, yeah, there are players out there that choose to play a lineless fingerboard that are good players, and they sound fine....blablabla......bla.
Do yourself a favor. When you go fretless, get a beautiful bass that sings nicely...and insist on a lined fingerboard. From then on, whether you're playing an exposed melancholy solo, or roaring away fighting for a point of reference as part of a volcanic ensemble....you'll have one less thing to worry about. Lineless players have a tendency to give the listener a bloody nose from questionable pitch...all in the name of some dogmatic purism
that doesn't really exist. Try it for yourself and you'll see that I haven't overreacted to your question due to drinking too much coffee.
I personally feel all lineless fretless basses should come equipped with curb feelers and a white cane.
Enough said? I have a column on fretless pitch at my website on the "Bass Columns" page. Click on the (I think) 'Bass Frontiers' with Geddy Lee on the cover, and please read my column "Musical Weather" titled 'Fretless Focus." I go into depth about playing long tones and simple mundane melodies to dial in your pitch.
http://www.dannglenn.com
Only after spending much time playing SLOWLY and practicing nailing that string on the LINE, will you find your soul's inner voice showing up in the playbacks. Ok? Too much information? I hope not.
Listen to Jaco's first solo album. Yes, we all know Jaco could have played a kazoo and brought tears to our eyes....but remember...he played a lined fretless Jazz.
After reading my tirade, if you decide to play a lineless fingerboard, I suggest playing upright.
If not, hit those notes squarely on the line, and be careful not to apply too much vibrato. A tad of vibrato gives the note a poignant/weeping...almost vocal quality...whereas too much sounds like you're not sure about your note choice. Best of luck Bootsy!
Dann Glenn
Last edited by Dann Glenn on 04-04-2001 at 05:51 PM
