Fretless - where to start?

[grifff]

I just purchased a Warwick Corvette Fretless and I was wondering what songs I should start learning to help my intonation. I listen to metal, jazz, and rock.

[mpm32]

Just play everything you played on the fretted. Of course you have to work more to make sure it's in tune but you'll have a frame of reference. I used to play my fretless in a punk band way back when to be different. Until it got stolen.

[Chad Michael]

Originally Posted by grifff

I just purchased a Warwick Corvette Fretless and I was wondering what songs I should start learning to help my intonation. I listen to metal, jazz, and rock.

Put the fretted bass away for awhile. Play nothing but the fretless. That is what "did it" for me.

[rarisgod]

Originally Posted by Chad Michael

Put the fretted bass away for awhile. Play nothing but the fretless. That is what "did it" for me.

I've been doing this since Friday, and I must say it's helped tremendously, even though it hasn't been that long. I'm finding myself in tune on things I wouldn't expect to be as easy, so it's working well so far.

[7thbass]

Jaco Pastorius, on his solo stuff, Weather Report, Joni Mitchell (shadows and Light (live), Hejira). There are some dubiously recorded shows from New York City that have Jaco backing R&B and Rock tunes which is a revelation. Maggie Mae and Dear Prudence are good examples. A monster, really brought the viability of fretless home to me.

I really like playing old Cream stuff on fretless, probably because later in his career Jack Bruce went to fretless. I am pretty sure that for the Cream stuff he was playing SG or Fender VI basses (I cannot be sure). But his phrasing and lines lend themselves to fretless.

Dudes like Steve Bailey can tear it up, no question, but I am not ever going to be that kind of monster player. If you look at some of his stuff on youtube.com you will hear what one can do with chords and double stops, and it is amazing.

I am a big Rush fan, and the last album had some great fretless playing (I think Working them Angles and Malignant Narcicism?).

I think there is a great fretless bass part on Pink Floyd's "Hey You". And Paul Simon's Graceland album is full of tasty fretless.

I second the idea of playing whatever you are used to playing on a fretted bass. Truth is, once you work out the intonation issues, technique can get you to sound like fingerstyle fretted bass pretty easily. The beauty of fretless is once you get the notes down, there is almost limitless expression, a lot of vibratos and sliding, as well as "mwah-ing" you can do that will take the song to the next level. Listening to those listed above can show you what the bass is capable of when you rip out the frets.

Don't think that to play fretless you need a lot of pyrotechnics. Watching youtube you would think that long glissando's and micro-tonal quarter pitches are mandatory. They are not.

I play exclusively fretless if if am on a stage were I can hear myself. Very liberating.

Okay, step of soapbox, get back to work. . . .

[Stickk]

"Veil of Maya" by Cynic
"Rosetta Stoned" by Tool
"The Widow" by The Mars Volta

[rarisgod]

Originally Posted by 7thbass

I am a big Rush fan, and the last album had some great fretless playing (I think Working them Angles and Malignant Narcicism?).

Just as a clarification, I believe Malignant Narcissism was the only track to have fretless. I might be wrong, but I'm like 99.9% certain that MalNar was the only fretless track.

[jgroh]

Originally Posted by rarisgod

Just as a clarification, I believe Malignant Narcissism was the only track to have fretless. I might be wrong, but I'm like 99.9% certain that MalNar was the only fretless track.

Yep, only one (and to me it doesnt much sound like a fretless)

[Rigel42]

To me, nothing says fretless like a jazz walking bass lines. All the L\U chromatic steps has to help with intonations.

[rarisgod]

Originally Posted by jgroh

Yep, only one (and to me it doesnt much sound like a fretless)

I completely agree, Geddy still makes it sound like a fretted bass. It gets a certain twang you wouldn't really expect out of a fretless. Am I correct to assume it has roundwound strings?

[grifff]

Thanks for the info, I picked this bass up yesterday and I'm already getting the hang of it. I seem to have more trouble with the higher frets (12 and above) and I'm not sure how to correct this. Any tips?

[pseudoxh4]

For the higher frets, the best solution I've found is Steve Bailey's method (similar to that of upright players) of bringing your thumb out to the fingerboard; it feels less awkward than keeping your thumb behind.

As for albums, on the rock side of things Japan's "Quiet Life" has some really nice fretless stuff going on (in a new wave context). Also, The Firm's self-titled album has some interesting examples of how fretless bass would fit into a rock context.

On the metal side of things, you've got Cynic, Death's Individual Thought Patterns, Obscura's Cosmogenesis, Vintersorg's Visions from the Spiral Generator and The Focusing Blur and Quo Vadis' Defiant Imagination.

As for the jazz side, as many have mentioned-- Jaco. Also, Uzeb and Steve Bailey; tons of the really nice "fretless" work in jazz is done on the upright bass though (in which case you should check out Dave Holland). Finally, Gary Willis.

[Erick Lam]

Try Jaco's Continuum. The head is easy and good to practice vibrato, glissando and getting a rich sound ou of your instrument.

[Buskman]

Cool fretless story involving Sting:

Story goes that when The Police came to America for their first tour of the states, they went straight to 48th Street to check out the music shops. Sting bought a fretless (never owing one before) and played it that very night at their gig (CBGB's, I think it was).

He said he got some "dirty looks" from Stewart & Andy during the show that night, but the rest as they say is rock 'n roll history!

So the moral of the story (and a +1 for comments by mpm32 and Chad Michael) is - just play it! Everything will fall into place. Just jam it out & have fun!