Fretless Recommendations

[Perretje]

I recently bought a fretless bass, and I'm looking for fun to play music, originally meant for fretless (including a lot of slides etc.). I already tried some Primus songs, but many of them are a bit too difficult for me.

So, could anyone recommend me some music to play on my fretless bass?

-Per

[haloonpc]

Hey perhaps you already know this but I'lll tell the rest of the world here.
Makes sure to never-ever slap, pop, or perform a vibrato on a fretless. If you slap and pop the metal violently clashes with epoxy and drasticly shortens the life of your neck. As for the vibrato, I mean, as mind as you just take you neck and scape it against a slab of concrete; but there is a loophole.... You see you can run your finger parallel to the string Abe Laboriel style and get the same result, but you'll probably have to sit down to perfect it.

[Scottgun]

Originally Posted by haloonpc

Hey perhaps you already know this but I'lll tell the rest of the world here.
Makes sure to never-ever slap, pop, or perform a vibrato on a fretless. If you slap and pop the metal violently clashes with epoxy and drasticly shortens the life of your neck. As for the vibrato, I mean, as mind as you just take you neck and scape it against a slab of concrete; but there is a loophole.... You see you can run your finger parallel to the string Abe Laboriel style and get the same result, but you'll probably have to sit down to perfect it.

I've been slap, popping and doing vibrato with stainless steel on my fretless for awhile now and have yet to see anything resembling wear-and-tear on the fingerboard. Perhaps you are confusing vibrato with string bends (which I don't do because they don't make sense on a fretless.) I do get occasional funny marks on it, but those come off with 0000 steel wool and baby oil. My estimate is that it would take a good decade of even rigorous playing before I would notice any real damage and even longer before it actually started affecting the sound or playability.

Do what you want with your fretless without fear.



Scott

[Perretje]

Ha, I'm not afraid of my fretless falling to pieces because of a single pop. I'm still searching for songs though.

[DistortedBass]

Radioactive- The Firm. Can't go wrong with Tony Franklin

Give Blood- Pete Townsend. Absolutely killer fretless line and a solo interlude from Pino Paladino.

[Baryonyx]

Originally Posted by Perretje

Ha, I'm not afraid of my fretless falling to pieces because of a single pop. I'm still searching for songs though.

I laughed at that, rock and roll!

Jonas Hellborg's "Elegant Punk" album has some fantastic fretless playing on it, I'm still woodshedding on that record!

[perfektspace6]

Originally Posted by Perretje

I recently bought a fretless bass, and I'm looking for fun to play music, originally meant for fretless (including a lot of slides etc.). I already tried some Primus songs, but many of them are a bit too difficult for me.

So, could anyone recommend me some music to play on my fretless bass?

-Per

I think you could try some Jaco songs. Maybe Continuum. It's not really that hard to play technically but requires a great deal of feel. A great way to get the feel for fretless playing.

[Mark Wilson]

Originally Posted by perfektspace6

I think you could try some Jaco songs. Maybe Continuum. It's not really that hard to play technically but requires a great deal of feel. A great way to get the feel for fretless playing.

Yea it's not that hard to play until you hit the 2 minute mark when he starts busting out flawless 16th note scales.

But, learn little snippets from hard songs.
Learn some Jaco songs like "Come On, Come Over" where he just sits back and grooves.

Also, Blackbird was the first Jaco song I learned. Then moved on to Portrait of Tracy, and then Amerika.

Blackbird is fairly easy once you get the finger dragging down pat. It's all Maj or Min intervals.

Feel free to PM me if you need any help with those songs.

[haloonpc]

That is how you perform a vibrato on a bass

[ryco]

Originally Posted by haloonpc

Make sure to never-ever slap, pop, or perform a vibrato on a fretless. If you slap and pop the metal violently clashes with epoxy and drasticly shortens the life of your neck.

I've been slapping and popping on my fretless '77 Ripper since....um, let's see....uh, '77. Hasn't demolished my fingerboard yet.

A couple of other great fretless players to listen to would be Percy Jones of Brand X and Tony Levin for Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, et al. Google