Is playing fretless harder?

[bass_man86]

Playing fretless is harder, make no mistake about it. I played fretless almost exclusively for ten years and what I discovered is that you really have to depend on your ears a lot more. Make it a point of not looking at you hands when you play, you will be amazed what your ears can do for you. You will also find yourself playing somewhat more consevartive lines on a fretless than a fretted ax as a fretless is really unforgiving of sloppy playing, but it is worth it to take the time to learn. You will find that your playing will improve.

[IAMERICCOCHRANE]

Hmm, is playing fretless harder? Im not really sure since I learned Double bass before I started dabbling on a fretless. But when I did start playing Fretless I felt that it was a bit simpler in the fact that I didnt have to place my finger in the exact spot to get the note. I could put my finger half an inch above where the note would be fretted and still get the same note. And also since I listen for the tone, not feel for the tone it was a bit simpler for me. So if you find your notes by your hand position or fret position it will take some time to get used to. But, if your more of a listener than you should be fine.

PS- Make sure ur first Fretless has the fret marks, it helps alot.

[Wrong Robot]

Of course thats only true for the first octave IAMERICOCHRANE, once you get up to octave position you have to be exact, or else you will be out of tune. And generally anywhere on the neck that is true, Based on what you said I can infer that you don't have perfect pitch...if you did then you would notice being half an inch off.

Fretless is harder when you want to stay perfectly in tune and have good intonation on every note, but you also don't need to worry about fret buzz, so you can play with more finesse and all that, also fretless can sound really cool to un-learned people if you are mwah-ing all around the general area of a note without actually hitting it. So I'd say that if you there is definatly more focus that entails with playing fretless, but to non-musicians anything you do is bound to sound cool(gotta love that mwah)

also slap/pop and tapping, on a fretless is much trickier than on a fretted bass...its not impossible but its trickier to get a good sound from.

[IAMERICCOCHRANE]

Originally posted by Wrong Robot
Of course thats only true for the first octave IAMERICOCHRANE, once you get up to octave position you have to be exact, or else you will be out of tune. And generally anywhere on the neck that is true, Based on what you said I can infer that you don't have perfect pitch...if you did then you would notice being half an inch off.

Fretless is harder when you want to stay perfectly in tune and have good intonation on every note, but you also don't need to worry about fret buzz, so you can play with more finesse and all that, also fretless can sound really cool to un-learned people if you are mwah-ing all around the general area of a note without actually hitting it. So I'd say that if you there is definatly more focus that entails with playing fretless, but to non-musicians anything you do is bound to sound cool(gotta love that mwah)

also slap/pop and tapping, on a fretless is much trickier than on a fretted bass...its not impossible but its trickier to get a good sound from.

Well I kinda Exagurated when i said a "half inch" I just meant that your finger placement can be a bit looser than it is on a fretted bass

Does Les Claypool tap on a fretless or does he use a fretted bass for his tapping?

[Wrong Robot]

I think Claypool has been known to tap on his fretlesses...but since he primarily plays fretted these days(at least last I heard)

[Chace90]

Michael Manring taps on his fretless hyperbass like it's a fretted. Sounds awesome too!

[Wrong Robot]

DUH! how could I forget Manring!
he's a god at tapping...especially on fretless.

that said he also slaps on fretless as if it were fretted and it sounds awesome

that said EVERYTHING he does sounds awesome

[horrorphile]

Yeah I'm in the same boat as this guy, I'm looking at a good deal on a bb200f, and thinking it might help produce a nice tonal range for experimental tool and perfect circle type material. But I'm not to sure on nuances of playing the bugger.

I don't have any natural intonation issues as I play everything I listen to by ear and thus compensate to match tone if I hear something is out of tune even by a fraction. But regardless, is it much harder than just using natural hearing?.. and even though the bb has an emg p p/u does anyone know if fretless has enough to belt out the low freq's loud and clear enough?.. also how do fretless basses handle downtuning?.. as at times I mess around with E flat, D, Drop D, and C tuning.

[Mike Flynn]

I was so desperate to get my custom fretless for over a year that I kept imagining what it would be like to play fretless - all the time. NOw that I've had the bass for about 8 months I feel like I'm getting to grips with it but I think you definitely have to be 'on it' all the time when you play - much more so than a fretted - because like others have said here - you need to listen to every note you play, make it in tune and also your picking has to be spot on as well.

When you take all this into consideration it makes me think just how good Jaco's technique was - and obviously there are a ton of other brilliant fretless guys about now - but it really does make a you a 'man amongst the boys' if you can totally nail stuff on fretless. The reason I say this is becasue there are ANY short cuts with a fretless - this is what pisses me off about some people buying a Jaco Fender Jazz and hoping that they will suddenly sound like Jaco because of the bass they play - you won't! Because it's pretty much all in the fingers.

Playing fretless is harder but after wood-shedding on freless then going back to fretted is weird because everything you do will be that much tigheter sounding - it really does require more effort - and IMO there's nothing wrong with fret markers - whatever helps you sty in tune is what I say...

[D.A.R.K.]

i personally have an easier time learning how to play in tune on basses with no fretlines..i've owned lined and unlined, and found that i used my eyes instead of my ears with the fretlines.
.02
cheers
d

[The Antipop]

Originally Posted by D.A.R.K.

i personally have an easier time learning how to play in tune on basses with no fretlines..i've owned lined and unlined, and found that i used my eyes instead of my ears with the fretlines.
.02
cheers
d

I agree with this. I am only unsing a defretted washburn at the moment after I got rid of my Cort curbow, I will get another fretless but I needed the money (still do). At first I'd play out of tune (especially chords) but after a while, I seemed to get a hang of it and it actually was being played more then my fretted basses. Something about playing with guitars and not getting any wah (not mwah... wah) while playing with them gives quite a bit of satisfastion.

[Richard Lindsey]

Yes, fretless is harder. No, it's not inherently better or more expressive. It's just different. It is what it is. I love it myself.