Anyone find a use for the B string

Hollow · #1 12-10-2007, 01:29 AM

Well i remember the first time i got my bass i argued so much with my dad on how i wanted a 5string so i can go beyond an ordinary bassist. And i'll tell you that while it may be true that i can hit lower notes beter, i find i rarely have use for the B sting. The only times I use the b string is...

- to rest my thumb.

-to make my bass sound like a car.

-to make a cooler boom noiseby hitting the fret board with my palm and sliding it up (like victor wooten does)

-so i wont have to move around the frets so much(this is rare)

-to confuse people (*** 5 stings

)

-In actual songs i make (very very rare)

other than that i have tried so hard to intergrate the B string into my music only finding it sounds way better on the E. Not onlythat but the string spacing makes slapping harder for me too.Im at the point where i really think I should just play a 4. So I'm asking to my fellow 5'er or thosewho would love to have one, why has playing a 5 become nessecary and an advantage. And if any ofyou guys can reccomend any good songs that utilize the B string i would appreciate that too.

scary bill · #2 12-10-2007, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hollow

Well i remember the first time i got my bass i argued so much with my dad on how i wanted a 5string so i can go beyond an ordinary bassist. And i'll tell you that while it may be true that i can hit lower notes beter, i find i rarely have use for the B sting. The only times I use the b string is...

- to rest my thumb.

-to make my bass sound like a car.

-to make a cooler boom noiseby hitting the fret board with my palm and sliding it up (like victor wooten does)

-so i wont have to move around the frets so much(this is rare)

-to confuse people (*** 5 stings

)

-In actual songs i make (very very rare)

other than that i have tried so hard to intergrate the B string into my music only finding it sounds way better on the E. Not onlythat but the string spacing makes slapping harder for me too.Im at the point where i really think I should just play a 4. So I'm asking to my fellow 5'er or thosewho would love to have one, why has playing a 5 become nessecary and an advantage. And if any ofyou guys can reccomend any good songs that utilize the B string i would appreciate that too.

Well, for a lot or more modern rock, nu metal I supose, You will use the low notes. They can be done a down tuned 4, though. Also most new country music uses a lot of low notes.

I like having a 5 because I am to lazy to retune my bass. I suppose a 4 tuned BEAD would suffice.

And someone must be using all of this range, or they would not be selling.

nastyn8c · #3 12-10-2007, 02:36 AM

I often use my B for certain styles. A lot of times I also use it to beef stuff up. How couldn't I? The Dingwall B is the voice of God!

drumsnbass · #4 12-10-2007, 02:44 AM

I hang around 2nd position a lot, so I use the B string a lot as well. mostly from E thru B

mutedeity · #5 12-10-2007, 07:10 AM

People are confused by 5 strings?
5 strings are nothing new and plenty of people use the lower tones. For example the bass on Madonna's "Like a Prayer".

I even heard that some people use 6 strings!!! What's next? Someone will make a bass with 14 strings one day...

tZer · #6 12-10-2007, 07:24 AM

You don't get a 5-string to "go beyond and ordinary bassist" - you learn to play really well to go beyond. OK, enough snark...

Having a low B string means more than being able to hit notes below low E. You can cover an entire two octave scale in one position anywhere on the neck, for example.

Phalex · #7 12-10-2007, 07:40 AM

It really does make for a handy thumb rest! It's also very handy for songs in the Key of D. I also appreciate it for walking.

the_thriller · #8 12-10-2007, 07:45 AM

I prefer using a 5-string as I don't like to retune my bass, and sometimes the song just requires a low D, C, or even that BIG FAT LOW B!!!!

I find I use it in almost any song that gets heavy with my band. And then I use it for some songs that don't get too heavy but require that extra little UMPH of the B-string.

I started out on a 5-string, so it's just second nature to use the b-string, though. I would recommend it as I've talked to bass guitarists who have never used a 5-string to any large extent and now wish they had grown up playing one so that that extra range would come a little more naturally.

DocBop · #9 12-10-2007, 08:29 AM

I used to think the low-B on the 5-string few extra notes, but then I got a bass with a great B-string and everything changed. I use it up the neck to avoid having to shift down it has a great tone that I have used even above the 12th fret. Having a good 5-string makes all the difference. I like even move using my 5-string with high-C instead of the low-B.

As pointed out 5-string isn't new in fact with double bass it goes back to Beethoven and even furthers writing low-C's in their compositions.

Jim Breece · #10 12-10-2007, 08:32 AM

I just played an open stage where the guitarists were all tuned down a half step. The B string allowed me to stay low without having to tune down. Ditto a guy I play w/sometimes who tunes down a whole step. I don't tend to spend a lot of time on the lowest notes, more for added heaviosity at the end of a section or song, but some stuff sounds fatter played higher up on the B string than lower down on the E. Also, I don't have to move my left hand as much. You're right about it being a nice thumbrest too. That said, if a four is better for you, play a four. I loved Morphine, and that guy only had the E and A strings by the end if I remember right.

BassChuck · #11 12-10-2007, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocBop

IAs pointed out 5-string isn't new in fact with double bass it goes back to Beethoven and even furthers writing low-C's in their compositions.

True. But a E string extention to low C is probably more common. In Beethoven's time it was very common to have the 'celli and bass on the same part. Beethoven was one of the first composers to begin to write independent bass and cello parts. Since the cello goes to low C, it is common to see bass parts written that low.

bassteban · #12 12-10-2007, 10:26 AM

I occasionally throw the lower octave of B, C & D down below the *typical/what-one-was-commonly-accepted-as-standard-tuned-4-string-range* for effect(A on my detuner-equipped 6s). It's like having an octave pedal that you can totally adjust on the fly. That & all the other reasons, as well as to confuse my enemies...

salcott · #13 12-10-2007, 10:29 AM

I use mine for notes below the open E string.

Tslicebass · #14 12-10-2007, 10:31 AM

I use mine to make girls happy!

Bassman7PM · #15 12-10-2007, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tZer

You don't get a 5-string to "go beyond and ordinary bassist" - you learn to play really well to go beyond. OK, enough snark...

Having a low B string means more than being able to hit notes below low E. You can cover an entire two octave scale in one position anywhere on the neck, for example.

+1 I play a lot of Gospel music and having a Low B is essential for that style of music. Just as you may look at your low E on a 4 string as being the root or reference string, I look at my B the same way. Having started out with a 5er I'm sometimes lost on a 4 string. Also, my low B has a Detuner which allows be to go to a low A which i use for a couple of songs.

Implosion · #16 12-10-2007, 10:58 AM

Well, we play in B-tuning so the fifth string is quite essential. And no, we don't play nu-metal

alexmoore10 · #17 12-10-2007, 11:12 AM

I love my 5 string but find that you shouldn't overuse the lower notes (great to thro in an earth shattering C here or there) so if you are buying one with plans to use the low B in every single song then think again.

My biggest problem is taking my 5 to auditions as some bands just don't like them and think that you are going to do some crazy widdly jazz solo as you have AN EXTRA 5 NOTES!!!!!!!!

JimmyM · #18 12-10-2007, 11:17 AM

Alex, unfortunately, a lot of people who have 5's do just what you said

I think a 5 is a necessity for a working bassist looking to cover any gig he can, as a lot of the newer music uses the low notes. But I never use one unless I absolutely have to. I'm much more comfy on 4's.

sir juice · #19 12-10-2007, 11:27 AM

I'm not into 5s at all.

May be due to the fact that when I was about 6 or 7 watching a group and asking my uncle, "why has the guitar only got 4 strings?"

"That's a bass, they all have 4 strings, except some snobby show-off players have 5 strings"

Must of stuck with me

GreyBeard · #20 12-10-2007, 11:30 AM

The only time you really need a B string is when the music you play goes below LOW E. Other than that it just makes some things a bit easier to play because of positioning. All in all (and I've played a 5 string exclusively for years) I'd say "If you don't use it then you don't need it."