Ballads, when to use notes bellow the low E

[Langueta]

When to use notes of the B string in a ballad??????
At the dramatic passages, When the song get strong??
At the guitar solos???
At the Bridge????
To fill spaces when the drums are quiet???
Other options? Which is your approach to ballads?

[Double Agent]

Sorry to be vague, but use them when the song calls for them.

Some will call for the lows to be used in the verses, some in the chorus, sometimes they don't work at all. Use them when you "feel" they are the right notes and where they will have the most impact.

I tend to try not to use the notes on the low B string during guitar solos as that can leave a huge gaping hole in the mix between the extra sub lows of the low B and the extra high strings of a guitar solo. Tends to sound empty in the middle. But, again, there are no hard rules and, if the notes work in the context of the solo, go for it.

[Brad Johnson]

Remember that you have many of the same notes of the same range of your E string on the B and they typically sound different (fuller, deeper, etc.). So you can play a fretted E instead of an open E and so on.

When to use the low B string? IMO whenever you feel it's appropriate. I just use it whenever I feel like going that low or getting that timbre.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

As already said, there are no rules on the use of the low B string. It's just about feeling and personal taste. Anyway, this thread reminded me of another (related) one I created some time ago:

This guy really knows how to accompany a ballad (or The Tom Hamilton Appr. Thread)

Maybe you can get some ideas from there.

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by Langueta

When to use notes of the B string in a ballad??????
At the dramatic passages, When the song get strong??
At the guitar solos???
At the Bridge????
To fill spaces when the drums are quiet???
Other options? Which is your approach to ballads?

You are thinking too much ... feel the music

[MysticMichael]

Again, there are no hard and fast rules. There is only good taste, good judgment, and good musicianship - hopefully informed by a lot of study, practice and playing experience. You might make creative choices that are different from the ones I would make. That's the beauty of discovering/developing one's own voice - it comes from the essence of who you are as a musician - and ultimately, who you are as a human being...

Personally, I like to mix things up, i.e. seldom play any verse exactly like the one just before it, put in subtle little variations to keep things interesting and fresh and to build from Point A to Point B, etc.

I might tend to go down low at the point the song is beginning to pick up drive and intensity toward the climax - so as to convey additional strength and power for the rest of the band to lean upon. I might also tend to go down low just after the song has reached its climax - so as to convey release and relaxation toward the end: two different scenarios; two equally valid reasons for using a similar approach...

MM

[Justin89]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

I might tend to go down low at the point the song is beginning to pick up drive and intensity toward the climax

thats what she said!
sorry i had to do it

[Langueta]

Originally Posted by Alvaro Martín Gómez A.

As already said, there are no rules on the use of the low B string. It's just about feeling and personal taste. Anyway, this thread reminded me of another (related) one I created some time ago:

This guy really knows how to accompany a ballad (or The Tom Hamilton Appr. Thread)

Maybe you can get some ideas from there.

tHANKS aLVARO!
I always loved Tom approach to ballads, however, I didn´t notice the use of the B string. I will learn this bassline!!

[Langueta]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

Again, there are no hard and fast rules. There is only good taste, good judgment, and good musicianship - hopefully informed by a lot of study, practice and playing experience. You might make creative choices that are different from the ones I would make. That's the beauty of discovering/developing one's own voice - it comes from the essence of who you are as a musician - and ultimately, who you are as a human being...

Personally, I like to mix things up, i.e. seldom play any verse exactly like the one just before it, put in subtle little variations to keep things interesting and fresh and to build from Point A to Point B, etc.

I might tend to go down low at the point the song is beginning to pick up drive and intensity toward the climax - so as to convey additional strength and power for the rest of the band to lean upon. I might also tend to go down low just after the song has reached its climax - so as to convey release and relaxation toward the end: two different scenarios; two equally valid reasons for using a similar approach...

MM

Ahi va amigo!!!!!!
In English
Here it goes mi friend!!!!!!!
Great information, this thread deals a lot with fellings, what you felt or what do you want to make the audience feel. I like this. Like your approach for making bass lines, I have a similar

[boomtisk]

I usually like to go low when there's like some kind of chorus with a lot of things going on and the other instruments are being busy. If the other instruments are playing sparse lines I sometimes feel going low makes the band sound come across as a bit empty. Of course there are exceptions but I still thinks this is a pretty decent rule of thumb.

[Eminentbass]

Mike Porcaro is very tasteful with his 5-string so my approach is from listening to him. I like to hit B or C on the A string and then drop to the low notes if I'm going for a pause or a note that holds for a few beats. It adds a nice tension to those moments.

[chump stain]

When I heard Tye Zamora's tasteful approach to using the low B, that's when I bought a five string. He plays for Alien Ant Farm, and goes low during the bridges, and or endings of a song a lot. I think it adds a lot of power in those sections, rather then using the low B for the whole song. But again, it's all subjective, and you should play what the song calls for.