got a fretless, now how to start?

varunkapahi · #1 03-12-2011, 09:26 PM

more like fixed up my beater defret! but its an amazing sounding bass with cool playability! so now i have a decent working fretless at my hands. i am amazed by how much control one has in the sound and its all in the hands! am exploring the possibilities but am little lost with what to practice...

so any fretless exclusive exercises out there? i want to improve my intonation, execution and control over the finger board. what will be some good tunes to learn on the fretless? any tips?

faiz0802 · #2 03-13-2011, 04:47 AM

Oh hey Varun!! Long time!! PLay with a tuner and figure out where's the notes are at. And then google.

faiz0802 · #3 03-13-2011, 04:50 AM

On a serious 'note' (pun intended), I haven't had a lot of trouble adapting to fretless, except for initial intonation issues.

viper4000 · #4 03-13-2011, 05:02 AM

First, if you haven't already, get it professionally set-up. Intonation is key. IMO, bad intonation is magnified with a fretless. You can correct for intonation issues once you get comfortable, but why start out that way.

varunkapahi · #5 03-13-2011, 05:47 AM

thanks for the response, am not having trouble adapting.. i just dont have any ideas on what to play on the fretless..

faiz0802 · #6 03-13-2011, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by varunkapahi

thanks for the response, am not having trouble adapting.. i just dont have any ideas on what to play on the fretless..

microtones

varunkapahi · #7 03-13-2011, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faiz0802

microtones

lol suggest some tunes!

faiz0802 · #8 03-13-2011, 05:50 AM

John Starrett's Microtonal Music Page

faiz0802 · #9 03-13-2011, 05:51 AM

^Quite a few links are dead there though. You could try looking up hindustani/carnatic scales and then transposing them.

faiz0802 · #10 03-13-2011, 05:52 AM

Try stuff by Brian Bomberg,Pino Palladino, Gary Willis and well... this:
What are some good fretless bass songs.

I know you know about Jaco so didn't mention that up there haha...

faiz0802 · #11 03-13-2011, 05:54 AM

And steve bailey. Love the dude!

varunkapahi · #12 03-13-2011, 06:04 AM

yeah just that jaco and baily play some crazy stuff, i need to get some basic fretless playing in shape

Lambic · #13 03-13-2011, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by varunkapahi

yeah just that jaco and baily play some crazy stuff, i need to get some basic fretless playing in shape

Funny, I play on fretless the stuff I'd play on fretted, only... enjoying the extra possibilities... any general method (like Friedland's), style-focused book (like Ed's "Blues Bass Book"), or other exercises (scales, or Josquin Des Pres' "Bass Fitness").

But I play a lined fretless, so that might make a difference...

Still, after a bit more then a year of bass playing (with the fretless coming in the picture august 2010), I switched from one week on fretted/one week on fretless to two weeks on fretless/one week on fretted, demoting my fretted to the position of backup for the fretless. I just like the feeling and the sound of the fretless (both are 09 Fender MIA Standards, by the way) a lot more...

And, strange as it might sound on these pages, I'm not particularly after a "typical" fretless sound... just enjoying the good riddance of those noisy frets, and the possibility of correcting an out-of-tune note by sliding into the right position, without loss of sound. Just you try to keep a good tone with a fretted when you land right upon a fret, of just a bit higher up... no correcting there...

faiz0802 · #14 03-13-2011, 08:53 AM

@Varun: ^What he said. Except for that exceptional freedom and tasty smoothness in sliding around, and the buttery flatwounds, I didn't really notice much of a difference. I didn't have to try too hard. Just try playing what you're good at on the fretted on your fretless.

BassChuck · #15 03-13-2011, 10:43 AM

+1 on the Steve Bailey book. One of the few books (CD) that deal with fretless issues.
Get your fifths and octaves in tune, and be very aware of your hand position. Open your ears. Get hand position correct. Get your eyes off the neck and listen, listen, listen.

Lambic · #16 03-13-2011, 12:02 PM

And the Chris Kringel book:

Amazon.com: FRETLESS BASS HAL LEONARD BASS METHOD STYLISTIC SUPPLEMENT BK/CD (0073999197112): Chris Kringel: Books

I own it, but didn't get to use it yet. Some day...

Kwin Smith · #17 03-13-2011, 12:21 PM

Play along with a lot of Ottmar Liebert tunes. Jon Gagan is a fretless beast. He is almost always mixed well, too. His lines are easy to pick out.

Billnc · #18 03-13-2011, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lambic

Funny, I play on fretless the stuff I'd play on fretted, only... enjoying the extra possibilities... any general method (like Friedland's), style-focused book (like Ed's "Blues Bass Book"), or other exercises (scales, or Josquin Des Pres' "Bass Fitness").

But I play a lined fretless, so that might make a difference...

Still, after a bit more then a year of bass playing (with the fretless coming in the picture august 2010), I switched from one week on fretted/one week on fretless to two weeks on fretless/one week on fretted, demoting my fretted to the position of backup for the fretless. I just like the feeling and the sound of the fretless (both are 09 Fender MIA Standards, by the way) a lot more...

And, strange as it might sound on these pages, I'm not particularly after a "typical" fretless sound... just enjoying the good riddance of those noisy frets, and the possibility of correcting an out-of-tune note by sliding into the right position, without loss of sound. Just you try to keep a good tone with a fretted when you land right upon a fret, of just a bit higher up... no correcting there...

Yeah, I play fretless because I like the sound of strings on wood. So, many songs it doesn't matter which bass I play, though 90 percent of the time I like to play fretless. I much prefer playing fretless if I'm playing with a good slide guitarist, and any time I'm walking a line.