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01-25-2003, 11:24 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Tallahassee, Florida | | | Reading up an octave?
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I've read on many websites online and several other places that electric bass players when reading music read up one octave. Is this true? Ive never come into contact personally with another bass player who could sight read, so my information is limited. I only ask because I have run into quite a few pieces that dont notate anything below an E (two notes below the staff). Ihope this isnt a terribly stupid question.
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01-25-2003, 11:31 PM
| | Talkbass' Tubist in Residence | | Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Silver Spring, MD | | | It is true. The music that electric bass and upright bass is written in is an octave hgher than it sounds. The low note, low E, is 1 ledger line below the staff, when the same note for a tuba, which is written in the "correct" spot, the low E is below the 5th ledger line below the staff.
On a 4 string bass, the lowest note is written as 2 notes below the staff. |
01-25-2003, 11:34 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Tallahassee, Florida | | | That clarifies a lot. Thankyou. The other question I have is why exactly would a musician be taught to read one octave above the true sound of your instrument.
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When you put a shell to your ear it is not sound of crashing waves you are hearing. Its the amplified current of your own bloodstream. It was your self pulse that created that post human illusion of me; entireless heart pumping out an ocean of lies and I foolishly tried filling impossible shoes resulting in my stumblings as I fell into the trap of making a woman my element. Now I just cant get comfortable being out of you.
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01-25-2003, 11:38 PM
| | Talkbass' Tubist in Residence | | Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Silver Spring, MD | | | It is a LOT less confusing having the actual staff to read out of, instead of having all of those ledger lines.
With my tuba music, which does go down to the low E and sometimes lower, it is hard to read in the low notes. When there are so many ledger lines, it is hard to instantly recognize exactly where it is. It is easier to have the music in the staff where it is clearer and easier to read.
Anything below low A can be a chore to read because I am not able to instantly read how many ledger lines there are.
So a quick answer to why it is written an octave up-
It is easier to read. |
01-26-2003, 04:39 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: NZ | | | There's also the tenor clef to learn if you ever wanted to play the bass as it sounds, it will make your clef reading life much easier.
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01-26-2003, 04:56 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Niagara Falls, ON, Canada | | AFAIK, the low E on a 4 string is actually the pitch on the first leger line below the bass clef. I say this because with middle C being 1 leger line above, and being the same C as is the 5th fret of the G on a 4, if you go down to E on the D (3rd space) then 1 octave down is 1st leger line. This can only be refuted if I am wrong in the placement of middle C on a bass. The lowest E most tuba players use is not the same as this, and thus they play an octave down from the written notation often. |
01-26-2003, 05:27 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Hampshire, UK | | | skaboy - the tenor clef is higher than the bass clef. You can go lower in the bass clef without running out of stave than you can in the tenor clef.
MontyP - No, the pitch of the low E on a bass is actually an octave lower than the E on the leger line below the stave. It's written an octave higher than it sounds for convenience. Middle C is not the 5th fret on the G string. Middle C is the 17th fret on the G string. You're playing an octave lower than you think you are.
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Last edited by moley : 01-28-2003 at 04:40 AM.
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01-26-2003, 11:26 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Niagara Falls, ON, Canada | | Quote: Originally posted by moley
skaboy - the tenor clef is higher than the bass clef. You can go lower in the bass clef without running out of stave than you can in the tenor clef.
MontyP - No, the pitch of the low E on a bass is actually an octave lower than the E on the leger line below the stave. It's written an octave higher than it sounds for convenience. Middle C is not the 4th fret on the G string. Middle C is the 17th fret on the G string. You're playing an octave lower than you think you are. | Very good to know, thanks a ton  |
01-27-2003, 03:50 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Hampshire, UK | | No problem 
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01-27-2003, 08:54 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: UK | | once again moley, you've taught me something.
every day's a school day on talkbass.com kids |
01-27-2003, 08:58 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Hampshire, UK | | Heh, Howard didn't you know about the octave thing? Have you not been doing your HOMEWORK??
Right...
(Gets out the cane)
...bend over, boy!!!
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01-27-2003, 09:00 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: UK | | | HA!
"How can you have any pudding, if you don't eat your meat?"
(that's from Pink Flloyd The wall - I'm not being a control freak!) |
01-27-2003, 11:54 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Dubbo, NSW, Australia | | Originally posted by moley Quote: |
Middle C is not the 4th fret on the G string.
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Well, the 4th fret on the G string isn't a C at all, middle or otherwise. Oh well, we all have typos.
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01-28-2003, 04:41 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Hampshire, UK | | Quote: Originally posted by Camel_spit
Well, the 4th fret on the G string isn't a C at all, middle or otherwise. Oh well, we all have typos. | Ah crap, I meant 5th fret. Corrected. The interval is a 4th, you see, and it seems I inadvertantly typed 4th instead of 5th
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01-28-2003, 04:46 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: UK | | | excuses excuses, it seems there's a hole in your seemingly unfaultered knowledge moley!
you must stay behind class and write a thousand times, C is 5th fret on the G string on the blackboard! |
01-28-2003, 05:01 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Hampshire, UK | | | LOL. Ah, crap.
Well then, here goes...
C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string...
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01-28-2003, 05:01 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Hampshire, UK | | | ...C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string C is 5th fret on the G string...
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01-28-2003, 05:02 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Hampshire, UK | | | ...Can I go home now sir?
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01-28-2003, 05:04 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: UK | | no, you used copy & paste
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