John Myung: tunes I can play with 5 string bass

[Music_for_life]

Dream theater songs are played always with a 6 string bass...I don`t know really why, if he uses the extra string.. I want to study his lines and songs, but I don`t know if I can play them with a 5 string bass or if he uses a 5 stringer sometimes.
Thanks

[Wild_Cat]

The entire "Images and Words" album was played on a four-string, with the exception of "Take the Time", which was done on a fiver. Myung switched to 6-strings for the tour that followed its release, IIRC.

[Music_for_life]

Originally Posted by Wild_Cat

The entire "Images and Words" album was played on a four-string, with the exception of "Take the Time", which was done on a fiver. Myung switched to 6-strings for the tour that followed its release, IIRC.

Thanks!!
Any more songs??

[Marton]

Well all of them, worst that can happen is that you have to play a part one octave lower.

[Ebelow]

at some intros, licks and harmonics he is using the extra string (C) for sure.

[El-Bob]

Panic attack comes to mind.

[Leftybass12]

You can play a lot of Dream Theater songs on a 5 string, with the exception of a few songs. I feel that Myung uses a 6 string mainly to not have to move around too much in certain sections of DT songs. And yes, for the exception of Take the Time, the entire Images and Words album, along with When Dream and Day Unites were recorded on a 4 string bass.

[Bassmingo]

A lot of awake can be played on a 5

[perfektspace6]

I think you can play almost any Myung line on a 5. Some of the tapping parts might be a little tricky or lack some clarity without the C but they are certainly doable.

[gzarruk]

As mentioned before, both When Dream And Day Unite and Images & Words were recorded on a 4 string excepting Take The Time where John uses the low B.

On Awake the last part of Erotomania, intros on Voices, Lifting Shadows of a Dream and Scarreg are played on the high C.

Falling Into Infinity: i don´t think he used the high C but i don´t know too much that album and i´m maybe wrong. I think that A Change of Seasons neither features playing on the high C.

On Scenes From a Memory he uses it from 2:31 to 2:36 on Strange Deja Vu for those chords and of course he ises it for soloing on The Dance of Eternity.

Six Degrees: He uses it for the intro on The Glass Prison, i think there´s nothing else.

Train of Thought: harmonics intro on As I Am.

Octavarium: Intro on Panic Attack

Then, the whole Systematic Chaos was recorded using a Bongo 5 string.

Black Clouds: Last part on The Shattered Fortress (same lick than in the Glass Prison) and intro on A Rite of Passage.

On The Backs of Angels: No high C!

As mentioned before, he uses the high string mostly on intros and that kind of stuff. Hope that helps and sorry for the bad english. DT rocks!

[El-Bob]

Originally Posted by gzarruk

As mentioned before, both When Dream And Day Unite and Images & Words were recorded on a 4 string excepting Take The Time where John uses the low B.

On Awake the last part of Erotomania, intros on Voices, Lifting Shadows of a Dream and Scarreg are played on the high C.

Falling Into Infinity: i don´t think he used the high C but i don´t know too much that album and i´m maybe wrong. I think that A Change of Seasons neither features playing on the high C.

On Scenes From a Memory he uses it from 2:31 to 2:36 on Strange Deja Vu for those chords and of course he ises it for soloing on The Dance of Eternity.

Six Degrees: He uses it for the intro on The Glass Prison, i think there´s nothing else.

Train of Thought: harmonics intro on As I Am.

Octavarium: Intro on Panic Attack

Then, the whole Systematic Chaos was recorded using a Bongo 5 string.

Black Clouds: Last part on The Shattered Fortress (same lick than in the Glass Prison) and intro on A Rite of Passage.

On The Backs of Angels: No high C!

As mentioned before, he uses the high string mostly on intros and that kind of stuff. Hope that helps and sorry for the bad english. DT rocks!

I'm pretty sure he doesn't use the high C on Panic Attack at all, or on the harmonics in As I Am. Also, he uses the high C a lot in the song "octavarium".

[gzarruk]

Originally Posted by El-Bob

I'm pretty sure he doesn't use the high C on Panic Attack at all, or on the harmonics in As I Am. Also, he uses the high C a lot in the song "octavarium".

I must say you're right about Panic Attack, just saw the Chaos In Motion video version and he plays that part wih the G. I still have my doubts, however, about As I Am. I'm on my ipod and couldn't find a bududokan live video that allows playing on mobile devices
Octavarium?? never noticed that, where does he use it??

[Epitaph04]

John Myung uses the high C on Octavarium during the instrumental section before the big climax of the song...at 16:26. He also DOES use the high C during a Change of Seasons...in the intro, and during his little solo. I think he also uses it during the "Darkest of Winters" section of the song.

He also recorded Systematic Chaos with a Stingray (or a Sterling, whatever) 5 string bass.

I am also (almost) sure he uses the high C on The Mirror, immediately after the first chorus, although it's hard to hear during the studio version. Much more audible on the Live Scenes from New York version.

I also think he uses the high C on Lines in the Sand. I also THINK he may use it during Trial of Tears, although I kind of doubt it. He also uses during the big unison in Just Let Me Breathe.

I'm also sure he uses the high C in the beginning of Overture 1928.

I even remember seeing a recent performance of Voices where he plays the intro all the way up on the highest frets of the G string.

Yes I am a nerd.

[El-Bob]

^Epitaph04 nailed it.
I could be wrong for As I Am, but the way I've always played it (even on my six string) hasn't needed the high C. Off the top of my head I'm thinking it's harmonics on the A, D, and G strings, with the low B tuned up a half step (although I've always tapped it all to avoid the tuning change).

The others I'm confident about, but I'm not 100% on As I Am.

[rtav]

Hey

As mentioned elsewhere in the thread you can even play Myung on a four string, you just have to make some adjustments that are not that difficult. A 5 string bass should honestly present few real problems.

My band plays Ytse Jam, Metropolis, Dance of Eternity and are going to hit Erotomania next (we're not a DT tribute band, just love to play their stuff). and I do it all on a four string 67 P bass.

The hardest part isn't the missing octaves, the hardest part are some of the large fret jumps I have to make from low to high at very high speed (several in Metropolis and Dance of Eternity) because I can't just go to the C or B strings and stay within the same basic fret range - I have to jump all over the place up and down the fingerboard. For instance, in one part of Metropolis (after the break) there is a section where everyone plays in unison and I have to make a very fast High A to middle C and play the rest of the riff perfectly with everyone else - and I'm sure it's much easier with a 5 string to make such jumps, but really, that's about the only difficulty.

Of course, much of the bass solo in Dance of Eternity reaches the highest part of the C string more than once, so I have to lower a few high E's and Eb's an octave, which is challenging - especially when I'm having to rip them off at such high speeds - and there are several such high C string notes at the end of the song that have to be "re-octivated."

A five string should present very little problems; generally Myung does not frequent the lowest notes on the B as often as he hits the highest notes on the C string.

Good luck and have fun - Myung is a BLAST to play!

PROG ROCK RULES!

[dannoman]

The Systematic Chaos cd was recorded using a 5 string bongo...

[gzarruk]

we all forgot Blind Faith´s intro lol