Electric to Upright?

Ben1123 · #1 12-07-2008, 11:32 AM

I was wondering if the fingerings on a upright bass and a electric were the same or if they were played differently. My High School Jazz band needs a Upright bass so i was wondering if i could just pick one up and play or if i would need to learn anything different.

Tl:dr, Can a electric bass player play upright bass?

T-Bird · #2 12-07-2008, 12:50 PM

Hi.

Welcome to TalkBass.

I suck big time playing upright, but that desn't mean that You do

.

The tuning possibilities are endless with DB as they are with electrics, but if the tuning is the same EADG only the orientation and possibly different scale lenght could pose some inconvenience.

IIRC the scale on my project 1/8 DB is 34", the larger ones are obviously longer. Can't remember what the scale lenght of my 7/8 is, but at first it felt aqwardly long. I like to strech rather than move and my short fingers didn't like that at all.

There's an entire DB section in TB, most people don't like to go over there

, but I've felt welcome.

When I started to try DB, I simply marked the "frets" on the side of the fingerboard. I think they'll stay on forever. If someone calls me names because of that, that's their choice.

IMHO Your best bet is to mark the positions on the side and try it, no harm done. However if You have a perfect pitch, you don't necessarily need the "crutches" like the real players like to call them

.

Regards
Sam

The Golden Boy · #3 12-07-2008, 07:17 PM

I'd been playing bass for 25+ years and I got my hands on an old Kay upright and was planning having a short learning curve for doing an acoustic show my band was doing. I figured at most I'd have to dumb down a couple of lines... I figured I knew what I was doing, I've got experience playing tons of basses, I've played in all kinds of different situations and it shouldn't take me more than a week to get the major kinks worked out.

That Upright taught me different.

The upright is a much more physically demanding instrument. My back is shot- and just standing with it was enough to kick my tail. Add on to that the difference in scale... I know I've never been good at fretless, and to throw that scale difference thing into it... after a week or so I bowed out of the idea of playing the upright for that show. Someday I might decide to tackle it again- but this time I'd approach it much more humbly and take my time with it.

Pilgrim · #4 12-08-2008, 09:53 AM

The tuning is the same. The hand strength and finger span are different. You WILL have to learn to use the maximum span of your fingers. You will have no frets (although there's nothing keeping you from using White-Out to put some dots on the side of the neck to provide a visual guide), so you really need to practice and play enough to learn where notes are. You also NEED a good ear to hear what you're playing.

You can do it, but it's not something you'll pick up in 10 minutes. Plan on spending a couple of weeks practicing just to get acclimated to the instrument. Also - learn how to tape your fingers to avoid blisters. I wrote a guide to doing this which is searchable on TB.

(Found it here: How to tape fingertips)

I moved from upright to electric in high school. Frets really help. Don't get too anal about intonation - just do the best you can.

fdeck · #5 12-08-2008, 07:55 PM

Don't attempt open hand (1-2-3-4) fingering if you are a beginner. You will get hurt. A book like "The Evolving Bassist" by Rufus Reid will help.

fdeck · #6 12-08-2008, 08:08 PM

I made the switch in the following way. I played 'cello, and figured out the electric bass more or less on my own, to get me through high school jazz band. When I took my first lesson, the teacher told me that I needed to start from scratch on technique. He suggested that I should simply learn the upright bass technique, so that it would be easy for me to start playing upright later. That turned out to be good advice. You can prepare yourself for 1-2-4 fingering, and the amount of shifting involved, on electric.

Another thing, don't expect amplification to be easy at rock band volumes. Contending with feedback will be a chore.

lunarpollen · #7 12-08-2008, 08:15 PM

The difference in scale length can be very challenging, unless you play a 1/4 or 1/8 size

Wally Malone · #8 12-09-2008, 06:29 PM

I have a quarter size Kay and the string length is 35.25 inches. This is fairly close to most electrics.

Wally

baalroo · #9 12-09-2008, 07:05 PM

IMO, the more different instruments you learn the easier it is to learn the next. I could already play guitar, bass, multiple percussion instruments (including trap, xylophone, timpani, etc), keys, and a touch of trumpet and trombone when I first tried upright. For me it felt pretty easy and although I won't say I'm "good" at it, it did feel perfectly comfortable after about 30 minutes of playin around on one. If ALL you've played is an electric bass the curve might be a bit steeper.

Michael Case · #10 12-10-2008, 10:26 AM

It can be done, i did it. I like many others, thought no problem I already play bass. Well, the difference is staggering, if you're into it you'll love the challenge. It also changed my approach to the electric bass, I was becoming a "visual" player on the electric. On the upright I had to lines or dots so I had to start hearing things. Now I play more from the ear on electric and upright bass.

The best advice I can give you, get a teacher!

Michael Case · #11 12-10-2008, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wally Malone

I have a quarter size Kay and the string length is 35.25 inches. This is fairly close to most electrics.

Wally

The problem with that is, if you ever find yourself in a situation with a 3/4 sized bass you might not be comfortable. I think unless your a kid with small hands go for the 3/4 sized bass. 1/4, 1/2 and other small sizes don't resell the as 3/4 basses either.

pointbass · #12 12-11-2008, 07:03 AM

While both are (generally) tuned EADG and both are indeed basses, the similarities kind of end there. As stated above, DB is a more physically challanging instrument to play due to size, string pressure, the (typically) much larger fingerboard, vertical orientation and hand strength required to project the tone.

With a slab bass, most players use their fingertips. On a DB, you will use the sides of your fingers much more than the tips. The callous "build-up curve" will be a bit painful as you get started, so tape and Nu-Skin will become your friends pretty quickly.

Intonation will take some time to get used to, due to the longer fingerboard scale length (typically ~42"). If taping lines or making dots will assist you in positioning, go for it and don't worry what the DB police might think. In some ways intonation on a DB is much more forgiving than it is on a fretless slab bass ... that longer scale gives you a bit more room for error. Since the DB is in a more "permanant" position than the slab bass, you'll find your muscle memory should develop relatively fast and the lines/dots will no longer be necessary.

But overall, enjoy yourself! DB is an articulate, expressive instrument that is a blast to learn and play ... just try to approach it as a different animal than a slab bass, though ....