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4, 5 or 6 String Basses for Jazz Fusion
- Thread starter MaidenVT
- Start date
No it isn't necessary. Jaco played a four string, for example.
Advantage? More available notes, giving a broader tonal range.
Advantage? More available notes, giving a broader tonal range.
It might not be fusion, but Michael League does pretty good with 4 strings. So did Stanley Clarke, often. Including 4 on upright.
But Anthony Jackson started ( mostly ) the 6-string fusion thing. When a bass player is competing/complementing a fusion keyboard player, having the extra low notes comes in handy. 5 can do that too. YMMV.
But Anthony Jackson started ( mostly ) the 6-string fusion thing. When a bass player is competing/complementing a fusion keyboard player, having the extra low notes comes in handy. 5 can do that too. YMMV.
certainly not required, but...
advantages:
advantages:
- easy transposing (singers love to change keys!)
- easy access to multiple octaves without shifting neck position
- a handful of lower notes (B0-Eb1)
- a whole ton of higher notes on a 6-string for soloing or comping chords
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The advantages of playing a six is the extended range.
Soloing using the frets above the twelfth.
Also playing high chords and tapping.
Soloing using the frets above the twelfth.
Also playing high chords and tapping.
Playing jazz fusion on a four string EB bass is a time honored tradition I.e. Paul Jackson with Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorious with Weather Report, Stanley Clarke with Chick Corea, Marcus Miller with Miles Davis and Alphonso Johnson with Weather Report and George Duke. . If you consider that, then regardless of which Electric Bass you perform them on, they will sound different because the instruments have different ranges. In some ways, the lower notes of the E String (below the A) played on the B String of a 5 string are a little fuller than the same notes on the E. 5 string EB’s sound great for Brazilian jazz, Latin jazz, Country, Pop, et.al. So there’s a trade off there. The tradition sides with four string basses. Just my take.
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IF you think the extra low and high notes outside of a four string range would be useful to you, there you are.
The bigger advantage of more strings as Sr Garcia points out is much different fingering choices ( it's far easier for some to play across the fingerboard than up and down ) and transposing is way easier, you can shift up and down the fingerboard as a guitarist would slide barre chords, and having the range to play across on 5 or 6 makes this a breeze.
But many master bassists past and present use fours and do tremendous work with them with no limits.
IF these things sound like good options, there you go. If you see the instrument as primarily a four string, then stick with it.
There can be in some quarters that how many strings you play is some sort of inferred test of musical manhood, and I think some guys actually get bullied into 5's or 6's, forget that!!! The only right answer for me or you is to use whatever helps us make our best music, and what anybody else thinks is none of their business. Do what fits YOU.
The bigger advantage of more strings as Sr Garcia points out is much different fingering choices ( it's far easier for some to play across the fingerboard than up and down ) and transposing is way easier, you can shift up and down the fingerboard as a guitarist would slide barre chords, and having the range to play across on 5 or 6 makes this a breeze.
But many master bassists past and present use fours and do tremendous work with them with no limits.
IF these things sound like good options, there you go. If you see the instrument as primarily a four string, then stick with it.
There can be in some quarters that how many strings you play is some sort of inferred test of musical manhood, and I think some guys actually get bullied into 5's or 6's, forget that!!! The only right answer for me or you is to use whatever helps us make our best music, and what anybody else thinks is none of their business. Do what fits YOU.
The fusion bass players I know all use a 5 string bass. Some tried a 6 strings but they all got rid of it after a year or two.
They play fast so they don’t want to have their left hand moving too much from right and left and the extra small string gives them what they need for their solos with higher notes.
They play fast so they don’t want to have their left hand moving too much from right and left and the extra small string gives them what they need for their solos with higher notes.
I'm fine with four strings.
With five strings I'm just showing off.
With six strings I may as well just be a guitarist.
With five strings I'm just showing off.
With six strings I may as well just be a guitarist.
If a low B is required anywhere (it's not really) Latin is the place. I love those thumpy low notes E-A played on the B and E string. You can park right in the middle of the neck where it's easier to play and play in any key with better rhythmic force than playing open strings.
Extended range basses not only make it easier to transpose (because you're playing more "across the street" rather than "down the road" for more economy of motion), but allow you to hit the "money notes" in second position, which can be more comfortable if you have limited reach.
The downside is that many 5 and especially 6-string basses have wide fingerboards which can sometimes be cumbersome to handle. They're also typically heavier than 4-strings, given that they're larger instruments. And string selection is more limited (and expensive) with 6-strings.
(I've spent years on 5s and even a couple of years on a 6 and feel that 4-string with a detuner for quick forays into drop D is what's best for my needs. And I play a little bit of everything).
If the music you're playing calls for extended range, than go extended range.
For example:
It's not uncommon to see, say, musical theater bassists using 6-string basses because a single show has several songs in several keys and being able to shift between keys is easier when going "across the street" with a 6-string than "down the road" with a 4. Many contemporary showtunes use the lower notes too. And since musical theater pit musicians are typically seated, instrument weight is less of an issue.
The downside is that many 5 and especially 6-string basses have wide fingerboards which can sometimes be cumbersome to handle. They're also typically heavier than 4-strings, given that they're larger instruments. And string selection is more limited (and expensive) with 6-strings.
(I've spent years on 5s and even a couple of years on a 6 and feel that 4-string with a detuner for quick forays into drop D is what's best for my needs. And I play a little bit of everything).
If the music you're playing calls for extended range, than go extended range.
For example:
It's not uncommon to see, say, musical theater bassists using 6-string basses because a single show has several songs in several keys and being able to shift between keys is easier when going "across the street" with a 6-string than "down the road" with a 4. Many contemporary showtunes use the lower notes too. And since musical theater pit musicians are typically seated, instrument weight is less of an issue.
I'm 63, just getting back into playing bass (which will probably be taking the form of treating myself like a newbie), got my rig still in boxes (open box Genzler MG800 from Jeff Genzler himself, Genzler NC212 cab from a new fellow Talkbass friend - @davedamage, almost ready to take delivery on a new Stambaugh headless 5 string, rehabbed a Samick J bass (4 string) with a Nordstrand p/u and rewired harness, and MAY buy a Tokai Hard Puncher for a P bass. Two 4 strings and a 5er. I don't see me needing anything else (even w/o the P bass)... and so guys know, I spent some retirement money from a previous job for all the new equipment. I'm still working, not retired. Scott's Bass Lessons for a year and probably a few Janek books. During this coming Spring in Michigan, I'll be trying to find my copy of Rufus Reid's "The Evolving Bassist". This is the long answer. The short answer is what everyone else is saying: 4 is swell. if you want more, get more. And guys with 4's have tuned BEAD on occasion (depending on what they're playing in their respective groups).
I've used both 4- and 5-string basses for JF, never had a need for a 6-string (I want to leave some space for the guit. and keys). Mostly just the 4-string basses, though.
I quit using 4 strings over 20 years ago. My 6 string is a 4 string and a 5 string as well as a 6 all in the same bass. No need for multiple basses other than a fretless 6. I use them for rock, jazz, fusion, funk and anything else I want to play.
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