5 string bass and Country music

[One_Dude]

A couple of nights back our local PBS channel was having a fundraiser(ugh) and part of that was a concert for the 50th anniversary of Dolly Parton being accepted into the Grand Olde Opry. She sang several songs and had a number of guest artists. I typically try to focus on the bass players when I watch concerts on TV. There were at least 3 different bass players who performed with the different artists. Two of the bass players were playing 4 string basses rather than 5 string. One player was using a Fender Jazz, another was playing something that looked like an Ibanez, and the third player was so far from the camera that I couldn't really tell if he was using a 4 string or a 5 string.

I have a number of basses, and a few of them are 5 string, but I am primarily a 4 string player. I have no bias between the two, but I just have many more hours on the 4 strings, hence I am more comfortable there.

I have read a number of times that for new Country you really need a 5 string. That's why I found it interesting that at least two of the three players at that concert where playing 4 string basses. Some of the guest singers were what I would call "New Country" as opposed to much of what Dolly does. So am I correct in thinking that the "must have a 5er" for New Country is really just a personal choice for the player and not accepted as a hard rule. What do you think?

Thump on,

One_Dude

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Yes, no hard rule. Some players are just more comfortable on a 4 so they might do things like use a dtuner, octave pedal or a down tune their bass .

I like to have a 4 and a 5 and to be as proficient as possible on both.

I don’t play new country . However I do play a lot of so called Urban Gospel, modern Praise and Worship , and CCM. I was raised up on old school funk, Motown, and old school r&b. Having the ability and availability of both the 4 & 5 string has been important.

 

[chris_b]

They are all just basses. Some are more comfortable to play, some are more flexible to play and some sound better than the others, but they are all just a bunch of notes in the bass clef. Use the instrument that does the best job.

 

[Scott Lynch]

I often hear notes below open E on the newer pop country stuff. Not so much on the more traditionally influenced variants like Americana, etc. As always it depends on what the artist is writing and what kind of sound they are going for.

I am of the opinion that for practicality’s sake, it’s good to have at least one bass with a low B if you want to cover a wide variety of music. Not everyone will agree with me, or is even interested in playing a diverse range of styles, so YMMV.

 

[songwriter21]

A couple of nights back our local PBS channel was having a fundraiser(ugh) and part of that was a concert for the 50th anniversary of Dolly Parton being accepted into the Grand Olde Opry. She sang several songs and had a number of guest artists. I typically try to focus on the bass players when I watch concerts on TV. There were at least 3 different bass players who performed with the different artists. Two of the bass players were playing 4 string basses rather than 5 string. One player was using a Fender Jazz, another was playing something that looked like an Ibanez, and the third player was so far from the camera that I couldn't really tell if he was using a 4 string or a 5 string.

I have a number of basses, and a few of them are 5 string, but I am primarily a 4 string player. I have no bias between the two, but I just have many more hours on the 4 strings, hence I am more comfortable there.

I have read a number of times that for new Country you really need a 5 string. That's why I found it interesting that at least two of the three players at that concert where playing 4 string basses. Some of the guest singers were what I would call "New Country" as opposed to much of what Dolly does. So am I correct in thinking that the "must have a 5er" for New Country is really just a personal choice for the player and not accepted as a hard rule. What do you think?

Thump on,

One_Dude

I often hear notes below open E on the newer pop country stuff. Not so much on the more traditionally influenced variants like Americana, etc. As always it depends on what the artist is writing and what kind of sound they are going for.

I am of the opinion that for practicality’s sake, it’s good to have at least one bass with a low B if you want to cover a wide variety of music. Not everyone will agree with me, or is even interested in playing a diverse range of styles, so YMMV.

I agree with the above quote. If you plan on playing newer music, have a 5'er. Then, in essence, you'll still have a 4. I even played a 6-string for a while (Ibanez BTB 776PB), and it added color to songs' chords, as well as the ability to strum some mimicked guitar chords if need be (when no second guitar was present). One previous band, for example, I'd start The Band Perry's "Done", to give the guitarist more freedom to start the next riff.

 

[Garret Graves]

It takes a bit of practice, but a few months of working at it, learning all the notes on the fingerboard, learning to incorporate the low B string as opposed to thinking of it as a thumb rest until you need to go below low E all are important to making the issue go away in your mind. The reason I say this is because your statement makes it seem like you don’t want a 5 string in your hands on a bandstand unless it’s really needed. One of the biggest pleasures to me about 5 string is I have all the notes on the 4 string above the 5th fret on the 5. For instance, 5th fret B string is the low E, 6th fret is the F you find on your E string at fret 1, 7th fret is the F# you find at fret 2 on the E string- this means that you can have your hand at the middle of the neck and be playing in the full traditional bass range, if you want. Learn to work with the 5 string and learn to think of the B string as useful, and you won’t worry about ‘needing a 5’- you might start wondering if you even want to take a 4. Personally I play 4, 5, and 6 on a bandstand and don’t think twice about it, just have to mentally roadmap what I have in my hands for a few seconds.

 

[Turnaround]

4 string, 5 string, whatever the charts require.

 

[ad9000]

This applies to genres other than country or new country also, but for songs in the key of D (or Eb - less frequent in country music but it does happen) the ability to play the root note on the low B string (when used tastefully of course) is obviously a great benefit. Similarly, the fatter sound of notes played on the B string that are available on the E string as well provides a different timbre that can be effective. Another case where I’ve found a 5-string to be useful is playing an Ab on the E string and being able to reach down to the Eb on the B string for a pickup note.

As for multi-string basses in general, sometimes it’s the sound of the bass that is the deciding factor more than the number of strings. I know a guy who played on literally thousands of Nashville demo sessions back when that was more of a thing, and his everyday bass was a Tobias 6-string, not because of the additional strings as much as how he liked how that bass recorded.

 

[bigtone23]

The newer stuff is certainly made easier to play with that low B string.
There are many country guys who do the BEAD tuning on a 4 string for those songs needing the lower extension. Jay DeMarcus comes to mind in this regard.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

I have learned a smattering of newish country songs, and many of them had low D notes. I was actually able to get away with a hipshot drop D tuner luckily.

The songs were usually pretty low quality anyways. I think some of the tunes might be written more by keyboard guys who might avoid unfriendly guitar keys.

 

[MrLenny1]

I work with 2 New Country acts. If you want to
play like the record for Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan etc...
a 5 string is required.

 

[chadds]

Watch some vids from the '80s of the Grand OO. Plenty of hippie sandwich multi string basses under those hats.

 

[chadds]

4 string, 5 string, whatever the charts require.

"220-221. Whatever it takes."

 

[p12bassnut]

New Country is a lot closer to Pop/Rock in my mind than what Country music is. I play a 4 for the "Classic Country"
BUT I recommend playing whatever you are comfortable with.

 

[Adam Wright]

While a lot of stuff is played on a five, quite a bit of modern/new country is played on a down tuned 4 string. Sometimes you can hear it in the recording.

 

[jjk2007]

I play in a band that does about 50/50 originals and covers. We have a couple of originals the BL likes me to use the low B on and we also play some older country stuff in keys like G or Bb where you can play those 5ths lower. I have always been a 5 string guy since almost day 1 so playing a 4 string is always a little foreign feeling to me!

 

[Medicine Man]

BEAD or a 5 string for sure. Those 5 low notes are heavily utilized in the genre.

 

[QweziRider]

No hard and fast rules, you go with whatever you and the band you're with feels like or needs. Me? I like having the B string for so much more than just lower notes. So even on my four stringers, I tune BEAD. Now that's a fun one to mess with those who don't pay much attention to what the bass is doing but suddenly hear lower notes that a standard tuned 4 stringer can't do.

 

[sawzalot]

I played in a country band and used a 4-banger with a Hipshot all the time. Worked fine.

 

[Holdsg]

In the Country band I play in, we have both male and female singers, so songs can be adjusted in key based on the range of the singers. I've found a five string works better in this particular band for that reason. But if I was doing Chet/Merle/Waylon/Willie/Johnny country, I'd just need and use my 4-string P bass.

 

[swarfrat]

Steve Perry finally hitting puberty is probably the biggest culprit in the rise of the five string. After the 80's the falsetto screechers finally told the guitar players No! We are not playing it in E. Learn your instrument.