6 string bassists: C string in a band setting?

[lfmn16]

That does make sense... Right now I can't imagine too many uses for it, but I do think you're right. Thanks.

Do you ever play the 5th fret or above on the G string? you'll find the same notes on the C string!

 

[rogerbmiller]

I haven't played a 6 in a while but 20 years ago it was my bread and butter. The C was very handy for ease of fingerings. I did a lot of rhythm guitar style playing in my original band and it was handy to have the c string. Imagine playing a song that goes form E to A and playing arpeggiated 7 chord with a major 10. On a 4 or 5 string bass you would have to fret the A chord beginning on the 17th fret! On a 6 you stay on the 12th and just shift form string to string. And so on...

So the C was handy to me, and not for the few higher notes it afforded...

 

[static0verdrive]

Do you ever play the 5th fret or above on the G string? you'll find the same notes on the C string!

This is it for the most part, so you can hit some of those notes without having to shift. I personally don't like going up that high into guitar territory much like I'd be annoyed by a guitarist with a 7-string that kept venturing down onto my turf. I guess I just share the Minutemen-esque ideals of political separation of lows and highs in terms of instrument territoriality.

 

[Dash Lashes]

...Playing metal, unless you are doing runs with the guitars, the C is not really used much...

not true. in fact, all music is so much different than you quantify it to be. in fact, to some, existence itself can be questioned, which leads me to your next folly;

..80-90% of the bass role, it will be unused.

I'm a C-string player to the core, and i just want to point some things out so nobody gets too misled. edit spelling

 

[superiorpine]

I play a 5 string tuned E to C. The C is most useful to me in octaves, solos, higher register root-fifth combinations and double stops. It can be used effectively as an accent, but not so much for a groove.

 

[Brother Goose]

I play two six strings these days and keep finding new and musical uses for the high string (mostly helping to keep my playing in the "sweet spot" of the neck).

By nature, I'd prefer to play 5 strings in that they tend have wider string spacing for thumping and offer less temptation. (I've done some very silly fills in a moment of passion)

I will say that a 6 string can sometimes be more physically challenging (especially if you have bad technique or small hands) so caveat emptor!

If it's a tool that will enable you make better music and grow- go for it! Putting flats on your four is also a great idea- you'll be surprised how often you reach for that low down sound.

 

[lfmn16]

This is it for the most part, so you can hit some of those notes without having to shift. I personally don't like going up that high into guitar territory much like I'd be annoyed by a guitarist with a 7-string that kept venturing down onto my turf. I guess I just share the Minutemen-esque ideals of political separation of lows and highs in terms of instrument territoriality.

Good point. I was really just joking. In addition to the notes being there, you need to be aware of how they sound. An octave G on the G string will sound different than a 5th fret G on the C string.

 

[moody]

I have a 6. Sitting in the garage unused. It is the best set up and sounding bass I have. The neck is just to much for me with no other benefit for the bands that I am in.

I get up to the 14th or 15th fret of a four or five string occasionally but when I do I am going through sections entirely in that position. I just don't need it.

I was in a jazz ensemble many years ago sight reading. Then it was useful.

 

[winegamd]

It may depend, also, on your personality/style. If you are a more melodic player, then it would probably be more advantageous than if you were a more syncopated groove player. I could not see Gary Willis playing a six (other than for soloing), for instance.

 

[spanndrew]

I just switched to 6 in December. I use the C for chords, tapping melodies, solos with some heavy distortion, walking bass lines(by far the most useful application IMHO), and for fills. But what I can tell you is that in my cover band I don't use it at all, but then again I barely use the B in that application too. The C comes in handier the more room you have to be creative.

 

[Vinny Tomassetti]

When I had my 5 built for me & actually requested the high C instead of the low B. Like some others said above who have theirs strung the same, it can be very useful, depending on your style & freedom you have in the bands you play in. It may also open you up as a player as well to the point where you will approach things differently. For me it fulfilled what I had been looking for a long time to open up some chordal work, harmonics, etc.... just some subtle little nuances that just help fill things out.

 

[raventepes]

While I tune my bass CGCFA#D#, or a detuned EADGCF stringing, I use my higher two strings so I don't have to shift positions as much. I also use it for soloing, and when tapping up the fretboard. Can get some nice sweeping on the higher strings, as well.

 

[Paul M]

I don't tap or slap or use effects. I got a six-string on impulse a few years ago. I thought I would just use it at home to eventually learn how to play solo pieces with jazzy chords. But I liked the sound of this particular bass (a passive Dingwall Afterburner 1) so much that I started to use it in our three-piece (sometimes four-piece) pop cover band. Little by little I started filling in parts that nobody was covering.

For example:
The mandolin during the intro of "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls
The main cello part throughout "Secrets" by One Republic
The guitar arpeggios at the opening of "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" by The Script
The 2nd guitar's chords at the opening of John Mayer's "No Such Thing"
And many others. Some could be played on 5 or even 4 strings, but they would be a lot harder.

Ironically, I often prefer to move up and down the neck rather than across it. When it comes to covering actual bass lines, I usually want to sound like the original bass, playing the heavier strings for the high notes and sliding into and out of position, rather than casually plucking those high notes without any apparent movement or effort.

 

[Sixgunn]

I played 4s for decades but joined a technical metal band and I needed a B string but I found an Ibanez SR506 6-string in a pawn shop for a killer deal so I figured a 6 would be better than a 5 right? Wrong. Playing metal, I'm on the B and E strings A LOT and the wide neck of the 6 is just not comfortable AT ALL and I have average to large hands. I now have 1 six that I never play, 2 fours that I never play and 6 fives that I always play

 

[Clef_de_fa]

This is it for the most part, so you can hit some of those notes without having to shift. I personally don't like going up that high into guitar territory much like I'd be annoyed by a guitarist with a 7-string that kept venturing down onto my turf. I guess I just share the Minutemen-esque ideals of political separation of lows and highs in terms of instrument territoriality.

well ... if your guitar player goes down to much to your liking you can go high, it will make a nice effect

 

[singlemalt]

If your six string is your best playing, best sounding, most comfortable bass, it becomes your main squeeze. You just start to think six string, and anything else feels weird.

How you use it is up to you.

I've had gigs were I played all night without touching the B or C, but the brain rewire to bring the four string wasn't worth it. I'm still the bass player, gotta play the parts that are needed for the group and music.

That's why your six needs to really fit you in terms of sound, scale, string spacing and weight. It has to be your go to, always at hand, steady squeeze. Or she'll make you pay.

 

[Matthew_84]

Thanks everyone for posting!

A lot of you mentioned about how nice it is to have those extra notes available without having to shift... It's been a long time since I played a G string, but I always found that it sounded twangy in the mix when played below the 5th fret. Do you guys feel this way with the C string?

FWIW, I remember reading someone else felt this way with the G and the C was worse... So much so that they wouldn't touch the C string below the octave. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Watchootognbout]

Six string bass.Using C,G and B strings in a band context.0:31 secs.

 

[stigbeve]

I have a few questions for you 6 string bassists out there, what do you use the C string for in a band setting? What kind of music do you play? And how often do you use the C string?

I've been set on getting a 6'er for the last few months, but now I'm only a few weeks away from getting it, and I'm wondering if I should just get a fiver. I know I'll use the C string around the house to transcribe melodies and stuff, but not sure about how much I'd use it in a band... Thoughts?

FWIW, I only have one 4 string bass, and it's tuned to BEAD. Once I get the 6'er, I was planning on putting flats on the 4 banger, for more traditional music - it'll still be tuned to BEAD though.

I play in a metal band. I play one note on the C (tune mine to B) string out of all of our songs. A double stop at the end of a solo so I'm playing the C and the G.
I figured I can't not use that string if I have a 6 AND a solo. lol

I do use it a lot when noodling around with chords and accompaning myself. But that's just at home or during a break at practice

 

[singlemalt]

How balanced the output string to string will depend on a lot of factors.
The bass, it's electronics, strings, and touch, plus outboard gear like compressors and your amp.

Many four strings suffer from anemic D & G strings.

You get more from a hot set up, but you really have to have your string muting dialed in.