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At what point should a new player try a 5 or 6 string?

#41
I've been playing 4 strings for a few years. I've been playing 5 strings for about two months so far and when I mess up I find that my plucking hand is plucking the wrong string. It's weird but keeping my right hand aligned on the proper string with my left hand has been my biggest challenge. The music theory aspect is straightforward and not much of an issue. It's the hand coordination and synchronization to be on the same string is what I have to work on the most. Different string spacing may also have something to do with this.

I'm sure if I started out on 5 strings I would have developed the coordination early on instead of reteaching this old dog new tricks. Bottomline, is that I have to put in the time and pay the dues just like learning any other instrument.
 
#42
RabidMusic said:
Only after mastering a 4 string, or early so that your fingers get used to stretching the extra distance?
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You should start on whichever instrument you plan to master. Learning an instrument involves learning many different actions that are eventually combined and made automatic. So there are aspects of how you relate subconsciously to a 4 string that will have to be unlearned and relearned if you decide to transition to 5-string or 6-string.

I started on upright bass and applied what I knew when I started playing bass guitar. A few years after I turned pro, I decided to start playing a 5-string. This degraded my playing ability for an extended time. A few years later I was getting pretty comfortable, and I had the opportunity to pickup a 6-string; so the process started over again. I have played 6-string as my primary bass guitar since about 1995. I would say it took at least 10 years before I really thought of the 6-string as home. Before then, I was still a 4-string player transitioning to 6-string.

If your ultimate goal is to play 6-string, do yourself a favor and avoid going through a long and painful transition. Start on 6-string, so that instrument is always home. This is a much better choice than the extra mental processing required to think of it as a 4-string with two extra strings.
 
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#46
I got one because I liked the timbre and sound of a low B. That's it. Some music requires it. But you're the artist, so you can make anything work.

I use my 4 stringer more often than not, but its nice to have the 5 if someone wants to do a song in Eb or something like that.
 
#47
Whenever you need (or even want) the extra notes that are provided, or you really, really hate playing low on the neck. I don't have a use for 5s, so I don't own one. But the times I have played 5ers, the transition curve from 4 to 5, and back again, was nonexistent.
 
#50
Started with a Yamaha TRB 6ii and can’t play 4, 5 or 7 string basses; some brains (as mine) see the patterns vertically (perpendicularly to the strings) so more comfortable with more strings, but the balance of a 6 bass, to me, is awesome.

I admire the “horizontal” players, particularly the semi-gods playing in 5ths, where there patters are along the strings.

I don’t adhere to the idea that an instrument - or its string configuration - is aligned with a musical style. I’ve seen bassist kill it playing whatever style, using whatever bass. We all laugh at the “what’s the best bass for metal” question but I am perplexed to see how many think at an [x] string bass is good to play [insert style here].
 
#53
When you're so good that your super sick solos can't be accomplished with out those 5 additional notes. If you must have a low B, throw a set of drop tuned boomers one and call it a day. I hate to be an old man, but I've never seen a bass player i was so blown away by and said, man they could only do that if they had a 5 string. I recently saw Wooten at NAMM, 3rd year in a row if fact, and he can do everything and then some on 4.
 
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#54
I actually started out on a 5-string back in '95. Having played keyboards, I can't live without those below-E notes on a 4-string. Playing a descending line going down to low-D or low-C is WAY easier on a 5-string than adjusting to the octave-up equivalent on a 4-string, and no need to do silly antiquated things like tune to drop-D or resort to a hipshot mod. If you have smallish hands, it's worth finding a 5-string with a comfortable neck though (not all neck widths/string spacings are equal, even on 4 strings), and one whose weight doesn't feel uncomfortable, but that's about it. So if your goal is to play a 5- (or even a 6- ) string, just start off on that.
 
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#59
When i first started, not long ago.. I had an old used Ventura. When i decided to learn the bass rather than just play around with tabs, i went out and bought this sweet 5 string. And started watching utube videos... from there i somehow got the idea you like weren't allowed to play 5 string until some undisclosed milestone with 4. So like a fool i went back and sold the bass at an appallingly low price and got some new 4 string HEAVY Squire, that now sits in the corner after i took the strings for another bass I eventually ended up with. All i really play though is that old used cheap Ventura. It's comfortable, i like the sound. BUT you don't know how many times i wished i had that 5 string back. I really wished I hadn't of done that. If you want a 5 sting then get a 5 string :)
 

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