Bowing the strings?

[Fassa Albrecht]

Can anyone explain to me the technique where you can bow the strings of an electric bass to create notes?
I saw this once at a gig and can't remember for the love of me how to do it!

 

[AlphaMale]

Um.. I don't think it's possible double basses violins, cellos, and viola's all have special bridges that put the strings at different levels without it you could only do the E-string. It does sound amazing though

 

[Snarf]

Um.. I don't think it's possible double basses violins, cellos, and viola's all have special bridges that put the strings at different levels without it you could only do the E-string. It does sound amazing though

What he said. Bass guitars are not bowable because the fingerboard radius, and therefore the bridge, is relatively flat compared to a double bass.

edit: oh, and they're not "special" bridges per se . . . they're perfectly normal for double bass!

 

[BassMan250]

Technically you can bow but only the E or G strings (or a full chord). I tried it before on my electric, sounds sick but the rosin makes the strings nearly unplayable.

 

[moogboy]

you mean like Jimmy Page? he just played the bottom E and the top E or a whole Chord using all of the strings. i tryed it once. i cant remember how it sounded though.

 

[All_¥our_Bass]

You could try an ebow if you want a similar sound without getting your strings gummed up with rosin, and have the ability to play any one string at a time.

 

[Swift713]

Volume pedal, slow gear, or lazy sprocket can simulate the same thing.

 

[AlphaMale]

I wish I could bow my bass. Bowing is faster than fingers and it sounds devilish. I'm really interested in the simulation. I heard of Fretless simulators they should make Bow simulators

 

[Dolphinbuster29]

I wish I could bow my bass. Bowing is faster than fingers and it sounds devilish. I'm really interested in the simulation. I heard of Fretless simulators they should make Bow simulators

Im not sure why you say bowing is faster than fingers. Bowing is by far the most difficult part of playing an upright bass IMO. Id like too see the person who plays upright and electric and says its easier to play lets say Disposable heroes (by metalica) on their upright.

 

[funkalicious101]

you could try an ebow. not really the same sound, but it still sounds wicked.

 

[jointus]

The song "Silver Tightrope" by the band "Armageddon" has a good example of the sound of a bowed electric bass guitar:
Link
The bowed bass solo starts at 3:53.
The bassist, Louis Cennamo, is credited as being the creator of the "electric bowed bass guitar".
This was a specially made electric bass guitar with a fingerboard radius similar to an upright bass.

 

[brainhii]

u can bow one string and mute the others and get a sort of cool, weird string vibrating sound, but only for screwing around, idont think it's possible to do that seriously, with the bridges taht electric basses have. but as for that gig u saw where someone did that, u have to remember that there is some weird stuff out there

 

[funkalicious101]

you might be able to radius the action (raise the action on your middle strings way too high) so you could easily hit them individually with a bow.

probably wont work but just a thought.

 

[agreatheight]

I saw a bass player bow his bass live back in the early 90s. Just a local guy in Albuquerque, but he was pretty good. IIRC, he played the E string only. You CAN get all the notes you need there, lol. Sounded very cool. I do remember that he used a beater bass for the technique, rosin got everywhere!

 

[AlphaMale]

Im not sure why you say bowing is faster than fingers. Bowing is by far the most difficult part of playing an upright bass IMO. Id like too see the person who plays upright and electric and says its easier to play lets say Disposable heroes (by metalica) on their upright.

I heard Paganini.