I don't think many country bassists use 5ers, but I do think they are used by some rock players. There are a lot of songs in D or E♭, and some players find it more convenient to use a 5 string rather than switching instruments.
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That's probably true from a bassist's perspective (the "boring" thing). But it's not necessarily the case from the typical listener's perspective. Honestly, very few people appreciate a bass player wanking away no matter how good they are. It's the same kind of thing with me listening to a saxophonist--I love a sax that integrates with the music and gets a nice melodic thing going. I absolutely HATE a saxophinist who may be playing something extremely technical but comes off as wanking to my ears. It gets old really fast... about as fast as a "bass solo" typically does. Or an indulgent guitarist.
One of my favorite quotes concerning the bass is by bassist Paul Denman. I don't recall the exact words, but he was asked about "chops" and said something to the effect: "A bassist will say check this **** out! No... no... it's not about you and it's not about your ****. It's about doing what's best to support the music, the groove, and the melody that is going on around you during the song. If that's a single note of eighths through five minutes of song... then so be it."
Agreed here. It can be easy to fall into just using the lowest possible root note on a 5 simply because it’s available, and when I first got into 5’s it took me a few years to get out of that mindset. I still use the sub-E notes but I tend to use them sparingly and with great intention.
Haha, I agree to an extent! Technically, anything one could play on a 4 could also be played on a 5 (thought per the individual player it may not “feel” right).
This right here. Nobody in the audience cares about what bass the bassist is playing, with possible exception to situations where the visual of the bass is specific and required to the gig (a Hofner for a Beatles tribute act, a “pointy-headstock” bass for a glam/hair metal band, etc).
5's are very common (at least on studio tracks) in Modern Country.
I play all instruments 1/2 step down including 5's.
Ok cool. Name even one popular modern rock bass player using a 5 string as his main. I'll wait....
5s got a bad rep back in the late 90s and early 00s when all the nu metal guys from KORN, Limp Bizkit and many others were using them and they have been looked down on by most ever since, just like 7 string guitars. Not saying thats fair but it is what it is.There are hardly any modern rock or country players using 5 strings as their main, no one can even name one. They all use drop tuned 4s when playing down tuned songs.
I love (not) the way a lot of threads turn into a XXX vs XXX sort of thing here.
Lot's of bassists in rock have used 5-strings over the years as their main instrument. We could go way back to Def Leppard in the eighties. There is no right and wrong. Personally, I prefer a 4-string (but have played 5 and 6 as well -- and 12). But what does it matter? Use what works best for you and fits your musical situation.
If you are Thundercat, what are you likely going to sound best using? A Fender 50s SC P-bass? Doubtful.
If you play old Waylon Jennings or Buddy Holly tunes all night, what works well and fits the "vibe" in that setting? An Ibanez 7-string? Methinks not.
Lot's of bassists in rock have used 5-strings over the years as their main instrument. We could go way back to Def Leppard in the eighties. There is no right and wrong. Personally, I prefer a 4-string (but have played 5 and 6 as well -- and 12). But what does it matter? Use what works best for you and fits your musical situation.
If you are Thundercat, what are you likely going to sound best using? A Fender 50s SC P-bass? Doubtful.
If you play old Waylon Jennings or Buddy Holly tunes all night, what works well and fits the "vibe" in that setting? An Ibanez 7-string? Methinks not.
No, it will not become obsolete. People will be buying 4strings long after we are all dead. . .
The question people need to ask themselves is "do i want to buy a 5 string or do i need to buy a 5 string?"
If you feel you need to buy it, then the only thing you need is more practise.
Needless to say, this goes for guitars too. Not to be a hater but it seems to me that from what Ive seen a lot of people nowadays rock 7-8 string guitars and 5-6 string basses and dont have a clue how to use them.
"Hey Brandon, why dont you downtune your guitar or better yet, tune it like a 7 string but without the high e. So B E A D G B, you dont even use more than your lowest 4 strings anyway as youve been playing guitar for 9 months."
- Yeah, no! I think I will buy a 7 string nonetheless, better make it 8. . . you can never have to much string braaah!
sorry for the rant, lol.
The question people need to ask themselves is "do i want to buy a 5 string or do i need to buy a 5 string?"
If you feel you need to buy it, then the only thing you need is more practise.
Needless to say, this goes for guitars too. Not to be a hater but it seems to me that from what Ive seen a lot of people nowadays rock 7-8 string guitars and 5-6 string basses and dont have a clue how to use them.
"Hey Brandon, why dont you downtune your guitar or better yet, tune it like a 7 string but without the high e. So B E A D G B, you dont even use more than your lowest 4 strings anyway as youve been playing guitar for 9 months."
- Yeah, no! I think I will buy a 7 string nonetheless, better make it 8. . . you can never have to much string braaah!
sorry for the rant, lol.
I've plenty of -practiCe- , I never needed a 5, but on the other hand, playing a 5 brings far more to the table than the lower notes.
Joni Mitchell used all sorts of wacky tunings for her songs because that's what made sense to her to get the sound she was looking for, Keith Richards did the same to some degree. They did that instead of just adding more strings, so you see they're is more than one way to skin the preverbial cat.
This thread reminded me that I’ve been missing the kinds of chords and figures I played on the bass strings of the Stick when I had one around, so I set up the import Sterling again with a fifths tuning. I keep extra 1st and 2nd strings on hand for it to allow a DAEB tuning.
In theory I should probably use a heavier 4th string than a .100” but I actually like that one fine even tuned to D. I use a .055” for E on 2nd and a .035” for B on 1st string. I’ve always enjoyed the different way I play bass on a fifths tuning.
I always have an electric guitar on hand in (mostly fifths) Crafty tuning (CGDAEG). One of the perks of having several basses is the option to keep them strung for different tunings and different music.
Otto
In theory I should probably use a heavier 4th string than a .100” but I actually like that one fine even tuned to D. I use a .055” for E on 2nd and a .035” for B on 1st string. I’ve always enjoyed the different way I play bass on a fifths tuning.
I always have an electric guitar on hand in (mostly fifths) Crafty tuning (CGDAEG). One of the perks of having several basses is the option to keep them strung for different tunings and different music.
Otto
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As you can see you've pricked a nerve here. 10 pages of answers for what is essentially a simple answer to your question. The answer for you will depend on you and your preferences only. I know players who switched to 5 or 6 string and now never use anything else (so I guess for them 4 became obsolete). I know players who play both 4 and 5 string, even 4, 5, and 6. I have owned 4 or 5 5-string basses over the past 10 years and ultimately found that for me, they didn't work well, mainly due to string spacing. I have been a 4-string exclusive player now for some years. So for me 5 string basses are not a tool that I use. Obsolete? - no, just not the right choice for me.
Irregardless of what anyone else on TB says, the answer will always be, "depends on what works for you". All comes down to your own personal preference. Who knows, maybe someday I'll find that I need a 5 for something, in which case I'll buy one and use it. I'm not holding my breath since I never feel that having 4 strings is holding me back, but your experience may vary.
Irregardless of what anyone else on TB says, the answer will always be, "depends on what works for you". All comes down to your own personal preference. Who knows, maybe someday I'll find that I need a 5 for something, in which case I'll buy one and use it. I'm not holding my breath since I never feel that having 4 strings is holding me back, but your experience may vary.
True. There is more territory across strings with five. In a sense, I find playing in fifths opens up a similar amount of (albeit different) territory. More chord voicings are available in either case. It’s absolutely true though, that the fifths tuning favors open voiced chords and vertical lines, while a fourths tuning favors smaller intervals, scales and closer voiced chords.
Otto
want of what ? you still got to know how to play the damn thing regardless of how many strings it has, doesn't skill level mean anything to anyone anymore ?
