Does anyone else have a hard time playing open strings?

[Old Blastard]

I have a hard enough time hitting the right note to worry about open strings.

 

[IntelligentWail]

I love open strings. They allow me to left hand shift with ease on running passages. With chords that contain an E, A, D, or G, I can create some groovy harmonies. If I need a sustained note, they just ring forever, way longer than a fretted note, and have natural sonic pleasantness that reverberates through my bass with natural harmonics.

Most importantly, though, playing open strings allow me to do cool things with my left hand like fist pumping, giving people a thumbs up (or thumbs down), and drinking a beer.

I'm with you there! I play about the same as you. On my end I was a total fretted guy. Very punk. I got an upright and with those you have to play open strings at times. I taught myself to concentrate on my 'feel' the string with fingers. It's almost like taking a breath to me. Feeling the air move if you will. Rather then give it a good pluck I would made sure that open string sounded the same.

As I don't play much in position so I play electric the same way. It's a matter of being lazy I guess. LOL

I use hamer-ons to hit those strings and a green beer at the same time.

Hats off to you.

 

[badgenes]

More of an issue of muting the open string without excessive noise, but yes. Seems to be a common issue especially the higher up the neck you go. I am aware my muting needs refinement, sounds like you are too, and it seems that will resolve the issue so...

badgenes

 

[Julian G]

Have been playing Losing My Religion by REM using a a lot of open strings and I felt the timing was never quite right. Rearranged the way I was playing so now there's virtually no open strings and now the timing and feel for the song seems so much better - so for me it seems to work minimising the use of open strings.