Does playing rounds make you a better player?

[Ruknrole]

I’ve noticed that when playing rounds, I have to work a lot harder to keep the strings quiet when switching positions. When playing flats, it feels like it’s almost automatic and I don’t have to put as much effort into it.

This made me think that perhaps playing rounds would improve my technique and make me a better player.

Has anyone else experienced this? What say you?

 

[3684799953275]

No

 

[michael_t]

I’ve noticed that when playing rounds, I have to work a lot harder to keep the strings quiet when switching positions. When playing flats, it feels like it’s almost automatic and I don’t have to put as much effort into it.

This made me think that perhaps playing rounds would improve my technique and make me a better player.

Has anyone else experienced this? What say you?

Yes, I do share the same experience. Whenever I play rounds, it forces me to pay closer attention to what my left hand is doing in order to keep the finger noise to a minimum. As a former flatwound enthusiast, I feel my technique had gotten a little sloppy, slip 'n sliding all over the fretboard with no worry for any unwanted noise.

Whether playing rounds would actually make me a better player or not... I can't say for sure.

 

[Geri O]

Man, what is it with the string posts tonight??

No, rounds don’t make you a better player.

I should say, I have no idea, since I haven’t touched a set of flats in over 40 years.

But be that as it may, I’ll stand by my common-sense answer.

 

[monkeyfinger]

Practicing makes you a better player.

 

[lz4005]

There are a lot of people who mask sloppy technique by rolling off highs and/or using flats. Or who've developed sloppy technique due to not being able to hear themselves well. But no, rounds don't make you a better player.

 

[Ruknrole]

I guess it's all a matter of perspective. You could say that it does, since it forces you to have better technique to keep things quiet.

I've been playing a P with flats exclusively for about a month now and my unwanted string noise has been zero. Sounded like a million bucks. I was unaware my technique had slipped.

Then I grabbed the J with rounds yesterday and was actually surprised at how sloppy I sounded.

 

[squarepeg]

 

[jd50]

I've noticed the same thing. I put ernie ball slinky flats on all of my basses except for 1. Now every time I play that bass I sound awful, nonstop string sliding noise. It's driving me crazy!

 

[Grapevine921]

I get where you're coming from. I feel like flats give me a "polished studio tone" and rounds can have excessive scratchy noises/clank if you aren't careful. There's a reason string manufacturers make both and your string preferences won't make you more musical

 

[Ruknrole]

I love my flats, both the sound and feel. It’s all I want to play now, but I think I’m going to have to include rounds in the rotation to keep it real.

 

[Koshchei]

I’ve noticed that when playing rounds, I have to work a lot harder to keep the strings quiet when switching positions. When playing flats, it feels like it’s almost automatic and I don’t have to put as much effort into it.

This made me think that perhaps playing rounds would improve my technique and make me a better player.

Has anyone else experienced this? What say you?

It makes you better at playing rounds.

 

[Max Bogosity]

It’s a bit like playing with lots of distortion or compression vs clean. One emphasizes quiet noises and requires you to pay a lot of attention to muting. The other is unforgiving of inconsistency in volume and requires you to keep the dynamics under control by yourself. Different skills, both good to have.

 

[roller]

If James Jamerson, Duck Dunn and Bobby Vega had played rounds, maybe they would've turned into something...

I’ve noticed that when playing rounds, I have to work a lot harder to keep the strings quiet when switching positions. When playing flats, it feels like it’s almost automatic and I don’t have to put as much effort into it.

This made me think that perhaps playing rounds would improve my technique and make me a better player.

Has anyone else experienced this? What say you?

 

[Fender_Bender]

Well, they do force you to clean up your technique so that you don’t sound like garbage. My first couple of years I did the pressure wounds/turning tone down thing until my technique improved.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

I’ve noticed that when playing rounds, I have to work a lot harder to keep the strings quiet when switching positions. When playing flats, it feels like it’s almost automatic and I don’t have to put as much effort into it.

This made me think that perhaps playing rounds would improve my technique and make me a better player.

Has anyone else experienced this? What say you?

I agree. It was decades ago, but when I switched from flats to roundwounds, I asked a guy at the music store if there was a way to reduce the noises from shifting positions. I think he recommended talcum powder, which I never tried.

I had to work very hard, and for quite some time to learn how reduce the noise from shifting positions.

 

[ThickBassSteaks]

Whenever I play rounds, it forces me to pay closer attention to what my left hand is doing

That’s just it though, whatever brainpower you expend on trying to silence inherently noisy strings is brainpower unavailable for other things (including making good music).

 

[legalbass]

Playing rounds only makes you a better bassist when they're stretched to the limits of their tensile strength.

At least that's what I've heard.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[bikeplate]

Nope

 

[BadSanta1281]

I play poorly with both flats and rounds... so the answer is no.