Economy of motion

[citizenchris099]

I tend to favor playing across the fretboard over shifting...is this somehow wrong? It feels right to me and comfortable.

So I've been working on a line in C# minor. The chords are ...so far are
| C#m7 | Bmaj7 | Amaj7 | Bmaj7 |
| C#m7 | Bmaj7 | D#m7 | G#7 |
I can play the entire line from fourth position (using the open A string)

I feel weird not shifting...but at the same time its comfortable and the economy of motion gained from staying in one position allows me more...versatility in my lines.

I get that a note played on the heavier gauge strings are going to have more "weight" to them...is this why guys choose to shift when they could play the same thing in the position they are in?

 

[dexter3d]

It's not wrong, but not optimal. Fixed position limits your range. Sometimes you have to make a big jump of an octave or more to spice up your walking. Then it's about the tone - things might sound thin if you're banging the G string too much. And then there is also a matter of comfort - some movements are much more economical starting from a certain position, which makes shifting a good trade-off.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

No need to beat yourself up around the head and face over this. As long as you can get to the note before the music goes off and leaves you, IMO how you do that is up to you.

I long ago elected to not use open strings, has nothing to do with tone. I decided to not use open strings so I do not have to debate with myself should I use an open A note or a fretted A note. Fretted notes won the debate. As to economy of movement, I have no problem moving to where the note is.

 

[drumvsbass]

I get that a note played on the heavier gauge strings are going to have more "weight" to them...is this why guys choose to shift when they could play the same thing in the position they are in?

To answer this part of your question, I would say yes. Especially if it is an instrument that the player is intimate with, like if you know the A on your G string is a little zingy, you might play it on the D string etc.... Explaining further than that is a can of worms.

Pretty much what everyone else said as I was trying to open the can of worms....

 

[mambo4]

I don't really buy the argument of "Economy of Motion" as a blanket reason for subscribing to any particular fingering. Rarely is the tempo so demanding that we must zero in on some optimal position for the sake of speed. There is something to be said for a fixed position when sight reading, however.

Generally, I strive to consider the whole neck as "allowed", whatever I am playing.
I enjoy taking a phrase I learned in a one position and seeing what other approaches I might use.
Can I play it using open strings? Can I play it on only two strings?
Can drop part of the phrase into a lower octave?
Can I shift into a position that opens up opportunities for chromatic or pentatonic embelishent?

But then I have no gig right now, so plenty of time to mess around...

 

[citizenchris099]

I really appreciate all the replies.

 

[BassChuck]

If you're reading a part sometimes there is only one place on the neck that works efficiently. Placing the phrase there is the difference between sounding good and sounding clumsy. And there are times you will need to play something at a particular place because of the phrase that follows. (sort of like setting up your shot in billiards)

Even if you are in a musical situation that allows you to construct your own phrases and does not put the demands on you that reading does, you should always be concerned about 'economy of motion'. Being able to move (for lack of a better word) gracefully from one note to another is the backbone of style. If you are making too much of an effort to move, you'll be late... not like a wrong rhythm, but by a lack of inflection.. style. Imagine straight eighth notes in a rock pattern. Now change that to a swing feel. How much time is added to the first note and taken from the second (etc.). Not much, in fact, there are lengthy discussions on how that could be notated (it can't). But the feeling is clear, and if you can't make the difference, the problem might be in technique... or in other words: economy of motion.

 

[Duanestuermer]

Economy of motion is one of the reasons I started playing a 5 string (beside the extra low notes), in much of the work I did, bass parts could be very challenging to play smoothly if I had to fly all over the neck. Crossing strings in one position became the answer for me. I also did a lot of reading gigs, where rehearsal was minimal, so being able to play most of a song in one position, to eliminate glancing at music while still following the conductor made life much easier. An example below of a tune where economy of motion helped..