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First time five string player

GM60466

GM60466

May 20, 2006
3,675
313
Chi-Town
#1
I have been playing bass for 40+ years. This Christmas, I received a 5 string bass as a gift from my children. It is an older Guild Pilot model with great action and a big booming sound. The problem is, I'm not sure how to approach playing it. Up until a week ago, I have never played anything but a 4 string or an 8 string in octaves. Every tune I know has no need for a low B. Now I am sure I can improvise and find good use for those extra low notes. Any ideas where to start with hand placements.

Thanks

G
 
#2
While I have always rested my thumb on the pickup w/ a 4-string, I find it easier to rest on the B-string with a five. It helps keep muting under control, and I just shift my hand up a little when I use the B.

As for using it musically, I just grabbed for 5ths for a while 'til I got used to it.

I still go back and forth between 4 and 5, but it took a couple of months before the transition was smooth for me.
 
#3
For me, left hand placement didn't change a whole lot. The only thing was getting used to the closer string spacing. I found myself overshooting a string when I was first getting used to it. That's just getting familiar with the instrument though and comes quickly.

For the right hand, I actually prefer a 5 to a 4. That low string gives you a nice anchor when your playing the E string. If you haven't heard/looked into the floating thumb (Todd Johnson forum has some info), that might be a good place to start too.
 
#4
Familiarize youself with it, always feel the G string and work back rather than working from the B string. That side of the bass is the same as you have been playing so no change there, but trying to work from the B string may give you some perception problems. See it as G-D-A-E-B rather than the other way around.

Develop using the E on the B sting as your low E rather than the open string and work on using the B string notes from E and above.
This will bring you hand closer to the body and take out some of the stress of reaching and spreads in fretting you may encounter down by the nut if you were to use the E string. :bassist:
 
#5
I like using the low notes sparingly - but love being able to play the low E fretted and also walking up to low E is cool. Fretted E has a darker sound to me - play some blues in E or Bb and you'll start using the B String. Rocking off the B i.e., rocking a 4th up and back works nice.
 
#6
lol I was in the same boat, playing 20 yrs, went to a 5 about a yr ago. I LOVE it now. What really messed me up was the drop D stuff. I play in a cover band and we have about 4 songs in drop D and 2 in C. I used to HATE tuning down in the 2nd set, the singer wouldn't put the drop tune stuff together. Anyway I had to re-lean to play the song with the 5, but now...LOVE it!! No more drop D and C crap!! lol
Like other posters said, I use the B as a rest for my thumb. And use it sparingly.
 
#8
Take all those blues and other jams you've been playing in E for 40 years and start playing them in E flat. Your guitar player (tuned down) and singer might even prefer it (soundwise), and you'll ween yourself from playing open strings for awhile. Just a suggestion.
 
#9
IMO - you won't find the low B NOTE very usefull, but the low D NOTE is priceless. The other big benefit of a 5-string is being able to stay in 5th position (frets 5-8) and have all of the 4-string open notes underneath your fingers. All the best!
 
#10
The main thing I noticed was being able to play (with some stretching) a two octave scale without moving my hand. like E F# G# on the B string, A B C# on the E string ect..

Or even doing a standard 24 124 134 kind scale, and shifting to get the next octave. Being able to jump 13ths is cool too.

The low notes of the B string I rarely use, mainly use it for its tonal changes and like i said bigger gaps, and more notes in the same position.
 
#12
I started on a 5, so going to a 4 was really easy, I can play both equally as well.
Very rarely do I use the open B or anything below D fretted, the rattle is pretty nasty, also 5 stringers are nifty because you have a whole nother string for the blues scale.
 
#14
You don't even have to use the low "bomb" notes that often, what a 5 string is really good for is extended range in the upper registers. It will allow you to stay in one position and cover 2 1/2 to 3 octaves without moving your hands once. Pretty sweet!

Otherwise, agree that the low B is great for some well placed bombs but don't hang out there - starts turning into mush.
 
#15
GM60466 said:
I have been playing bass for 40+ years. This Christmas, I received a 5 string bass as a gift from my children. It is an older Guild Pilot model with great action and a big booming sound. The problem is, I'm not sure how to approach playing it. Up until a week ago, I have never played anything but a 4 string or an 8 string in octaves. Every tune I know has no need for a low B. Now I am sure I can improvise and find good use for those extra low notes. Any ideas where to start with hand placements.

Thanks

G
Click to expand...

youve been playing for 40+ years and ive been playing for almost 6

So you can do it if I made a jump from a Fender jazz Bass to A John Myung 6-string
 
#16
i went from a four to a five and my hand placement didn't change. i still rest my thumb on the pickup. hardest thing for me was getting use to the closer string spacing. took me about 2 months to finally get use to it. what help me the most is what my buddy said to me: 'its a four string bass with an extra string the tuning on the bottom four is the same.' looking at it that way helped me out because it looked challenging when i first played it. have fun
-the general
 
#17
Another suggestion, play along on some Stevie Ray Vaughan stuff....when you don't have to drop-D tune to play his stuff, you'll start to see the value the 5th string offers.

What I never liked about the 4 string was having to make a bunch of fingering exceptions to get low due to needing to incorporate open strings.

A 5-er lets me play low with consistent fingering technique. Easier to change keys that way, too.
 
#18
After going to a 5, I only play a 4 if I need a different tuning or just want that sound (my 4 is strung with labella deep talking tapewounds, perfect for blues).

I use the string as a thumbrest if I'm on the upper strings (I do still use the pickup as a thumbrest)... and I use it so I don't have to shift hand positions as much on some lines. Gives me somewhere else low to go when doing country or blues lines. 8vb is much more fun than 8va :)! And you can too slap on a 5er, takes a bit of getting used to but doable. And I've never had to retune using a 5.... just hit that 3rd fret if it's a D, if it's an Eb song and I'm in standard hit the 4th. I do have to admit I don't often go below the D....unless i have the subs hooked up it does tend towards mud.

As for the perception thing, it's definetly a brain shift going back to a 4.....so the thinking of the strings from the G is not a bad idea at all. Couldn't tell you how many times I was a 4th up after picking up my 4........ :ninja:
 
#19
mward69 said:
lol I was in the same boat, playing 20 yrs, went to a 5 about a yr ago. I LOVE it now. What really messed me up was the drop D stuff. I play in a cover band and we have about 4 songs in drop D and 2 in C. I used to HATE tuning down in the 2nd set, the singer wouldn't put the drop tune stuff together. Anyway I had to re-lean to play the song with the 5, but now...LOVE it!! No more drop D and C crap!! lol
Like other posters said, I use the B as a rest for my thumb. And use it sparingly.
Click to expand...

This is exactly my story as well. Played a 4 banger for 23 years then got a good price on a 5er and now I love it. We have some songs in our set that are drop D as well and now it makes it a snap. I got up and running very quickly with it. Dont overthink it too much, just do it.
 

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