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Five string fears

#61
I've found that if I use my B string to anchor my right hand it gives me a good position to mute strings and the B is already muted by my thumb.I used to anchor my thumb on the neck pickup of my Jazzes or my Peavey but found it wasn't too much of a change just to move my thumb to the B string.

Also to the original poster,a good way to get used to a fiver is to learn all your new material on it instead of a four.It's good to try and play all the old songs you already know on your 4 string on your five and try different positions but when you memorize the tunes on a fiver it opens up new ways to play.Songs in E you can play staight accross the board in the fifth position and songs in D and C give you a new lower root if you want.All the material in the band I've been in for four years I've learned on fivers and now it's hard to play some of them on a four,I've got to stop and think about how to play it.
 
#63
I just made the jump from 4 to 5 maybe a month ago, and I LOVE IT. It's really nice to have a lower string, because obviously you can go lower, and you can play lines that *were* using open E a lot on the B string and it just feels more natural.

As for slapping string spacing is narrower, but you can get used to it and It's made me a lot more accurate, so when I go back to my 4 It's easy to slap.

Overall - do it! I'm so glad I did and it's given me a lot more options.
 
#64
Lots of the advice seems to have the tone "don't be afraid", "don't worry, you'll adjust", etc. I played a 4 for about 15 years, then I went to a 5 and then between various 5s and 6s. I had very creative periods making use of the other strings, and told everyone "I can't imagine I ever played without those strings". After about 7 years of that, I picked up a 4 again. I couldn't believe how fast I could play, how my left hand could grip around the whole neck, and how energized my fingers thumped. I created alternate ways to play parts I made up on 5/6 strings on four that I actually liked better. I became a permanent four player again.

0.02, if you have $150, definitely pick it up and spend some time with it...you shouldn't suffer brain damage or anything, a different perspective always helps. You may like the extra string better. If you don't, you can always go back to a four, it won't make you less of a bass player.
 
#65
All this talk has put me in the mood to give it another try (3rd). What to get, what to get? Maybe I oughta try a G&L Tribute. That Active Deluxe Squier is tempting, for the money, but I'd prefer something other than Fender, if I can find something at a reasonable price to experiment further on...
 
#66
Habits can be very hard to break. I once stopped smoking for about 3 years, after 15 years of smoking. I told everyone how much better I felt, how I couldn't believe how stuck I was on those things, how much better everything was. But one day, I decided to just smoke one. Just one. How much could that hurt, right? And in 2 days, I was up over a pack a day, and the old habits had kicked right back in. I became a permanent smoker again.

Does this mean smoking was "right for me"? Or does it mean that old habits are damn hard to break? Are you less of a person if you smoke? Well, maybe someday...

(And just to drive the point home--wrapping your thumb around and strangling the neck is a BAD HABIT.)
 
#67
jsingles said:
is there anybody here that slaps on a 5 string?
I know its perfectly managable, but it doesnt seem quite the same as doing it on a 4 string..
Click to expand...

Yes, I do. And I slap on the six string as well, and even on my triple course twelve string.

Slapping on a bass takes some muting skills, and the more strings you have, the more refined that your muting must become, if you don't want it to sound like a big mess when you slap.
 
#68
Jo6Pak said:
Everyone seems to have much praise for the transition to 5-string, yet I'm curious about something. No one in this thread, except myself, has mentioned the need to counter sympathetic string vibration.

Has everyone here also mastered the 'floating thumb' or some other method to rectify this phenomenon, or is it just being ignored?

As I mentioned in my post, that is really the ONLY thing that turned me off about Fivers (the need to completely change my right hand finger style to keep open strings from ringing out).

If there is a better/easier way, please let me in on it because I would be up for another try, if so...
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Muting, man. That is the key. The more strings you have, the more sympathetic vibrations you will get, unless you get your muting under control.

Floating thumb is a good start. What you really need is to get every finger that is not involved in playing a note, involved in muting a string. Every finger, on both hands. Sounds hard, but once you work on it for a while, it becomes second nature.
 
#69
About 12 years ago, I tried to switch from a 4-string to a 5-string. I found the B-string and string spacing very uncomfortable and gave up on the 5-string. About 4 years ago, my wife and daughters bought me a beautiful Roscoe SKB3006 for father's day. I took it to gigs and started playing it. To my surprise, it only took a couple of weeks to get used to it. I then bought my Lull 5-string, and it instantly became my main bass. I still take a 4-string with me on gigs, and I plan on gigging with my 6-string more in my new band. For whatever reason, I now switch from 4 to 5 to 6 strings without any problems.
 
#70
Well, just to update I pulled the trigger and ordered a G&L L2.5k yesterday after playing a used one on vacation in Savannah. The used one felt just fine in my hands (best fiver yet) but it was a bit spendy for the shape it was in. I'm playing for a Godspell performance right now and I was surprised just how easily I could transfer some of those lines over with that low B.

So, hopefully in a few days there will be a nice natural finish beauty waiting for me on the front porch when I get home from work!

thanks for all the conversation

thanks f
 
#71
I've switched back and forth from 4 to 5 and then back, and then back... I'm back on 5 now and I think I'm going to stay. I've never had a hard time with the switch, though. It helps me to think of a 5-string as a 4-string + 1. Kind of like a 4-string with a musical thumbrest.
 
#72
jimmy rocket said:
Well, just to update I pulled the trigger and ordered a G&L L2.5k yesterday after playing a used one on vacation in Savannah. The used one felt just fine in my hands (best fiver yet) but it was a bit spendy for the shape it was in. I'm playing for a Godspell performance right now and I was surprised just how easily I could transfer some of those lines over with that low B.

So, hopefully in a few days there will be a nice natural finish beauty waiting for me on the front porch when I get home from work!

thanks for all the conversation

thanks f
Click to expand...
Great choice! I used to own an L2500 Tribute. String through the body with hex-core strings and the B will be nice and tight!
 
#73
4>5>6 String.... Being a thinking bassist will set you apart from many. Growing as a musician is a part of the journey. Now I prefer playing a 6er and a fretless 5er, but on occaision I play my 4 string with a Hipshot D-tuner. Each string configuration allows me to create differently and that's inspiring!
Have faith and let your God given talent flow...
Take Care,
Rich
 
#74
I played four string exclusively for over 20 years. In Y2K I got a fiver. It took a couple of months to get comfy on it... probably longer for me than most, because I spent so much time on four. But once I made the adjustment, I sold my fours and now play five exclusively. I wish I'd made the switch 10 years earlier.

I could play six if I wanted to, but I don't want or need the additional string. Fiver is just right for me. Emphasis on the "for me" part... only you can decide what's right for you.
 
#76
Well, it's here. My Tribby L2.5K got here yesterday and it's a beast. Honestly it took me almost no time at all to start thinking with that low b in the mix. I tried going back and forth with my 4 string a few times and it seems very natural to me. I used to think of the fretboard spatially, playing by ear, but lately I've been brushing up on my sight-reading and I think that helps.

We'll see if she makes the cut in the long run, but for now I'm very pleased.
 

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#77
jimmy rocket said:
Well, it's here. My Tribby L2.5K got here yesterday and it's a beast. Honestly it took me almost no time at all to start thinking with that low b in the mix. I tried going back and forth with my 4 string a few times and it seems very natural to me. I used to think of the fretboard spatially, playing by ear, but lately I've been brushing up on my sight-reading and I think that helps.

We'll see if she makes the cut in the long run, but for now I'm very pleased.
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Beautiful bass. Congrats!

Now, five string is perfect for me, and I don't want to complicate your life, but six string basses are especially popular with those who have to sight-read: more notes in one fingering position results fewer position shifts. Just a thought. Enjoy your new bass.
 
#78
Congrats! I bought a L2500 Tribute for some months ago, and I've sold my L2000 tribute and my Yamaha Attitude LTD-II since then. I am just completely sold on fivers, and I doubt I ever will have a four-banger as my main bass again. I don't really see the point of the low B-string though, as I am accustomed to play a lot in drop D, so I tune E-C instead, and have a Hipshot detuner on the E. I love the extended upper range! :D
 
#79
Well, after a month with my L2.5k I must say that I'm sold. Whatever fears I had about switching to a fiver are gone. My main concerns were that I would either lose interest in playing my 4 banger or not be able to switch back and forth mentally. So far neither have been a problem. In fact, I'm playing in a pit band for a Godspell tour and I find myself switching between basses for particular songs in the show, and with no problems.

As an unexpected benefit I believe it has made me more of a "thinking bassist" overall. I find that I cant be lazy about keeping up my reading chops, and I have developed a more refined notational concept of the fret board.

All in all, I just wanted to update all of you who were so helpful in this new endeavor.

peace
 

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