That's a question that YOU need to answer for yourself.Does the music you intend to play go below E?
Plus.
Adapting to a five takes a little effort getting used to.
About as much effort as switching from guitar to bass.
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Five Strings? Help a Newbie...
- Thread starter tpaul
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Plus.
Adapting to a five takes a little effort getting used to.
About as much effort as switching from guitar to bass.
It's a bass. Basses have five strings or six. Some have four. If you need one with three, they're probably out there, too.
Nobody ever asked a pianist "Why 88 keys?"
Nobody ever asked a pianist "Why 88 keys?"
I use it to play regular 4 string licks further up the neck/lower pitched. Saves you some shifting around too.
Good example is lynyrd skynyrds gimme three steps. Involves a lot of very doable jumping around and stretching but on my 5er I can practically fall asleep on that song.
Good example is lynyrd skynyrds gimme three steps. Involves a lot of very doable jumping around and stretching but on my 5er I can practically fall asleep on that song.
I went from many years of 4 to a few years of 5 - and was seriously thinking of going to 6 when I decided to go back to mostly 4.
I noticed I was playing more and more notes on the 5 and starting to get too much away from what I think I should be doing in my role as a bass player. On the 4 I was primarily sitting in the pocket and laying down the groove. On the 5 I was tending to get more... I don't know... 'orchestral' or 'busy' maybe?
That's when I figured if I wanted a different role maybe I'd better break my promise to myself and pick up some guitar instead. (I started on string bass before I went electric. I never was a guitarist.) And I found that to be a lot more satisfying a way to scratch that particular itch.
I do want to do more with piccolo bass however. I always thought a piccolo and regular bass would be a potent combination in a band. That 'cello' range isn't addressed all that well in my opinion. And the baritone guitar is just too overwhelming in most settings. So I'm thinking one way to address it is to add an additional instrument, with its own musician, to the mix rather than keep adding strings to an existing one.
This is just me thinking out loud however. I'd also guess most 5-string players won't share my concern about overplaying. In a completely different musical framework than the one I prefer to work in, playing more (and more!) could well be a positive and desirable thing.
Like everything in the world of electric bass, YMMV.
I noticed I was playing more and more notes on the 5 and starting to get too much away from what I think I should be doing in my role as a bass player. On the 4 I was primarily sitting in the pocket and laying down the groove. On the 5 I was tending to get more... I don't know... 'orchestral' or 'busy' maybe?
That's when I figured if I wanted a different role maybe I'd better break my promise to myself and pick up some guitar instead. (I started on string bass before I went electric. I never was a guitarist.) And I found that to be a lot more satisfying a way to scratch that particular itch.
I do want to do more with piccolo bass however. I always thought a piccolo and regular bass would be a potent combination in a band. That 'cello' range isn't addressed all that well in my opinion. And the baritone guitar is just too overwhelming in most settings. So I'm thinking one way to address it is to add an additional instrument, with its own musician, to the mix rather than keep adding strings to an existing one.
This is just me thinking out loud however. I'd also guess most 5-string players won't share my concern about overplaying. In a completely different musical framework than the one I prefer to work in, playing more (and more!) could well be a positive and desirable thing.
Like everything in the world of electric bass, YMMV.
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I started on 4 string back in 1968 and switched to 5 string about 25 years ago. The answer is "it depends". I like the low b string for a couple of reasons. 1st of all it allows me to expand my low register down to low B. Most people seem to enjoy hearing those notes as long as you don't OVER DUE IT. Another reason I like the low B string is for position. I can have better control of the low E by playing it on the B string instead of open E. One caveat for me is reading bass music. I get confused reading when playing 5 string because I learned how to read bass playing a 4 string. I keep my 4 string p-bass for the gigs that I have to read charts.
Because if it didn't have any it would be a bugle?
When I last played a 5, I will say I used to fret the E on the low B often. I prefer playing open strings, but the extra "oomph" of playing the E on the 5th fret B string just had more to it... Even though it was fundamentally the same note as open E on the e string, it just sounded/felt different because of the thicker string. So if use it to emphasize "boom" on certain parts.
When basses were first made, they were intended to give guitarists a shot at playing bass without learning a whole new instrument and playing position AND doing so without frets. The first basses f that type had one single coil pickup, flats, probably a foam mute and was designed to be used with a pick. Music's changed since, methods of assembly and the level of construction accuracy is up, strings, monitors and mains have improved since, playing technique has improved since...
You go where the music tells you to go, within the limitations of your instrument and ability.
No snark intended, but that question is borne of thinking within the confines of a 4-string instead of within the confines of a 5-string. Why would anyone writing or playing today's music consider E to be the compositional floor more than three decades after the first solidbody fiver was introduced?
If the question is simply, "How many times am I going to pluck the open B (or C#)during a gig?", the I fear you may be looking at it as an "added bonus" or a "special feature". it isn't. It's just part of a bass. Yes, I understand that it's only five notes, but they are available now, and the creation of music ought to reflect that in some composers and players. Absolutely in the music being written today. Why would you not want those five extra notes?
You can do everything on a 5-string that you'd do on a 4-string, but the opposite is not true. If I were a beginning bassist, I'd be starting with a 5- there's no reason not to.
It does this as well.
I'm sure someone answered this, but they come with different string spacings. I've seen them as narrow as 16mm and wide as 20mm.
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I know you're kidding, but there really is a reason - 'cause they're small enough to use a ring on the 3rd valve slide to correct the tuning on the fly since the 1+3 valve combination is a little bit sharp. Tubas are a little big for that, so we get a fourth valve (and sometimes more). Decent players on both instruments can also correct by lipping the note flat, but the extra valve is handy.
I went from many years of 4 to a few years of 5 - and was seriously thinking of going to 6 when I decided to go back to mostly 4.
I noticed I was playing more and more notes on the 5 and starting to get too much away from what I think I should be doing in my role as a bass player. On the 4 I was primarily sitting in the pocket and laying down the groove. On the 5 I was tending to get more... I don't know... 'orchestral' or 'busy' maybe?
That's when I figured if I wanted a different role maybe I'd better break my promise to myself and pick up some guitar instead. (I started on string bass before I went electric. I never was a guitarist.) And I found that to be a lot more satisfying a way to scratch that particular itch.
I do want to do more with piccolo bass however. I always thought a piccolo and regular bass would be a potent combination in a band. That 'cello' range isn't addressed all that well in my opinion. And the baritone guitar is just too overwhelming in most settings. So I'm thinking one way to address it is to add an additional instrument, with its own musician, to the mix rather than keep adding strings to an existing one.
This is just me thinking out loud however. I'd also guess most 5-string players won't share my concern about overplaying. In a completely different musical framework than the one I prefer to work in, playing more (and more!) could well be a positive and desirable thing.
Like everything in the world of electric bass, YMMV.
40Hz makes a very important point about your instrument serving the music. I played 4 strings for a great many years. Now I only play ERBs. As others have noted they just make life easier and give you some extra choices as well. But like a drummer with a double bass drum pedal these things have to be used with taste. Yes it certainly is possible to play classic 4 string basslines on an ERB. But if I were to get involved with on "old school" project with classic basslines of the masters I'd have to think long and hard about using an ERB. And the reason is that like 40Hz I know how I am. And with an ERB in my hands the next thing you know I'm "improving" on some classic basslines of the masters. Needless to say this is a very BAD idea! Indeed, it is the very limitation of the 4 string bass that defines the music played on it!
So the bottom line is the instrument serves the music and it is up to the player to find ways to insure that this happens. There is no argument as to how many strings are "best". There is no "best". You always have to ask "best for WHAT?" So as always it depends upon you and the music, but the fact that an ERB makes many things easier also creates a tendency to do too many things. It is something to be aware of.
As a jazz bassist, the lowest string adds a real flare. I do it for tone though I sometimes play the low stuff so I can feel the note paas through me. Gives me a kick out of it.
Thanks for posting that! I was going to mention some of what you covered. But I post far too much as it is - and your explanation is far better than mine ever would have been.
(Didn't know the part about lipping flat btw. So double thanks!)
On most numbers I'll play somewhere on the B string but on some numbers I don't play the B at all. Maybe I should swap to a 4 string bass for that number?
In the cover band I play a number where I don't play the B or E strings, so maybe I should buy a 3 string bass for that number?
That's why I don't understand people who will play a 4 and then swap to a 5 er just for particular numbers.
In the cover band I play a number where I don't play the B or E strings, so maybe I should buy a 3 string bass for that number?
That's why I don't understand people who will play a 4 and then swap to a 5 er just for particular numbers.
A 4-string bass is a house. A 5-string (low B) is a house with a basement. It's cool to go downstairs sometimes. But you'll still spend most of your time in the family room, kitchen, etc.
And a six?
That's a house with a basement and an attic.
You still spend most of your time in the middle...
You should try a 5. Personally, I'm not a fan of having a neck any wider than the 4 string standards and it gets too messy getting a 5 with that width. I don't really use notes that go that low. I used to have one where I had a D string instead of a B string but sold it pretty quickly because it was uncomfortable to play.
Actually, any valve in combination with another will be sharp, just that the 1+3 is sharp enough to be noticeable. Also, having the 4th valve on a tuba lets us do those sweet pedal notes. We can go down to a low B too!As regards ERB's, I use the B string mostly for better position (lots of songs are a lot easier to play when you're not having to jump down to 1st position all the time), and it's nice not having to retune just because there's an occasional low Eb in the song. Sparing use of lower notes can really add a lot of punch too.
