Four to Five, how long to adapt?

[chris_b]

. . . . Clearly, it'll take more than just 2 days to adapt to 5 strings -- 2 weeks? 2 months? I hope it's not 2 years (or never).
Especially tricky is when I have to use the G string -- it seems like a string too many.

How long? That's up to you and how much you want to play the 5 and how much effort you put into adapting your technique.

I took my 4 and 5 to a rehearsal the first day I got my 5. I tried to play both straight off and got in a terrible mess.

I then put the 4 string away and only played the 5. I took it to a gig about 2 weeks later. I just played it as a 4 string, but that broke the ice. It took a matter of months to feel comfortable some of the time, and a few more months to feel comfortable all of the time.

Put the 4 away. Only play the 5. Play it a lot. Play everything you know and fully acclimatize yourself.

My other piece of advice: don't think in terms of 4 string songs and 5 string songs. They are all just songs.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I have just got a second-hand Ibanez SR305EB.

Clearly, it'll take more than just 2 days to adapt to 5 strings -- 2 weeks? 2 months? I hope it's not 2 years (or never).
Especially tricky is when I have to use the G string -- it seems like a string too many.
It also seems easier to play fingerstyle than with a pick.

How long did it take you to adapt?

Depends on how much you want to work on it a day. My advice is initially do not play the same tunes on the 5 string that you played on your 4 string, or you will be fighting how many years of muscle memory??

Learn new songs that require the B string. I wish by Stevie Wonder or Uptown funk for instance.

Also, don’t forget about working on your muting technique as you don’t want to have droning strings. This is much more critical with a 5 string and somewhat challenging.

‘Best wishes. Have at it!!

 

[Passinwind]

I have just got a second-hand Ibanez SR305EB.

Clearly, it'll take more than just 2 days to adapt to 5 strings -- 2 weeks? 2 months? I hope it's not 2 years (or never).
Especially tricky is when I have to use the G string -- it seems like a string too many.
It also seems easier to play fingerstyle than with a pick.

How long did it take you to adapt?

In a month I was gigging fairly comfortably, never touching my fours or my EUB. In three months I wasn’t thinking about it much at all. In a year it was just another bass. And now I rarely play it but there’s no adaptation period at all when I do.

 

[Topkat13]

For most it’s one year, 4 months and 20 to 24 days depending on your time zone.

 

[rashrader]

It didn’t take me long at all. Sheesh. It was 30 years ago that I got my first 5’er!! I’m getting old. Practice ascending and descending closed two octave scales starting on the B String and ending on the G String. You’ll feel it in no time. Enjoy.

 

[Thumpin6string]

When I switched from 4 to 6 string, I found that once I got it in my head that the 6 was just a 4 with 2 extra strings, it was pretty easy. On a 5, it is just a 4 with one extra string. Once you get used to it, you'll find that it can make fingering easier, since your fretting hand can usually stay in one position.

 

[MrLenny1]

Got my first 5 string Low B in 1991. My main issue was
confusing the B for the E string. Took about a year for me to correct
& sometimes still mix them a bit.

 

[GreyBeard]

When I switched to 5 string 25 yrs ago, I had thought long and hard about why I wanted to switch. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the B string so the transition was very short for me. By my 2nd gig I felt at ease with it.

 

[Mastermold]

How long did it take you to adapt?

Maybe 5 minutes? It’s just one more string. Doesn’t change anything other than choosing how you want to play the notes.

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

It took me about 4 months.
I already had 40 years of playing a 4, so it was different at first.
I found that it helps to break down the transition.
You will be not only learning what to do with another string, but also getting used to a new bass.
If you take a week or two of just playing all the same stuff on the 5, ignoring the B, then you can get acquainted with the new bass before you learn about the B string.
It helps to be comfortable with any instrument.
Next step is to begin to use the 5th fret E instead of the open E.
It seems to be a small step, but it will cause a shift in your thinking.
Once you are comfortable doing that you will be finding the B string to be normal in short order.
Soon you will feel handy capped with only a 4.

 

[devnulljp]

The only issue I had with a 5 was that I broke a string while tuning because I got lost on the machine heads. Didn't help it was a 3+2 Stingray layout.
After that, it was just another bass.

 

[Wfrance3]

Just play it like a 4 and add notes here and there. Go for the F# next to the b on the e string instead of the f# on the 2nd fret of the E string for example. You’ll get there.

 

[iiipopes]

I did not have a choice or a buffer. I was called to a weekend gig for my old party band after their current bass player died unexpectedly. I made it happen, but it didn't go as well as I would have liked. The guys were patient with me as I reacclimated. I ordered a 5-string bass the next Monday. It came that week for the next gig the next weekend. I had a few hours on Friday after work and Saturday morning to get the songs requiring the 5-string worked up for the gig that night, as well as adapting the feel of a 5-string to all the songs that I previously played on 4-string. But I made the next gig happen, and it has been the gig bass for this band ever since.

 

[mrcbass]

For me, I entered the 5 sing world pretty early in my bass career, so it wasn't a big deal - was probably using it at rehearsal in a week.

For the big deal was going back and forth between 4 and 5 - it was real confusing. The advice above to focus strictly on the fiver for a while is solid.

The movable anchor plucking technique will help you with the G string.

I'm dedicated to the fiver. I don't get around well on a 4 banger - I do a lot of repositioning so that I rarely use open strings, so playing some songs on a 4 trips me up. I'd guess that only about 20% of my work is below fret 5.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

My advice is initially do not play the same tunes on the 5 string that you played on your 4 string, or you will be fighting how many years of muscle memory??

This is me^^^.

If I'm writing/recording a new bass part for a song, five string is really no problem at all. Fun, love it!

If I'm playing a song I've played for twenty years... I'll probably flub it at some point because I'll inadvertently flip back into old muscle memory habits. DOH!!!!

 

[Ric5]

I have just got a second-hand Ibanez SR305EB.

Clearly, it'll take more than just 2 days to adapt to 5 strings -- 2 weeks? 2 months? I hope it's not 2 years (or never).
Especially tricky is when I have to use the G string -- it seems like a string too many.
It also seems easier to play fingerstyle than with a pick.

How long did it take you to adapt?

commit to 5 strings ... don't play a 4 until you are comfortable with the 5

 

[mellobud]

It’s weird… for me, I stopped viewing E as a home base/reference type string. I started keeping track of where A was on the 5 string.

 

[prndltech]

A 5 actually came more natural to me because I always had different keys to play in, so it helped me very quickly

 

[TrustRod]

I got a 5 and a 6 about the same time. I was comfortable playing them pretty quickly as far as muting and stuff but it took years for me to get comfortable with which string was which on the 5. On the 6 it was easy, it's a 4 with and extra string on each side. My brain was fine with that. But the 5 took forever for me to accept the B was not my E etc.... I would see the 5 as if it was tuned EADGC. My brain held on to that a long time. I play just BEADG 5s now so it's finally normal and 4s seem weird.

 

[AceOfBassFace]

Around a couple of weeks for me, the only issues I had at the beginning were switching back to 4 string and thinking the E was the B, and muting the extra string.