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Fretless articulation exercises?

kesslari

kesslari

Groovin' with Fusion Cuisine
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Dec 21, 2007
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Santa Cruz Mtns, California
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Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
#1
I'm playing mostly fretless these days, and my ongoing quest is for better articulation.

I'm working on this by playing scales slowly, with slow vibrato on each note (which is hard for me with my index finger, so I know there's some physical learning and benefit from doing this exercise).

What other exercises would you recommend for improving fretless articulation?
 
#2
Atriculation is a very broad term. Do you mean that you are working on staccato vs legato and all the shades in between? or do you mean that you want a clear, powerfull attack that defines the pitch of each note? or are you working on intonnation?

When working on fundamentals, I like to eliminate as many secondary issues as possible. I see articulation as mostly a right hand issue, so I would turn on the metronome and play just one note at different time intervals, focusing on the articulation I want. When you do just one thing at a time, you will find you get results very quickly.
 
#3
Try practicing on a fretted bass hitting the frets as your target, which is where you need to be placing your fingers on a fretless. This way you'll feel the target and your tone will be that much more "articulate" when you do play a fretted bass...
 
#4
I guess I wasn't clear in my original post.
My intonation is pretty good, actually.

There are a number of ways to express a note on fretless - in terms of gliss, vibrato, attack, pressure. I'm looking to increase my left hand facility to express the note - vibrato and pressure are the 2 main ways I can think of.

I'm interested in other exercises you do to work on that.
 
#5
kesslari said:
.....There are a number of ways to express a note on fretless - in terms of gliss, vibrato, attack, pressure. I'm looking to increase my left hand facility to express the note - vibrato and pressure are the 2 main ways I can think of.....
Click to expand...

Imitate singers. Female blues singers are the best. Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin come to mind. Anyone singing scat will have tons to show you.

And (IMHO) once the note manipulations become more obvious than the note choice, it might be time to back off a little.
 
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#6
And (IMHO) once the note manipulations become more obvious than the note choice, it might be time to back off a little.
Click to expand...

Agreed, trust me.
It's like working on vocabulary.
Doing so doesn't indicate that I feel compelled to constantly elocute in a grandiose and verbose fashion... :D :D

Seriously, it's not a bad analogy. Developing a good vocabulary doesn't mean you have to talk like an ass all the time. It just gives you a wider range of expression.
 
#7
BassChuck said:
Imitate singers. Female blues singers are the best. Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin come to mind. Anyone singing scat will have tons to show you.

And (IMHO) once the note manipulations become more obvious than the note choice, it might be time to back off a little.
Click to expand...

Best advice so far...focus on melodic playing....this will help in your decision for the "voice"of the instrument, IMHO.

Good luck. Fretless playing can be tough...be patient with yourself :)
 
#8
Excellent advice above. The singer analogy is perfect for fretless. I've been doing a lot of shedding lately as well, and I've been focusing on playing melodies from the real books. Doing so covers a lot of ground - intonation, phrasing, vibrato, etc. - plus it keeps the eyes sharp and offers more vocabulary during solos.
 
#9
(Zombie -haha) I was gonna start a new thread but this is a great one to pick up from.

Try learning pieces from many different instruments. Baritone and tenor sax solos, 'cello solos, vocals like Nina Simone and other 'deeper' singers, trombone, even timpani.

Don't forget rhythmic and percussive aspects (consonant sounds), so you don't get stuck on the typical 'vowel' sounds of Fretless. Ghost notes, rakes, staccato, muffled gliss, fretboard 'taps' thru to rockabilly slap, octaves (ringing and muffled), double stops (esp staccato pluck with fingernails), hammer-on/pull-off, even open string pull-offs/hammer-ons, etc.

I don't compartmentalize left and right hand techniques - try to make your expression two handed and you'll get even more of a kick out of playing Fretless!!!
 
#10
On a side note, I bought a little clamp-on Snark tuner on recommendation in another thread which I got today. For intonation practice it's great to leave it in place on the head-stock and stop wherever and check how you are doing intonation-wise. Really convenient visually and good tracking for that kind of practice, anywho jus' saying.
 
#11
Skitch it! said:
On a side note, I bought a little clamp-on Snark tuner on recommendation in another thread which I got today. For intonation practice it's great to leave it in place on the head-stock and stop wherever and check how you are doing intonation-wise. Really convenient visually and good tracking for that kind of practice, anywho jus' saying.
Click to expand...

+1 on the Snark. A great little tool that has really helped my intonation as well.

+1 on playing other instrument pieces - something written for cello sure does sound nice on a fretless, and it's a great exercise.
 
#12
Play with your eyes closed.

I use a fretless differently I think than a lot of folks -- I don't use it just to get mwah. I use it because it's just a damn fine sounding bass. The sound of the note without a fret is more subtle. The attack of the string right on the board is different. So I usually play a part I composed on a fretted bass and move it to a fretless, though lately I have begun writing parts just with the fretless in mind.

But I have found the most satisfying way to work on it is to try doing it with my eyes closed. I want to see the notes, to feel them under my hands. Part of this is because I sing while I play. Part of it is because I feel like I should be truly aware of what I am doing, and not just hoping I hit the right spot on the board.

I'm playing the Squier VMJ fretless. It is a wonderful instrument. I also have a Univox Lectra but my stepson has run off with it and now says he can't play anything but shortscale.
 
#14
When I play fretless bass ... I don't feel like I'm a bass player but someone singing and I think it is the most important thing to do. STOP BEING A BASS PLAYER.

I play DB a lot and in classical music DB player have a lot of chance to be solo instrument or to be as lyrical as any other instrument so a fretless bass come close in that lyrical department.
 

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