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Fretless bass journey ?

CaribooBass

CaribooBass

Nov 30, 2017
686
1,360
Cariboo
#1
I have found that playing a fretless has some challenges but is very much worth the adventure.

I like the sound of my fretless Jazz in the mix and it is just fun to play.

I just seem to lack the same confidence in playing my fretless that I have when playing my fretted.

I have put my practise time in and know my songs, people liked what they heard enough to compliment me after the service, but the bass still makes me nervous.

Am I alone in feeling this way or is it just learning to trust my growth with the instrument?

Have you had hurdles with playing fretless and how did you over come them.
Thanks
Clayton
 
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#3
In my wholly dumb opinion it’s so much more natural and more simple, almost automatic, to make notes on pitch when you are in a band setting. I have ok-ish hearing and decent-ish pitch on my own. But when you have a guitar or piano or other instruments landing on key I find my brain takes over and pushes sharper or flatter a little more quickly. I practice sometimes with a tuner running so I can spot check my position. But nothing keeps you honest like having to match up to a band. Keep it up. If your peeps comment then you know you’re doing fine.
 
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#4
Trust my ears!
I can tell when a note is not right, but I don’t feel it is right the way I was shown to fix it.
You play a note and it is flat. Do not guess look at your finger placement and move as needed. Same when played sharp.
This just puts your head on a swivel and is very much a distraction.

I have been working on muscle memory (my main bass is a Warwick and my fret less is a fender and there’s a bit of a difference) and I watch my left when warming up.

The difference being now, I can tell if my chosen note is flat or sharp so I adjust my finger position accordingly. With out as much swivel.
Any other ideas in this matter would be greatly appreciated.
 
#5
CaribooBass said:
...
Am I alone in feeling this way or is it just learning to trust my growth with the instrument?
...
Click to expand...

CaribooBass said:
...
Any other ideas in this matter would be greatly appreciated.
...
Click to expand...

You have to trust the process. At the same time, there are ways to steer the process and improve the outcome.
  • Adopt, practice and refine consistent 'hand-shape' to the point where you really feel the spatial relationships between your left-hand thumb and fingertips when playing in tune
  • Put lots of time into pin-point shifting accuracy whilst maintaining hand-shape
  • Learn to sing...
The last one is probably the most contentious and difficult to understand. The purpose of not to make you a great vocalist but to really get 'under the hood' of what 'in tune' actually sounds like. Everyone has an internal sense of 'in tune-ness' and a related tolerance - what they will subconciously tolerate and/or accept as 'in tune'. An untrained ear might tolerate and accept more than ±20 cents as being in tune, whereas a well-trained ear might only tolerate less than ±5 cents. The idea is to tighten up your internal tolerance and make it progressively more sensitive, i.e. less tolerant, of things that are out of tune. The point is that you can only play more in tune if you are fully aware of how in tune (or otherwise) you are playing now, and this awareness derives almost entirely from your internal tolerance. Once you have an awareness you can start to make corrections. But you must avoid making corrections to individual positions of individual fingers on the fingerboard - you MUST make the correction within the boundaries of the handshape - improving and fine-tuning the whole spatial relationship between wrist, thumb and fingertips. Which takes you back to point 1 and a cycle of continual improvement and refinement.

Happy to discuss in greater detail over PM if you like...
 
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#6
I am asking these questions about playing a fretless for I like the way it makes me play, feel and sound different.

To me it is like discovering a new voice.
This is why I am pursuing ways to understand how I can play it with a little more assurance.

Do you know of a song that has a fretless Bass in it that you like to listen to ?


Please let me know.

Thanks
Clayton .
 
#8
It's sounds like you're on your way. Keep doing what you're doing.
As far as nervousness goes... don't try to get rid of it, learn to play while you're nervous. Learn to enjoy being nervous (it's one sign that you're still alive) If you try to 'get rid of it' you'll only get it back when you check to see if you are nervous. (ever try to sit quietly in a room, by yourself, and NOT think of an elephant?)
 
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#9
Killing Floor said:
In my wholly dumb opinion it’s so much more natural and more simple, almost automatic, to make notes on pitch when you are in a band setting. I have ok-ish hearing and decent-ish pitch on my own. But when you have a guitar or piano or other instruments landing on key I find my brain takes over and pushes sharper or flatter a little more quickly. I practice sometimes with a tuner running so I can spot check my position. But nothing keeps you honest like having to match up to a band. Keep it up. If your peeps comment then you know you’re doing fine.
Click to expand...
When I play fretless to notation, it's sad bass all around yet, I can do quite well with the band tho' I don't do it too often. It's learning new music on fretless that challenges my intonation. Stuff I've been playing for a few years now I already have 94% of the distance covered by repetition. Getting the intonation spot on still takes constant work.

I'm still on the fence about seriously making any kind of switch. Venue changes, inclement weather, and just all around human intervention in the gigging situations have me defaulting to what I know (in my sleep). I also play very much in the moment, and I like sticking my landings when something new live, occurs to me. In other words, I'm a cluckin' chicken about playing fretless live more often.
 
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#10
I am not sure how to say this; yes playing fretless makes me nervous but I like the challenge.
It feels like the first time you go on air or the start of a fencing match every time you pick the bass up.

I became good at both of these by learning how to be prepared, thus the confidence grew as I became more experienced.

I asked in this post how others over came hurdles with a fretless and the responses gave me insight on how to be more prepared.

I am great full for every one who took the time to jot down a few lines.

Thanks
Clayton.
 

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