I just got my first fretless a month ago. It has lines, and I need them. I find playing at a normal pace is just as easy as fretted, but jumping around fast takes some practice.
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Fretless Bass
- Thread starter Magicrat
- Start date
Yes! I play fretless exclusively and I have felt for a long time that the Squier VMJ is the best deal available, especially for a beginner. I have wanted one for a long time but they don't make lefties. >:^(
I would argue that point a bit. Some players have natural aptitude...self taught and within a year they are blazing the fretboard in all kinds of crazy licks and chords.
Others take lessons, play at it for years and can still barely walk a I-IV-V or pick out ZZTOP or pearl jam by ear. If playing is something that feels like a struggle I would recommend no....if you feel like you have found your calling and know with practice you will get better quicker than some others you may know...then jump feet first.
Fretless isn't harder. Nobody's out putting frets on violins and selling them as "starter violins", are they? No. You will have to listen closely to what you are playing and use proper technique, but you should be doing that anyway.
I seriously question the competency of anyone who is claiming that fretless is harder because "you have to pay more attention to what you are doing".
Gotta second this. I'm also a fretless-only player. I've played instruments that were five times the cost that couldn't touch the tone of that bass. It's the only lined fretless I have, and I don't play it much, but it sounds damn nice when I do.
I seriously question the competency of anyone who is claiming that fretless is harder because "you have to pay more attention to what you are doing".
Gotta second this. I'm also a fretless-only player. I've played instruments that were five times the cost that couldn't touch the tone of that bass. It's the only lined fretless I have, and I don't play it much, but it sounds damn nice when I do.
No
Yes
Double bass players would probably disagree.
It's absolutely more difficult (I have no idea why some people seem to be offended at the suggestion), and there are some notable differences in fingerboard-hand positioning that must be made so that you can line your fingers up in the exact same vertical position when making chord formations.
However, unlike most in this thread, I would NOT recommend you stay away simply because you're a beginner. If you want to play fretless, you should learn fretless. You'll have a steeper hill to climb, but you'll climb it if you're driven to do so. Also, you'll be a better player, ultimately, as you'll have grown up with the instrument as opposed to switching to it later, after you've already cemented habits and tendencies on a fretted.
However, unlike most in this thread, I would NOT recommend you stay away simply because you're a beginner. If you want to play fretless, you should learn fretless. You'll have a steeper hill to climb, but you'll climb it if you're driven to do so. Also, you'll be a better player, ultimately, as you'll have grown up with the instrument as opposed to switching to it later, after you've already cemented habits and tendencies on a fretted.
Despite the generally encouraging suggestions here, not everyone can play fretless. It's like singing or painting. Not everyone can do it. I don't have a good enough ear for fretless. I accept that and I'm okay with it. I can sing if I want to and I can paint a picture or I can play fretless bass but I'm incapable of doing any of it well. IMO, IME.
The first big change between fretted and fretless is that on a fretless you play on the lines and not on the dots. The feel and placement is different. Once that's learned and becomes 2nd nature then fret lines are irrelevant...but a helpful guide. Intonation is important too...you want the notes to be in the same place on all four strings and not wandering about due to the bridge not being set correctly. The action is different too, to get a full mwaahhh sound, I find playing over the end of the fingerboard works best and there's a certain string height / action which seems to help with this. For me...my fretless playing is more inspired by Pino than Jaco. So I go for an un-coated fingerboard, a Music man style pickup and a set of flat wound strings...for me that's a sweet fretless tone. I can slide, glide and hmmwahhh all day with that combo...or just punch out roots and 5ths if needed. Other's like the Rob Allen / Rick Turner approach and that's fine too.
Since she's your ex wife should we assume that you're not an accomplished fretless player?
Finger placement is only critical if you want to play in tune otherwise it doesn't matter. (That's why I sing in the shower).
I'm a relatively new bass player who took up bass about three years ago. Within a couple of months, I started messing with a fretless. It's really not that hard. I go back an forth between fretted and fretless so that now it doesn't make much difference. There are a few things you can do on a fretless that you can't on a fretted bass and depending on the setup, you can make the fretless sound damn close to a double bass.
All of the fretless basses I've played have been unlined. I never have missed the lines being there, but the dots on the side are very important. It's also a good idea to play an open string from time to time to reset your internal sense of intonation.
All of the fretless basses I've played have been unlined. I never have missed the lines being there, but the dots on the side are very important. It's also a good idea to play an open string from time to time to reset your internal sense of intonation.
This!...^
more importantly IMO do you prefer a fretless sound to a fretted sound?
honestly if you LOVE a fretless sound than you will enjoy playing it and therefore practice with it more.
more time on the bass = better playing = faster learning.
play what moves you!
Get bass. Start playing.
The rest will work itself out. I can say that now, after nearly 30 years of playing bass, and nearly 20 years on fretless, and almost 4 years on upright (not so much as a dot to reference).
The rest will work itself out. I can say that now, after nearly 30 years of playing bass, and nearly 20 years on fretless, and almost 4 years on upright (not so much as a dot to reference).
Also known as why I'm selling my fretless. I got conned into being the lead vocalist, and Sting I am not.
D
My advice? Take upright bass lessons. That will help teach you proper methods of fretless playing. (Fretless means you can tune without touching the pegs, but this also means you have to constantly tune the pitch as you place down your finger. Fretless has more than once saved me from playing horribly out of tune the whole performance, but I am also more likely to play out of tune. It's a give-and-take.)
