But fixed regardless
and after reading this thread through .... looks like it won't be on my signature much longer anywayz
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Fretless playing question ...
- Thread starter David Sutkin
- Start date
But fixed regardless
and after reading this thread through .... looks like it won't be on my signature much longer anywayz
Sure, but maybe the OP wants to update his signature & maybe gives a toss.
Clearly you don't, considering how you spelled contributors
It's always a sticking point with someone, even when you're trying to be nice about it.
I thought "friendly reminder" would sound nice, but I still get blowback
D
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Sure, but maybe the OP wants to update his signature & maybe gives a toss.
Clearly you don't, considering how you spelled contributors
It's always a sticking point with someone, even when you're trying to be nice about it.
I thought "friendly reminder" would sound nice, but I still get blowback
Wilde would be envious
Sure, but maybe the OP wants to update his signature & maybe gives a toss.
Clearly you don't, considering how you spelled contributors
It's always a sticking point with someone, even when you're trying to be nice about it.
I thought "friendly reminder" would sound nice, but I still get blowback
Perhaps, perhaps and perhaps, but we're not in OT here,. It's an interesting and informative thread that just got derailed... Nice one...
I notice the signature got changed, so mission accomplished, but you've done a pretty good job of trying to derail it yourself
I also played for a long time on a fretted before getting a fretless and I also got a VM fretless. It took me a little bit to get the hang of it. The bass could be set up so that the lines are where you put your fingers, or it could be anywhere else depending on your preference. However, no matter what fretless you play, you still have to be precise with finger placement or it will be out of tune. You dont have a few inches of space to put your fingers like you do on a fretted bass. Ive said it before, I love the look of an unlined board, but since I dont play fretless enough, I wouldnt play one without lines.
That is basically what I was trying to get at anybody who has played fretless for a while knows the correct position moves behind the line as you increase pitch further up the neck. I was just saying finding that perfect on the line spot lower near the nut becomes kind of weird because it is in between your side markers (if you have into nate between the markers) and further up the neck moves further back. Should have clarified better but you summed up what I was trying to say in a sense. I would not recommend intonating where the center of fret would be.
That's exactly what worked best for me. Lines only made everything worse in my learning.
Sorry, but this pic is not consistent with the text. It's clear that in the case of the first and second finger, the pads are reasonably close. For the third and fourth fingers I can still see the line.
Its looks like an awkward and unergonomic hand position, so I would feel free to ignore this photograph.
Notes on fretless are in tune when they SOUND in tune. Whether that is above, below, or directly on top of the lines depends on the setup.
I don't know about that pic, his fingers look a little flat to me.
Plus, he has all four fingers on the same string. That ain't gonna work, only his pinky is going to be making a note and it definitely looks flat.
Practice with the lights out. Or without looking at the neck. Your ears will let you know where your fingers should go.
This is why I hate lined fretless basses - they are CONFUSING.
my advice - try to ignore the lines. Completely. Play with your EARS. Play scales and lots of them until your hands and your ears are on the same page. That's the way it worked for me - and it happens - it really does - but it takes serious practice.
my advice - try to ignore the lines. Completely. Play with your EARS. Play scales and lots of them until your hands and your ears are on the same page. That's the way it worked for me - and it happens - it really does - but it takes serious practice.
Agreed. I play with some old blues guys that don't believe in tuners. I gotta play with my ears
It sounds counter intuitive but blank plank is best and your ears are king. Plus , bass looks better simple with no lines
This is why I prefer unlined, your fingers have to go to the correct place on a blank board and your ears tell you if you got it right or not. There is no other aid. Which makes it tricky playing unlined fretless on a dark stage with bad monitoring
I agree. No offense... I think many (if not most) people overthink fretless. You need to be able to hear yourself and listen to what you're doing. The more you play, the better you'll likely get at it. I regularly play my fretlesses on gigs people normally wouldn't think a fretless would be used on. Because I tend to play mine like fretted until I do something the fretless is better at.
People think that references like lines tell them where the "correct" note is and try to force the issue. IME they get you in the ballpark, that's all. Let go, grasshopper and be one with the instrument.
Close your eyes and play. ... I defreted my 66 P-bass in 1977 and went nearly insane getting used to it. ... That's normal. Soon you'll be fine with it and get down to just playing. ... My main fretless now has a plain ebony board and fret lines on the top of the fretboard. ... I don't need to depend on them to play in tune but every once in awhile it's nice to have them there.
Agree with most of this. I've had the importance of instrument intonation on a fretless conversation before and some people get annoyed about it. IME IMO general intonation is cool, setting it with a credit is not a length I go to. Because I still have to play the note wherever I hear it and the realities of playing fretless including how you wear the bass which can be a huge factor on things like the parallax view higher up the board which all have to be compensated for.
I don't find the idea or goal of not looking at the board to be stupid. IME it can free one up to play vs. staring at it. And as you later mentioned, with experience you will probably tend to look less and that doesn't seem like a bad thing.
