Fretless Vibrato!!

very cool, your short description gets the idea across well...although i don't currently have a fretless, i was just trying it on my desk, and i can see that it will be something cool to try if/when i get another fretless

 

Yup, BOTH the "guitar" and "violin" types are actually useful on fretless bass - I even "mix" them sometimes in a technique I've heard referred to as "circular" vibrato, where you actually "draw" a little circle with your fingertip on the fingerboard. It gives a really odd "seasick" kind of vibe to the vibrato.



Good stuff!

 

Just be careful not to overdo the vibrato...sometimes it comes across like your trying to hide bad intonation

 

I've had people mention that my playing sometimes makes them sick. This must be the reason!

 

Even though I played fretless BG before I took up DB, I feel that my DB studies really helped my vibrato and also helped teach me when and how to apply it.

The stuff posted previously is pretty accurate about how to move the finger, etc. The only thing I would add is that rather than trying to make all of your fingers equally good, you can embrace the fact that some are better than others and work your fingerings around that. For me, and almost anyone on DB the 2nd finger has the most control, followed by the 3rd, then 1st and the 4th is almost so bad you avoid it if at all possible. Making all four fingers equally good at a technique is very much a "guitar" thing, and yeah, I try to do it too of course. Vibrato, though, I treat as a borrowed technique from DB and my technique shows that. That's just my take on it though, and there are lots of killer fretless players with way more technique than I can even understand sometimes (Michael Manring anyone?)

 

Oddly enough, just to show how each of us is different (or in my case, really freakin' weird! ), my pinky is my strongest for vibrato!

 

For some reason, living and driving around the streets of Boston, etc.., I find my middle finger is my strongest.

Funny how that is, huh????

 

Vibrato can be different for different music. There are many ways to use it - I'm speaking of my orchestra students. It makes your playing very expressive. Slow and wide, fast and narrow. Makes me want a fretless again.

 

Greg -

I played TI's for years (Flats, Jazz rounds, Power Rounds and Super Alloys)...great strings, long lasting, but expensive. Supposedly more equal tension but I couldn't tell. Had Flats on a fretted Jazz and one of my fretless basses.

Only reason I changed brands was because I the TI's sounded compressed under a strong right hand technique. I'm sure you've heard this and I think it may be less of an issue with fretless, but something to consider.

 

I know;-)

An unlined fretless 4 would be much more practical - though not as fun and sexy as a 6.

 

I love TI Jazz Flats! They don't play like flats at all but they sound fantastic. I like the Jazz Rounds too, in a different way. I have never played them on a fretless but I think they'd work quite well, as long as you're not looking for the zing of rounds

I had a (fretted) bass strung E-C for awhile with Jazz Flats on the E and A and Jazz Rounds for D, G and C. I liked that a lot and they blended together surprisingly well.

 

They're magic strings.