Fretting the fifth, or playing the open?

[jwilson67]

Open notes - especially the E are great for pedal tones. Fretted are easier to control because you have the benefit of two skin surfaces touching the string. Even when I play open strings I still find my fretting hand making some king of contact with either that string or the others to mute them. Sometimes open vs fretted will even just depend on my mood or how the moment strikes me!

 

[CharlyG]

In church, I love to end D songs with an open low D(Hipshot). We have no organ, so it fills up the "house". I'm still working on not plucking too hard after the flip. I'm still getting confused if I leave it in D for a whole tune.

 

[Kragnorak]

Working on a song (using tab, shoot me) and the tab shows to play the open D.

I know that tab isn't sheet music and is the interpretation of whoever did it (this is on Songster,btw). I am curious why he/she would have selected the open string D instead of the fretted.

Thanks,
Russ

Oh yeah, meant to address this. Most internet tabs are Awful with a capital A! I use them as a starting point sometimes but by no means should we trust the accuracy. I also notice that people tend to tab things out with lots of open Ds and Gs, but my assumption is usually that the person doing this is not super experienced. You can often confirm position by checking out footage of the band playing live, and then you'll often see the bassist's hand position is different than what the tab claims.

The only hard part here is gleaning information from the 6 total seconds that show the bass out of a five minute video!

 

[jwilson67]

In church, I love to end D songs with an open low D(Hipshot). We have no organ, so it fills up the "house". I'm still working on not plucking too hard after the flip. I'm still getting confused if I leave it in D for a whole tune.

Great example! A detuned D has a completely different character than the same note played on a 5 string.

 

[A. D. Fairhurst]

Depends on which one's easier to play and/or if I want the brightness of an open string or the slightly darker sound of a fretted note.

 

[Kragnorak]

I play in a thrash band, so a lot of our stuff requires quick and precise fretting. In the context of open string or 5th fret it really boils down to a utility aspect for me. Which is easier to hit on the way to the next note that will sound cleanest? It really depends on the situation for me.

Thrash can be its own animal! I can pick faster on two strings than on one due to efficiency picking, so if I'm playing superfast 16ths I might play 2 open Ds followed by 2 5th fret Ds each beat. At that speed there's not a huge tone difference going D0-D0-A5-A5 D0-D0-A5-A5 etc.

 

[Wolfenstein666]

Thrash can be its own animal! I can pick faster on two strings than on one due to efficiency picking, so if I'm playing superfast 16ths I might play 2 open Ds followed by 2 5th fret Ds each beat. At that speed there's not a huge tone difference going D0-D0-A5-A5 D0-D0-A5-A5 etc.

Huh, I never would've thought to try that. Usually I can accomplish any 16th notes that are straight notes with one finger, plucking both ways on the string (still not great at this but it DOES work) or using three fingers (my go to).

 

[HolmeBass]

I prefer fretted notes myself, but there are times when open strings are the way to go. Complicated riffs, when used to pivot for position shifts with your fretting hand, when droning, and when bouncing between the open note and fretted notes on the same string.

 

[jacolyte]

as a general rule of thumb, i try to play a fretted note because the material of the frets is usually different from the nut material, and this affects the tone. this is even more true on fretless: the sound of an open string over a nut is very different from a string pushed against a fingerboard by a finger, plus you lose the "mwah" and vibrato with the open string. (the only open note i play on fretless is the low E, because that's the only note i can't find elsewhere on the fingerboard!)

 

[40Hz]

There's good reasons to play an open string - and good reasons not to. There's no hard and fast rule that covers all situations. As others have said, it (like most things in music) all depends. For a drone or a pedal tone, open notes are usually the most efficient way to play them. Beyond that, it's pretty much your call as to what sounds best in a given context.

And yes, unless you have a "zero fret" on your neck, an open note will almost always have a very different tonal character than a fretted note. And that's something that can sometimes be put to good use in certain situations.

@Lobster11 's earlier quote of Phil Lesh saying to only play one if you mean it seems about right to me.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I would prefer the fretted, but if you need to double hammer on from a D to an E to a G (for example) then the open D can be useful.

 

[Dougie44]

There is a different sound from open to fretted especially if you scope it, thing is no one in the audience cares. Only in a recording studio.
The nice thing about playing all fretted notes on a 5 string is the pattern is the same in any key you are playing in.

 

[rufus.K]

I more often reach for the fretted note. Depends on comfort and convenience.
Now, if we're talking 12th fret vs the 7th, that's another story

 

[climber]

if you're sight reading, which if you're using TAB you aren't, you use whatever notes are available. if you're working something out then use a fretted note. when you play an open string you loose control of the note.

UNLESS you are playing upright. on upright you play open notes all the time. it goes with the territory...

as always, just my 2 cents YMMV

 

[Mystic Michael]

First, I know someone is going to say play it how I want. Thanks, but looking for more. Consider this a bass theory question.

Working on a song (using tab, shoot me) and the tab shows to play the open D. Does the open string really sound different? I can't hear that sort of difference if there is one. Cheaper Yamaha, cheap practice amp at a pretty low volume, and very bad ears. The ears being the main cause.

Instinctively I am wanting to play the D on the A string fifth fret.

I know that tab isn't sheet music and is the interpretation of whoever did it (this is on Songster,btw). I am curious why he/she would have selected the open string D instead of the fretted. Part of my problem may come from having read somewhere way back when that open notes are to be avoided if possible. 25-30 years ago, so please don't ask for the source. One of the many books or videos I had is all I remember. And I could be remembering it out of context.

Thanks,
Russ

If you really can't hear the difference between an open D and a fretted D, then I'm not sure the outcome really matters to you, Russ. That said - and I don't mean to be cruel here - a musician with a bad ear is like an airline pilot with a depth perception problem, or a surgeon with Parkinson's disease. If by "very bad ears" you mean you have a hearing defect, then maybe a consultation with an audiologist should be your next move. Otherwise, some serious musical ear training is in order.

Whether to play a note in open or fretted position is either an aesthetic choice, a technique choice, or both. Either option is "proper" or "acceptable"...because you get to make that call!

MM

 

[Unemploid]

ALWAYS 5th note, unless not. if so, then ALWAYS open.

 

[Korladis]

First, I know someone is going to say play it how I want. Thanks, but looking for more. Consider this a bass theory question.

Working on a song (using tab, shoot me) and the tab shows to play the open D. Does the open string really sound different? I can't hear that sort of difference if there is one. Cheaper Yamaha, cheap practice amp at a pretty low volume, and very bad ears. The ears being the main cause.

Instinctively I am wanting to play the D on the A string fifth fret.

I know that tab isn't sheet music and is the interpretation of whoever did it (this is on Songster,btw). I am curious why he/she would have selected the open string D instead of the fretted. Part of my problem may come from having read somewhere way back when that open notes are to be avoided if possible. 25-30 years ago, so please don't ask for the source. One of the many books or videos I had is all I remember. And I could be remembering it out of context.

Thanks,
Russ

It would really depend on what the preceding note was, and what the note after it was going to be. In one of my bands songs, there's a part where I play triplets on the open E string (BEAD tuning), but then switch to playing the next E on the 5th fret of the B string, because I'm going down to a D and then a C# and then a low B in rapid succession after that.

It would also depend if I wanted to bend the note at all. If I wanted to bend or use vibrato, I would use the fretted position rather than open.

Lastly, for me, it would depend on the bass I was playing. The difference in timbre between the same note on the D string versus the A string is a lot more noticeable on some basses (P-basses I've played, PJs) than others (Rickenbackers, T-birds, some J basses).

 

[QweziRider]

Does the open string really sound different?

I was going to say "yes, it does", but you follow up with the point of being a totally different bass than I use. So I would have to amend that to "yes, it sure can."

I always approach it with one of two decisions: 1) is the tone going to be more what I need for that particular note if I fret or go open (or even a lower fret for the same note in the case of a five string bass); 2) what will give me the most efficient fingering in relation to the rest of the notes before and after that particular one?

Well, there's really a third consideration: what the hell do I feel like doing tonight?

 

[Mushroo]

By the way, it's a myth that upright/acoustic bassists "always use open strings." Just like their bass guitarist counterparts, skilled upright bassists are comfortable playing any note in any position on the fingerboard, and they understand how choosing closed vs. open fingerings can change the tone/feel of a bass line. In walking bass lines, for example, liberal use of open strings can give a certain rhythmic drive that is idiomatic of the style. But on a slower ballad, you might choose to use fingered notes, so you can get more expressive vibrato and "mwah."

 

[obimark]

Always an interesting question, when my band covered "We gotta get out of this place" by the Animals.

I am 90% sure the main riff is played with no open strings, but at times to give my hand a break I will do it with open strings instead.

Does it sound a little weaker? Yes, if the bass is soloed, but live with a band, its barely noticeable.