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frettless bassist, this is for u

P

pierreganseman

Aug 23, 2008
363
1
Brussels
www.myspace.com
#1
hey guys, just wondering ur opinion on this...
when it comes to intonation, do u guys find that you have to be dead on the note?? just wondering, cuz sometimes people can be like "ah ur out of tune" etc. surely happened to all of us at least once. it did happen to me... i found out later they had perfect pitch... (that's not helping me huhu)

My opinion is that no one is tottally in tune ( a part maybe people like pino, but i don't consider him human, garry willlis as well)

do we have to be dead on all the time?? maybe but what about upright player?? are they totally in tune??

Some jazz recordings you can hear the upright being sometimes dodgy, but it works fine anyway..

(of course, i know that bad intonation makes evry one sound off, i'm not that bad)

cheers
 
#5
no one has perfect intonation.

and you really don't need. very few people will be able to notice if you're slightly off.

case in point: i sat in on a few tunes with a friend's r&b band a few weeks ago. the friend was a professional jazz drummer for a bunch of years and has worked with lots of
upright bassists. when we finished he complimented me on my intonation - and he's not
the kind to give undue praise. i noticed several notes that were (to me) obviously flat.
 
#7
BigKahuna13 said:
no one has perfect intonation.

and you really don't need. very few people will be able to notice if you're slightly off.

case in point: i sat in on a few tunes with a friend's r&b band a few weeks ago. the friend was a professional jazz drummer for a bunch of years and has worked with lots of
upright bassists. when we finished he complimented me on my intonation - and he's not
the kind to give undue praise. i noticed several notes that were (to me) obviously flat.
Click to expand...

Maybe your hearing is sharp. ;) :D
 
#9
Jim Carr said:
Fretted is not in tune, either.

IMHO, one of the great things about fretless is that you CAN play more in tune than with frets.
Click to expand...

Tuner will confirm that not all frets are alike.

The fretless thing is great for pushing or pulling the pitch, much like a guitar player bending a string, although in triads it is more suggestive than actually dissonant.

I love the difference in the sounds (Fret and Fretless) and although I have been working on my technique for months, I've a ways to go before I feel confident with the pitch.
 
#10
It's all part of the fun... sometimes I'm spot on and nobody can guess I'm playing a fretless... other times I'm 'out of tune'... sometimes I do it on purpose, It's great for bluffing.

Depends on what you/your band is playing...

Mick Karn is my inspiration...


Heh... I always quote this one! Try and get hold of the album if you can... IMO it's a must have for us fretless types.
 
#11
i played fretted for 25 years and when i bought a fretless i had fretlines put on and i'm glad i did at least it got me goin' in the right direction right away. i don't constantly stare at the neck while i'm playing but the occasional glance keeps me "more in tune" and secure feeling.
i don't care what others care about my fretlines, i just dig the tones and grooves comin' outa that axe.
 
#12
I'm usually pretty close to being on the money. I sometimes have a little difficulty above the 17th position.

As to what we get away with, kinda depends on where you are in the mix and how much bass or treble you have. My Rob Allen basses are deep and thumpy, which doesn't reveal flaws as easily. My fretless CB has a polyester coated fingerboard and emulates the Jaco tone very well. My mistakes are a little more noticable due to the added high end.
 
#13
Utilise a good vibrato technique. Seriously, good vibrato is key to fretless playing. It allows you to be far more expressive and can cover sloppy intonation.

Something that helped me: practice scales slowly, with a metronome and use vibrato on each note.
 
#14
bh2 said:
It's all part of the fun... sometimes I'm spot on and nobody can guess I'm playing a fretless... other times I'm 'out of tune'... sometimes I do it on purpose, It's great for bluffing.

Depends on what you/your band is playing...

Mick Karn is my inspiration...


Heh... I always quote this one! Try and get hold of the album if you can... IMO it's a must have for us fretless types.
Click to expand...


Holy poop!!! I just listened to that link and I swear to god that I've been yearning to hear something like that; electronic music with fretless bass, oozing with jazz overtones. I am definately going to look into that album. :)
 
#15
Hey Bob! I was in the bass doldrums for a while, was even considering packing it all in when a friend gave me that album... it blew me away.

I was in a jazz band for ten years with my trusty SB1000f... now I play in a drum and bass band, laying down the grooves mainly. I feel I can get a great feeling for the music with the fretless here. '61 Jazz Bass.

Last year I was gigging a lot with a 'proper' band with songs and stuff. Played a fretted for that.
 

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