Getting used to a 5

[dc-upright]

I got my first 5 string today after years of p and jazz basses along with upright.

I keep getting lost so my question is how is the best way to get used to the extra string? Also once you get used to it, will there be a problem switching back and forth?

 

[ics1974]

First don’t use your 4 strings basses for a while. Only use the 5. Then I found it helpful to use the B string as a thumb rest at first just to orient where the E string is. Then start adding in the B note once you’re comfortable. It only took me about a week to feel comfortable

 

[MrAB4003]

You have some options here:
1. Re-tune your bass from E-C so the bottom string is familiar to you. Be sure to buy different strings so you don't kill your truss rod should you go this way.
2. Play songs you would normally play on a 4 string in different places on the neck. That way, you will force yourself to use the B string for bass instead of as a glorified thumb rest.
3. Learn new songs that require a 5 string.

 

[Stranger Danger]

You have some options here:
1. Re-tune your bass from E-C so the bottom string is familiar to you. Be sure to buy different strings so you don't kill your truss rod should you go this way.
2. Play songs you would normally play on a 4 string in different places on the neck. That way, you will force yourself to use the B string for bass instead of as a glorified thumb rest.
3. Learn new songs that require a 5 string.

Number one is a non starter and not sure why anyone would do that but YMMV of course

To the OP, put all your 4 strings away and play only the 5. For me it took a couple months. Some people it takes a lot less than that.

What happened to me is that ultimately I realized that all 5 strings have 4 string basses in them so I didn’t need the 4s anymore

 

[MrAB4003]

Number one is a non starter and not sure why anyone would do that but YMMV of course.

Depends on the genre you're playing. I've seen several bassists (i.e. Janek Gwizdala) tune from E-C and they sound amazing. So I wouldn't say it's a non-starter for everyone.

 

[J Wilson]

A five and a four-string bass are similar, yet different instruments.

Fives allow you to play across the fingerboard more than a four which tends to be more up & down the fingerboard. Damping strings is a different process. It's usually a bigger neck. Depending on what and where you play, it can need more amp.

I'd echo parking the fours and play the five only. Of course you're gonna feel like a duck on ice skates at first, but then we all did.

For me, when 'the light came on' was when I quit using open E and started tunes in E from the B-string. Play a two octave E-major scale beginning on the B-string and go across the fingerboard and end up on E on the G-string a few frets below the octave G. You see just how much ground you can cover from a single position. This is the real advantage I find. Buying one to pick up five extra low notes is an expensive waste of time.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Depends on the genre you're playing. I've seen several bassists (i.e. Janek Gwizdala) tune from E-C and they sound amazing. So I wouldn't say it's a non-starter for everyone.

If that’s the purpose but that’s a very very specific thing being done by a small group of people and it won’t help anyone learn to play a 5 string bass

 

[Stranger Danger]

A five and a four-string bass are similar, yet different instruments.

Fives allow you to play across the fingerboard more than a four which tends to be more up & down the fingerboard. Damping strings is a different process. It's usually a bigger neck. Depending on what and where you play, it can need more amp.

I'd echo parking the fours and play the five only. Of course you're gonna feel like a duck on ice skates at first, but then we all did.

For me, when 'the light came on' was when I quit using open E and started tunes in E from the B-string. Play a two octave E-major scale beginning on the B-string and go across the fingerboard and end up on E on the G-string a few frets below the octave G. You see just how much ground you can cover from a single position. This is the real advantage I find. Buying one to pick up five extra low notes is an expensive waste of time.

Same here. Also you learn to love playing Eb

 

[Moving Pictures]

A five and a four-string bass are similar, yet different instruments.

Fives allow you to play across the fingerboard more than a four which tends to be more up & down the fingerboard. Damping strings is a different process. It's usually a bigger neck. Depending on what and where you play, it can need more amp.

I'd echo parking the fours and play the five only. Of course you're gonna feel like a duck on ice skates at first, but then we all did.

For me, when 'the light came on' was when I quit using open E and started tunes in E from the B-string. Play a two octave E-major scale beginning on the B-string and go across the fingerboard and end up on E on the G-string a few frets below the octave G. You see just how much ground you can cover from a single position. This is the real advantage I find. Buying one to pick up five extra low notes is an expensive waste of time.

This is great advice. When I started with 5-strings I dove straight in exactly as J Wilson described. Parked the 4s. I also did a gig with the 5s 2 weeks after getting them so that forced the issue as well. That was over 20 years ago.

Now I switch between 4s and 5s based on the need of the day. Patience and perseverance are the way to go. You’ll make some mistakes as you but it will improve if you keep at it.

Best wishes on the new adventure.

 

[Ggaa]

Don't look down for a while, B looks like an E... ...spacing for me was the hardest thing in the beginning. Week or 2 all good.
Don't know for sure about switching, haven't owned a 4 since the 80s.

 

[B-Mac]

I got my first 5 string today after years of p and jazz basses along with upright.

I keep getting lost so my question is how is the best way to get used to the extra string? Also once you get used to it, will there be a problem switching back and forth?

Play it at the 5th fret, which is EADG across, just like your 4 string.

 

[GroovyBaby]

Advice given so far is good. I would add, instead of just thinking in patterns, think about what notes you are playing. I spent time deliberately going back and forth to get used to switching. I went down to just fours for a few years and just got another fiver so I’m now doing the same. And yes, you will occasionally be off a string but the correction is fast

 

[hbarcat]

When I tried to get used to a fiver it took a month or two until I was comfortable. But when I would play my four stringers again, my spatial memory had been rewired and I was stumbling across the fret board on the four. I had to play the four for a few days to get used to the original low string anchor point again.

After about 6 months of going back and forth, I realized that my brain works best when I stick with one or the other.

Different musicians think differently when playing, and my thought processes make it so that it would take a very long time to be fully comfortable switching back and forth between two similar, yet somewhat different, feeling instruments.

It's the anchor point that trips me up. I have 20,000 hours over nearly 40 years of playing with the anchor being the E note 4th string. I can't just flip a switch in my brain and automatically become totally comfortable with a B note 5th string.

Since I don't envision having a real need for more than 4 strings with the type of music I play, I just decided to give up on the fiver.

 

[Willie5String]

I got my first 5 string today after years of p and jazz basses along with upright.

I keep getting lost so my question is how is the best way to get used to the extra string? Also once you get used to it, will there be a problem switching back and forth?

Took me a bit too. Good news is that the B is tuned at a 4th to the E, just like all the other strings. Give yourself a couple of weeks.

 

[wysiwyg248]

I purchased the five and stopped using the four, took me like 5 weeks to get comfortable. The added string was not a big issue; it actually opened the door to play over the fretboard. The main issue I had was to get proper muting technique and eliminating the habit of playing open E strings.

For me, when 'the light came on' was when I quit using open E and started tunes in E from the B-string.

The advise from J Wilson is spot-on IMHO.

 

[Stranger Danger]

When I tried to get used to a fiver it took a month or two until I was comfortable. But when I would play my four stringers again, my spatial memory had been rewired and I was stumbling across the fret board on the four. I had to play the four for a few days to get used to the original low string anchor point again.

After about 6 months of going back and forth, I realized that my brain works best when I stick with one or the other.

Different musicians think differently when playing, and my thought processes make it so that it would take a very long time to be fully comfortable switching back and forth between two similar, yet somewhat different, feeling instruments.

It's the anchor point that trips me up. I have 20,000 hours over nearly 40 years of playing with the anchor being the E note 4th string. I can't just flip a switch in my brain and automatically become totally comfortable with a B note 5th string.

Since I don't envision having a real need for more than 4 strings with the type of music I play, I just decided to give up on the fiver.

Same logic for me but opposite conclusion

 

[Killing Floor]

I had to look at my plucking hand for a week-ish in practice and that did the trick. I think either hand. You’re training that ole brain to make the adjustment. Once it clicks you’ll be able to go back and forth and play as normal.
You got this.

 

[Rezdog]

Greetings from the North,

Just remember..... 'A' is in the middle.
The A string is in the middle. You'll be fine.

Rezdog

 

[jlo95]

I keep getting lost so my question is how is the best way to get used to the extra string?

When I got my first 5 string I spent a few weeks playing triads and other exercises on the E-G strings. Essentially playing it like a 4-string. This got me re-acquainted with what I already knew. Then, once I felt comfortable navigating the instrument as if it were a 4-string, I began playing my triads and other exercises and utilizing the B-string. This way I could familiarize myself with the notes up and down the 5th string.

Also once you get used to it, will there be a problem switching back and forth?

Probably not. After playing 5 string for a few years, I can switch between 4 and 5 no problem.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

It doesn't have an extra string...it's an entirely different instrument. Learn to anchor off of the B string and stop playing 4 string basses.