I have played mostly 4 strings for the near 25 plus years of playing. Sometimes dabbling in a 5 string. I am thinking about trying a 6 string. What are the biggest challenges in doing this? Obviously, the two extra strings, but what are the things I should do to make it work out. I'm not fancy, just mostly finger style playing at church. Thanks
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Going from a 4 string to a 6 string
- Thread starter Bassmantd
- Start date
I tried to move to 6 a couple of times, finally stuck with the last experiment. I played only 5-strings from 2000-2010 or so, then went back to 4. For me it was a combination of the right string spacing and neck shape on the 6'er along with being careful about my left and right hand technique.
@steubig has given me great feedback over the past few years. He usually advises to put away the 4 and just play the 6'er. I didn't do that as I play in different bands that call for different instruments (or I just wanted to keep playing 4 for one band - I'm stubborn). But I did have to psychological commit to the 6'er. It also depends on how you navigate the fingerboard. Some guys key off the lowest string, some off the highest string, others just know all the notes and work from there. For me I needed to sort out the notes on the B-string and C-string, then fold that in with my facility on the 4-string neck.
No single way to do it. For me I preferred to have the same bridge string spacing on the 6 that I have on the 4. Most guys who narrower on the 6.
Live the experiment...
@steubig has given me great feedback over the past few years. He usually advises to put away the 4 and just play the 6'er. I didn't do that as I play in different bands that call for different instruments (or I just wanted to keep playing 4 for one band - I'm stubborn). But I did have to psychological commit to the 6'er. It also depends on how you navigate the fingerboard. Some guys key off the lowest string, some off the highest string, others just know all the notes and work from there. For me I needed to sort out the notes on the B-string and C-string, then fold that in with my facility on the 4-string neck.
No single way to do it. For me I preferred to have the same bridge string spacing on the 6 that I have on the 4. Most guys who narrower on the 6.
Live the experiment...
hi,
by way of introduction, i played 4-strings between the ages of 14 and 29; then went to 6-strings exclusively. been at it for almost 35 years (old!).
as @nostatic mentioned, i advocate just going for it on 6. it wasn't an original idea. when i first decided to take up the 6, i read anthony jackson saying he had stopped playing 4-string basses (don't know if he did for all his session work or not).
seemed like a good idea to me, so i went for it.
potential drawbacks: at first i had the occasional mishap of reaching for a low G and hitting a low D. that went away pretty quickly. other musicians (and bass players) might give you shade; there's a whole mis-perception of why people play 6-string bass. you *might* lose work based on this perception and on *how the bass looks*. people hear with their eyes . . . (the corollary to this is play the music, not the shiny toy)
benefits: more possibilities for expression. timbre, range, polyphony, etc. it's a great tool for making the music you want to hear. there's a lifetime in there, if you want it.
advice: get a good instrument. a bad instrument is not gonna inspire or challenge you. when i started there weren't a lot of choices. i was playing fenders and got something pretty close and have been happy with that (i still have my first 6-string bass and use it all the time). so . . . if you like 34-inch scale, 19mm spacing keep with that; if you like something else, keep with that. if you don't like active, get a passive 6-string (or vice-versa). my general thing is that i want to feel at ease with what i play—i don't want to think about the bass, i want to play music on it.
dunno if that helps or not.
by way of introduction, i played 4-strings between the ages of 14 and 29; then went to 6-strings exclusively. been at it for almost 35 years (old!).
as @nostatic mentioned, i advocate just going for it on 6. it wasn't an original idea. when i first decided to take up the 6, i read anthony jackson saying he had stopped playing 4-string basses (don't know if he did for all his session work or not).
seemed like a good idea to me, so i went for it.
potential drawbacks: at first i had the occasional mishap of reaching for a low G and hitting a low D. that went away pretty quickly. other musicians (and bass players) might give you shade; there's a whole mis-perception of why people play 6-string bass. you *might* lose work based on this perception and on *how the bass looks*. people hear with their eyes . . . (the corollary to this is play the music, not the shiny toy)
benefits: more possibilities for expression. timbre, range, polyphony, etc. it's a great tool for making the music you want to hear. there's a lifetime in there, if you want it.
advice: get a good instrument. a bad instrument is not gonna inspire or challenge you. when i started there weren't a lot of choices. i was playing fenders and got something pretty close and have been happy with that (i still have my first 6-string bass and use it all the time). so . . . if you like 34-inch scale, 19mm spacing keep with that; if you like something else, keep with that. if you don't like active, get a passive 6-string (or vice-versa). my general thing is that i want to feel at ease with what i play—i don't want to think about the bass, i want to play music on it.
dunno if that helps or not.
I spent a lot of money not listening to steubig
After at least a half dozen 6-strings, some quite expensive, I found that mirroring my 4-string setup (34" scale, 19mm spacing) was key. But neck shapes can make or break as well - really depends on your body and your technique. I assumed that narrower spacing was going to be more comfortable and found the exact opposite. Others strongly prefer narrower spacing at the nut and/or bridge.
To quote my attorney ex-wife, "it depends..."
Tactile memory in my fretting hand was the entire transition for me. It took 7 weeks for my left hand to get over thinking it was on a four string. I say 7 weeks because I actually looked at a calendar because when it "clicked" it was as if all at once. My brain shifted gears, I guess.
I've got 4s, 5s, and just one six (now, had two 6s), but prefer a five 90% of the time these days, FWIW.
If you have good left-hand technique, it will be a fairly simple transition. If you don't, it'll be a nightmare.
The right-hand muting can be an issue, but the left hand is where you can get exposed.
The right-hand muting can be an issue, but the left hand is where you can get exposed.
