...going back to 4 string.
As the late George Burns would say (in another context); "I still remember how. I just don't remember why". And that's sort of how I feel about playing 4 string bass anymore.
Like others, when I first picked up a 5 string I felt like a fish out of water. My left hand was so confused. Perhaps I'm slow, but it took me a full 6 months to get to where I wasn't fumbling, a year I think, not to be in my head about 5 string. But here I am, approaching the two year mark and 5 string is home. I'll play my (one) 4 string occasionally as I did tonight. But now the 4 string feels odd, knowing that I could have that extra lower string, if only I'd put the 4 banger away and pick up any of my other basses.
As an extra, I've been fiddling with 6 string during the pandemic and got some relief of 3 outdoor summer performances where I did play my 6er for the first time at one of them. Going from 4 to 5 feels like it was more difficult than going from 5 to 6. I just needed to spend some quality time with the 6er, but it took only a week or two of practice to add the extra upper string. I supposed I'd have had a longer adaptation if I'd jumped from 4 to 6.
Anyway... I thought I'd share that for anyone contemplating making the jump to 5 string or might be hesitant to do it for some of the above reasons. All I can say is, if you've been thinking about it, now is the time. Why let a perfectly good pandemic go to waste?
As the late George Burns would say (in another context); "I still remember how. I just don't remember why". And that's sort of how I feel about playing 4 string bass anymore.
Like others, when I first picked up a 5 string I felt like a fish out of water. My left hand was so confused. Perhaps I'm slow, but it took me a full 6 months to get to where I wasn't fumbling, a year I think, not to be in my head about 5 string. But here I am, approaching the two year mark and 5 string is home. I'll play my (one) 4 string occasionally as I did tonight. But now the 4 string feels odd, knowing that I could have that extra lower string, if only I'd put the 4 banger away and pick up any of my other basses.
As an extra, I've been fiddling with 6 string during the pandemic and got some relief of 3 outdoor summer performances where I did play my 6er for the first time at one of them. Going from 4 to 5 feels like it was more difficult than going from 5 to 6. I just needed to spend some quality time with the 6er, but it took only a week or two of practice to add the extra upper string. I supposed I'd have had a longer adaptation if I'd jumped from 4 to 6.
Anyway... I thought I'd share that for anyone contemplating making the jump to 5 string or might be hesitant to do it for some of the above reasons. All I can say is, if you've been thinking about it, now is the time. Why let a perfectly good pandemic go to waste?
