I know that album, that's the one that Marcus did with Miles Davis on the cover.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Good songs for getting comfortable with the B string?
- Thread starter dirtychinchilla
- Start date
I know that album, that's the one that Marcus did with Miles Davis on the cover.
Any song will work if you transpose it. I use Anytune for that - I play in pretty much every key at this point; having a 5 string is a huge help about half the time (I play shorts sets of music in churches), the other half I can do without it. Depends a lot on the keys chosen for the songs we're doing (which depends on who's singing).
Try some Pink Floyd tunes like Breathe and Comfortably numb. The Rhythm of Love by Yes is a good one. Any song that uses a low D will fit your needs. You can also try some Grunge tunes. Most of them are drop tuned and with a 5 you can easily play in Eb or drop D without changing your own tuning. BEADG 
Everything. Everything you already play can be done on with the B string included. You don't even have to go to notes below E, work on using the real estate above the fifth fret. Opens up a whole 'nother world of positions and tones on your existing songs. It's just going to take time, work, and repetition.
Check out "Bring 'Em Back Alive" by Audioslave - its a killer Timmy C. bass groove (played in BADG tuning on a 4 string but easily adaptable for 5 string). Also check out "Rusty Cage" by Soundgarden.
Try practicing some soloing over backing tracks. That really helped me build up my B-string capabilities. Good luck!
Try practicing some soloing over backing tracks. That really helped me build up my B-string capabilities. Good luck!
I feel you, I played an ernie stealth five string for a while. Awesome bass, and it came in handy for drop D stuff, but I never really came around to it. That was my first and last foray into the 5's... Though I do totally understand why guys play um, and I'm not anti 5 in any way.
I always dug playing outshined on it tho, Soundgarden.
I always dug playing outshined on it tho, Soundgarden.
Sink or swim: nothing "getting comfortable" when I started back with my party band after being away from the band doing other projects for @ twenty years. I had exactly three days to get Nathan East's bass part on Phil Collins' "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" as the opening song with the horns. I had never played a 5-string before; I had to go out and get one for the gig. This was 2012.
i was playing paramore's "ain't it fun" today. really just moving between 5th fret on the e string, 2nd on the B and playing 57 on the B. (A C# E F#) and then something else I forget right now lol. Good to just keep your hands on the lower string and get used to that.
I’ve been playing 5’s since the mid 80’s - I think it was 1985 when Ibanez came out with their too narrow RB Series 5. I was listening to a lot of Nathan East & Jimmy Johnson at the time (still do!). My cover band at the time did Broken Wings by Mr. Mister and even though it’s a synth bass on that track, I enjoyed playing it on the fiver and our KB player didn’t bother to double it up. My main reason for getting a 5 was to go below the E - to play keyboard bass lines, drop D etc etc. I always thought of the B as a thumb rest, knowing I have the ability to go low - tastefully & sparingly of course. I don’t actually play much above the 5th fret on the B string unless it provides a better fingering / less shifting.
I still play 4’s but my go-to for most situations either live or studio is a 5 95% of the time.
I think it’s less about getting used to a five like you mentioned and more about getting to the point where you just like being able to go low when it’s required. Even the most simple thing like a tune that’s in D and maybe you don’t even go to the low D until the last note = you and everyone else says, “Nize!”
Just my $0.02 on the topic.
I still play 4’s but my go-to for most situations either live or studio is a 5 95% of the time.
I think it’s less about getting used to a five like you mentioned and more about getting to the point where you just like being able to go low when it’s required. Even the most simple thing like a tune that’s in D and maybe you don’t even go to the low D until the last note = you and everyone else says, “Nize!”
Just my $0.02 on the topic.
Actually, plenty doesn’t use the B string...
But I could recommend plenty of death metal...
I have a little app on my android phone that allows me to change the pitch or speed of a recording. I can take a tune and bring it down by half tones... say 2-4 to put the tune in my vocal range. This also allows me to grab the 5 string and play along. I now HAVE to use the B. It's a nice training tool for me. Originally, I bought the 5 for playing slower, more ballard-ish tunes so I would have more string options and the ability to hit deep root notes.
