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Help with transitioning to a 5-string

NickInMesa

NickInMesa

Jan 1, 2009
3,397
51
57
Mesa, Arizona
#1
I bought a slightly used MTD Kingston Heir 5 for $350 (score!).

What I loved with this bass is the 35" scale and the string spacing, which does not differ from a 4-string Jazz by that much, plus the bizarre neck profile turns out to make it almost feel like a 4-string.

I got this bass because one of the bands I play with is a symphonic metal cover band (Nightwish, Epica, Within Temptation, etc...) and I could play some of these songs in DGCF but lately started struggling because some of these guys play a 5-string.

I also play a lot of modern rock in Drop D.

My question is: should I start transitioning everything even the usual Drop D stuff to a 5-string or really dedicate it to one musical genre?

The bassist from Creed played everything in Drop D, then transitioned to a 5er. It seems most of it can actually be transposed to a 5-string, but some of it makes more sense in Drop D, or so it seems.

What steps would you recommend I try to transition to a 5-string, and is it common to alternate between 4 and 5 strings basses in general?
 
#2
I think the easiest way to make the transition is to play exclusively on your new 5 for a while. I was convinced that I was a "4 stringer for life" until I bought my MTD. My only reason for playing my 4s now is for the difference in tone. Other than that, I see no reason to pick one of my 4s over my 5 (I was surprised to find that I was just as comfortable slapping on this particular 5 as I was on my 4s). But hey, I've seen plenty of guys who switch back-and-forth between 4s and 5s on the same gig. Some folks do prefer the feel of a 4 and only use the 5 on songs where they need the extended range. Do what feels best to you, but I would concentrate on just the 5 for now and see how that works out.
 
#3
A five string gives you a wide range without changing tunings, which is cool. I played a fiver about ten years ago, and switched back to a four. As of recently I built up a low buck fiver just to pluck on, because I was in the same situation with the alternate tunings thing and kept thinking it would be easier on a five. For me personally it feels easier to play them on a five it is just the fact of getting my head and hands to cooperate with playing the notes in the different positions on the neck. I guess making myself practice with it till I get used to it is the hard part for me.
 
#4
Main disadvantage is that you can't throw in the low open D to give "oomph" to what your left hand is doing midway/high on the neck. You have to travel back to the third fret of the B string.

I usually use standard tuning. I really like to throw in an open E to accentuate things while my left hand is up between the 7th and 14th frets. "de-da-di-di-DOOM-di-di-DOOM-di-da-de." If you've got a 5 stringer and the guitarists are hammering away in Drop D, it's a whole lot harder to do that with a 5 stringer than with a Drop D 4 stringer.

Of course, you can detune the 5 stringer to A standard. Yank that open D and then boost it with a big fat ultra-low C on the... third fret!

:bassist:
 
#5
Barfy said:
Main disadvantage is that you can't throw in the low open D to give "oomph" to what your left hand is doing midway/high on the neck. You have to travel back to the third fret of the B string.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is true. An example of a song that requires the open D in drop D is Slither, where the riff is played entirely on the low D string.

But most of everything is Drop D, like Godsmack or Creed stuff can be moved to BEADG.

As for standard D tuning stuff, it's true everything changes and it forces me to rethink what I play. All that Nightwish stuff will sound different and I have to figure out what sounds best over time.

A for the regular standard tuning, I like the possibility of a low 5th when playing on the E string as well as being able to transport 5 fret up, 1 string down, for a different tone.
 
#6
I think for me the biggest thing to get used to was right hand position. I generally rested my thumb on the back pickup but one way i avoided accidentally plucking the low b was to rest my thumb on it(this was before i started using my thumb to mute lower strings). For the styles i play, the b is just there for an extra option, so i might play an entire gig without touching it. It's true though that sometimes a open drop tuned d just has the right tone. I'll even play a four string tuned down a half-step if i play with guitarists who do this because they write around the open chords and sometimes it just feels right to play like that.
 
#9
I tune my 5 string to G# D# A# D# A# (or Ab Eb Bb Eb Bb) it gives you the standard feel on the 4th and 5th string and drop d on the 4th and 3rd. I'm not sure why my band likes this tuning but it works really well. It's also funny to watch my luthier's head spin around when I tell him how I need it tuned hahaha.

So, drop-d the 1-4 strings and drop-a the 3 and 5 - best of both worlds. If you really want some low end you can play between A and D on the 5th string, or just do your normal drop-D stuff

The real problem I'm having is drop-c on a 4 string, which is really loose or drop-c on a 5 string which is really tight...not to get off topic or anything :)
 
#10
I went from 4 to 5 and then back to 4...

A lot of drop D stuff I find is played better on a 4 string, cause usually that D is the tonic and a lot of guys use drones and stuff like that where you really want to have the D as the open string.

My 5 also sucked for slap and bending (string spacing is way tight) which was both good and bad, I found myself developing a lot of fast rakes because the spacing worked great for it and just generally avoiding slap stuff and ignoring any bends, cause I would literally bend a note right off the fretboard half the time.

Also going back to 4 has helped me with finding new patterns, 5 string made it really easy to just stay in one position all day and to never have to use open strings for anything, and at some point that started to negatively effect my playing.

Lastly I do miss having a low fifth for my G and stuff like that and I haven't sold my 5 yet....in fact the band is pressuring me to bust it out cause I have been exclusively playing 4 string with this guys (part of it is not wanting to lug my super heavy Conklin GT-5 everywhere, the other part is being to lazy to take the flats off it).
 
#11
I went from only 4s to only 5s and now I go back and forth between the two.

I suggest just playing the 5 for a few weeks until you get used to it then you can work teh 4s back into the rotation. Yeah, you're going to get lost and mess up from time to time when you do this but you'll adjust pretty quickly. Before you know it you'll be able to switch between the two without giving it a second thought.

Oh and when he said to play the "lower" note he meant play on the lower (larger diameter) string. It sounds bigger.
 
#12
DudeistMonk said:
Also going back to 4 has helped me with finding new patterns, 5 string made it really easy to just stay in one position all day and to never have to use open strings for anything, and at some point that started to negatively effect my playing.
Click to expand...

Im with you here. I switched to a 5 almost immediately after learning to play bass since i was just a kid and my peavey T-40 was way too heavy...not to mention wanting the low notes. Although i think learning on a 5 really made me appreciate the low B, and get familiar with extended range instruments early on...i do felt it hindered me exploring the limits of a 4 stringer...forcing me to use style of notes rather than more options. I went out and bought a 4string...and loved what it did for my playing....

....but i still have a 5...now fretless...a 6er...and even a 7 string now.

To each, their own. =]
 

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