I posted this in another fretless thread, but I think it has a lot of relevance here as well:
Feather ruffling time!
I too have noticed this recent 'love the fretless' trend and I have to suspect that it comes mainly from hobby players or bassists performing in an original band where they can experiment with different sounds and ideas. Most working pros that I know tend to use a fretted bass 95% of the time.
Mostly I think this is because all that slidey-mwaaah type fretless sound has a much too narrow application in the real world to warrant using it in place of a fretted. Showing up to a typical rock, blues or funk gig with a fretless is bound to cause problems. Sure, you can lose the vibrato and keep the action high to eliminate the stereotypical 'fretless' sound, but even if you can play in tune, you are basically trying to make your bass sound like a fretted, so why not just use the real thing and not have to deal with intonation issues?
Which brings me to my next point - intonation. This is my main beef with many fretless players. Many do not have the proper technique to play in tune or the ear to notice when they are out. I can't imagine someone just 'picking up' the fretless and immediately using it for all of their gigs unless they were some sort of virtuoso. I've played a few gigs on fretless and all my home practicing goes right out the window when I can't see fretlines on a dark stage or can't hear myself in the mix. How can someone seriously think they are pulling off good fretless playing in a situation like that?
The pros that DO use fretless a lot (Gary Willis, Pino Palladino, etc...) has perfected their art to such an exactness that they can communicate their music equally well on the fretless in most situations. They have trained their ear and muscle memory to play accurately and in tune through years of practice. I seriously doubt that a brand new fretless player would be able to play a fretless to the degree of expertise necessary to pull it off in most situations....
By the way, I'm no fretless wizard, just a young professional bassist with a lot to learn. One of the things I HAVE learned though, is that in order to play fretless at the level I'd expect from myself, I'd have to dedicate a LOT more time and energy than just 'picking it up'. There is no way I could pull off one of my typical gigs on fretless at the same level of skill as fretted unless I had:
a) no music to read or charts to follow
b) enough stage light to see my hand positioning at all times (very rare)
c) a perfect stage mix to hear my intonation in the context of the other instruments (which I've NEVER had at all my gigs)
OR
d) years of practicing fretless to the point where I internalize all of the minute muscle control and memory, and constant, instantaneous 'tuning' of my pitch.
In conclusion - I think fretless bass can sound beautiful in the right hands and in the right context, but I think those types of situations are much rarer than the average player would suspect. Or maybe my standards are too high...
End feather ruffling...
Feather ruffling time!
I too have noticed this recent 'love the fretless' trend and I have to suspect that it comes mainly from hobby players or bassists performing in an original band where they can experiment with different sounds and ideas. Most working pros that I know tend to use a fretted bass 95% of the time.
Mostly I think this is because all that slidey-mwaaah type fretless sound has a much too narrow application in the real world to warrant using it in place of a fretted. Showing up to a typical rock, blues or funk gig with a fretless is bound to cause problems. Sure, you can lose the vibrato and keep the action high to eliminate the stereotypical 'fretless' sound, but even if you can play in tune, you are basically trying to make your bass sound like a fretted, so why not just use the real thing and not have to deal with intonation issues?
Which brings me to my next point - intonation. This is my main beef with many fretless players. Many do not have the proper technique to play in tune or the ear to notice when they are out. I can't imagine someone just 'picking up' the fretless and immediately using it for all of their gigs unless they were some sort of virtuoso. I've played a few gigs on fretless and all my home practicing goes right out the window when I can't see fretlines on a dark stage or can't hear myself in the mix. How can someone seriously think they are pulling off good fretless playing in a situation like that?
The pros that DO use fretless a lot (Gary Willis, Pino Palladino, etc...) has perfected their art to such an exactness that they can communicate their music equally well on the fretless in most situations. They have trained their ear and muscle memory to play accurately and in tune through years of practice. I seriously doubt that a brand new fretless player would be able to play a fretless to the degree of expertise necessary to pull it off in most situations....
By the way, I'm no fretless wizard, just a young professional bassist with a lot to learn. One of the things I HAVE learned though, is that in order to play fretless at the level I'd expect from myself, I'd have to dedicate a LOT more time and energy than just 'picking it up'. There is no way I could pull off one of my typical gigs on fretless at the same level of skill as fretted unless I had:
a) no music to read or charts to follow
b) enough stage light to see my hand positioning at all times (very rare)
c) a perfect stage mix to hear my intonation in the context of the other instruments (which I've NEVER had at all my gigs)
OR
d) years of practicing fretless to the point where I internalize all of the minute muscle control and memory, and constant, instantaneous 'tuning' of my pitch.
In conclusion - I think fretless bass can sound beautiful in the right hands and in the right context, but I think those types of situations are much rarer than the average player would suspect. Or maybe my standards are too high...
End feather ruffling...
