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How do you reference strings when not using notes?

How do you reference a string w/o using a note reference?

  • Top string is closest to your face & Bottom string is closest to your feet

  • Top string is closest to your feet & Bottom string is closest to your face

  • 1st string is closest to your feet & 4th string is closer to your face

  • 1st string is closest to your face & 4th string is closer to your feet

  • we don't "carrot" all


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It must be difficult to tune a skinny string to E, when you take it out it the package.

Never played a bass with a low G string.

Oh it is.

try it, might learn something...

On a less sarcastic matter, i'm just a dutch guy who happened to take the "you" in "how do you reference strings when not using notes" quite personal.

That way is the way i reference it when i write out my stuff. If and when anyone has a problem with that (which apparently a lot of people do) it might be enormously interesting to point that out and wonder if i know it better than the revered and almighty people who make (or even more so, sell) the stuff, but to me thats all beside the point:

When i play my music and see my own comment "start this rif on 1" with a g next to it, i'll play a low g. maybe (if i read all this, probably) not how you all do it, but i figured that when i read a book from top to bottom, i might as well do this the same way with "reading" my bass.

Oh and before i forget, have a nice one and enjoy the music everyone!
 
Don't see how that matters at all. Of course, when I engage the hip-shot, I can give you a choice. And I still wouldn't refer to the strings by number, or thickness. That's uncouth.
Well, do we agree that in Drop D you have two Ds, separated by an octave? Which one will you play? The simplest way is to designate them by their location, in this case the 2nd or the 4th.
 
When i play my music and see my own comment "start this rif on 1" with a g next to it, i'll play a low g. maybe (if i read all this, probably) not how you all do it, but i figured that when i read a book from top to bottom, i might as well do this the same way with "reading" my bass.

I guess in this regard, how would you read tab? Because, if I'm understanding what you're saying, you would play the below example on the E string?

---3--3--3--3-----
--------------------
--------------------
--------------------
 
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I guess in this regard, how would you read tab? Because, if I'm understanding what you're saying, you would play the below example on the E string?

---3--3--3--3-----
--------------------
--------------------
--------------------

I guess b-b-b-b, if I would use tabs that is. I think it's been more than 10 years ago is even saw tabs. Never really got the hang of them when it comes to playing on tempo and frankly, don't like the way most of them are set up. I was tought to write in notes or in chords shortly after that and hung on to that.
 
The BOTTOM string is ALWAYS the lowest-pitched string. Anyone who calls it the “top” string in reference to the ceiling or sky need to take some lessons! Not negotiable. End: rant (maybe)

Although I’d add you guys are cracking me up. My favorite answer is alphabetical order!! ABDEG = 12345 :roflmao:
 
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IMO, the OP's list is incomplete w/ out specifying the # of strings. I use ordinal numbers for strings (1st string, 2nd string, etc.) AND specify the number of strings (4-string, 5-string) where the 1st is the highest string. I.e. the 2nd string of a 5-string bass is a D, and the 1st string of a 6-string bass is a C.
 
IMO, the OP's list is incomplete w/ out specifying the # of strings. I use ordinal numbers for strings (1st string, 2nd string, etc.) AND specify the number of strings (4-string, 5-string) where the 1st is the highest string. I.e. the 2nd string of a 5-string bass is a D, and the 1st string of a 6-string bass is a C.
 
I refer to my strings by their names: Becky, Vicky, Nicky and Punky.
79S1LBt.jpg


 
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Hmmm, so top string is the highest pitch and the bottom string is the lowest pitch?
No.
The B string is top because it's closest to my face.
Not in reference to the pitch.
I don't care if it's not the way you think,that's the way the tuning is read.
 
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