How should a beginner go about practicing a 6 string bass?

[Les Fret]

Get a teacher! And a 4 string if you are an absolute beginner. You can always get a 6 string later once you know the basics.

 

[Les Fret]

The most important thing to remember: you don't NEED to use the extra notes!

Yes you do. You don't have to play them all the time but need to play them otherwise you can just as well play a 4 string.

 

[Whippet]

Bad idea if you know you want to end up on a 6. To a beginner a 6 is really no harder than a 4, but once you are accustomed to a 4 it will feel like moving to a different instrument when you do go to a 6. And you’ll only adding to the difficulty you will have in transitioning to a 6 the more you use the 4.

I swear to god, I seriously regret not starting out on a 7 string Ken Smith. It would have made my life so much easier and I wouldn't have gotten 30 plus guitars and wasted all the money and time on acquiring and learning 5 and 6 string bass guitars.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

I swear to god, I seriously regret not starting out on a 7 string Ken Smith. It would have made my life so much easier and I wouldn't have gotten 30 plus guitars and wasted all the money and time on acquiring and learning 5 and 6 string bass guitars.

To be fair though, I don’t think almost anyone gets the chance to start out on a $7K+ instrument

 

[Whippet]

To be fair though, I don’t think almost anyone gets the chance to start out on a $7K+ instrument

when I first started, I thought 2000 bucks was a lot. Then I started buying more and more instruments. The more I got the less the price shock! Gee I wonder why. LOL.

Then after getting a bunch of really high end stuff, the 1500-3000 bucks started to seem like peanuts, which it really isn't at all.

Now I just regret buying instruments on a whim. I wish I could re-do it and just get a Ken Smith or any really good 7 string and be done with my collection.

But then again, if I got that 7 string, I am sure I will find reasons to buy an expensive 4 string. Grass is always greener on the other side right? Especially when I lack the ability to play well.

 

[Les Fret]

I swear to god, I seriously regret not starting out on a 7 string Ken Smith. It would have made my life so much easier and I wouldn't have gotten 30 plus guitars and wasted all the money and time on acquiring and learning 5 and 6 string bass guitars.

It is not wasted time. It makes you who you are now.

I think it still is better to learn the basics on a 4 string. On a 6 string you naturally move away from the classic bass role and move into solo or fusion or prog or guitaristic territory. I have seen a lot guys who do technical tapping and slapping and prog licks on their 6 string but can't lay down a simple groove in the studio. That's because they skipped the basics of bass playing. Those extra strings can be distracting.

 

[IamGroot]

Buy a guitar and a octaver. Like Abe Laboriel said, if holding down the bottom isnt your main objective, maybe you would be happier on a different instrument.

To me, bass is a concept. People who want to play serious music in the bass range should start with a 4 and get a grasp of the fundementals and the music tradition around the bass before expanding to 5 or more strings.

Just my oinion.

Also, there is no shortage of keyboardists who say they can cover bass on keys...but really cant. Like I said, bass is a concept. Get that feel down and you can play bass on the tuba or accordion.

.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

It is not wasted time. It makes you who you are now.

I think it still is better to learn the basics on a 4 string. On a 6 string you naturally move away from the classic bass role and move into solo or fusion or prog or guitaristic territory. I have seen a lot guys who do technical tapping and slapping and prog licks on their 6 string but can't lay down a simple groove in the studio. That's because they skipped the basics of bass playing. Those extra strings can be distracting.

That’s like blaming donuts for getting fat rather than the person shoving them into their mouth. The strings have nothing to do with it. If someone wants to play a more traditional role, a high C string isn’t going to draw them away from that. As I said before, a 6-string only has five higher notes than a 4-string, and they’re at the top of the fretboard where even 6-string players don’t often go. If you give Willie Weeks a 6-string, he isn’t going to suddenly, uncontrollably, go for those top five notes in the middle of a groove.

If someone wants to play a non-traditional role, which is perfectly fine, they’re going to do it on whatever instrument they have. Think about all the well-known solo and fusion and prog and guitaristic players out there. The vast majority of them aren’t using a 6 as their main bass.

 

[Whippet]

It is not wasted time. It makes you who you are now.

I think it still is better to learn the basics on a 4 string. On a 6 string you naturally move away from the classic bass role and move into solo or fusion or prog or guitaristic territory. I have seen a lot guys who do technical tapping and slapping and prog licks on their 6 string but can't lay down a simple groove in the studio. That's because they skipped the basics of bass playing. Those extra strings can be distracting.

You are right. Or I hope you are, so that I can feel better about not wasting my money and time. hahahaha!

Seriously speaking, since most introductory books are written for 4 string bass, I just ended up learning the basics. After the first 4-5 books, I started to work on walking bass lines and that was when things started getting confusing but at the same time as I started working on approach methods, I realized the true power of a 5 and 6 string.

I don't have long fingers or long arms. And to my surprise, 6 string was easier to use since stretching arm and fingers wasn't necessary. It did take me time to figure out the notes though. But once I got a hang of it, more strings the better.

In all honesty, a 7 string fretboard is really wide. You can't do slap so easily or machine gun thump and pluck the octaves that easily. It puts a lot of strain on the wrist, especially if you have to work on the same passage over and over again. This alone is novice unfriendly and will cause tendonitis, so being realistic 4, 5 or really narrow spacing 6 string was/is a good choice.

 

[MrLenny1]

I would have a 4 string and six string IMO.
A six is a lot for a beginner. I alternate between
a 4 and a 5 string and its nice to have both.
Good luck.

 

[paulears]

Let's be honest here. If you have the talent to learn an instrument then the number of strings is not really an issue at all. If you learn best from a book (I don't) then you learn those 4 strings and ignore your bass's extra low and high one. Of course, you won't. You'll discover that the bottom B string is there, and your fingers will automatically play their usual patterns and you can use it. The high string you can add in too, depending on how you want to play. I do have a 6 string - but I firmly believe the bass player is NOT the one who should be playing high with chords, but playing low as a foundation for the others to build on. So my 6 string, which gets very little use because I simply don't need the high string - has the string tuned up to C, so my octaves are still octaves, and not B, that some of my guitar taught, chord playing brethren prefer, so their fingers can play guitar chords!

If you can play - number of strings really doesn't matter to the learning process. I don't play 4 string, because I now play higher up the neck, using the B string and often play in keys like Ab and Eb where the 5 string is handy. I don't think it's harder, or easier - just a bit more versatile. As for how you learn - the almost by ear method, or the strict theory route - that depends on how you learn best. Not the number of strings. Personally, I think 6 strings for me are a waste of time. When I play mine, I rarely explore higher up. It does just play nice though so is an easy guitar to play - which is good for me.

 

[Les Fret]

If someone wants to play a more traditional role, a high C string isn’t going to draw them away from that. As I said before, a 6-string only has five higher notes than a 4-string, and they’re at the top of the fretboard where even 6-string players don’t often go. If you give Willie Weeks a 6-string, he isn’t going to suddenly, uncontrollably, go for those top five notes in the middle of a groove.
.

The C string is not only for those 5 extra high notes. I use it also in the lowest positions and even as open string. It also makes chordal playing possible in the lower positions. Same goes for the B string. It is not only for the few extra low notes. It makes wider spaced chords possible in the higher positions for example.

All this can be very distracting for a beginner because you have so much more options. It can take him or her away from learning the bass role first. If you can't make it happen on 4 you can't make it happen on 6 either.

And if you ignore the B and C string I don't see the point in having a 6 string in the first place.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

The C string is not only for those 5 extra high notes. I use it also in the lowest positions and even as open string. It also makes chordal playing possible in the lower positions. Same goes for the B string. It is not only for the few extra low notes. It makes wider spaced chords possible in the higher positions for example.

All this can be very distracting for a beginner because you have so much more options. It can take him or her away from learning the bass role first. If you can't make it happen on 4 you can't make it happen on 6 either.

The point is those extra five notes are the only things that differentiate it from a G string as far as a “traditional“ role goes. Everything else you can play on a 4-string as well- they’re the same notes. So it’s not the string count that matters. If learning a traditional role first was of such a high importance that you want players to reduce their string count, you would need to recommend players start on a 3 or 2 string as the D and G are fully in guitar territory. I’m assuming you don’t do this.

 

[Les Fret]

The point is those extra five notes are the only things that differentiate it from a G string as far as a “traditional“ role goes. Everything else you can play on a 4-string as well- they’re the same notes. So it’s not the string count that matters. .

Not really. As I said the C string facilitates chordal playing even in lower positions. You can play wider voiced chords spanning the outer strings. Or use a bass note on the E string combined with a double stop on the G and C string. Use the C as open string or with harmonics and so on. Not possible on a 4 string. All nice stuff but not the things a beginner should concern. There are more important things to learn first.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Not really. As I said the C string facilitates chordal playing even in lower positions. You can play wider voiced chords spanning the outer strings. Or use a bass note on the E string combined with a double stop on the G and C string. Use the C as open string or with harmonics and so on. Not possible on a 4 string.

Most chords people play on the bass use four or less strings, and a 4-string is just as capable of it- just look to Jeff Berlin for that. You’re also using an extreme exception to try to justify a point- someone learning to play bass isn’t going to be distracted from learning “Another One Bites The Dust” because they’re playing complex chords with a droning C string underneath. That’s just not reality.

If string count needs to be eliminated for the sake of learning a traditional role, which is a silly idea to begin with, then one would need to get rid of the G and likely D strings too. That’s just not logical, just like the idea that one should stick with a 4-string to learn with.

 

[Les Fret]

someone learning to play bass isn’t going to be distracted from learning “Another One Bites The Dust” because they’re playing complex chords with a droning C string underneath. That’s just not reality.
.

I am. That's why I learned 4 strings first.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

I am. That's why I learned 4 strings first.

So why do you not recommend people start learning on 2-strings?

 

[Les Fret]

So why do you not recommend people start learning on 2-strings?

I do if they want to play Morphine songs...

 

[Clef_de_fa]

I wonder if classical double bass player get stuck on wondering if they should focus on playing traditionnal role or solo ... it is all part of the insrument... it is just music.

I also think that there is a little too much crap passed as gospel. It is just music. The instrument shouldn't matter ... I never saw something like that in the classical world where whatever instrument do play solo or in orchestra and no music is out of the question ... here in our rock and role world you should never dare do something else than low rumble.

Our instruments (guitar bass, drum, keys) can do so much more than ground bass stuff

 

[Wasnex]

It is not wasted time. It makes you who you are now.

I think it still is better to learn the basics on a 4 string. On a 6 string you naturally move away from the classic bass role and move into solo or fusion or prog or guitaristic territory. I have seen a lot guys who do technical tapping and slapping and prog licks on their 6 string but can't lay down a simple groove in the studio. That's because they skipped the basics of bass playing. Those extra strings can be distracting.

Not necessarily. IMHO, if you're going to overplay, it won't matter if you have 4, 6, or 1 string, you're going to overplay. Like so many people are fond of saying, "Jaco only needed 4 strings."

If you learn on 4-string and then transitions to 5- or 6-string, you have to unlearn a considerable amount of stuff that you do unconsciously when you play. In particular most people use one or both outer strings as references, so when they pickup a 5- or 6-string bass it totally throws off their knowledge of the fretboard. For example they may they play the B string thinking it's the E string, and then get totally confused and lost.

IMHO...If the goal is to play 6-string, its far better to start on 6-string than to go through such an inefficient process. This opinion is from someone who started on viola, transitioned to string bass and later added 4-string electric. Then on electric I transitioned to 5-string and few years later 6-string.

Somewhere during the transition from 4- to 6-string I also adopted one finger per fret on electric. IMHO getting used to the extra strings was far more disruptive to my playing and learning process than changing finger systems.

At this point I have played 6-string almost exclusively for so long that it is more difficult for me to read technical music on 5- or 4-string because it requires shifts that I am no longer used to using. The 6-string does not cause me to overplay, but it does allow me to play more efficiently and to vary my tone based upon the area of the neck that I play a line at.