I thought playing fretless was easy!

[DriesG]

Having a lined or unlined fingerboard has nothing to do with your fretless sound, so why bother if it makes you play better? On a darkened stage, I can't even see the lines on my fretless. Playing in tune with your band is what makes you a good fretless player (IMHO).

 

[bholder]

Last I was in a band, trying to teach the new replacement guitarist a tune, was wondering why he couldn't "just follow me" - forgot I was playing my all black unlined Carvin LB40.

 

[MVE]

Than I have to check the intonation on the bass. Maybe this has to do as well.

Checking the intonation on a fretless is as easy as:
Tune the open strings - per normal
Hit your middle harmonic on the E-string.
Slide up on your A-string until the E is in tune with the ringing harmonic. - take a good look at exactly where your finger is. This is where your imaginary 7th fret is.

Now repeat the process starting on the A-string middle harmonic and then the D-string.

If the location of your fingers (aka imaginary 7th fret) are even slightly different on the or the A or the D, then your intonation needs to be fixed.

Having the intonation dead on balls on your fretless makes it easier to play confidently; if something sounds out of tune you can glance down and be confident it isn't you.

 

[devnulljp]

I make sure I have a chromatic tuner in sight when playing fretless and standup. It's a crutch, and I don't 100% rely on it, but it helps just to have it there.

 

[MVE]

Also, whenever possible, usually the 1 beat, start a little flat and slide up to the note.

It's more natural to come up to pitch and the slight slide actually often sounds musical and accentuates the fretless character.

 

[fjbass78]

I used to play fretted pretty much in the middle between frets, I would guess a lot of people do. That makes lined fretless feel/look like you're playing a fret high because now you're playing on the lines not in the gaps. Even muscle memory of the position on the same scale is off. I moved my positioning on fretted to almost on the fret and it makes going back and forth easier. Jaco's played a fretted in his video series exactly ON the frets.

This

 

[macmanlou]

After you get confident on a fretless, there's a good chance you'll start GASsing for an upright...

 

[ArtechnikA]

After you get confident on a fretless, there's a good chance you'll start GASsing for an upright...

No room for an upright -- but I did acquire an EUB a few months ago...

 

[stringthrough]

Going fretless is a heavy price to pay for a little "Mwah". Over the years I've naturally developed a "slippery" style of note articulation that suggests a fretless, but alas with none of the "mwah". Anyway, it's good enough for me and I can enjoy my gigs more by not having to worry about things such as exact finger placement.

 

[MVE]

Going fretless is a heavy price to pay for a little "Mwah". Over the years I've naturally developed a "slippery" style of note articulation that suggests a fretless, but alas with none of the "mwah". Anyway, it's good enough for me and I can enjoy my gigs more by not having to worry about things such as exact finger placement.

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hawd.”

 

[Quilbert]

I've owned a lined fretless and unlined fretless. I actually prefer the unlined fretless. I thinK the lines are a bit off putting because I instinctively play 'Between the frets' which is wrong and off tune. With unlined fretless you're forced to use your ears.

 

[static0verdrive]

Also, whenever possible, usually the 1 beat, start a little flat and slide up to the note.

It's more natural to come up to pitch and the slight slide actually often sounds musical and accentuates the fretless character.

This is true, but don't do that if you don't want the "mwah" (my interpretation of "fretless character").

 

[bholder]

This is true, but don't do that if you don't want the "mwah" (my interpretation of "fretless character").

I disagree. In my experience, mwah has absolutely nothing to do with correcting poor intonation, and everything to do with the string vibrating against the fingerboard near the fingered note (which happens quite a bit if the string is plucked in a vertical fashion, then decreases over time as the sustained note continues to sound). Happens whether or not I move my finger. What you're talking about is more akin to vibrato (which I also use, but it's a completely different tonal axis).

 

[static0verdrive]

I disagree. In my experience, mwah has absolutely nothing to do with correcting poor intonation, and everything to do with the string vibrating against the fingerboard near the fingered note (which happens quite a bit if the string is plucked in a vertical fashion, then decreases over time as the sustained note continues to sound). Happens whether or not I move my finger. What you're talking about is more akin to vibrato (which I also use, but it's a completely different tonal axis).

I wasn't talking about correcting bad intonation, I meant you can squeeze a little extra mwah by purposely starting a tiny bit flat and roll your finger into the note. Helps to couple it with a more upright-style plucking. Mwah is the character of a fretless (what I got from @MVE 's post anyway) and any means to control that (for more or less) is great so you can get more tones out of the same bass. I can sound borderline-fretted and rock out, or mellow out into pillowy mwah land just about at will; I'm still working on perfecting it of course.

 

[Tom Howland]

There is no short cut to fretless. You must put the time in. The more you play it, the better you will get.
It must become second nature.

 

[bholder]

I wasn't talking about correcting bad intonation, I meant you can squeeze a little extra mwah by purposely starting a tiny bit flat and roll your finger into the note. Helps to couple it with a more upright-style plucking. Mwah is the character of a fretless (what I got from @MVE 's post anyway) and any means to control that (for more or less) is great so you can get more tones out of the same bass. I can sound borderline-fretted and rock out, or mellow out into pillowy mwah land just about at will; I'm still working on perfecting it of course.

Ok, but what you're describing (changing the pitch) still isn't mwah, though sure, using both techniques together really emphasizes that you're playing a fretless. Mwah is mostly a question of string action over the fingerboard and right hand plucking technique - pluck horizontally, little or no mwah, pluck vertically, lots. High action decreases mwah. That simple.

 

[static0verdrive]

Ok, but what you're describing (changing the pitch) still isn't mwah, though sure, using both techniques together really emphasizes that you're playing a fretless. Mwah is mostly a question of string action over the fingerboard and right hand plucking technique - pluck horizontally, little or no mwah, pluck vertically, lots. High action decreases mwah. That simple.

Think of such a subtle movement that you barely change the pitch (audibly). On my bass anyway it will "mwah" a touch more, with the same pluck, than if I start bang-on the note. Anyway, I completely agree with you.

 

[MrLenny1]

Fretless and proper intonation is a never ending task.
Use it or lose it. Gonna take longer than 3 days.

 

[000_Unknown]

Ignorance is bliss.. You think that you know stuff but then you realize you dont even know what you know, you know?

 

[000_Unknown]

God I miss my double bass..