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Is it harder to play a fretless?

#41
If you know your way around the fretboard it aint THAT difficult, there is a learning curve.

I met with a guy who had a homemade fretless with no markers, tried it and played Money right off the bat. Didnt sound too bad.

Getting one with markers should help I think.
 
#43
Yes, it is harder. As in, it takes additional skill to play fretless.

In addition to playing the right notes in the right order to the right rhythm, you also have to play everything in tune.

Think about this:
How well can you tune by ear?

If you can tune by ear relatively easily, then fretless may be easier for you than for others.

If tuning by ear takes a great deal of concentration to bring the notes together, then fretless may be more difficult.
 
#48
I mostly play DB, so I'm used to living without frets. I don't think frets really make playing easier. They do make it much easier to sing while playing, though, because concentrating on vocal pitch and bass pitch at once is a lot to ask of one brain.
 
#52
Rocks and steel are hard - fretless is difficult (but not that difficult and IMHO worth the effort. :)

The bottom line is, once you are good at either your band mates will be happy enough. But for you, the fretless is usually a lot more fun. I go for the band getting what it needs and me having more fun almost every time LOL
 
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#54
It all depends on how you approach fretless and bass in general.

Unless you have long spindly fingers and a massive hand span, don't even try to play a fretless one finger per fret. The easiest way is to play with a double bass technique, using 1, 2, 4 fingering below the 7th where the intonation spacing is at it's widest. Make sure the thumb is always behind the neck, preferably near the middle finger and always move the hand as a single unit. That is the best place to start with fretless intonation.

I'd say, give it a go. I love fretless bass, but then again I'm a classically trained double bass player and cellist, so I have somewhat of an advantage ;)
 
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#55
OutToPlayJazz said:
It all depends on how you approach fretless and bass in general.

Unless you have long spindly fingers and a massive hand span, don't even try to play a fretless one finger per fret. The easiest way is to play with a double bass technique, using 1, 2, 4 fingering below the 7th where the intonation spacing is at it's widest. Make sure the thumb is always behind the neck, preferably near the middle finger and always move the hand as a single unit. That is the best place to start with fretless intonation.

I'd say, give it a go. I love fretless bass, but then again I'm a classically trained double bass player and cellist, so I have somewhat of an advantage ;)
Click to expand...

I mentioned this on a guitarist forum in the bass sub forum and people acted like I was a Nazi.
 
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#58
Funny that as a guitarist who has played slide for many years, I found fretless bass fairly easy. As with slide, you need to play with your ears, not your eyes. Lined fretless doesn't help me at all, it may even hurt me, confusing what I hear with what I see.

When I first started playing fretless the guitar player commented, the main notes are perfect but the passing tones were not always correct. I focused more on passing tones and I feel that I play fairly well in tune now.
 
#59
Bob-I said:
Funny that as a guitarist who has played slide for many years, I found fretless bass fairly easy. As with slide, you need to play with your ears, not your eyes. Lined fretless doesn't help me at all, it may even hurt me, confusing what I hear with what I see.

When I first started playing fretless the guitar player commented, the main notes are perfect but the passing tones were not always correct. I focused more on passing tones and I feel that I play fairly well in tune now.
Click to expand...

That's the other way of doing it :) As I intoned earlier, I tend to use the left hand technique and shape to guarantee the intonation, in partnership with the ears.

I recently did a setup on a Gary Willis Ibanez 5 for a local player and found that by getting the action right down and with some nice flats, I could get a really nice "mwah" sound just by playing as I would normally.

I do like the sliding sound, but tend to play fretless much like a fretted. Same as I play my double bass or cello.
 
#60
OutToPlayJazz said:
Heh! Sounds about right! Most of them don't understand that our electric basses are in fact the same instrument as a double bass, just turned through 90 degrees, and in actual fact have only body shape in common with their guitars. Guitards! :))
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They were relentless at trying to pick me apart. The funny/odd thing about most technique "debates" is that the guys arguing against proper technique haven't devoted any time to theirs.
 

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