True however, most of the time doing something on an impulse usually results in a poor outcome.
My post was meant to show that he had other alternatives which could have had a more positive outcome.
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Is this appropriate? (Beginner/Intermediate using Fretless in Rock)
- Thread starter Bicycle147
- Start date
My post was meant to show that he had other alternatives which could have had a more positive outcome.
I played only fretless for about four years in a Top 40/rock band. I worked very hard at getting it to not sound like a fretless. My bass at the time had fret lines that looked like frets from a distance. I’ve lost track of the number of times musician friends would come into the club we were playing, listen to a few tunes from the back of the room, then come up to chat with the band during a break and be flabbergasted when they realized I was playing fretless.
It can be done.
That said, unwanted dissonance is never a good thing, so IMO one should not play a fretless live in any genre until they have intonation under control.
It can be done.
That said, unwanted dissonance is never a good thing, so IMO one should not play a fretless live in any genre until they have intonation under control.
Man I was so terrible when I first started playing Upright.... now I am less terrible.... at this point I could pick up a fretless and be fine...back like 6 or 7 years ago? would have been a nightmare.
I really don't get the obsession with fretless basses among bassists. OK, you have to get one eventually because it's fun to mess with, but it's not THAT useful unless you're doing fusion or something.
It's sort of a hoot, all these folks coming out and talking about how you can play a fretless so it doesn't sound like a fretless. You can also make a bass with frets sound like it's not a fretless, quite easily in fact.
It's just sort of crazy, thinking about the amount bassists seem to revere and desire fretless basses vs. the amout of revenue generated with them relative to fretted basses.
If people like fretless so much, just play upright or cello or something -- instruments for which there is actually demand.
(Ok, I'm kind of trolling and people should play what makes them happy, but it is a ridiculous situation.)
It's sort of a hoot, all these folks coming out and talking about how you can play a fretless so it doesn't sound like a fretless. You can also make a bass with frets sound like it's not a fretless, quite easily in fact.
It's just sort of crazy, thinking about the amount bassists seem to revere and desire fretless basses vs. the amout of revenue generated with them relative to fretted basses.
If people like fretless so much, just play upright or cello or something -- instruments for which there is actually demand.
(Ok, I'm kind of trolling and people should play what makes them happy, but it is a ridiculous situation.)
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I would think he would have to go through all of his scales again one position at a time before actually playing fretless. That why I'll never have a fretless.
That's not quite how it works...
But it's always good to practice your scales, so that's fine.
It’s not a black art, that’s for sure. Anybody who’s played for any length of time basically knows approximately where the notes should be on the fretboard. And that’s a major advantage right there. Bottom line, it’s doable and probably something virtually every bassist could master if they wanted to.
The real challenge is finding the time to develop accurate - and maintain accurate - intonation. And that can be demanding, frustrating, and occasionally downright depressing. Because there’s days when you just won’t get your fretless to cooperate. With experience, those incidents will happen less often and spread themselves further apart. But every fretless player gets the odd day or two when everything just sounds wrong no matter what. And those are the times when you have to fight the urge to just give it all up.
75% of playing fretless is picking one up.
The remaining 25% is not giving up.
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In my experience, this will not do anything for him today, but will do lots for him down the road. In order to play in tune on a fretless, you have to really hear the notes in your head prior to playing them, else you do not stand a chance. And hearing the notes in your head prior to playing them is the most essential thing for any musician. If he sticks with it and 'gets it', it will make him a better musician in fairly short order.
Problem with this was that we were a band looking to gig, promote ourselves and record rapidly. This slowed us down. I'm all for experimentation but not at the expense of a band's practical goals.
I recently started a new band with the vocalist of the band being spoken about. The fretless bass turned out to be an issue ongoing in the band. Like an earlier poster said, the guy used rehearsal to practice his fretless playing, rather than practicing fretless on his own. The band would be playing a show or two per week and the intonation on the fretless for the band's songs still weren't on point.
That was kind of my feeling also, but I sort of feel bad saying out loud for those who struggle. I'd been playing guitar for maybe 12 or 13 years and bass for... several(?) years before I got a fretless. Granted, it's a lined fretless, but I could basically play it acceptably on the first day for simple parts. Nobody complained when I brought it to practice after a week or so, but I did learn that I had to keep it simple. Playing fast crazy stuff isn't an option for me on fretless yet, but simple grooves are no problem.
But enough about that. I'm still trying to be president of the anti-fretless-but-sometimes-plays-a-fretless club.
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And that, in a nutshell, neatly sums up the real problem. Which is not somebody playing fretless bass in a band. It’s about that person not yet able to play a fretless in a band - but insisting on playing it anyway.
Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam plays a fretless, I believe they' play rock. ;-)
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
As I said, it can work (see Pino and others). But a beginner just ripping out frets and expecting to be proficient right off the bat is unreasonable.
Well there are differences between a fretted and fretless bass, and each has strengths and weaknesses. To me, a fretless bass gives you more freedom of expression when playing the most basic of material. you are able to achieve a different type of vibrato and tone due to strings being stopped by your finger/neck wood vs the fret. I like the organic vibe of the tone. It sounds really great in most groove based music, not just jazz fusion.
If your end goal is to get a fretted sound on the bass, then by all means don't get a fretless. But my point is that you can use a fretless in many situations where a fretted bass is used traditionally and still sound right through changes in technique. At the same time not losing all the great things a fretless bass can do. That's the world i prefer to play in. There is a flip side in that a fretted bass can do a few things the fretless cannot do as well, like slap bass/tapping/pick tone. Fretted basses are also just plain easier to get around on, less barriers to entry.
At the end of the day i advocate playing and owning both. But also think a fretless can get you through most playing situations without detriment. I also hold pride that i likely have a better ear than a person who never ditched the frets, and better left hand technique, but that is another topic altogether.
I love the story of Sting, on the first American tour with the Police, walking into a music shop, buying a fretless P, and walking straight into soundcheck and the gig with it.
He’s said his intonation was horrible, but he’d been playing double bass and electric for many years, so it couldn’t have been that bad.
So unless you already have some serious time on your axe and know what it takes to rock sans frets, i don’t think you should run straight to the stage with it.
To answer the OP’s question: what he did was ridiculous, mostly in that he modified his only working bass in a very serious way before he even knew if he’d like it or be able to use it. That’s the only real offense here.
Fretless can work very well in rock, and, as discussed, many players honed their fretless chops onstage. But most of them had already been playing for years and knew the ropes.
He’s said his intonation was horrible, but he’d been playing double bass and electric for many years, so it couldn’t have been that bad.
So unless you already have some serious time on your axe and know what it takes to rock sans frets, i don’t think you should run straight to the stage with it.
To answer the OP’s question: what he did was ridiculous, mostly in that he modified his only working bass in a very serious way before he even knew if he’d like it or be able to use it. That’s the only real offense here.
Fretless can work very well in rock, and, as discussed, many players honed their fretless chops onstage. But most of them had already been playing for years and knew the ropes.
I find it's actually a good thing to rehearse using a fretless even though you would be playing a fretted during performance. You'll find that your technique on the fretted bass will be better. also, you can get a good grasp as to which songs would benefit from the fretless and which don't. Yeah, you might piss off some of your band mates but hey, you'll be taking some of the spotlight off your guitar player. LOL
You didn't buy a fretless Precision....You now have a IMPRECISION!
^^^^This^^^^
I would have recommended he find a used fretless Squier, or something similar.
I have the impression when I read this story that we're talking about a highschool or college kid. I could be mistaken, but I sort of doubt picking up another bass on a whim was an option.
