- Jan 11, 2008
- 1,373
- 155
- 45
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Aguilar, D'Addario
i don't particularly see a problem with it, but i don't think it will catch on too much. those notes don't really 'exist' in music, except maybe some pipe organ music.
<rant>
i think the reason that many people buy basses with more that 5 strings is so that they don't have to actually learn how to play bass well. it's so much more convenient to have a 3 octave scale sit horizontally across the neck than to actually learn where every note is on a 4 or 5 string bass.
whatever, i'm sure people will get their panties in a bunch about it, but MOST people i have heard playing a 17 string wizard dolphin bass are playing really weak stuff, and trying to make up for that by playing it really really high, or really really low.
adding an extra low string because you actually hear music in that range is a legitimate artisting move, i think. even though i think it sounds dumb in that register, i can't hate on people who are genuine. adding an extra low string so you can play a low C on the 6th fret (not to call out one person, just using that as an example) is just laziness. bass isn't that hard.
</rant>
i guess it all comes down to what is defined as a 'musical note'... i could program some melodies played by a synth with sine waves up around 10k to 20k... not only would most people not be able to hear most of it, i don't think anyone would recognize then as pitches up there.... i feel the same way about sub frequencies... at a certain point, i think people stop reconizing the sounds as 'musical pitches' and it just becomes a 'sound event'
but that is just my .02. obviously people are doing it and loving it. i'm sure some people thing what i do is silly, too. but i don't see notes that low becoming part of any mainstream musical vocabulary.
cheers,
john
<rant>
i think the reason that many people buy basses with more that 5 strings is so that they don't have to actually learn how to play bass well. it's so much more convenient to have a 3 octave scale sit horizontally across the neck than to actually learn where every note is on a 4 or 5 string bass.
whatever, i'm sure people will get their panties in a bunch about it, but MOST people i have heard playing a 17 string wizard dolphin bass are playing really weak stuff, and trying to make up for that by playing it really really high, or really really low.
adding an extra low string because you actually hear music in that range is a legitimate artisting move, i think. even though i think it sounds dumb in that register, i can't hate on people who are genuine. adding an extra low string so you can play a low C on the 6th fret (not to call out one person, just using that as an example) is just laziness. bass isn't that hard.
</rant>
i guess it all comes down to what is defined as a 'musical note'... i could program some melodies played by a synth with sine waves up around 10k to 20k... not only would most people not be able to hear most of it, i don't think anyone would recognize then as pitches up there.... i feel the same way about sub frequencies... at a certain point, i think people stop reconizing the sounds as 'musical pitches' and it just becomes a 'sound event'
but that is just my .02. obviously people are doing it and loving it. i'm sure some people thing what i do is silly, too. but i don't see notes that low becoming part of any mainstream musical vocabulary.
cheers,
john
:scowl:
