Jazz Solo Folks, do extended range Basses make that much of a difference?

[Neon Blues]

Hi All,

A recent move to full time fretless has really piqued my interest in exploring my skills in the Jazz solo space.

I love my 4 string fretless and I know most of the folks are using 5/6 string basses for this kind of playing.

I guess my question is just how much of a difference does it make? Obviously the chordal work makes sense, but I guess more of the standard Jazz solo itself.

Thanks!

 

[DWBass]

Makes no difference unless you want to get into guitar tone territory.

 

[Neon Blues]

Makes no difference unless you want to get into guitar tone territory.

I have noticed this with a few players that I have been listening to, that it has a major Jazz Guitar played on bass vibe.

 

[Ritter667]

Ever heard of Jaco, or what about Nies Henning Ørsted Pedersen?

They didn't seem to have any issues with expressing themself through some serious jazz shred with their 4 string bass, in he latter case even a full scale acoustic upright.

 

[Sam Evans]

Ever heard of Jaco, or what about Nies Henning Ørsted Pedersen?

They didn't seem to have any issues with expressing themself through some serious jazz shred with their 4 string bass, in he latter case even a full scale acoustic upright.

Sooo ... Jaco only needed four strings?

 

[Ritter667]

Or just string one of your your 4 string basses accordingly, and tune it to tenor bass, A1 standard, tuning, like Stanley Clarke does.

 

[Ritter667]

Sooo ... Jaco only needed four strings?

For this kind of thing, yes.

And I think he did so decently too.

Victor Wooten as well:

 

[ga_edwards]

Ever heard of Jaco, or what about Nies Henning Ørsted Pedersen?

They didn't seem to have any issues with expressing themself through some serious jazz shred with their 4 string bass, in he latter case even a full scale acoustic upright.

I see your Jaco and raise you a 6 string toting John Patitucci.

 

[Ritter667]

I see you Jaco and raise you a 6 string toting John Patitucci.

And I could raise again with that guy, Yves Carbonne, who plays a 12 string fretless bass.

Is it better though?

Which as far as I understand what was OP asked about.

 

[ga_edwards]

And I could raise again with that guy who play a 12 string fretless bass.

Is it better though?

Which as far as I understand what was OP asked about.

No idea, maybe ask Jaco's son, Felix

PS. FWIW, I'm a 4 stringer through and through and only grab my 5 string if I need to. However, people should not be made to feel restricted just because a famous artist was successful with a certain number of strings. If someone want to explore ERB to express themselves then go for it.

 

[Sam Evans]

For this kind of thing, yes.

And I think he did so decently too.

Victor Wooten as well:

I agree, I was just trying to be funny ...

 

[NickyBass]

Another way to approach it is to jump in with the fretless 4 and see if it covers everything you need. If it does, then great, no need to get a 5/6 string. If it doesn't, then great, you get to purchase another bass. Win/win.

 

[gerryjazzman]

Remember that John Patitucci also plays upright. Listen to his live solos with Chick Corea’a Akoustic band on tunes such as Humpty Dumpty and Morning Sprite. He kills it on those 4 strings. I have to say that I have a few 6 strings, one of which is a TRBJP specifically because I was digging his work with Chick in the Elektric band. At this point I wonder why I really bother because the only thing I have used the high C string was for chording and noodling (or widdling according to Scott Devine ). When I have tracked recordings with the 6 I’m never using the C. I’m more comfortable on narrow 5’s so I may let a couple 6’s go.

Bottom line, you can wail on any number of strings if you want to.

 

[J33]

The 5's and 6's are primarily used for economy of motion (Playing across in position) and you're basically adding half to 3/4 a register with an extention. It will give you some great creative options higher up but just understand that a 6 accomplishes this in both directions. Take a look at the Pedulla Thunderbass 6. Bassists are usually scared of anything past 5 and you could score a great bass at a good price before the rest of the world realizes that MP closed up shop and the basses he made are the only ones left.

 

[RandomKaren]

As the poster above said, the main advantage of the 5 - apart from the extra low notes - is to be able to play across the neck rather than up and down, which is an aid for intonation. Three of my basses are fretless 5s and the other two fretless 4s. I had a fretless 6 for a while but didn't click with it, might try again if the right one comes along.

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

I go back and fourth between 4 and 5

Some fenders and a steinberger synapse 5
A warmoth
Atelier z
Peavey Randy Jackson b quad
and some more

For me when I play the 24 frets for a length of time I feel more free when doing solo stuff at home and creating things

Then when I switch I feel limited at 21…

Does it make a huge difference not really

As they said earlier jaco played a 4 with 21 frets

For me it that last note available is
More like what it evokes out of me. Like playing a jazz with stainless rounds and a P with flats. It just makes you wanna slap the J and the P makes you wanna groove

It makes me think differently

Like playing a 5 and having the lower notes

 

[ole Jason]

I've played 6's for many years. I'd push back a little on the idea that the main advantage of the C string is to be able to play across the neck, mainly due to the timbre of C strings. It just doesn't sound as good to do a walking line down low on the C string as it does higher up on the G string. It's all situational of course but sometimes these threads can give the impression that if you're playing a six-string you can just hang out in first position all night but that's not really reality.

I think the sooner you get away from the idea of thinking about it as "a 4-string with two added strings" the quicker you'll be able to play an extended range bass in a more natural way. Notes are notes, the lines you play are really all that matter.

 

[Ritter667]

However, people should not be made to feel restricted just because a famous artist was successful with a certain number of strings. If someone want to explore ERB to express themselves then go for it.

I can't really see that I am supposed to have argued for the opposite anywhere.
And I do in fact actually agree, but wasn't really what OP asked about.
My replies should be understood in the context of the actual OP (original post) of this thread (which I assumed would have been obvious).
And which could be summed up to something like: "Is a 4 string bass good enough for the jazzy widdly widdly noodle solo thing?"

For some strange reason certain people seem to be of the perception that as soon as Jaco's name is mentioned it must mean that you are a 4 string bass zealot, or something, regardless of the actual context.

I actually do own both a 5 string bass and a Bass VI.....
Even a guitar!

- Is a 4 string bass good enough?
- What is wrong with 6 string basses?
- Uhm, what?
- There is NOTHING wrong with 6 string basses!

...right...

 

[turf3]

I don't play fretless electric bass (although I'm primarily an upright player, which of course is fretless) - but the extended ranges are most likely to allow more convenient fingerings for one's improvisation. If it's an extended low range, there are occasionally lines that have to get cut off at E that might be better-formed if you could go a bit below E; but on the other hand way down low there is not where most jazz soloing takes place anyway.

 

[Ralph Manak]

Only you can decide what your voice is, what you want to say with it, and how you want to say it.