No open strings?

[Les Fret]

Jaco used open strings.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

I was told when I started playing bass (many years ago)
"A good bass player never uses open strings."
I still find that odd after 37 years playing.
Any opinions on this?

I use them on some songs. I find they are particularly nice to use when you have to shift your hand position. Problem with using them is with many if not most strings they don't have that body of sound that a fretted note has. If you have a set of LaBella White Tape Wound strings like I use on my bass, that's not a problem at all because the balance between the stings is so good. It was a problem with the round wound Dean Markely Blue Steel and DR Black Beauty strings that I used for over 30-years. So I'll play an open string if its convenient for my hand placement or the moving of my hand placement on the neck.

One of the problems with playing open strings is note control - basically muting. It's hard to mute an open note with your fretting hand because there's no fret there and that usually means you need to use palm muting to control the length of the note. A lot of really great players have used a lot of open strings though. Take a look at Jack Casady's old video's with the Jefferson Airplane. Also John Entwistle. So never say never.

Part of the reason folks say not to use them is because you can mess up the pattern your playing when you run out of frets and it really messes with people's heads. If for instance you're playing something in F, there's no fret on the A string for the note A or D string on the D because they are open frets. Folks often use different fingers to play the notes when there's an open string. However if you just look at it like that open string A is a fretted note with the fret being the nut on the A string, and the open string D is a fretted note using the nut as the fret on D, it works just fine. You can easily move it over and play a Bb pattern starting on the A string with the open D and G played by just resting your finger behind the nut to get used to it. You're pattern is still the same it is if you're playing a C pattern starting on the C on the 3rd fret of the A string. ...Not sure I'm explaining this very well.

Just keep using the same fingering you would father up the neck and notice that your finger for the 3rd and 6th is behind the nut.

 

[IvanBassist]

It’s very dependent on the style of music, in my experience.

I would avoid an open D string and play on the 10th fret of the E string if I was playing reggae. It sounds much fatter that way.

However, I’ll take the open note if I was playing a walking bass line, for example.

 

[Fynn]

I'm very accustomed to how the same notes sound different on different strings. Whether I play a D on the E string 10th fret, A string 5th fret, or the open D string, gives me completely different results. I use whichever fits the situation the best. I never considered any one of those to be inferior to another. The open will usually sound the weakest I guess, maybe because the string is the longest and thinnest like that, but that can still be a great sound especially with the correct amount of amplification. Same goes with all he other strings.

Edit:
Also when you use a P bass, the open D will be picked up closer to the bridge, than the fretted D on the A or E string. Huge difference

 

[GazzBass]

I only use open strings.

 

[el murdoque]

"Only play an open string if you mean it."
- Phil Lesh

/thread.

Thank you. That made my day.

 

[Vincent Van Low]

somebody better tell James Jamerson.

exactly...

 

[Leonid Nidis]

I think what he meant was if you play root notes on an open string its gonna sound less clean and consistent than a fretted note.
So dont do that unless you are Mark Hoppus

 

[2thAche]

Start at 1:59. The majority of this is played off open strings. Seems to work

 

[Nashrakh]

However, I’ll take the open note if I was playing a walking bass line, for example.

This is also one of the very few scenarios I use open strings in.

That aside, I'm critical of open strings because their overuse may lead to a dependence on the "money zone" (frets 5 and below), especially in new players. (Though, the longer you do something, the harder it is to break habits...)

 

[Evets1987]

Yep no open strings and you can’t play notes past the 12th fret. Bass is hard with all these rules!

 

[Lance Bunyon]

I own 9 five strings and avoid open strings most of the time. Occasionally I use open E or open B (which is the only low B on a 5 string).
With closed notes I control the sustain or decay of whatever note I'm playing.

 

[braud357]

Personally, I find the OP's statement to be ridiculous ! If I said that open strings sounded better with tort, would the Talkbass disicples embrace it ? I have always played (55+ years) using open strings, and will continue to do so ! Also, I really cannot hear the difference in my bass note articulation when I do. MANY "noted" players have used open strings to great effect, so the point is moot. Each player has to find his own comfort zone, and how you arrive at that point really doesn't matter ! Just play, and quit judging styles and techniques !

 

[-Asdfgh-]

There are reasons to avoid them when you learn to play and practice. The main one is to avoid getting stuck into keys that overuse open strings Like C, F and G.
If you rely too much on them you tend to stay on the first frets instead of exploring and making connections. It leads to thinking in blocks and patterns rather than notes.
There's no reason to avoid them as you develop experience.

I find open strings of significant usefulness when up around the 12th fret. Sure, I can get a D off the 10th fret of the E string, but it might be a fingering stretch or the tone might be off for what I'm doing on the skinny strings. If you like to do a bit of Cocteau Twins style chording they are very useful indeed. It took me twenty years to use them in any other context. I see some players using them more how guitarists seem to, but I can't get my head around that on bass or guitar.

 

[Meenkya]

The only 4 notes I don't have to look at the fretboard for....

 

[InhumanResource]

I was told when I started playing bass (many years ago)
"A good bass player never uses open strings."
I still find that odd after 37 years playing.
Any opinions on this?

I had some pretty good teachers (career musicians) who always instructed me to lean on the open strings where convenient. Open strings, minimal shifts, barre across strings when playing 4ths (melodically!) and all sorts of evil.

 

[Savage_Dreams]

nonsense. just like any other note, theres a right time and wrong time to use them.

 

[smtp4me]

I was told when I started playing bass (many years ago)
"A good bass player never uses open strings."
I still find that odd after 37 years playing.
Any opinions on this?

I find it odd too. I use open strings whenever I think it fits. For example, if playing an open string avoids shifting hand position, or if it simply makes a section easier to play. I would find it odd NOT to use them.

 

[onda'bass]

open strings are harder to control, they also sound different. Your tone is more consistent when fretting all notes. zero fret anyone? Obviously E & B are exceptions.

 

[2saddleslab]

The same nonsense has been claimed about flat wound strings and string thru bridges & there's no way to properly intonate a 2 saddle bridge. Been happily proving the experts wrong for decades.