Noob question here....4-strings vs. 6

[jim777]

The words of my bass instructor when I asked him this very question: "if you want to play six, go buy a six. Getting good on a four won't prepare you for a six, playing one will". I'm of the mind that you should play what makes you happy.

This is my thought as well - if you want to play 6 get a six. Sometimes the reason I pick up my 6 (and I ALWAYS pick up the 6 when not fretless) is because it just sounds so damned good It isn't necessarily because I need the extra range.

If you love the way the 6 looks, and you really want just play it a bit to ensure it isn't a dog and go for it. Like someone already said, enthusiasm for the instrument can definitely put it in your hands, and that's where you need it to be to become a better musician. Good Luck!

 

[gjbassist]

I only play four string basses but I'm gonna say if you are just starting out then start on what you like! I would think that if you can get comfortable on a six string bass first and wanted to play four later on it would be an easier transition than the other way around.

 

[thewildest]

Hi there, here I never owned 4 string, mostly 6s and a have an 8 string bass too.

A few practical suggestions before I throw "just go with the 6":

• Appearance comes second (or third) to playability and sound. Make sure you play whatever instrument for a while and you get a feeling before you switch.
• Given that the bass (if in standard tuning) has the same relationship between its strings, in the sense of that there is a 4th interval between any string and the next one (going down from x to 1), the switch between basses with different setups is not as daunting as it appears.
• In general, more strings equals larger necks. A 6 string bass will be heavier and a neck about 2/3 of a inch wider. We can all adapt to any instrument regardless of the size of your extremities, but this is something you should consider.
• Without going down the rat-hole of an instrument being better than the other, If I could just offer a personal opinion, I find the 6 string bass to be a perfect instrument, they allow you for an extended bass range but also offer great choices for chord construction, soloing, tapping, slapping...

I hope these help.

 

[twinjet]

Just got my first bass, a Yamaha TRBX304, a couple of weeks ago. Went back to the shop today and they had an absolutely gorgeous LTD B-206 SM 6-stringer sitting there. I'm lusting over it. It's so damn pretty. But being a noob, I"m wondering if I should stick with 4-strings or make the jump. I don't know if there's a lot of instruction out there using a 6-strings. Any thoughts, opinions, experiences are welcome!! Thanks!

I jumped from four to six strings after only two years of playing. It was tough and made me a better player, certainly, but it was also quite frustrating. Listen to the others - master your four banger first. I've recently sold off my 6 and am almost exclusively using fours.

 

[Samophlange]

I played a 4 for a few months, a 5 for two weeks and then 6 for 20+ years.
I'd go with he 6 early on. The neck shape is different and the holding position due to the additional width and weight is something worth getting used to right away. It also allows for alternate or more expansive chord work that isn't doable without the strings. Now, how often you need to play them is a whole different story.
I try to start students on at least a 5 string so they the option either way. (Switch up or down!)

 

[moody]

I started on 4's. Bought a beautiful 6 about 2 months into playing.

About 2 weeks later I bought a beater 5 that I was less worried about damaging and played that for 15 years. Recently I bought a beater 4 as a backup which has become my main.

The 6 is very unloved.

 

[BlastGatr]

Go with the one that inspires you to play more. If you learn on a 4, going to a 6 is going to feel weird because of how big it is. BUT, that is the same for learning on a 6 and going to a 4, because of how small it is. If the 6 is what inspires you to play, play that.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

Imo, the number of the strings doesn't really matter as a beginner. Years a go, I had a student (a completely beginner) who said he likes 5 string basses. I told him to get one and he did. He learned playing on it and, he's a great player now.

 

[lz4005]

You've been playing for under a month. Learn some basics on the 4 you've got.
It'll be easier because the neck is narrower and there are fewer strings to mute.

Get a 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 when the music you want to play needs more strings. Not because a pretty bass looks pretty.

There's plenty of time to figure out what kind of instrument you want to play, and how many strings it should have.

 

[dgrizzly]

Just about all of the same techniques apply to a 4 or 6 string bass. If you want to play 6 string, go for it.

I wanted to get into 5 bangers for a long time, but kept telling myself to, "Wait until I master it," before I moved up to more strings. But then I realized this:

There is no mastering it.

And I've been happy ever since.

Adjusting to the added lower string (for me at least) was just paying more attention to muting and learning when to tastefully drop the lowest notes.

 

[ReiPsaeg]

Don't wait until you're ready, get a 6 if you want it, obviously considering any financial commitments. It's a different instrument than a 4 string, but you can still play basic functional bass, plus have some extra voices to play with as you wish. And if you want to go back to 4 string those are always going to be available.

 

[Big Hoss]

If you can navigate the fingerboard on the sixer without too many problems, I wouldn't tell you not to do it. However, I will say that you will have 50% more strings to worry about navigating at first, which increases your complexity. Your G string is no longer the highest string, the E string is no longer your lowest string, you need to adjust accordingly, and much of the beginner education material does not take anything but a 4 string bass into consideration...

FWIW, I have 3 4 stringers, and one 5 string. No desire for a 6 string on my part. Not going to say you shouldn't try a sixer, just not something I want...

 

[danosix]

Just got my first bass, a Yamaha TRBX304, a couple of weeks ago. Went back to the shop today and they had an absolutely gorgeous LTD B-206 SM 6-stringer sitting there. I'm lusting over it. It's so damn pretty. But being a noob, I"m wondering if I should stick with 4-strings or make the jump. I don't know if there's a lot of instruction out there using a 6-strings. Any thoughts, opinions, experiences are welcome!! Thanks!

It's really about goals - if you are going to make music that requires or benefits from a 6 string there is no reason to not start with that. Learn the instrument you intend to play.
However, if you are a total noob as you suggest in your title, the 4 can be less daunting to get started on as the reaches are smaller and there are fewer strings to trip you up.
Do you want a 6 because it looks so cool/sexy/awesome or because you are already suffering from GAS or do you think the extended range and access to more notes per position going to help you achieve your musical goals? If you answer that question HONESTLY, you'll know whether you need a 6 or not.

 

[Timmy-Watts]

Whatever you want and will use. Learn to play whatever instrument you like the most.

But, it doesn't hurt to be awesome on a 4 string.

 

[LowStringNinja]

I'm no fan of the school of thought that you must 'master the 4-string' before allowing yourself to discover whether you like a 5-string or 6-string, etc. I personally prefer the string spacing of the narrower necked 5-string basses..and I don't have small hands, either. Take the opportunity to try out instruments and see what you like. I played a 4 string first as a kid because it's what was given to me to learn on...but If I'd been handed a 5-string at 13 years old, I would've learned on it just the same as I've learned everything I've come to know how to do in life. My passion for music is what drove me to learn, despite the poor and inferior instruments available to me as a child...and having to use them was not a rite of passage, regardless of what I'd come to believe as I grew older. I would have excelled greater with more at my disposal to work with...not less.

 

[BigBadaBoom]

Geddy Lee, Steve Harris, Flea, Jaco & Lemmy seem to be getting along nicely with their 4 strings..

 

[carldogs]

Good luck with your choice, i started on 4 strings and play a 5 and 6 string now days, truth be told i play my 6 string very much like a 4 string but i enjoy the tone and extra playing positions, if you get into reading scores for shows i found the extra range under my fingers great for that. To answer one of your questions on teaching material, most instructional books will deal with 4 string basses, it is all usable the thing is to break away from the tab and learn to read the notes, and practice playing any instructional piece in as many positions as you can on the neck, the 6 string will just give you more options. For more dedicated stuff for 6 string bass there was material done by Roy Voght, getting the most out of 6 string bass. I don't know if this is still available it was released by super chops 4 i think. Hopefully someone can point you in a few more directions. Hope this helps you.....

 

[danosix]

I'm no fan of the school of thought that you must 'master the 4-string' before allowing yourself to discover whether you like a 5-string or 6-string, etc. I personally prefer the string spacing of the narrower necked 5-string basses..and I don't have small hands, either. Take the opportunity to try out instruments and see what you like. I played a 4 string first as a kid because it's what was given to me to learn on...but If I'd been handed a 5-string at 13 years old, I would've learned on it just the same as I've learned everything I've come to know how to do in life. My passion for music is what drove me to learn, despite the poor and inferior instruments available to me as a child...and having to use them was not a rite of passage, regardless of what I'd come to believe as I grew older. I would have excelled greater with more at my disposal to work with...not less.

I agree with your post 95%. Where we differ - and it may be a matter of interpretation - is the equation of "4 string" and "inferior instruments". I don't see any reason for someone to play 4 string if 5 or 6 (or 19 or 20) will do the job or them, but I also don't believe that the 4 is an inherently inferior instrument - play the instrument which inspires you to make the music you want to make be it a 10 string monster like Jonas Helborg's or a 3 string upright.
If that's not what you meant and were just saying that the crap instruments many of us get as learners didn't help you any more than starting on the instrument with fewer strings than we are in complete agreement.

 

[LowStringNinja]

the equation of "4 string" and "inferior instruments".

haha, no, I didn't mean that..I like my 4-string too. I meant that awful old harmony acoustic guitar with the high action that I bled all over learning how to play, and the no-name junker bass that my pop gave me to learn on...grateful of course..but you know what I'm sayin' I have a 4-string Spector Legend that I currently play also sometimes...my thinking places the 4-string into the 'foundation' of the instrument like many others I'm sure, but that's only because I learned on a 4-string first...but I don't believe that thinking has to be that way, it just happens to be common in the case of playing bass.

 

[felis]

Don't buy a bass just because it's "absolutely gorgeous".