Hello fellow bassists, I want to have your opinion on something. I sometimes play 5 string metal songs (easier ones) with 4 at standard tuning. Playing the B on second fret of the A string or 7th fret of the E string. Sometimes it feels okay, sometimes it sucks. What do you all think? The songs that i play like that for example are, some Crowbar songs, almost all pop rock songs etc.
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Playing 5 string songs with 4 string.
- Thread starter Keomar
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My first thought is to tune down you E to a D. That will get you a surprising number of 5 songs I think.
I'm with Diew919 I only play a fiver these days but rarely go below Low D So you could easily get away with detuning, or do what I did in the past and string you 4 as BEAD.
Sounds like an excuse to get another bass. Set up a second bass BEAD or just get a 5er.
get a 5 string.,. you'll thank me later. you'll never look back on that 4 string. well, sometimes. and you will enjoy it just as much as you enjoy your 5 string. 
I started playing 5 string for a country band of all things this year and it’s been a lot of fun. Definitely great to have the extended range when you need it. I still prefer playing 4, but 5 when the music calls for it is pretty great
For the moments where playing the B higher "sucks", try playing the B with the fifth above like a power chord. It creates more impact dynamically, and creates an undertone an octave lower.
If your grasp of Metal style is strong, you can use different octaves and sound like metal
Ultimately it depends on how exactly like the recording you wish to sound
if B on the A string sounds bad, and stands out too much
try transposing more of the surrounding notes of the riff, so the B is not an anomaly.
Experiment to find how many surrounding notes need to come up sell the riff
mostly nobody will notice
except the guitarist might accuse you of "playing it wrong"
if you fail to copy his riff exactly
That's a great idea. You could also / instead add the 5th below the B.
Ultimately it depends on how exactly like the recording you wish to sound
if B on the A string sounds bad, and stands out too much
try transposing more of the surrounding notes of the riff, so the B is not an anomaly.
Experiment to find how many surrounding notes need to come up sell the riff
mostly nobody will notice
except the guitarist might accuse you of "playing it wrong"
if you fail to copy his riff exactly
That's a great idea. You could also / instead add the 5th below the B.
I have never heard people say "The bass player only had 4 strings" at the end of the show.
Play the hell out of the strings you got and nobody will care about the strings you didn't play.
Play the hell out of the strings you got and nobody will care about the strings you didn't play.
Tune your bass the same way the guitars are tuned.
If they're 7-string, I'm guessing they're tuned AEADGBE.
Buy a new bass (which is always good advice), tune it BEAD, then drop your B to A, so you have AEAD.
If they're 7-string, I'm guessing they're tuned AEADGBE.
Buy a new bass (which is always good advice), tune it BEAD, then drop your B to A, so you have AEAD.
Going with BEAD tuning is an option if you don’t need/want the notes of the G, or are willing and able to play certain parts down an octave.
Octave pedals exist including the DigiTech Drop which would allow you to fret a higher position and get the pedal to play the lower octave. I believe the DigiTech can change from latching to momentary so you could trigger it for specific notes and quickly release.
You can try thickening the octave-up notes you currently play by using power chords or octaves.
My guess is the Crowbar stuff will sound more authentic in BEAD, but the pop songs might be fun with an octave pedal for a synth-like voice.
Octave pedals exist including the DigiTech Drop which would allow you to fret a higher position and get the pedal to play the lower octave. I believe the DigiTech can change from latching to momentary so you could trigger it for specific notes and quickly release.
You can try thickening the octave-up notes you currently play by using power chords or octaves.
My guess is the Crowbar stuff will sound more authentic in BEAD, but the pop songs might be fun with an octave pedal for a synth-like voice.
I get away when playing 4-strings by using an Octaver when necessary.
Glad to see this mentioned - I do this often enough on my 4-strings and it absolutely adds some weight to the note. It is less useful for parts that pedal off the B, or involve playing a lot of notes in rhythm on the B. But, for punctuating the end of a line or a song I absolutely love doing this.
Can you explain it more in depth. I think I got the concept but examples would be cool.
Maybe. I’ve done it without adjusting. But strings and nuts vary and you might need to. You’ll need to consider a full setup for truss, action, and intonation. It might be worth a trip to a tech to get it worked on and get everything done at once. The add on of adjusting the nut might be minimal relative to a full setup.
I played 4 & 5 strings for extended periods but have gravitated back to 4 with a D-tuner.
It has a heavier sound (although not lower) and has a better all round versatility.
A 5er is fun, and so is an octave effect.
A D-tuner is a cheap option and easily reversed.
Try what you can afford
It has a heavier sound (although not lower) and has a better all round versatility.
A 5er is fun, and so is an octave effect.
A D-tuner is a cheap option and easily reversed.
Try what you can afford
Got about 5 songs of 400+ that have/require/use a 5 string. Before Line 6 came along, I used to carry a 4 and a 5. Now I just run a Line 6 Octaver effect down 1 octave and EQ'ed to sound close to "really a 5 string". In a band setting via RCF's run by VERY GOOD techs, sounds and feels quite acceptable and authentic. HELIX handles the sim now although a 5 will come out for "special events"(i.e. learning a celeb's song that uses a 5 string a lot and the celeb is present).
