Practising fretless with non A440 tracks?

[sawzalot]

Tune the bass to the song. It's really important to get the positions of notes into muscle memory, and changing that position to match the tuning of the song interrupts that process.

 

[SteveCS]

To be frank, all this talk of changes to standard pitch (A=44x) is a red herring with respect to the OP question. The point is that the instrument needs to be in tune with whatever the agreed reference pitch is. This is especially important for the OP who, as a fretless beginner, has to focus on developing hand-shape as the primary means of developing secure intonation. Playing what amounts to an out of tune instrument is not conductive in that regard.

 

[Les Fret]

Just tune your bass to the pitch/hz of the track. So NOT to 440 if the song isn’t 440. That makes the most sense.

or pitch the track to 440.

 

[bassfuser]

I have an app called "Anytune" which can retune a track very precisely. I never ever retune my bass, always the track.

I do the same thing but I use "Audacity".

 

[gstaats]

I usually pitch-shift the track and not my playing. Reaper and be used too.

 

[Auspuff]

I have a Peterson Strobe Tuner. I just tune to standard chromatic, and re-tune, as necessary.

I play a Jazz, with no dots, no lines, and, yes, your ears are your guide.

 

[azureblue]

That sounds…annoying.

I knew of an American band that liked Japanese pop, and they tuned to 444. Bright and jangly..

 

[MrLenny1]

Doing that drives me nuts.
Fretless is challenging.
Good Luck.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

While I try to not use open strings at all on fretless as they don't sound like a fretless

this I do not get. In fact I’m alternately practicing a mode of Fretless playing where this is the goal. All mwah is like ALL CAPS to me. Get off my lawn you kids….

 

[Klangfarbe]

We disagree. Strongly.

Muscle memory is about relative shifts in position (not absolute placement) - playing with stuff that's a bit off 440 still helps you build that just fine. If you get yourself in pitch on one note, no matter where it is, muscle memory will get you to the right place for the next note.

Good luck with your next audition.

 

[gstaats]

this I do not get. In fact I’m alternately practicing a mode of Fretless playing where this is the goal. All mwah is like ALL CAPS to me. Get off my lawn you kids….

I don't use open strings on my fretless either, but I don't on my fretted bass either. Fretless doesn't have to sound like mwah. Most folks can't tell I'm playing a fretless bass unless I want it to sound like a fretless, which is rare.

 

[evanrunyon]

Also, let’s all be honest; no one’s got perfect intonation, and bass players in particular get away with murder. There’s a difference between playing a note out of tune and being someone that, generally, plays out of tune and the former is a crime committed by all great players of all non-fretted string instruments ever. I wouldn’t get too hung up on it; let your ear be your guide. Don’t let equal temperament get you down.

 

[micguy]

Good luck with your next audition.

I have more demand for my time than there is time - I don't really audition anymore; word gets around.

 

[Les Fret]

While I try to not use open strings at all on fretless as they don't sound like a fretless,

Jaco used open strings on fretless!

 

[rogerb]

I find the fretless handy for those old blues recordings that aren’t quite in tune I snag off YouTube. I don’t think it hurts me, but I’m not the greatest fretless player. It is a hassle to redo them in Garage Band playing with the pitch.

Jazz recordings it bothers me as I use more open strings there, but they are usually in tune or you can find a version that is.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I would not recommend this

 

[BBQisgood]

On a fretless instrument, you should practice relative finger position and strive for the same positioning EVERY TIME especially if you are first starting out.

Tune the bass to match the track, or tune the track to match the bass.

Don’t forget that repetition of mistakes is just as habit forming as the repetition of success...

 

[G On Bass]

Jaco used open strings on fretless!

That's great for Jaco. None of us are Jaco.

this I do not get. In fact I’m alternately practicing a mode of Fretless playing where this is the goal. All mwah is like ALL CAPS to me. Get off my lawn you kids….

To me, and I how I am set up, an open string sounds like an open string as opposed to the more mwah sound that can be had by 'fretting' the same note on the fretless. Yes, it has that bridge-pickup tone, but not the mwah with a little slide into the note as desired. To me. YMMV, play whatever you like, Jaco only needed 4, etc...

 

[BZadlo]

I would retune to the track. Open strings are your friend on fretless instrument. There is no reason to avoid them. Playing in tune is more important than the very slight tonal difference.

 

[gstaats]

I think some folks are fretting too much about this topic...