Reason for the order of the strings?

[Ducky]

Is there any bio-mechanical (or other) reason for the order of the strings?

For example if the order of the strings were reversed would a bass be harder to play?

I'm not trying to build a case for non-standardisation because that obviously has huge benefits but just wonderin'.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

Do you mean as far as the notes are concerned? Or do you mean thickest to thinnest?

In the case of the first, the concept of tuning allows for easy reach to higher notes while staying in a single position.

In the latter, I think our brains naturally tend to think from low to high, so it makes more sense to have the thicker string on top and the thinnest on bottom. Plus, given string tension and the amount of effort required to fret a string, it's more ergonomical to get your whole hand to exert the bulk of the fretting force as opposed to a more-awkward thumb-finger fretting technique.

Most of all, it's just standard and accepted as "the norm."

 

[RickenBoogie]

Sounds like a secret club, the order of the strings. We should vote on a meeting place, right away.

 

[PJSShearer]

All string instruments seem to be that way around - the bottom string is at the top!!. I'm sure it is because it is standard - although you could make a case with the guitar (or Lute if you want to go back that far) strumming chords gives you a fatter sound with the downstroke (hitting the lower pitched strings first) than the upstroke, and you get more power with a downstroke than an up.

However I don't think it matters too much, here's a couple of examples:

I knew a Professional Orchestral Double Bass player who took up the Bass Guitar and decided to play a right handed Jazz Bass (strung Right Handed) left handed/upside down as he didn't want to mess up his String Bass technique!!.

On the other hand (sorry!) the Bass Player who had replaced me at my first nightclub gig, was left handed and played a lefty EB3, but he strung it as if it was a right handed bass - G string at the top!!.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Some folks end up learning to play with the strings "upside down" - Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Haslip leap to mind (Both guys named Jimmy... Coincidence?!?!)

As far as the notes themselves - the bass is tuned in ascending 4ths. For a while I tried to play with my bass tuned like a Cello (in ascending 5ths) but it was a PITA. 4ths just work better - for me, at least.

 

[Richard Sabines]

the bass player form the UK band Doves is lefty, but he plays with the first string on top, that means he uses normal basses without changing the string order.

 

[Ducky]

Thanks for interesting replies and to clarify I'm thinking thickest to thinnest.

 

[PJSShearer]

Some folks end up learning to play with the strings "upside down" - Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Haslip leap to mind (Both guys named Jimmy... Coincidence?!?!)

As far as the notes themselves - the bass is tuned in ascending 4ths. For a while I tried to play with my bass tuned like a Cello (in ascending 5ths) but it was a PITA. 4ths just work better - for me, at least.

I'm 99% that Hendrix flipped the strings - he strung his righty guitar lefty.

 

[P. Aaron]

Sounds like a secret club, the order of the strings. We should vote on a meeting place, right away.

First, I'll have to quit Skull & Bones & The Carlyle Group.

 

[line6man]

Jimi Hendrix played his guitar backwards but strung up the thick strings on top and the thin strings on the bottom.
That's part of how he got his tone, with the slant of the bridge pickup essentially being reversed.

Jeff Schmidt plays his basses with the thick strings on the bottom and the thin strings on the top.

 

[SpamBot]

Albert King also did that on his Vs, IIRC.

Slapping would be a PITA with the E string on the bottom

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Keith Horne and Jimmy Haslip both play with their strings upside-down. Since both of them are left-handed and play left-handed basses, I assume it's because they started out playing on right-handed basses before getting a lefty.

Here's Keith Horne doing some slapping at about 4:45:

 

[Happynoj]

It might stem from the fact that if you are doing fast virtuosic playing it generally tends to be higher notes. Therefore having the higher strings closer to your hand and not having to wrap around as far gives you more agility and allows you to play the fast bits more easily.

 

[hellboy]

Jerry Casale (Devo) is another bassist who plays lefty-strung-righty (upside-down). He started that way because he couldn't find a left-handed bass, initially, and then stuck with it because it was what he was used to and because it enabled him to do some runs that would be harder on a standard-strung bass.

Didn't know Jimi (Doves) played upside-down too. Must be something about the names.