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Should you "try" to stay away from open strings?

#42
I'm with BassyBill on this one, I use open strings frequently; not because I don't know how to play without using open strings but simply because they sometimes sound better!

As you can see from my sig, my main bass is my Ric, and I have quite a lively tone that only has a very subtle tonal difference between a fretted and open string anyway, but I sometimes use them because it makes some passages more natural to play. Whether you use them because the tone sounds better or because it makes something more natural the end result is that the bassline sounds better for it rather than being constrained by 'purist' technique.

I also slip them into stuff when I'm using fretless to give myself the occasonal intonation check
 
#45
FretlessMainly said:
So I'm going to make my life a little easier by playing an open string and much harder by reaching over to the headstock to mimic a vibrato?
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No Mr Mainly, you do what works for you and the rest of us will do likewise.

This is in the BG section, and almost by definition the genres of music inhabited by Bass Guitar are non-classical. In my view, whether you're talking about Jazz, Rock, Funk, Pop or any of the more contemporary styles of music that use BG the number one rule in the rule book is that rules are made to be broken...it's only rock n roll but I like it

PS: I don't think I ever saw anything in Mel Bay about tapping, and you're definitely not supposed to strike the string with the side of your thumb or hook your finger under the string and let it snap back down, while we're at it, your not supposed to make the strings clack on the fretboard either but fortunately for us some unruly souls who came before us had the exuberance to ignore their instructors - although personally I wish that nobody had invented slap.
 
#46
dvh said:
Yes I did. Seems to me their bottom line is open notes are fine and useful.

So my question still stands. Do you apply vibrato to every note? I'm honestly curious...
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You know, in fairness to FretlessMainly, I think he really did already answer that question in post #14:

FretlessMainly said:
Yes, of course. A general rule of thumb is that you don't add vibrato (and hence the ear wouldn't perceive wood growl or vibrato voicing) to anything shorter than a quarter note; of course the metronome setting isn't mentioned, so it's more of a qualitative rule of thumb than a quantitative rule of thumb.

All that said, I do use open strings, even on double bass sometimes, but I strive to play closed notes as a matter of technique and habit; relying on open strings when needed, not as a default.
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#49
Febs said:
There is one of those instances where a dogmatic rule makes no sense. There are certain advantages and disadvantages to using open strings, and making a general rule that one should or should not use open strings is unnecessarily limiting.

Using open strings has certain advantages:
-Open strings can facilitate position shifts.
-Open strings may eliminate unnecessary position shifts, particularly when playing with a Simandl style 124 left-hand.
-If you're reading music, open strings allow you to turn pages with your left hand.
-Open strings are necessary for playing the lowest note in the instrument's range.
-On a fretless or an upright, open strings provide a reference for intonation.

There are also times when there advantages to avoiding open strings:
-It can be more difficult to mute open strings with the left hand, particularly when playing the same note repeatedly.
-Vibrato is not available on open strings.
-Closed positions can facilitate pattern playing, making transposition easier.

As others have mentioned, open strings can sound different (though it is arguable how much of a difference that actually makes in a mix). Whether you prefer that sound or not is inherently subjective.

In short, use whichever approach makes the most sense for a particular situation.
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+1!

And depending on the type of nut material, there can be sonic differences between open as opposed to stopped or fretted notes.
 
#50
So, you're on the gig, and you normally play, say, "Baby, Scratch My Back" in F, you practice it that way, you rehearse it that way, and suddenly your sadistic singer calls it in E. Now, you can decide to start 'er off on the 7th fret of the A string, but then the riff is all screwed up because you ain't got the room to move up to the four and hit that octave note, and it sounds bad to move down to it 'cause the groove has that upward feel to it, so you booger up many bars playing with the open E (and A) until suddenly you realize that you'd better have using and controlling open strings in your toolbelt or you will sound like crap every time.
Of course, this is a true story, and the moral is that you don't have to use them (I get the tonal differences bit), but you should know how.
If you ever plan to play upright, incorporating open strings helps to minimize shifting, also helps to facilitate big shifts, and helps your intonation.
 
#52
When I first learned that there were patterns that were shared from one song and key to another, I forced myself to play without open strings as much as possible in order to be able to transpose easily. Then when I got a little better and had learned some of those patterns, I discovered that using the open strings in a fast pattern will sometimes allow a position shift without dropping a note. Meanwhile, I definitely learned to use my pinky more while I was avoiding opens.
 
#53
bjabass said:
When I first learned that there were patterns that were shared from one song and key to another, I forced myself to play without open strings as much as possible in order to be able to transpose easily. Then when I got a little better and had learned some of those patterns, I discovered that using the open strings in a fast pattern will sometimes allow a position shift without dropping a note. Meanwhile, I definitely learned to use my pinky more while I was avoiding opens.
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OBTW: Tune to whatever key floats yer boat...as long as the low string doesn't flop around AND you are confident to transpose....but beware, most songs are written with the bass tuned to EADG so if you go Eb it may seem like some patterns are real uncomfy....
 
#54
can't mwah on an open string, nuff said for me :) Can't slide up to one either.

Probably takes just as much effort to learn to control those open strings as it does to become more independent of them. pick your poison and/or learn both?

unfortunately, no amount of control of an open string can get my particular bass and my particular amp to sound like a fingered note. That's just my reality, I guess, and that's how I deal with it.
 
#56
mpdd said:
sometimes the fifth fret sounds better, sometimes the open string sounds better
i don't think i have the linguistic skill to sum it up any better
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That's linguistic enough for me. When learning a new song, I start by playing it both ways and then use what sounds the best to my ears. This can include playing the same note open and closed at different points in the song.
 
#57
Extrinsic said:
can't mwah on an open string, nuff said for me :) Can't slide up to one either.

Probably takes just as much effort to learn to control those open strings as it does to become more independent of them. pick your poison and/or learn both?

unfortunately, no amount of control of an open string can get my particular bass and my particular amp to sound like a fingered note. That's just my reality, I guess, and that's how I deal with it.
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You won't get a fingered note to sound like an open string, either. ;)

Honestly, I'm having just a little trouble believing that this conversation is arousing this level of debate.

There's going to be times during your music when you want to play a note at a particular point in a particular piece of music, and an open string is PERFECT - sounds right, feels right, totally under control. There will be other times when it's not your best option. It really is that simple.
 
#59
bassybill said:
Honestly, I'm having just a little trouble believing that this conversation is arousing this level of debate.
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It appears that it can happen when people don't read what was posted and get defensive about a comment made in context of other things already posted as what they perceive as a threat to the "integrity of their playing style."

I've already indicated that I use open strings in various situations and the perception here seems to be that I advocate never using them.

My main point is that if I'm playing a scale and the next note happens to be one of the open strings, I'll generally not use the open string; rather, I'll choose a fingering for it. On the other hand, setting up a D pedal is something I do often and I use both the D string and the E tuned to low D to do so (along with two other fingered Ds).

Or, in an arpeggio-like line I'll use an open string if it is needed to facilitate large and possibly rapid position shifts. And I'm talking on fretted, fretless or double bass; classical, jazz, prog (my main genre), rock, bluegrass, blues, etc.
 

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