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Switch from 4 to 5

#41
Practice. That's about it.

You can adjust to just about any bass, just gonna need some time to acclimate. My basses are all a bit different, but I don't get hung up on spacing or one specific neck shape or all these other things that seem to be important to many on the forum. I like variety and enjoy them all. If I can get away with just using a P (4 string) I will, but I'll use whatever I need to get the job done.
 
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#44
My two cents: Once you master the 5, going to 4 is no problem and you will play probably better.
When transitioning to 5, you will have to put more attention to muting and get more dexterity in your left hand due to the wider neck. All of this will benefit your regular play.
I'd question myself before starting with the 5-string. What are you trying to accomplish? Is this something personal or your band requires that low B? etc. Good luck with your journey!
 
#45
Plenty of people here are more than happy on Fender-style 20-fret 4-strings and feel no need to look anywhere else.

The most popular/common bass is a 4-string. You can find a wider variety of string sets for 4-string than you can for 5 or 6.

Before venturing into 5-strings and beyond, take a good hard look at the music you will most likely be playing.

For me, I play a wide variety from folk to metal, originals and covers, and need that extended range. Even playing a country song like "Country Girl (Shake it For Me)" by Luke Bryan is easier for me on a 5-string because I'm not jumping all over the fingerboard. I can do more "across the street" playing rather than "down the road" and the down the road jumps are more manageable. And even modern pop songs go down low. Like "Good 4 U" by Olivia Rodrigo starts on a low C#. I could play it on a CGCF tuned 4-string, but it's so much easier and more intuitive on my 5.

And in one band I was in, I solo'd up to the 22nd fret so I like a 24-fret bass so I'm not hitting a neck heel at 22.

I've spent years on 4, 5, and 6 string basses. 4 wasn't enough for me. 6 was too much. 5 is just right. But that's just me. A 24-fret 5-string is my home.

To get acclimated to an extended range bass, try fingering songs "across the street." Like if I'm playing something simple like Seven Nation Army on my 5-string, I stay in second position and use the 8th fret of the B string to play that low G. Again, playing it "across the street" rather than "down the road." Start simple.
 
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#46
For me the biggest challenge with a 5er was the potential to play some of the bass lines to songs that I know on a 4 string with lower notes and different finger patterns.

This was causing me to rethink my memorized way of playing on a 4 and adapting to a new way of playing with a 5.

But, as already mentioned by some wonderful people here on Talk Bass, a 5er can be played like a 4 and occasionally use those extra 5 notes.

I read here on TB a long time ago that for those extra 5 notes..........a wider neck, extra weight with additional tuner, bigger bridge, bigger pickups, extra string........ for 5 notes. Is it worth it? You have to decide.

Finally, understand that many bass cabs have trouble with 31 hz of the low B and can't even go there.

My advice is to use logic and common sense about getting a 5er.

Many places like Sweetwater and etc have a 30 to 45 day return policy.

Good luck with your decision!
 
#48
Try BEAD 4-string and see how confusing it'll be going back to EADG 4-string. 5 > 4 ; 4> 6 ; fretted to fretless - they are all an adjustment.

It's up to you whether you need to learn them or stay with standard EADG 4-string. Depends on the music you play/want to play and the gigs you want to take in the future.
 
#49
It takes a bit of time to get used to it, but it goes quick. I am at a place where I can switch between 5 and 6 strings on the go without any issues. I do recall it taking a bit of time to move from 4 to 6 (I went right to a fretless 6) but it was smooth overall once I got used to the extra stings, width, and where the strings were under my plucking hand.
 
#50
Don't mean to derail, but I had a tangential question about this myself.

My problem is I already have trouble hearing the notes on the E string sometimes, on my 4 strings. Not sure if this is a problem with my ears or what, but I often get lost playing the wrong notes on the E string as it's just too low for me to hear accurately sometimes. For this reason, it seems like a 5 string with even lower notes would make it worse.

Does anyone else have this problem?
 
#52
10emmanuel said:
Hello mates!

I've been thinking about going for a 5 string bass. But my fear is that after playing for +3 years, I might loose this "notion of freedom and orientation " that I have achieved. Like I'd be re-learning how to play. I grabbed a 5 yesterday because I am interested on it and I could not play a song. I was just lost. People around me must have thought I did not know any of the songs I was trying to play. So I wondered If it really worth to get a 5 , since honestly, I dont needed it, I dont play that much music that requires the low B, I just crave for it to expand my range and because I like low bat notes.
People all over say that " if you practice enough it should not be a problem", but since I am not a professional musician, I can't dedicate a huge amount of ours to practice. So I am afraid that I don't get any good in the 5 and that I loose touch with the 4.

I dont know if you understand what I mean.
Click to expand...

I'm going to assume you are keeping both basses. My best advice is not to play the same songs on both basses. Muscle memory is a hard habit to break. Once you learn a song on one bass, you will be fighting it every step of the way on the other bass for quite a while. Don't fear the change.
 
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#53
What I did…Get the 5 and play only the 5. Pretend that you don’t own anything else. Ignore the B for a while, just use it as a thumb rest. Then gradually dip a toe in. Find some scale patterns to play on your own time that use the B. Do some dexterity exercises, the kind where you don’t even think about what note you are playing just moving from string to string. Eventually you realize that it’s just another tool.
 
#54
J Wilson said:
It will take new learning. You will probably have to mute differently, learn playing across 5 instead of 4, and probably a bigger neck and obviously wider fingerboard.

The short answer is if you're not willing to commit time to it when you can to integrate yourself to a different instrument (and fives are more than a four with an extra string), I would simply wait until the time comes when either you're ready to do so, or you ultimately decide a four does everything you need. Either answer is correct.

PS: I played only fives since the late 80's and bought a four on a whim a few years ago, and the fives had actually made my four-string playing better.
Click to expand...
CORRECT! 5s are not just a 4-string with an extra string.
Different animal entirely.
5-string basses allow completely different (and economical) approach to every bass line. And, I agree, a 5 can make you see ways to play across the neck, which will make you (likely) a better 4-string player.
 
#59
10emmanuel said:
Hello mates!

I've been thinking about going for a 5 string bass. But my fear is that after playing for +3 years, I might loose this "notion of freedom and orientation " that I have achieved. Like I'd be re-learning how to play. I grabbed a 5 yesterday because I am interested on it and I could not play a song. I was just lost. People around me must have thought I did not know any of the songs I was trying to play. So I wondered If it really worth to get a 5 , since honestly, I dont needed it, I dont play that much music that requires the low B, I just crave for it to expand my range and because I like low bat notes.
People all over say that " if you practice enough it should not be a problem", but since I am not a professional musician, I can't dedicate a huge amount of ours to practice. So I am afraid that I don't get any good in the 5 and that I loose touch with the 4.
Click to expand...

If you want to play a 5 string bass you've got to have a will to make it work. So far you've come up with many reasons to stay with a 4 string bass, you might as well do that.
 
#60
Supernaute said:
My problem is I already have trouble hearing the notes on the E string sometimes, on my 4 strings. Not sure if this is a problem with my ears or what, but I often get lost playing the wrong notes on the E string as it's just too low for me to hear accurately sometimes. For this reason, it seems like a 5 string with even lower notes would make it worse. Does anyone else have this problem?
Click to expand...
Yes, that was happening to me.
I've realised it was because my bass tone was too muddy.
Since I've been working on tightening up the tone, it's become less of an issue.
 
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