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switching between 4, 5, 6 strings

cosmicevan

cosmicevan

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Inactive
Feb 1, 2003
11,853
22,326
47
The edge of oscillation, New York
www.asteriskband.com
#1
up until recently i've always tended to have a main bass that i played for everything and would play the others occassionally, but i recently acquired a 4 string jazz in a trade and am having my 5 string Acacia finished within a month. mix those with my 6 string that has been my main bass that i love to play and i feel like i've got my hands full. i tend to play based on what's available to me and really take advantage of opens and the octaves that can be achieved in a single position.

so my question is to those who actively switch between 4, 5, 6 and beyond...do you work out arrangements for each bass or do you just adjust your lines on the fly based on the bass you are using?

i feel like i'll really need to actively practice using all of the basses...do you find this is the case or it doesn't really matter for you?

i find that each instrument brings out different things in my playing and i really want to mix that in with my projects, but don't want to have a specific bass that i use for this track and one for that one...i want to mix it up and was looking for advice from those who do just that.
 
#2
I've minimized my problems switching with the fact my 5, 6 and 7 are all 34" scale and 19mm spacing at the bridge.

My 4 throws me a little because it's a 32" scale bass.

I mainly play my 7 these days with the fretless 6 a close second. My 5 is strung with flats and has actually gotten a lot of jam time recently (bluesy & classic rock stuff).
 
#3
When I write and play songs, I usually want to stick with that particular bass for the song. I usually pick between 4 and 5 based on the tone of the individual bass and which string config and tuning I need. Perhaps I'm very anal in that respect.

Fortunately, with one of my bands, I'm playing my Mouse 30 exclusively.
 
#4
I use basses for the songs where they are appropriate rather than re tooling songs to fit the bass. It is easiest if they have similar string spacing to switch back and forth. It is a bear going from my P to my 6 and back.
 
#5
Well, I've only had my 6 a little over a week, but I'm thinking of getting rid of the other 4's now. I've been practicing alot with it, and now the 4 stringers feel strange and look funny. Its weird to think that 9 years on a four string can be undone by 9 days on a 6. Seriously though, if I keep the 4's, I'll have to practice on them daily, along with the 6 to stay in shape.
 
#6
some of my songs cant be played on my 4, so i have to play them on my 6. i dont use my 5 much cuz its frettless. but the old songs my band had before i got it cant really be played on the 6 unless i drop tune the E and dont use the B..or the C so theres really no point

so yes, id say have different basses for different songs
 
#7
I've played 5strings for about 4 or 5 years now but as soon as I got it I never touched my four and now i struggle to play four stringers! he enck feels too small, i miss fret things, my hand falls off the neck, it just doesnt work! I've considered getting a 6er but i'm just scared that if I did then I'd grow into that and my warwick 5r would become redundent, which i dont want to happen! I dont know how people can play a seven then a four then a nine then a six, it just baffles me lol!
 
#8
these are all things that i can relate to, so my question is:

does anyone out there freely grab a bass from the arsenal irregardless of string count and can play a set without getting lost trying to transpose on the spot? if so...do you just play all of them equally or actually rework everything so there are no issues? the band i play with isn't too huge on setlists and during the middle of one tune we may slip into another and my fear is that i'll be playing the 4 and then we'll go into something where i typically rely on having the extra string above and below to play my bass lines and jam and i'll be lost and start trying to keep up (just like last night at rehearsal).

i think that getting to point where i can play whatever on any bass will drastically improve my perspective (and skills) and will help me direct my playing by choosing a bass since each bass seems to pull out different things about my playing.

i guess this topic also relates to breaking a string during a set. we've all done it and we've all scrambled to transpose on the fly...sometimes with great success, sometimes not...is there a way to really prepare for this? i know we are supposed to "know" our instrument well enough that these things shouldn't matter...but hey, i'm no steve bailey (yet).
 
#9
cosmicevan said:
these are all things that i can relate to, so my question is:

does anyone out there freely grab a bass from the arsenal irregardless of string count and can play a set without getting lost trying to transpose on the spot? if so...do you just play all of them equally or actually rework everything so there are no issues? the band i play with isn't too huge on setlists and during the middle of one tune we may slip into another and my fear is that i'll be playing the 4 and then we'll go into something where i typically rely on having the extra string above and below to play my bass lines and jam and i'll be lost and start trying to keep up (just like last night at rehearsal).
Click to expand...

this is why i just stick to my fiver...
 
#11
This will probably sound simplisitic but here goes... I simply play whatever bass I'm holding. 4, 5 or 6 (or whatever). Different scale lengths are a non-issue here.

I know I brought it with me so there's no reason for anxiety. I already know the pluses and minuses of any bass I bring so I just go for it. I adjust on the fly and in many cases, just for grins, will play a line in different places on the same bass, mixing it up. It's a good mental exercise and sometimes reveals easier ways to play things.

I just do it.
 
#12
i think i can get my brain and hands around it and i'm sure others can as well. i'm curious for those who do this...how they practice this skill. surely someone on this board does this...i mean i've seen pictures of these bass collections that have everything under the sun. i just can't believe that all these bassists just collect these and don't play them all...or worse yet, fiddle with most of the collection and really only play one. i also can't envision folks with big collections brining tons of basses to a gig and switching depending on the song...that just seems unnecessary. and we've all broke strings.
 
#13
Brad Johnson said:
This will probably sound simplisitic but here goes... I simply play whatever bass I'm holding. 4, 5 or 6 (or whatever). Different scale lengths are a non-issue here.

I know I brought it with me so there's no reason for anxiety. I already know the pluses and minuses of any bass I bring so I just go for it. I adjust on the fly and in many cases, just for grins, will play a line in different places on the same bass, mixing it up. It's a good mental exercise and sometimes reveals easier ways to play things.

I just do it.
Click to expand...

do you just transpose your lines up an octave or just the notes that you no longer have access to with a 4 string?
 
#14
cosmicevan said:
do you just transpose your lines up an octave or just the notes that you no longer have access to with a 4 string?
Click to expand...

If for example I can't get to an Eb on a low B string because I'm playing a four, I'll go for the next lowest one I can find... either on the A string or maybe way up on the E. I chose depending on the song where I should play the other notes.

Having four strings with nice low end can make people forget you don't have a low B. I've done that a lot.
 
#15
cosmicevan said:
i think i can get my brain and hands around it and i'm sure others can as well. i'm curious for those who do this...how they practice this skill. surely someone on this board does this...i mean i've seen pictures of these bass collections that have everything under the sun. i just can't believe that all these bassists just collect these and don't play them all...or worse yet, fiddle with most of the collection and really only play one. i also can't envision folks with big collections brining tons of basses to a gig and switching depending on the song...that just seems unnecessary. and we've all broke strings.
Click to expand...

The reason I switch is typically becuase I want to. It usually occurs between sets.

Doing it is the only practice I have at it. Doing it live puts a little more pressure on initially but it does get you acclimated to doing it. I've switched between different scale length fretlesses before on a gig. I think because I didn't go "OMG, it's a different scale length!:eek:" I didn't have a problem with it. That's what I mean by just do it... don't dwell on it, do it.

I know people who obsess over what bridge a particuar bass has... I'm from the other camp.
:bassist:
 
#16
I have various basses with differing string counts and scale lengths and I move between them freely. My fretted 7 and fretless 6 are the primary basses I play, but I also regularly use a fretless 5 Barker Vertical bass, a fretted and fretless 4 34" scale and a 32" hollow body fretted 4.

I don't practice certain tunes on certain basses and I rarely switch basses during sets ..... whatever I'm using, that's what I play. It's relatively easy to quickly transpose and adjust once you have an initmacy with the fingerboard .... :cool:
 
#17
pointbass, do you have any tunes or basslines that you play that were written based on the fact that you had 2 octaves within a single hand position? with that 7 string, i bet you can do some beautiful chords and really utilize the open strings. if so...how do you handle that when switching between 7 and 4?

i do a lot of slapping, tapping, and syncopated grooving where i use my opens with left hand tapping and hammer ons to create a fluid/liquidy type of sound (it is kind of similar to vic's open hammer pluck but not as intense as his...more syncoption with less notes crammed in there). so, certain tunes i'm forced to re-work when i don't have the extra strings there.

so far, i've been able to rework on the fly when i'm at home or just messing around but the other night i brought my (newly aquired in trade) 4 string jazz to a rehearsal and when we dove deep back into the catalog to play an original tune we hadn't played in quite some time i really got lost and on-the-fly transposition got really tough (probably because i was struggling to remember the line i used to play on a 6 string).

i think the key will probably be to constantly rotate what i'm playing so that i can feel just as comfortable on whichever bass i use, but i'm definitely up for tips on how folks handle this.
 
#18
cosmicevan said:
these are all things that i can relate to, so my question is:

does anyone out there freely grab a bass from the arsenal irregardless of string count and can play a set without getting lost trying to transpose on the spot? if so...do you just play all of them equally or actually rework everything so there are no issues?
Click to expand...

I have two 4s, two 5s, two 6s (one B-C contrabass, one E-E an octave below a guitar). I make a point to play/practice them all regularly so I can gig comfortably on any of them. I like my 4s and 5s to have 19mm bridge spacing, but prefer narrow spacing on 6s.

The thing that truly made me appreciate 4s was buying a Conklin Groove Tools 7. Great bass, but way too heavy/big for me to play comfortably. Going from that to a 4 was such a relief. Sure, fewer notes/positions, but such sweet comfort and simplicity. Also staying into 4s means a much larger selection of basses to choose from.

There's something to be said about having a two-octave (or more) range in a four-finger position. There's also a lot to be said for moving up and down the neck (especially when playing rock with a pick, or reggae lines on the lower strings). Different sound and feel--all good colors to have in the palette.
 
#20
I am in the same camp as Brad Johnson on this.

I play whatever, on whatever. I primarily play 5, but I own two sixers and several fours, and I take them out pretty often.

I don't practice using more or less strings, I just adapt on the fly. Back when I got my first six, and later on, my first good quality five, there was a period of adjustment. But I have been doing it so much, for so long, that it is second nature.

When I have my Geddy Lee with me, my hands and brain know that there is nothing below the low E, and I grab that Eb at the 6th fret on the A string, instead of the 4th fret on the B string without even thinking about it.

When I have my Cirrus 6 along for the ride, I manage to incorporate the high C string a fair amount, even though my two main fivers don't have a high C.

I think that for me, switching between various configurations has made me a better player.

I now tend to think 'outside the box' more than I did when I was only a four stringer. When I get in a rut, I will make myself play four exclusively for a few days, and I will discover something fresh and new, because I was forced to move outside of that 'box' that our hands get into when we get comfortable and lazy.

I have added doublestops and a lot more arpeggiation to my repertoire, primarily from playing different configurations.

I had to develop my tapping as a matter of survival, due to some wide intervals I was using when I played primarily six for a couple of years. When I first started playing my fours again, I had to duplicate those intervals, with two less strings.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Playing fretless a lot the past 5 years has made me better, too.
 

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