Tasteful use of a B string

[SanDiegoHarry]

B strings are funny - and sadly, I have found that there is a direct relationship with the cost of an instrument and how that B string sits in the mix with the rest of the strings; That is to say - I've had decent, good and great basses and the B strings have only sounded good to me on great basses. Don't know why. Right now I have Zons, a Smith and a Sadowsky and those Bs *rock*.

 

[punchdrunk]

Just play the bass, man. Don't overthink it.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I think it's tempting to over play the low notes when you first start out on a 5 string (or greater). You just have to learn how to play it tastefully. IMHO, the most important note on the B string is the Eb.

 

[Ric5]

First of all when using a 5 string with a low B turn down the bass and turn up the mids. Then for me the low D is foundation of my playing. Playing in the keys of D, Eb E and F are all easier with a B string.

 

[el murdoque]

My first advice for a 5 string newbie would be that there are between 20 and 24 frets on that fat wire above the E string and that it offers more than just the 5 notes that are exclusively found on the B string. An open E sounds quite differently than the 5th fret of the B string. That can and should be used. Some lines can be extended without moving the fretting hand.
And sometimes, there is the possibility to shift down an octave. That can be quite spectacular when the acoustic guitar goes up from G or A to D and the bass goes down.
Just remember that these super low notes are something special. You need an amp that is capable of pushing these through the room, especially in a band context.

 

[20db pad]

B strings are funny - and sadly, I have found that there is a direct relationship with the cost of an instrument and how that B string sits in the mix with the rest of the strings; That is to say - I've had decent, good and great basses and the B strings have only sounded good to me on great basses. Don't know why. Right now I have Zons, a Smith and a Sadowsky and those Bs *rock*.

It's often said or implied by a number of luthiers that quality of lumber and high-attention-to-detail build quality are what make for a good B string. Of course, that comes with premium costs for materials and labor. I can't come up with a scientific or physics-based reason why either but it does seem to be the case.

 

[Thumper19605]

Some bands I use the low B like the E on a four, other bands I use a four string only.
You have to hear how it translates and sits in the mix.
We can go further and have flats or rounds, That,s why we all have so many basses ,,,,,,,,right???

 

[Ric5]

I'm pretty tired of bass players using string 5 to get an octave lower than the original line in the name of "doing it my way, man, you know, making it my own..." It's not clever, it's not cool, and it sounds bloody awful most of the time.

What really sucks is bass players who play songs on a 4 that were written for a 5 and play a high D instead of a low D.

I saw a band doing "Man in a Box" originally written and played detuned to E flat. The low E flat is the foundation of that song. Well the band I saw did not detune they played it in E flat an octave higher ... it totally ruined the song.

Some songs written for normal tuning sound bad when played in low D ... but others sound better. Nickelback's cover of "Saturday night's all right for fighting" is a lot better than Elton John's original version. They actually moved it up a whole step so the bass could play a low D and a low C on the chorus. McCartney played a 5 string Wal for a while. He would quite often save the low D for the end of the song. Chris Squire would sometimes play a 5 with a low A and before that he used bass pedals for notes lower than E. Entwistle, and Geddy detune and do many others. The bottom line is you NEED notes below the low E for some songs. So how do you get those notes? You either have to detune or add an extra string.

If I played a 4 string bass it would be tuned DGCF.

 

[kenneffdupriest]

I used a B string to hang a hummingbird feeder once.

once

 

[darwin-bass]

Just play the bass, man. Don't overthink it.

No, I disagree. Strongly disagree. If you don't think you won't come to new conclusions and you won't grow as a player.

 

[darwin-bass]

If I played a 4 string bass it would be tuned DGCF.

Just last night I detuned my P bas to DGCF and played along with some tracks. It worked really well.

I believe the low D and Eb are the most needed parts of the 5 string. Once you're in the key of C the regular low C is low enough but I find the 4-string D and Eb to be a bit to high to serve as the tonic of a song. The 5 string solves that.

So does the 4-string detuned (either just the E string or all 4). I'm beginning to wonder if I'd be happier to replace my 5 with a detuned 4.

 

[Blueinred]

If you play gospel the low B is very, very handy for Eb and low D's.

Absolutely. It seems modern Praise bassists on recordings use the low C#, D, Eb more than any other genre of music uses them. It's why I bought my 5er's. A lovely little older lady told me after a service that it reminded her of the old pipe organ she grew up hearing. I grab those notes more now that she said that. Also, the notes played on the low B have a deeper timbre than the same octave note played on the E string, IMO.

 

[scubaduba]

I used a B string to hang a hummingbird feeder once.

once

And then promptly put it back on after realizing what a mistake you made.

 

[TigerInATrance]

I go down below E (5th fret) on the B string only when I want to dramatically and sometimes violently influence the conversation. Most of the time I'm using it so I never have to play below the 5th fret. That's what it seems to be best for in my playing...

 

[ii7-V7]

Twelve-ish years ago I bought my first bass, and on someones advice I bought a five string. It made for a very heavy thumbrest. I never really got it, and ended up selling that bass. Recently I put a bass into BEAD tuning for playing in a band that used a lot of tunes in D and Eb. It has taught me to rethink how I approach the bass. I always thought of the low E as home. It was my anchor. It took playing in BEAD to change that. Now I can go back and forth between BEAD and regular tunings with no issue. But I don't have the G string which means I still have to shift quite a bit.

I have tendonitis issues as well. Playing higher up on the neck has reduced the stress on my hands. Now, I'm in the market for a 5'er. I finally got it. It's not about playing a low B. Its about being able to transpose lines into other keys, reduce stretches on the left hand, reduce the need to shift, giving you different timbral options, playing more complicated chords, etc.

 

[Jughead6]

Everybody has different tastes (and presumably everybody tastes different).

I agree that a low B string does give a lovely rich mixture of harmonics above the 5th fret. It gives a little something that you can't get from a standard 4 string. But I have to admit that I really don't find a low B/C/C# that useful for what I do. Having a low D (36.7 Hz) is very useful, and I don't mind having oddball tunings that buck convention, so my 5 string is now tuned D-G-C-F-A#. What the heck, I also have a shortscale 4 string up-tuned to F#-B-E-A.

 

[anotherhomeysan]

I bought my fiver for church.
Lots of those deep booming "God notes" - I thought fives were the domain of metal. But no.
I practice with my standard-tuned four first. Then if a note just sounds wrong I try it later in that extended lower range. Sometimes I stick with the higher octave after all. Or sometimes shift it once for dramatic effect.
I do love playing my BEAD tuned four string for the alternate fingering options and different timbre as others have described.
EADG, BEAD and BEADGE... nice having options.

 

[Mystic Michael]

So, I come to you all, asking for some advice, general rules to follow, suggestions, etc on how to tastefully use a low B without over doing it. Thank you everyone here for all of your suggestions and help. TB is a great community!

OK, I'm going to let you in on the grand secret. Ready? There is only one rule, which is: There are no rules.

Some things can be taught rather straightforwardly, i.e. music theory, technique, reading, etc. Some things cannot. I believe that good musical taste falls into the second category. It can be learned, but not taught. It's all part of being a good musician. If it's within you, you've gotta find it for yourself. Welcome to the mysterious, beautiful path of creative discovery.

MM

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I play 5 almost exclusively in is used mostly f f# e eb and d.
Also it's really nice to play a fretted e in place of the open. I don't have to shift position nearly as much I use it for the low notes only when the song calls for it and it IS used a lot in modern country.
Bartender by Lady antebellum is mostly one long open b.
Florida Georgia line.
Drop d songs like shine by collective soul.
Save a horse ride a cowboy.
Saves my bacon when changing keys of songs too. Allows fingerings that would be far more difficult to do without that low f f# and sometimes g within reach ....
Makes a great thumb rest the rest of the time lol....

 

[hintz]

I like the low B, but I can't stand the feel of a 5.... I totally get why people dig them, but they slow me down soooo much, plus I really dig open strings as I was taught from upright lessons "open strings are your friend", so I find it easier for my fretting hand most of the time...

that being said, I do plan on restringing one of my basses BEAD, but really it always feels like a compromise for me with a 5er, either the strings are too close, the neck is too wide plus muting an extra string....

but to each their own, I met a keyboardist who said "I refuse to play with a bassist with less then 5 strings or more", so goes to show how popular my opinion is

to OP, id say use it only as much as you need, for pop music id only use it on choruses unless its throughout the songs entirety, or its with detuned guitars