You just added a 5th to your line. You know Man, for the colour. Play it the same for the 3 following bars and nobody will argue.
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The cure for those "4 string moments"?
- Thread starter Funky 1
- Start date
Funny, I seldom use the notes below E on my B-string. But I sure like having a low E, F, F# and G etc right up next to me! That’s (mostly) why I play 5-string, though the lower notes are fun once in a while.
I had to just stop practicing on the 4 and only practice on the 5 before I really got comfortable with hitting the right notes on the 5. It took a long while, to be honest.
One thing that helped in an unexpected way was hand injuries that forced me to stop playing for months. When I started practicing again, I started with nothing but scales and arpeggios and did all of that work on the 5 before my hands were up to tackling the DB again.
I also had to commit to using the 5 exclusively in at least one band.
One thing that helped in an unexpected way was hand injuries that forced me to stop playing for months. When I started practicing again, I started with nothing but scales and arpeggios and did all of that work on the 5 before my hands were up to tackling the DB again.
I also had to commit to using the 5 exclusively in at least one band.
I agree! Playing the B string at the 5th fret for E and the notes under is so wonderful. Thus comes the comment for short scale basses. Since playing a 5er at #5 fret is short scale territory.
One of the main reasons I never switched to 5, just couldn't seem to shake that.
However had I spent more time with it, that would eventually have gone away.
I've heard that in the beginning you don't want to switch back n forth.
If I were goint to try again, I would spend all the time I could not just playing songs that incorporated the B string, but I would visualized and practice in my head.
Mentally practicing expedites any learnig process.
Good luck with it.
However had I spent more time with it, that would eventually have gone away.
I've heard that in the beginning you don't want to switch back n forth.
If I were goint to try again, I would spend all the time I could not just playing songs that incorporated the B string, but I would visualized and practice in my head.
Mentally practicing expedites any learnig process.
Good luck with it.
You can lock up all four string basses and play 5 exclusively for as long as it takes that these moments are gone.
Congratulations! You've rid yourself of those nasty four string moments.
Plus, you gained something new: From here on, you'll have those five string moments where you play the 'right' note on a four string bass.
Congratulations! You've rid yourself of those nasty four string moments.
Plus, you gained something new: From here on, you'll have those five string moments where you play the 'right' note on a four string bass.
Happened only once in a jazz gig. I usually changed from my 5 string to a 4 string fretless for the upcoming songs.
Realized what was happening as soon as I played the first note and called out “wait! Modulate.” And proceeded to walk up from F to Bb in an extended intro.
As it was just the drummer and I opening the song it worked!
Realized what was happening as soon as I played the first note and called out “wait! Modulate.” And proceeded to walk up from F to Bb in an extended intro.
As it was just the drummer and I opening the song it worked!
I consider myself a 4 string player by nature. That being said, I have three 5'ers in my collection which get played just as much as my 4 bangers. I make it a point to always play a different bass at every practice/gig in order to never get too comfortable with a specific string spacing or number of strings. The trick for me is that when I play a 5'er I rest my right thumb on the B string instead of the pickup. That is my mental reminder of which string i'm on and very seldom get confused and fret the wrong string.
what I do is... play more!
seriously, with practice playing the wrong string stopped happening.
If you keep on playing different instruments you brain starts to construct something of a map for the different instruments. Just keep playing - I agree with @Killing Floor on this. I have 4 string Mikro, 5 string Schecter, 7 string Warrior, NS Designs Upright, Fender Mandolin, Ibanez Artist Series Guitar, Banjitar, a hand-made PRS-ish guitar, a charango, a cigar box 4 string... the list goes on and on.
You just keep playing, your brain will get it... now I do have preferences - Mandolin and Charango are both pretty cramped for my hands, but they are sooo fun.
It is also possible that you subconsciously don't like the spacing (or scale) of your instrument. Have you tried a different 5 to see if you have less issues? The same scale 4 and 5 will have different reach geometry for the same notes, try a shorter scale 5 if it doesn't cramp your style. My Schecter 5 is a 35" scale - it's a completely different beast than the 28" sub-micro Mikro... (See what I did there? It's a play on words...)
If the Schecter was a standard scale or a short scale, it would be much easier to play.
Good luck, keep noodling.
Treat the B string as a finger rest until you need it.
Weave the unintended note back into what you’re playing and soldier on.
Remember: It’s not a bad note - it’s jazz. You were just stretching out a bit.
As Victor Wooten says, you're only a semitone away from the right note. It's on Youtube.
