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Uses of 6 strings?

Whoa, you guys have been busy today. I'm sorry for getting such a big fight started. I didn't intend for this to turn out like those other 6 string posts when everyone just argues. I just wanted to find some good stuff to practice on a six string.
O well,
Later.
 
On behalf of everyone here, BassMasterG, I apologize. We're trying to get your question answered, and increase (as one so eloquently put it) the signal to noise ratio. Sometimes the trolls get the better of us.
 
Originally posted by FretGrinder
You've talked about 6's being easier to play - what about the harder aspects? And i don't really mean learning what the intervals are (ie mental part of it). The neck's wider, and there's no chance of hooking the thumb over to play / mute the E. Other things? Are there options which disappear? And I'm sure it's harder to borrow a bass or find new strings ... (I'm sure you haven't had to borrow a bass to gig for years, John!)

Hooking your thumb over the neck is bad technique anyway. Seeing people play like that makes me cringe. Having a six will encourage good technique.
A negative side of having a six is slapping. I like to think of slapping on a six as surgery: you have to be a lot more precise than you do with a 4 string. That can be a big pain if you do a lot of slapping.
 
Originally posted by Cornbread


Hooking your thumb over the neck is bad technique anyway. Seeing people play like that makes me cringe. Having a six will encourage good technique.
A negative side of having a six is slapping. I like to think of slapping on a six as surgery: you have to be a lot more precise than you do with a 4 string. That can be a big pain if you do a lot of slapping.

I agree, and that's one reason I play a Yamaha TRB6P, the w-i-d-e spacing on the neck. I used to cut my fingers up pretty badly on narrower spaced 6's. Good point, with the number of 6's available today, the vary wildly as far as string spacing goes. It's important to pick one that's comfortable for you.
 
in response to "pacman"'s comment. The point of me stating that what i said was merely, i repeat, MERELY an opinion and my OWN point of view is no grounds on which to call me narrow minded. Of course, since we DO live in the US of A and freedom of speech is a constitutional right, i have to bite my lip and accept your juvenile-attempt-at-sounding-witty/glib comments.
Sure i may not be as seasoned a player as you, but i know that the six string will NEVER be a part of my arsenal because i simply don't need that extra, useless extra string. Maybe its because im not into that funky jazzy slap pop stuff. who cares if i am or am not? IT SHOULDN'T MATTER TO YOU. So with THAT said...I'd like to hear YOU play. thank you and goodnight.
 
Originally posted by slipknot229
personally, i think 6 strings are a waste of wood. The extra high string is so pointless it's hilarious. whenever i see a bass with more than 5 strings it makes me want to cringe in disgust. Of course thats just MY opinion.

when you wrap this comment in the "my opinion" comment, it still comes across as narrow minded. You could have said "6 string basses are not for me." You could have said "I'll never use a 6". When you said " I want to cringe in disgust" you crossed the line of respect, in my book.

As far as hearing me play, check out my website for plenty of samples. Do you have any samples up?
 
Originally posted by slipknot229
in response to "pacman"'s comment. The point of me stating that what i said was merely, i repeat, MERELY an opinion and my OWN point of view is no grounds on which to call me narrow minded. Of course, since we DO live in the US of A and freedom of speech is a constitutional right, i have to bite my lip and accept your juvenile-attempt-at-sounding-witty/glib comments.


read the title of the thread. this isn't a "what do you think about 6 strings" thread. the individual in question wanted insights into the instrument beyond "i think they suck and are stupid" :rolleyes:. when you come in to a conversation like that you have to expect some people to take offense.


Sure i may not be as seasoned a player as you, but i know that the six string will NEVER be a part of my arsenal because i simply don't need that extra, useless extra string. Maybe its because im not into that funky jazzy slap pop stuff. who cares if i am or am not? IT SHOULDN'T MATTER TO YOU. So with THAT said...I'd like to hear YOU play. thank you and goodnight.

remember, an extra higher string isn't the only option - there are 6 strings with an extra lower string, and with the right rig, that can sound really cool.
 
:D

actually, the mp3 linked in my sig was performed on my 7 string tuned F#-B-e-a-d-g-C, where the lower case letters are the strings of a regular 4 string.

i use pa subs and 4x12" cabs for my rig. regular bass cabinets don't have the low freq response to do the low F# justice, except for BAG END cabs, with the ELF processor.
 
Hey, remember when people actually replied to the topics? That was pretty cool, wasn't it? :D
Anyways, if you wanna hear the 6 string bass played to it's full potential, I suggest you check out a guy named Oteil Burbridge. He's really good with chords, solo runs, etc. on the high string and plays some low stuff as well. If I had the cash to use one, I would probably use it to bring the high notes on the G string closer to lower notes so it would be easier to play "all over" the fretboard, without having to go very far. Good luck in whatever you choose!
 
I'll third the recommendation of Otiel! Awesome stuff, get any of the Aquarium Rescue Unit stuff, my favorites are the first one (recorded live, how's that for guts on a rookie release? :D) and "In A Perfect World". I need to get Otiel's solo CD (can't remember the title), so many great recordings, so little money in the bank. :p

Back to the topic at hand, tangentally at least: Pacman's right about the string muting thing, you REALLY gotta work on that when playing multi-string basses. And whoever it was (sorry, it's late and my memory is gone ;) ) that mentioned the trickiness of slapping on 6 or more strings had an excellent point as well. The only cure is a LOT of practice, but it's definitely curable.
 
Originally posted by john turner
:D

actually, the mp3 linked in my sig was performed on my 7 string tuned F#-B-e-a-d-g-C, where the lower case letters are the strings of a regular 4 string.

i use pa subs and 4x12" cabs for my rig. regular bass cabinets don't have the low freq response to do the low F# justice, except for BAG END cabs, with the ELF processor.
That F#..:eek:..what gauge is that? :confused:
And what scale do you have, to cope with that (novax would come to some 38,5"...)
 
When I'm playing up on the G and C strings of my 6, I sometimes mute by laying my right thumb across the lower 4 strings. Being a dyed-in-the-wool thumb-on-edge-of-pickup guy, that took some discipline. And like I said, I don't do it ALL the time. But if I'm going to stay up there for a while (like I do on some solos :eek: ) then I'll bring the thumb over. I think (though I'm not sure) that my anchor point then becomes my forearm on the edge of the bass body.
 
Originally posted by Suburban

That F#..:eek:..what gauge is that? :confused:
And what scale do you have, to cope with that (novax would come to some 38,5"...)

the scale length on that bass is a 34", it does pretty well with it, although the string i am currently using - .150" - is a bit smaller than i would like. i am going to try and get fodera to make me a .168" tapercore string.

i've found that neck rigidity has more to do with the quality of the lower strings than scale length. within reason, of course - stringing up a 48" long neck would certainly have a great low frequency response. just be a beeatch to fret :D.