What songs do you feel NEED a 5 string bass?

[osonu]

All the ones I play

 

[Samatza]

Lots were recorded with a 5 but also if the key is changed sometimes you need to go below open E and going up an octave doesn’t sound as good.

 

[wvbass]

When you're singer calls for Livin' on a Prayer in the key of B, you're gonna need the low b.

If your singer calls for Livin' on a Prayer that low, maybe you need your singer to call a different song more than you need a fiver.

Very few songs need a fiver, but it is often very convenient. If you stick to a four, though, you need to be willing to drop tune.

 

[juggahnaught]

The real answers:

1. Songs that use the entire range of the instrument simultaneously - chords that use a root, tenth, and fifth above - requiring five strings to pull off (without two-handed technique).
2. Songs that use harmonics on five strings (bonus if it's the high C harmonic, but the Gb is cool too; major bonus if it's the Eb).

Everything else can technically be done on a four with different tunings, but I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[gregbackstrom]

Are there songs that you feel would suffer if the bassist used a 4 string instead of a 5?

Just curious what the community thinks.

For me, all of ‘em. I’ve played 5 string basses too long to go back.

 

[Resonance129]

I agree anything can be played on any bass, with any number of strings. But I also agree some songs just sound better with the lower notes of a B string.
No real solid answer here, but the first examples I came up with were "Supersitious" and "Uptown Funk". I play both on a 4 pretty regularly and it works out. Could sound better with a skilled 5 string player, I'd say, but I make em sound as good as I can with 4 strings. No complaints (that I know of lol) yet

 

[Spacecase]

I think Sledgehammer deserves a B0. It can be on a 4-string bass.

 

[cxcxcx]

Pretty much anything Anthony Jackson played that has notes below E in it.

Technically speaking, Anthony did some of his best work with Chaka Khan on a four string tuned low, so it wasn’t a 5-6 bass.

That said, the “below E” content in his lines on those Chaka sets are compositionally and emotionally necessary for the songs to fully work as intended.

This applies to any well crafted 5 or 6 string bass part, also often heard in modern Country music- it’s not just a low C or D tossed in haphazardly for a laugh.

 

[Element Zero]

Every single song I play.

 

[socialleper]

Stop fixating on the number of strings. Any song can be played on any bass.

That is a complete falsehood.
A song written to use all parts of a 6 string bass can't be played properly on a 4 string. It is literally impossible.

 

[socialleper]

I agree anything can be played on any bass, with any number of strings.

False.
A 4 string tuned standard can't play notes lower than a E.
A 4 string tuned standard can play a chord or arpeggio that uses a D G and C string.

 

[57pbass]

For me ..Not any particular song but the type of song. I primarily use a 4 string but if we’re playing a laid back set/show I’ll break out a 5. I play the totally different on a 5 string than I do on a 4 string.

 

[Wasnex]

Are there songs that you feel would suffer if the bassist used a 4 string instead of a 5?

Just curious what the community thinks.

I play a 6-string. I play a variety of music ranging from jazz standard to cover tunes. With the jazz standards I often avoid playing too much on the low B because, because I don't think it sounds right. Of course this can change if we are doing a modern interpretation of a song. For example, IMHO God Bless the Child sounds great with low notes if you play it in more of a modern gospel style. When I am playing in a jazz trio, I am usually expected to solo frequently, so the high C string comes in handy.

With cover tunes I generally try to imply the original artists intent rather than covering each song note for note, so basically I interpret the music a bit. I will freely throw in notes on the low B whenever I think it sounds right. I think it sounds right less frequently as the music gets older. So music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s I am not generally inclined to use the low B a lot, unless we are transposing the song down from the original key. When we do need to transpose, I think it's really nice to be able to play a classic iconic bass line in it's original form and inversion without having to jump up an octave.

Sometime in mid to late 70s, music started to feature notes that fall below the open E string. By the mid 80s it was very common to hear notes that fall below the low E string. Whether this music was originally played on synth or bass guitar I really don't care and I really don't put much thought into it. It's really nice to be able to play the low notes, especially in tune in which those notes are true to the original orchestration.

My Yamaha TRB6P has been my #1 since about 1995. I own 4- and 5-string basses, but I am most comfortable on the Yamaha. I tend to use it whether I need the B and C string, or not. I truly believe that it's better to have the extra range and color available that an extended range instrument affords. In all honesty, some aspects of playing become easier when you master a 6-string and some aspects of playing become slightly more difficult, so it's a trade off. But in my opinion, there are more advantages than disadvantages.

IMHO if you are content playing 4-string and it fulfills all of your musical needs, I suggest you just be happy with it and rock on. I started on 4-string and then transitioned to 5- and later 6-string bass guitar. The transitions were not easy and my playing suffered for a significant time. My opinion is you should start on whichever instrument you think you will eventually wind up playing. Best to avoid the transition if you can, because in many ways you basically have to unlearn how you think about the 4-string when you transition to a 5- or 6-string.

 

[dramatwist]

...poobah if you like 'em, play 'em... none needed here...

 

[Resonance129]

False.
A 4 string tuned standard can't play notes lower than a E.
A 4 string tuned standard can play a chord or arpeggio that uses a D G and C string.

Agreed. You can't play any lower than an E on a standard-tuned 4 string. And even with downtuning, that E string can only go so low without issue. One of the main reasons I'm STILL hunting for a decent 5'r (again) to settle down and get comfortable with.
BUT, simply for the sake of the thread, it IS possible to play those lower notes an octave higher. It certainly doesn't sound nearly as nice or beefy without a B string. You can't get that depth and fullness in sound without the B string. But it's always possible to play octaves in a pinch.

 

[Maxdusty]

Any song can be played on a four string - but it may sound pretty different or lose the original feel and impact of the bassline if it was originally played with a fiver and if the bassist was using the B to hit some low notes. A recent case for me was playing to some Tori Amos songs such as Caught a Lite Sneeze or A kinda Fairytale- I played it with a four and it didn't sound anywhere near as good as it does with a fiver.

 

[Groove Doctor]

If you’ve ever played Gospel music thru a big PA in a huge acoustically treated auditorium, then you wouldn’t be asking this question.

One of my favourite musical memories was hitting Low C on the final note of the night in an 8,000 seat Entertainment Centre.

 

[beaglesandbass]

Uptown Funk. Just doesn't sound right played higher.

 

[nilorius]

The 5th string is for a player to feel much comfortable playing.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Most of Stevie Wonders catalogue, modern praise worship urban Gospel .