What's so great about 6 strings?

[temp5897]

Originally posted by diff


The fact that you can correct people when they mispronounce and mispell the word.

Just how IS piezo pronounced?

 

[BertBert]

Tony Levin has a THREE-string bass that he uses sometimes when he plays with the "funk fingers" (as heard on King Crimson's "Sleepless"). Somebody asked him once, "Why three strings?" He countered, "Why FOUR strings?"

 

[godoze]

range is the name of the game...For me its's not about strings it's about possibilities. therefore i play a 6. maybe if my fingeres grow another digit, i'll try a 7....

 

[FretNoMore]

Originally posted by diff
The fact that you can correct people when they mispronounce and mispell the word.

"mispell" ?

 

[boogiebass]

Originally posted by Piezoman
What's so great about 6 strings?

EVERYTHING.

I go on this site and everyone talks about their 6 string basses. I own a 5 string. Is the 6 any better?

YES.

 

[VoodooChile]

think of it this way

you can do everything on a six than you can do on a four and more.

it also allows you to take a whole to look at the way you play bass, insted of just thinking about creating a great bassline you can include the chords and put the guitarist out of a job

 

[Nick man]

Originally posted by Woodchuck
Actually you CAN'T play more notes on a 6. There the same notes, just in different octaves! It depends on what style of music you play. Some people just like to have the extra range.

I thought the same thing but figured I wouldnt bring it up in case he was just kidding.

Peace
Nick

 

[skaboy]

Well you can do amazing chordal works on a 6 string bass that a 4 string cannot.

Why guitar when you have 6 strings?

 

[SuperDuck]

Originally posted by BassSaxMan


Just how IS piezo pronounced?

Pee (giggle) ay zo. Peeayzo. Piezo.

NOT Pye-zo, or muf-fin. Piezo.

And I think trumpets are cooler than bugles or cornets because they have more valves. I think.

 

[Stubb]

Cornets still have 3 valves.... but piccolo trumpets have 4.

Ever seen a 5 valve tuba? Or a trombone with 2 triggers? Or a contrabass sax?

Man.... high numbers rule.

I'll agree with John... 6 strings suck

 

[Brad Johnson]

Originally posted by AcousticBass
6's are great when covering AC/DC tunes!

They're also great for playing in front of the subway station in January.

 

[Dave Grossman]

Yawn ... time to do a smack-down.

6 and 7 string bass instruments pre-date the 4 string double bass which the first electric bass was designed after.

Here's a 6-stringer from around 1680.

and a 7-string ( date unknown ):

Hi-res pics are available at:

http://www.merion.co.uk/gallery/bass/bass.html

Someone should play an instrument with exactly as many strings as they require.

As for Tony Levin's 3-string bass, read this quote from

Invalid Link Removed

You had a three-string bass custom-built for you. Were you trying to make a statement about your views on the instrument?

Yeah, I guess so. I think nowadays six-string basses are not unheard of and I have a five-string bass, but generally I play a four string bass. And it occurred to me at some point—I don’t know why or where—that I don’t really use all four strings that much. Now, since we talked about King Crimson, this is a little inappropriate. [laughs] The fact is, a lot of the playing I do is not with King Crimson. In King Crimson, I need all the strings I can get. [laughs] I don’t know how many strings is enough with King Crimson. Most of the stuff I play is low stuff. And I don’t mean it’s not interesting. Peter Gabriel stuff and a lot of other good stuff I have done I began thinking I don’t need all the strings. I started thinking "Well, how many do I need?" I’ve never had a bass made and originally I thought about two strings and then I had problems with the neck being that small, so I compromised with three strings: E, A and D. I considered B, E and A at one point but that didn’t work out either. So, I went with E, A and D and I worked with Music Man [bass guitar manufacturer] on getting the spacing right. I did have them do the spacing a little further apart so that it made it easier to play with the Funk Fingers—easier to stay on each string. By then I had a pretty good technique with the Funk Fingers with the normal spacing anyway. I also wanted a bass with no tone controls or volume control. Especially the volume control—I never use that thing. So they made me a bass without that and with no knobs on it. It was just a bass. I say this in the past tense because unfortunately there was this fire at my place and it burnt up. There is no more three-string bass.

- Dave

 

[godoze]

You da man Dave ; pulling out the viols for our friends. Maybe we should transcribe some of Marin Marias' solos for our friends...

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Originally posted by Anders Östberg
"mispell" ?

Thank you! I'm glad somebody noticed!

 

[BehindTheMoon]

4 strings, 5 strings, 7 strings, -2/3 strings, sqrt(5 + i) strings, who cares?

Whatever cooks your noodle.

It might be interesting selling a 3 + i stringed bass on Ebay, however...

 

[dancehallclasher]

Originally posted by Woodchuck
Actually you CAN'T play more notes on a 6. There the same notes, just in different octaves! It depends on what style of music you play. Some people just like to have the extra range.

i don't know what you're talking about but my 6 lets me play H, and H#. maybe yours is defective?

 

[temp5897]

Originally posted by SuperDuck


Pee (giggle) ay zo. Peeayzo. Piezo.

NOT Pye-zo, or muf-fin. Piezo.

And I think trumpets are cooler than bugles or cornets because they have more valves. I think.

Thats what I thought. However John at BassAlone says "Pye-zo" and it kind of confused me. So you are SURE that is the correct pronunciation?

 

[mark beem]

Originally posted by john turner
6 strings suck.

[Cartman voice]

"SCREW YOU HIPPIE!!"

[/Cartman voice]

 

[mark beem]

Originally posted by Eric Cioe
I'll agree with John... 6 strings suck

Again....

[Cartman voice]

"SCREW YOU HIPPIE!!"

[/Cartman voice]

 

[godoze]

I thought of another reason. no, well, yes, but now it seems silly.