When to go low?

[five7]

I like doing volume swells on low notes if the song calls for it, vary rarely do I use a low B as I like to be able to control the note by fretting it. Usually C sharp is the lowest I will go unless I am soloing and the song is in the key of C. Let the Spirit lead you. Blessings!

 

[Anders Barfod]

Beware, it could summon the devil

You are allready summoning the devil by using the modern pitch standard at A4 440Hz A. K. A luceferic brightness. No use "christ centered" pitch at A4 at roughly 431-432Hz pitch. Just ask Don Potter..

 

[DrayMiles]

Those low notes carry a lot of weight. I only use them sparingly for emphasis, power, and least important... attention.
Oh, I would avoid the attention as much as possible...

 

[Duanestuermer]

Here's an example of how I used a 5 in a church service.
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Lots of open low B's among others.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

This keeps the bass part basically an octave lower than the lowest note played by the rhythm guitar player. Sounds nice and tight.

There is something profound about this. I am going to start paying attention to bass notes more than an octave’s interval down. Feels vaguely like discussing the difference between a tenth and a third. Same note in one way, different note in another.

 

[Mushroo]

You have to understand many of us don’t approach the instrument this way at all.

Not to be all Yoda-sounding, but you really should give transcription a try. Other bassists have played these songs before us. It does not need to be an "experiment" each time we play, guessing which notes will sound good. Other explorers have blazed the path.

 

[saabfender]

I’ve done plenty of transcriptions off records. I also put a lot of time and thought into the parts I come up with. Players who play something other than what’s on the recording are not necessary just winging it.

 

[Chad T]

I have zero trouble hearing the bass lines in 95% of P&W music. I learned as many songs as I could note-for-note. That gave me some really good ideas on when and when not to use the low notes.

Tip: learn songs with headphones.

But honestly, you don't even have to be playing. Those low notes have very definite sounds. I can tell where a P&W song is going low just listening to songs wherever, whenever.

 

[backin82]

I always just try to consider the arc of the song and play to support that, whether climbing into the upper register or dropping down low. Put on your arranger hat!

Exactly this! Very well stated.

One thing I'll add. I often let the lyrical phrase dictate the bass line, or at least work to support the content however possible. If the lyrics are talking about something heavy, dark, powerful, foundational, etc....I'll often use a lower register note in that phrase to give it extra gravity or musically "describe" that idea. Not necessarily to hammer on it for a long time, just move the line to help support the lyrical content. It's super subtle, but I think it allows us to actually lead well from a more supportive instrument.

 

[Stevorebob]

Going low is a great technique to resolve a phrase with more power by approaching the resolution from a different direction than the melody.

 

[Pops OB]

Very useful contribution, this.

Lol, I can feel the love!

 

[Afc70]

Never been a fan of praise and worship music. I prefer hymns Gregorian Chant... monophonic, no instruments.

 

[5string5fingers]

Well, I think there are two good concepts to keep in mind - boiling the frog, and dropping the bass...bear with me.

By boiling the frog, you play most of the song or section in a higher register so people get used to that as the proper level of low end but you've kept your gravy notes in the bag for the big finish or kick in after a build - gives this sudden sense of huge width of frequency range in the big parts.

Dropping the bass is very similar but more keeping the low notes as sparsely used as possible, using them to emphasise or as the release after building tension by playing higher in the range.

Some songs I will start up very high, start dropping lower notes in, them switch to the mid register, then finish the song playing the lowest notes I've got.

It's mainly realising that higher up fretboard = building tension, lower down is release.

I tend to play more notes when higher up, but stick to my knitting down the low range.

Love this concept! Thank you, will definitely keep this in mind next time.

I tend to love playing E and F on the B string. The timbre if the note just sounds 10 miles deep compared to an open E and F on the E string.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

This may sound like a cliché but the best thing to do is : Use your ears !! Especially in a church, you want to keep it clear and clean as far as sound definition. The low register brings some energy and it is essential sometimes in the ride out of a song. The best thing is to experiment and ajust it. I love the low register myself. Made my entire career with it ;-)

Good luck

I like this advice the solid. Unless the original Bassist played a low B or C, I’ll avoid it. I think that being more than one octave below the next lowest instrument sounds odd. JMO.

 

[backin82]

I like this advice the solid. Unless the original Bassist played a low B or C, I’ll avoid it. I think that being more than one octave below the next lowest instrument sounds odd. JMO.

I don't think it sounds odd if playing along with a full drum set. I was hammering on a low C for a long time on the end of a song on Sunday, and it sounded great (imo). Also, I think that it's often better to play in unoccupied sonic spaces to avoid a muddy mix. All that said....it just depends on your room, song, group, moment, etc.....

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I’ll agree it’s ok in some spots, especially when building dynamics. Where I noticed it sounding odd was after I listened to several recordings, then the arranger in me took over lol!!!

 

[White Funk]

Aside from all the other good comments here, don't forget to take into consideration the sound system and room - some will handle the lower notes better than others.

 

[G L Raymond]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

So I'm practicing some songs for church tomorrow and a current song I am working on is in the key of G.

I play a 5 string and I am wondering when should we, when we have the option, play notes like C D E on the low B instead of an octave up on the A string.

Typically I play with 2 guitarist,a drummer and a keyboard player.

The bass player in me wants to say ALWAYS play the low notes, MOAR BASS!, but I'm wondering if it can be too much playing down there all the time?

I tend to use the low B when a song has been transposed down. The harmonics on the low B seem to be more dead than the other 4 strings so I don't use it equally with the other 4. Also agree with other comments about matching original bass parts and using it sparingly for impact. It does make playing easier working the 5th through 10th frets rather than open through 5th.

 

[RockinJohnny]

I would take my cue from what an organist might do. I believe the prevalence for 5-string basses in church music was largely driven by the need to emulate the low bass sounds that organists use.

 

[Fuzzbass]

As others have said: you're not a n00b, go with what you like. Nothing wrong with making a song your own even if the original bassist never went below low E. From what I've heard, many P/W bassists play six string and hit plenty of low notes that sound amazing.

Caution (i.e. taste) is fine, but it's silly to fear the low notes. Keyboardists frequently use 'em (Stevie Wonder's Superstition, etc), so you should too: you're playing bass, after all, and that includes sub-E notes.

You probably don't want to live below low E, but even on four string it's generally better to mix it up by changing registers rather than staying within a narrow range. So again, it all comes down to taste. In some cases you might want to reserve low notes for emphasis, but keep this in mind: if you're already playing down low and want to add more emphasis then you can build octaves off the low notes.