Why do so many 5 & 6 string players NEVER use their low B?

[ninefingerbass]

I use it for tone options and less shifting.

Examples: We all know that C is on the 3rd fret of the A string. You can play it there or on the 8th fret of the E string. Sometimes, I like the fatter sound of playing on the E string than the A string. Same goes with other notes, scales, etc.

Just because you have a 5 string does not mean it's only function is to play low notes.

 

[foothilla]

I notice a lot of people complaining about their B strings, not just here but on other threads as well. I’ve never really had much of a problem with mine. The funny thing is that my current strings are fairly light gauge, but the b string is actually more even and responsive than it was with the heavier sets. I play an inexpensive 34” scale Ibanez and rather old Fodera Victor Wooten signature strings that I put on when I was obsessed with him years ago.

Do you have a light right hand attack? I notice people that play with a light, nimble right hand make low B's sound the best.

 

[Hypocrite]

Open up your musical horizons, listen to some death metal, plenty of low B action there

 

[Slidlow]

All ebony? Yes it is.

So is this one.

 

[ninefingerbass]

As far as I am concerned, I almost never gig with the high C string. I rarely play anything that calls for it in a band setting. My high C strings are mainly for my living room enjoyment only

I play 5 string mainly tuned E-C. I always gig with it even if the music doesn't call for the high C, I like having it there. You should gig with it more. Like I said, you don't have to use it but if you like it, try and incorporate it for less shifting.

 

[thmsjordan]

I grow weary of these post that seem to imply things like "Why does the five string even exist?" This issue is a non issue in my humble opinion. I have mentioned this in here before but it bears repeating. There are times a player legitimately needs a five string. If you are covering bands or tunes that were recorded on a fiver, you want that sound. If you are doing any kind of theater or show work where you are reading someone else's part, chances are good there is a low note in there somewhere, even if it is just a low note at the end of a tune. In cases like those you are expected to have the damned note and be able to play exactly what is on that page (especially if you ever want to be called back for more work in the future). When you are in that situation --> you need a five string. I fought it as long as I could but when I started losing work because I didn't have all the notes that were on the written page, I got a five. I survived, my inner child was not digested, and my Karma never ran over my dogma. I can still play four string and I often do. You can too. Not everyone has to play or love five strings.

It is a matter of having the right tool for the right job. If you are doing a Beatles tribute band then you don't need a five. If you are playing with friends and no one really cares if you cover the part exactly, you don't need a five either. If you are contracted and expected to play what is on the page, then you might want to get a five because most musicals and a lot of the show stuff that you see (like Steve Lippia, Joel Grey, Bernadette Peters, or a lot of folks who tour and work the pop orchestra circuit) is gonna be written for five string bass. Right tool for the job. Simple. Even if you only use the Low C once every performance at the end of one tune and as a short last note. You still need the five for that one note.

I really fail to see the problem here. If someone wants or needs to play five string, why fight their decision? Now, if a player has a five and never uses the low notes, seems odd but again, OK.

People own Ferrari's but they can't use the available top speed on public roads. Maybe they just like owning a Ferrari and knowing they "could" do 185mph if they wanted to. It's their money/decision after all.

 

[foothilla]

I don't mind the original question at all in the OP - it's the fact that after reading the thread, I got the feeling that you're still questioning why we don't always play on all the strings of the bass we're holding, and why we must switch to a 4 string for songs that only use 4 string.

After all of the great responses earlier from many members here, as you noted, it seems that you're still defending your concept that we should play on all the string of the bass we're holding no matter the song, which is why I'm now at the next level of frustration.

If I misunderstood your recent responses then I am truly sorry

I could see why you think that. It's that I am constantly having to reexplain my original curiosity (mainly to defensive people that haven't read through the thread).

My question has been answered by many players, in great detail, and I have a much better understanding as a result.

....but then a guy that clearly only read one post will come in and say "why do you even care what other players do, do we have to play every string on every song?". Then I feel it necessary to go backwards, to explain to that guy why I had the question in the first place.

I'll just stop going backwards, and simply say:
Thank you to the many players that have taken your time to give a civil explanation. It has helped me understand where a lot of you are coming from.

 

[ninefingerbass]

@thmsjordan: nicely said. Sometimes I've seen people get a 5 or 6 to show off and say they know how to play something beyond 4 strings and that 4 strings are for beginners. I've pulled up to a gig with my 6 string and someone told me I must be really good because I play 6 strings. The music called for it, not that I was good and while I appreciate the compliment, it's a common mistake non-musicians and younger, inexperienced players to assume this.

 

[Eric Swaim]

Its not limiting ones self. It's more how you choose to play music. From 1995-1997 I played 6 string Ken Smith basses only. After picking up a Ken Smith 4 string bass I decided I enjoyed it much more as I did my previous 16 years of playing. Just because you have a few extra strings on your bass does not mean you mastered the 4 string bass and need a challenge with a few extra strings.

 

[foothilla]

I play 5 string mainly tuned E-C. I always gig with it even if the music doesn't call for the high C, I like having it there. You should gig with it more. Like I said, you don't have to use it but if you like it, try and incorporate it for less shifting.

The thing is, I feel faster, more fluid, and more comfortable on the thinner 4 string neck. So the sacrifice in mobility on a wider neck is only worth it to me if I was using that string. In addition, in most settings I feel like that high C is too hifi, and that I risk stepping on the guitarists frequencies.

But many guys have said "I actually prefer the feel of the wider neck". So that helps me understand why some players would use that bass, even when not using the extra strings.

It's just a foreign concept to me. In my brain, smaller neck always equals "easier". However, I have learned in this thread that this is clearly not the way many players feel.

 

[Eric Swaim]

Its not limiting ones self. It's more how you choose to play music. From 1995-1997 I played 6 string Ken Smith basses only. After picking up a Ken Smith 4 syringe bass I decided I enjoyed it much more as I did my previous 16 years of playing. Just because you have a few extra strings on your bass does not mean you mastered the 4 string bass and need a challenge with a few extra strings.

 

[foothilla]

Open up your musical horizons, listen to some death metal, plenty of low B action there

Haha,...I can't open my musical horizons that much.

For me:
Death Metal = Anxiety Music

But, I have heard enough to know that a lot of those cats can play their asses off, and that they often live on the B string.

 

[Scott Lynch]

It’s there when you need it.

Quoting @Groove Doctor for emphasis.

I play my five string bass (strung B-G) fairly often with a wedding band that covers a variety of styles from classic rock all the way through modern pop tunes. Depending on the setlist for a given night I may use the low B on up to 20-25% of the tunes or I may need a note below my open E on only one or even none of the songs.

My personal mentality is that I tend to favor playing BG like it's a 4 string instrument as I tend to prefer the timbres of the E A D and G strings for many the songs I play. Occasionally I may use the E and F on the B string for the sake of cleanly fretting a difficult passage, but I prefer the tone of those notes on the E string.

 

[TonyP-]

 

[BarfanyShart]

The timbre of the low b string is very aggressive and distinctly different than the other strings. I use to tune my low string down to A, and played that bass in various styles. The biggest issue keeping me from playing it most of the time was that the tone didn't blend with the rest of the ensemble or even the rest of my instrument. The low string really shined in metal, Latin, R&b, hip hop, and in some theatre and experimental music performances, but otherwise I usually regretted touching it because the resulting note just stuck out too much.

 

[foothilla]

Quoting @Groove Doctor My personal mentality is that I tend to favor playing BG like it's a 4 string instrument as I tend to prefer the timbres of the E A D and G strings for many the songs I play. Occasionally I may use the E and F on the B string for the sake of cleanly fretting a difficult passage, but I prefer the tone of those notes on the E string.

In my limited low B experience, that has been my finding as well. Anything above the 5th fret on the B string, I prefer that note on the E string. And anything played below the 5th fret sounds flabby and undefined to my ears.

Yet, I have heard other players just kill with their low B. But it seems to be mostly guys that appear to have a very light right hand attack. If you attack that low B string hard, it just seems to turn it to mud, unless the action is jacked way up.

...but again, my low B string experience is limited. I never learned to use the string effectively (which isn't the string's fault).

 

[RhynoRock]

I use my low B# (we tune half a step down, even down into G# for one song) regularly. Having a 5 string has been absurdly useful, I'm glad I switched a few years ago. Only 4-banger I even own now is my Ric.

 

[ninefingerbass]

Yet, I have heard other players just kill with their low B. But it seems to be mostly guys that appear to have a very light right hand attack. If you attack that low B string hard, it just seems to turn it to mud, unless the action is jacked way up.

It comes down to string tension, neck length, setup and also how it's reproduced. As a young player, I never played on the low B because I had a crappy 10 watt bedroom amp, Gorilla. I played a Spector 5 string and it sounded great in the store but when I got home, it was crap. I realized it was time to upgrade my amp.

 

[ninefingerbass]

All this talk about bass is making me want to leave work and play.

 

[fhm555]

...I can't figure out why that curiosity resulted in such a defensive reaction out of a few of you...

My most humble apologies if you took my curiosity about your curiosity as a defensive reaction, as that was not my intent.
On a personal note, I've always had a fairly light right hand and never had any problem using my low B when I had one. Hope this helps.