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

[Iristone]

Why do you care if he cares?

Sir Zhuangzi and Sir Huizi were lounging across a bridge on river Hao. Sir Zhuangzi said, "The fish must be so happy swimming so freely in the river." Sir Huizi replied, "You're not the fish, how'd you know how the fish feel?" Sir Zhuangzi answered, "You're not me, how'd you know that I don't know how the fish feel?" An ancient Chinese... Joke? Anecdote? Proverb? Pretty fun little story for sure. And on the Internet we, the Chinese, say, "no Matryoshka dolls, please!"

 

[Leo Thunder]

For most standard bass playing I find the low B too flabby and undefined,...and I find the high C too hifi. The other 4 strings,....just right.

I tend to agree on this. I found myself not using the B string because it sounded too dull, then I got a thinner one and felt more inclined to use it. Then I also got into shifting the plucking position along a diagonal: G string close to the neck, B string over the bridge pick-up and the others somewhere in between for consistency. Not ideal either.

But then, if I were to buy a bass new, I would most likely go for the 5 string version over the 4 just for the option at a small extra price…

 

[JW56789]

Want to hear a master at work? Get the JAMES TAYLOR LIVE double CD, and just listen to Jimmie Johnson's work on JT's tunes. One of the original five-string guys (thanks to Alembic and GHS), if not the first guy to champion that style bass.

No overdubs, and recorded and engineered by George Massenberg (who also did the Flim and the BB's projects) straight thru Massenberg pre's into a Sony digital stage side, it's some massively beautiful bass playing, and the rest of the band is just as strong. NOT to be missed, and the JJ is not one of those guys who doesn't use his B-string . . . . . .

 

[Watchootognbout]

For the same reasons that keyboard players don't use the low B every time they play.
You have wider range just in case.
But for some reason,some think that 5 and 6 players intend to use the B all the time.

Even Anthony Jackson,who spearheaded the development of the six string bass,doesn't use the it all the time.

 

[joe vegas]

i wonder the same thing. in many promo vids of a new 6 (either the bass or a pickup demo), the low B's notes seem to be played quickly, in passing, out of obligation. look at some of the greatest 6 players in the world (Anthony Jackson first & foremost), his low B work is astounding and comprises big chunks of each track.

 

[DrayMiles]

I checked out the videos you posted. I suspect those guys haven’t changed their concept to truly appreciate the lower range. They are still playing a four no matter the amount of strings...

And honestly speaking, their concept was pedestrian imo. Buying additional strings won’t alter your concept if you truly don’t hear it that way.

 

[TheLowDown33]

No,..but if it's a tune I don't want to use the high C, then I use a 4 string on that tune.

I'm even seeing guys that I know that have a bunch of 4 strings using basses with low B's for recording,...even though they aren't using the low B for that track?

Conversely, I'm barely seeing anyone outside of Metal using the B string with any regularity.

In some songs I used the B string quite a lot, sometimes i wont touch it. My cover band plays songs with no dead air in between. I cant be switching basses every other/every third song. It's just not practical.

 

[onda'bass]

Low B is there when you need it, I find it obnoxious when overused.

 

[nilorius]

Because they are stupid.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

On some songs I never play the B string. On some songs I don’t use the G string, but I don’t take it off the bass for that song. A lot of songs were recorded on a four string. For those song you’re less likely to use the B string.

 

[Drzejzi]

I have a custom one-of-a-kind 6-string jazz bass, that I bought just to see how it is like to play on o sixer. It happens to sound wonderfully, so I often use it to record parts that I created on my 4 string.

 

[smtp4me]

First? I've been playin Low B strings on 5 an 6 string basses since the early 90s. Learning how to string and set up a B string is huge. Back then, it was an art. Today, most instruments and strings are excellent. I play a 5 string exclusively now, for a lot of reasons. To avoid Downtuning my instrument for songs tuned down on records, or sitting in with bands who tune flat. Second, for more range in one position. Less looking at my fretboard. Third, to save my wrists. Songs played in first position on a 4 string's fretboard can be moved to 6th position on a 5. Less stretching, less hand fatigue. And last but not least? I love the power and authority of my B string.

I don't play 5 string, but I would imagine these are the reasons that most do. I personally just never had a need for one. I've never played a song with notes below a D or possibly C, and I can drop-tune for those. And for me, drop-tuning is easier than adapting to the extra string.

 

[bobba66]

Pianos have lots of strings, but you never hear people freak out about it.

 

[ruju]

I see four string players that never use the G and D string.

 

[JoshS]

Even though I’m still pretty neophyte, I’m becoming a convert. I’d prefer to just play a 4 and love my jazz bass. But songs in D, Eb, or even F just work better on the 5 for me. In some ways, doing this feels like a regression as I’m a bit less creative with chord charts, but at the same time the music might sound more natural or as intended. So...there’s that (for me).

 

[groooooove]

there are a lot of ways to spell this out with analogies (things that are often more useful at the idea of having them when/if you need 'em, like spare tires, etc)

but as a person who's played 6 strings almost literally exclusively throughout my career, I've done countless gigs without touching the B or C strings. However, I use the same bass for everything - so you may watch my set with a rock group and think "why bother with 6 strings?" and then catch my next gig with my jazz/fusion crew, and think "that's a lot of B and C string going on there."

 

[Cutter8]

I happen to use the B-string a lot, but even if I didn’t, I’d still play a 5-string. I play with a true floating thumb, and it just feels better to have the B-string as a point of contact. My right hand finger work on the E string is much quicker and more precise when I have the stability/consistency I get with my thumb riding the B string.

 

[Raimonds]

We had a bass player in my previous band who had a decent Schecter 5 string (I picked the bass up after we kicked him out). Our guitars were tuned down 1.5 steps (C# standard). So obviously - he tuned 4 strings down to get that flobby, indistinguishable bass tone and just never touched the B string.

I found that in the band's context, playing a 5 string and re-tabbing the bass lines works fine.

About bad B strings - most 5 strings have a 34" inch scale, which i absolutely unusable for any kind of precise and agile playing.

My current bass - cheap multiscale (34" - 35.5") tuned down to a G# standard. I anyone cares - a can post a comparison of the same riffs played in a 34" and 35.5" scale.

 

[Raimonds]

I happen to use the B-string a lot, but even if I didn’t, I’d still play a 5-string. I play with a true floating thumb, and it just feels better to have the B-string as a point of contact. My right hand finger work on the E string is much quicker and more precise when I have the stability/consistency I get with my thumb riding the B string.

I've also noticed that the B string works really great as a finger ramp.

 

[RBrownBass]

Lately I have been watching some excellent 5/6 string players, and I've been paying very close attention to how they use of their low B string.

To my surprise, a huge percentage of these players barely use the low B.

List them, all of them, and the posters on this board can pay attention to them as you did and maybe post from an informed perspective.

EDIT: Well, having skimmed the thread, I see "these players" are not alone, for reasons unknown to me, especially as we're posting on a musicians' board. Carry on...