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i cannot answer that, but i'm interested to see what/how others respond.
are you talking fretted or fretless? (i'm a fretless player - 4 string - and i see a lot 6 string fretlesses on TB that get my attention: and i've wondered the same thing!)
Great question. I would think that it would just open up the palette on a 5 or 6 stringer. Probably with a solid 4 string foundation and a few days of adjustment, it would not ruin your technique. You probably wouldn't want to go back to a 4 string though.
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Would driving a pickup truck make you worse at driving a sedan?
I doubt it. You may become more used to (and/or comfortable) playing the 6, and that may cause a slight adjustment period when you pick the 4 back up after a break. However, that would happen with any instrument you put down for an extended length of time. Of course, everyone is different, so some will certainly have a more difficult time transitioning between the two; though if I were to generalize, I would say it shouldn't make you worse.
I doubt it. You may become more used to (and/or comfortable) playing the 6, and that may cause a slight adjustment period when you pick the 4 back up after a break. However, that would happen with any instrument you put down for an extended length of time. Of course, everyone is different, so some will certainly have a more difficult time transitioning between the two; though if I were to generalize, I would say it shouldn't make you worse.
I don't think it will diminish your 4 string chops, but you may get comfortable with the idea of not shifting positions as much and therefore have a diminished desire to play the 4 string.
Of course the opposite could be true and you don't gel with the 6 and move back to the 4 very quickly.
I mostly play a 5, had a 6 for about a year and a half and eventually moved it along since the 5 covered my needs. I do still play a 4 regularly and enjoy it for what it is.
Of course the opposite could be true and you don't gel with the 6 and move back to the 4 very quickly.
I mostly play a 5, had a 6 for about a year and a half and eventually moved it along since the 5 covered my needs. I do still play a 4 regularly and enjoy it for what it is.
I know that I have issues switching from 5's to 4's (but not 6's to 5's and vice versa), but I don't know about worse.
I understand this kind of thought, but in all my years of playing I've never "stopped shifting" because I have more strings. Different gauges of strings sound completely different, so I have to be careful where I'm playing. For instance, playing the 12th fret on the low B sounds totally different than 2nd fret the A. 5th fret on the high C is totally different than 15th on the D. If I had to generalize, I could probably say I rarely touch the low B string above the 8th fret or so, and I rarely touch the high C below the 7th fret or so, unless I'm playing a lot of chords down there. Maybe that's just me.
Anyway, that said, like everybody has mentioned, it will be weird going from 4 to 6 strings (you'll probably hit the wrong string a few times), and then it will be weird going the other way. But each instrument has its pros and cons, and each instrument has its purpose.
I just see the adjusting to playing in the middle being your usual as the difficult part. I'm a 4 player through and through. Everytime I pick up a 5 or 6 remembering that top string is not E and the bottom isn't G catches me off-guard. But that is just my experience with the question in hand. The other obstacle would be the sheer girth of the neck and fretboard difference, I have a small hand in comparison to a lot of bassists so just being able to play the notes can be tough for me in the beginning of working with a 6, but with practice and ingenuity I can overcome those obstacles.
Each person is different. I'm primarily a 5 string player, but when I feel the need to (try to) slap, I'll reach for a 4. I have and play 6ers, but I don't really use the C much. That said, I really like the feel of the necks on my SX Ursa 2 6es.
But here's my answer to the question: Muscle memory is a powerful thing. My hands seldom forget how many strings I'm playing... because of the feel of the necks. As long as you aren't over-thinking things, you shouldn't have too much trouble going back and forth.
But here's my answer to the question: Muscle memory is a powerful thing. My hands seldom forget how many strings I'm playing... because of the feel of the necks. As long as you aren't over-thinking things, you shouldn't have too much trouble going back and forth.
I presume you mean 6 string bass and not a guitar (guitarist like to call their instruments "6 strings" and trying to talk about 6 string basses over at the guitar store can be quite a struggle!)
To me 4 string basses and 5 and 6 string basses are two different animals played in different ways. (5 and 6 strings being the same except for upper range) So your question is equivalent to asking: "I have solid chops on sax and if I play clarinet for a few months will I not be able to play sax afterwards?" Goofy question, right? Well semi-goofy because the time you spend woodshedding a 6 string bass is time you won't spend practicing your 4 string.
As for your 4 string chops slowly sinking into the sands of time, my experience is exactly that opposite. I found a 6 string is EXACTLY the place to start learning ERB. I really never "got" what a 5er was about until I got a 6 string. The 6 string forces you to do things that you may have been ignoring on a 4 banger. Damping for one. With 6 strings string damping is no longer automatic and you have to deal with it. You need to get what floating thumb or other techniques are about. And the 6 string neck is wide, wide, wide. No ball bat grips allowed! Your technique has to shape up and fast. And then finally you need to study and learn the across-neck patterns that you just sort of ignored on a 4 and now suddenly are what it's all about! After that stepping back to a 5 is a piece of cake. Stepping back to a 4, however is not. Going back to the 4 your have to go back to where you were before you started ERB. It's a different animal and is not at all like a 5 or 6. BUT hopefully you will have retained some of the damping and fingering efforts which will much improve your previous 4 string playing. At least it did for me.
No matter what your final opinion of ERB, I feel the more you learn the better musician you become. To stop learning is to stop playing.
If you never bother learning all the notes up and down the fretboard then there will be no difference. Imo memorizing the notes starting with 6 strings is a more demanding task. But honestly, who takes the time to actually do that?
I think I approach my playing very differently when I play a 6 vs a 4. I prefer playing 6 strings, and I use the high C all the time (dont use the low B too often). It certainly doesnt seem to make players worse when they pick up 4's again, but it's a little bit of a different animal. Doesnt take too long to retrain your brain though. Easy fix..Play them both often! 
Not at all. I go all over the place when I pick up a 4, if anything it makes it more fun to play the 4, for a little while anyway 
I thought everybody took the time to do that. Am I wrong? Seems that's just part of playing the instrument.
You will feel out of place on a 4 when you go back, but you'll still have it. I've been playing 5s for the last year nonstop. I went to check a buddy's band out and he asked me to sit in on a song (bass player is band leader). He plays a dual pickup MMSR 4. I strapped it on and the neck felt SO small I know my face showed that I didn't expect that.
But it didn't take long for me to be able to play the song confidently. I will say this, the next time I strap a 4 on, I hope it's not in front of a crowd first thing lol.
But it didn't take long for me to be able to play the song confidently. I will say this, the next time I strap a 4 on, I hope it's not in front of a crowd first thing lol.
I played 4's for about 20 years. The last 20, almost exclusively 5's. The trick to not losing chops on a 4 is simply to pick it up and play it at least once a month. It seems to work for me, anyway. On occasion I'm asked to sit in w/a band for a couple of songs. If they only have a 4, nos problemos.
No it won't. A bass is bass no matter how many strings you have.
You may hate the 6 because it is too wide
You may hate the 6 because it shows some bad technique you have that doesn't show on the 4
You may hate the 6 because it is heavier
You may hate the 6 because you'll discover that you only use the 4 inner strings avoiding everything else ( like the C string is too ... trebly )
You may like the 6 for all the new possibilities it opens for you
You may hate the 6 because it is too wide
You may hate the 6 because it shows some bad technique you have that doesn't show on the 4
You may hate the 6 because it is heavier
You may hate the 6 because you'll discover that you only use the 4 inner strings avoiding everything else ( like the C string is too ... trebly )
You may like the 6 for all the new possibilities it opens for you
