Five stringed bass12/26/2023 ![]() For example, a low F at the sixth fret on the B-string is much more harmonically rich than the same note played on the first fret of the E-string.įurthermore, by shifting your position, you can often find an easier way to reduce the acrobatics required to play a certain pattern. It was the prospect of dropping down lower that initially attracted me to the five-string bass, but I quickly discovered that the additional string also gave me more freedom to shift positions to change the tone of the note. You can’t do that to the same extent on a four-string bass without altering its tuning or using a pitch modulator or sub-octave effect - something which, to my ears, never sounds as good as the real thing. In addition, you can create more dramatic tension and release when you drop down an octave in a second verse, more visceral excitement by shifting down into the Earth’s mantle to create space for a guitar solo. For starters, it gives you the flexibility to drop way down low to play the root of a song in, say, the key of D or C, where it doesn’t compete with any other instrument - and, as a bonus, those ultra-low notes marry up beautifully with the thump of the kick drum. The deep impact those five extra notes (counting the open B) can make in a song is the equivalent of squeezing a new color of paint onto an artist’s palette. My personal preference is for the lower-strung models. That said, I know some bassists who prefer the higher-strung models because they get all of the four-string bass’s traditional range along with easier fretboard access to higher notes and the ability to play the kinds of thick chords more commonly the province of the baritone guitar. Most of the ones I’ve seen and played - including the thunderous Yamaha TRBX605FM - sport that low B-string. The Two Varieties of Five-Stringįive-string basses essentially come in two flavors: either outfitted with a low B-string for B-E-A-D-G tuning, or a high C-string for E-A-D-G-C tuning. Let’s take a closer look at how it all works. You may have to get past what makes you uncomfortable, but the rewards are exponential because fluency on a five-string also enhances your technique on a four-string. You won’t forget what you already know, but you expose yourself to the possibility of some awkward growing pains. Playing a five-string bass requires you to rethink how you approach the instrument. ![]() It was no longer a question of what to play, but where to play it. For me, it was exciting but scary because I was out of my element, even though the fretboard still looked familiar. For starters, there’s a fifth more worth of notes you can play, but E is also not necessarily the bottom note. This concept of “less is more” was put to the test the first time I picked up a five-string. You don’t need to express yourself with 16th note arpeggios - you can do a lot more with great tone, tight syncopation and emotive inflection, especially when you leave lots of empty space to let it all breathe and co-mingle. When it comes to bass, choose your notes carefully, and play them precisely. When you have something to say, choose your words carefully, and state them concisely. One of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned - musically or otherwise - is that less is often more.
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