Low B String How do you use it?

Is playing low as possible on a 5 string the sign of a seasoned bass player

  • Yes

    Votes: 27 14.5%

  • No

    Votes: 165 88.7%
  • Total voters
    186
#41
Jsun_Tyler said:
I player several instruments and I started with a 5 string bass when I was a teenager but went away from it for years to play keys and drums. I have now gotten back into playing bass for a band I am starting so I begin to study other bass players and noticed that most of the pro's either played a 4 string or played a 5 string like a 4 string using only the low B string just for taste. Because I learned on a 5 string I am use the B string and use it as often as possible because I feel comfortable with it. So I am curious how others who are playing a 5 string as to how much do you use the low B string. I feel like I am cheating because I play as low as possible but when listening to records I can hear the 4 string tones which are higher. Thanks in advance
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I tend to think of it as a string. I find that a fairly simple concept, but it isn't universal, based on many posts I've read here.

For me the only difference is how songs were written BITD versus how some of them will be written now that a few bassists are allowed to both own and create on instruments with more than four strings. I own a six and a four. I play the six the same way I'd play a four (across the strings and up/down the neck), and I don't miss B-Eb as I would with a four. So it gets more time than the four.

It's amazing now many people can hear the same thing or see the same thing and have wildly differing ideas about what it should do and why. You have a bass. That guy from that band with the four-letter name that starts with "K" has a bass. Don't worry that he might be a better player because he's dangling from a 50' cable, and he won't worry about you having strings he doesn't have.
 
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#43
this is a really weird question. In the heavier genres of music I play you either play an extended range bass or modify your 4 string to. I play mostly in Drop A but sometimes delve into a G# tuning.. I love the sound of a great B string even moreso I love the sound of Bass players making good lines on an extended range bass...I wish I was better at making lines in the higher registers I feel I suffer at getting stuck in the lower octaves as that is generally our job but the greats can incorporate more than this. that is a much harder job. So if I was to somehow reference this weird question is that it is sign of a seasoned 5 string play that can write interesting lines on a 5 string bass HAHAHAHA. No more skill is needed to play a 5 string well than any other bass it's only another 4 notes extended and a handful more positions at the end of it all.
 
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#44
I mostly use my B string as a thumb rest!!

Every now and ten I grab a note below low E like say the D in Another Brick in the Wall. But for the most part everything I play is old school 4 string stuff. I only have a 5ver because I fell in love with the bass and felt it would be nice to have one kicking around incase I dint want to use my jazz with the D tuner
 
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#48
el_Bajo_Verde said:
I don't think about the B-string, it's just another string on my bass. I just let my hands fall on the notes
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I agree with this. I read an interview with Mike Gordon from Phish where he pointed out that he and Phil Lesh both generally center their lines around the 7th fret as it is a comfortable place on the neck to play. This makes total sense to me. I did notice that on the 4 I played in G a lot and when I moved to the 5 I played in D more. That 3rd to 7th fret position seems to be the most comfortable and practical place to play bass lines. The 7th to 19th frets seem to be the best areas to play chords.

C/S,
Rev J
 
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#49
Also depends on the type of music you play. My case was I started with a 4 string and had to move to a fiver, specially for that Eb that's so used in Gospel. And I use it a lot in this genre, and I even go down to low B open string.

On the other hand I have serious gas for a straight 4 string Precision...

So for me are tools, beeing a pro has nothing to do with the number of strings.
 
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#53
Is playing low as possible on a 5 string the sign of a seasoned bass player?
No.
Playing the right note on the right string on the right fret is though.
I'd say, playing the correct voicing is paramount as opposed to doing every song in the lowest possible octave voicing.
Just because we carry the bottom doesn't mean everything has to be rock bottom, it's OK to come up for air once in awhile.
 
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#55
Half the reason I quit playing a 5 on gigs is because I felt I was throwing in low notes just because they were there, even though I thought my usage of it was a lot more tasteful than just playing everything down an octave. That is never a sign of a pro. Quite frankly, I think doing that just because you can ruins the music. If you're writing your own music, that's a whole different story, but while I've never been one to demand that cover bands I see play them note for note, I would get totally irritated hearing a bass player play everything in a low octave.
 
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#56
I dont know, y'all tell me. here's one of our songs. On the verses of this song I never touch the low B string other than using it as a thumb rest. On the chorus I do use the low D and the low C in this song so half the notes in the chorus are on the low B. Majority of this song is just F, D, C, and the Bb and octave higher on the first fret of the A string. Verse is practically the same line an octave higher but with some additional content to make it interesting, I tend to do this kind of thing a lot staying in 4 string range for verses and playing more interesting lines and then using the low B mainly for simple choruses to try to have some variety with the dynamics

 
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#57
A 5 string bass is exactly the same as a 4 sting bass. It's only as good as the guy who's playing it.

But a 5er does have advantages over a 4 string bass. It is more flexible, ie allows different playing positions and different note choices. If those things are a benefit to your playing then a 5er is for you. If not then a 4 string is the best bass you can choose.

A bass as a whole instrument to me so I don't think about strings, only keys, notes, riffs and lines. If I'm on a low G I can run up an octave. We can all do that, but on a 5 I can also start from the low D and run up to the G. There are songs where I don't play on the B but there are also songs where I don't play on the G string either.

If I soloed I would probably have a high C (in a 5 or 6 format) but I don't so a 5 is best for me. I prefer the additional options.
 
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#60
two fingers said:
I use it two ways.

1) To be able to stay in second position and move vertically. In other words, I can play anything you can on a four sting in the first two positions while staying in one.

2) Big low notes when I need them.

Playing extra low all the time just because you can isn't a sign of a seasoned player by itself. Like any other aspect of playing, if done well it can add to your overall sound.
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Ant Illington said:
I had always stayed as low as possible and only used the B for notes lower than E. Then I started learning to sight read more advanced walking stuff and will frequently just stay higher on the neck, once Im up there, until I need to shift to hit a note in a lower position; however, I still never use the B string for notes available on the E unless it's a fast fill (non walking jazz) that I can't execute without the B string. The most common exception for me is songs recorded on an Eb bass but Im playing and E bass and I can't execute the fills without incorporating the B string at or above the 5th fret. Real clear, right? Haha. To summarize, do what works for you as long as you get a good sound.

An important note, lots of great players, including Nathan East and presumably two fingers, are frequently seen playing in higher positions and consistently play on the B string notes that are available on the E string so "lower equals a better bass player" is clearly not the rule.
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I have owned a 5 string for quite a while, and although I gave it my best shot, I could never get comfortable. After various basses and scales were tried, I realized I preferred a 30" scale (4 string).

Fast forward to a couple of months ago and I was thinking about ordering a 30" 5 string, but as I had never got the hang of it before, I decided to make myself play the 34" 5er to make sure I really wanted the extra string, knowing that it would be uncomfortable but never mind.

When picking back up the 5er, I started playing it as mentioned above, with my hand constantly around the 5th fret and only moving down for low notes when needed. Amazingly, as this is obviously a lot closer to a 30" scale when playing like this, not only did I not feel discomfort, I actually preferred the wider neck. Since then, I have mainly been playing the 5 string, and not only have I started to really like it, I find that I have a lot more stamina due to not moving my hand around as much as on the 4 string, even when playing the same tunes.

I say, whatever you feel most comfortable with and gets you the sounds you are wanting to hear.
 
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