Hot Tub Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 (edited) Having always played 4 string, I recently got my first 5 string, and absolutely love it. Everything about it - the sound, the "feel" - is what I've been looking for. But there's a problem. I thought going from 4 to 5 strings would be easy, but I'm having a real hard time. I know that it's practise-practise-practise, and that's what I'm doing. But does anyone out there have any tips/tricks which perhaps made your own transition a bit easier? Edited February 29, 2008 by Astronomer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebasshead Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I found resting my thumb on the low B instead of a pickup helped, so that effectively I was playing a 4 string until I deliberately wanted to play the low B. So only at that point did I have to really think about playing the new string, if you see what I mean? Odd thing was, after playing 5's for 18 months I found it just as weird going back to 4's but as you already sussed, it's all about practice. Now I can hop between them with barely a thought. Which is just as well considering the contents of m'head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopthebass Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 [quote name='stevebasshead' post='149065' date='Feb 29 2008, 05:16 PM']I found resting my thumb on the low B instead of a pickup helped, so that effectively I was playing a 4 string until I deliberately wanted to play the low B. So only at that point did I have to really think about playing the new string, if you see what I mean?[/quote] +1 It also stops the B string resonating when you're not using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Talking with Mr Cougar about this earlier today. On a 4 string I hold the thumb on the pickup or E, with the 5'er I tend to play 'floating thumb', moving the thumb near the string above the one I'm playing - not so much anchoring on it. This seems to help with the 'span' and also helps remind me what string I'm on. Only problem I'm having is the 35" scale on the DJ5 - must look at a 'Ray 5 at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 [quote name='martthebass' post='149148' date='Feb 29 2008, 07:45 PM']....Only problem I'm having is the 35" scale on the DJ5....[/quote] I had a problem with the 35" scale until I stopped trying to reach the notes by stretching and started moving my hand to get my fingers to the right place. I wouldn't go back to a 34" scale now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 [quote name='chris_b' post='149288' date='Mar 1 2008, 02:08 AM']I had a problem with the 35" scale until I stopped trying to reach the notes by stretching and started moving my hand to get my fingers to the right place. I wouldn't go back to a 34" scale now.[/quote] Cheers Chris, I'm starting to try this m'self but old habits die hard and all that. Being an old fart most of my playing is below 12th position so I'm persevering with the 5th position on the 5 which helps a bit. Problem is when I g back to 4 (which I do when gigging) it breaks my brain. Gotta admit tho, the 35" does result in a killer tone, sorry to hijack the thread but do any 34" come close? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Tub Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 Thanks folks! I'll take this on board! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 [quote name='martthebass' post='149324' date='Mar 1 2008, 09:04 AM'].... when I go back to 4 (which I do when gigging) it breaks my brain....[/quote] Me too, and I've got a very old brain. I couldn’t keep swapping (I didn't practice enough!) so I made myself adjust by only taking the 5 to gigs. Initially I caused a few problems by starting numbers on the wrong string but I get it right more often than not these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 [quote name='Astronomer' post='148993' date='Feb 29 2008, 03:21 PM'].... but does anyone out there have any tips/tricks which perhaps made your own transition a bit easier?....[/quote] On a 4 you can anchor your hands and reach the notes/strings easily, but on a 5 you have to move both hands a lot more. Time and practice are the only things which make the transition work. In my opinion going to a 5 really is a good move. I wish I'd done it 20 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithless Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 (edited) [quote name='chris_b' post='149288' date='Mar 1 2008, 04:08 AM']I had a problem with the 35" scale until I stopped trying to reach the notes by stretching and started moving my hand to get my fingers to the right place. I wouldn't go back to a 34" scale now.[/quote] Is 35'er way different from 34? I mean, is it way harder when trying to "expanse" left hand, especially on first five frets? I'm quite good at expansing my hand on 34er, but it's still a bit of struggle, for example, when trying to play Master of Puppets 1st riff clearly and at SPEED... Killer one What about moving onto 5-stringer, I'd strongly suggest Steve Bailey's 5-string Bass School. It does exist in .pdf format, so, if you can't find it, give me a word, I'll upload it somewhere. Edited March 1, 2008 by Faithless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 (edited) [quote name='Faithless' post='149448' date='Mar 1 2008, 02:21 PM']Is 35'er way different from 34? I mean, is it way harder when trying to "expanse" left hand, especially on first five frets?[/quote] More different than I expected. I thought 'it's only an inch' but it's enough to affect muscle memory (at least for me) and give me a cramp across the back of my hand when playing 4 finger runs at 1st and 3rd positions for extended time. Edited March 1, 2008 by martthebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 (edited) Although I love my 5-string double bass (I treat it as a full five as opposed to a 4 with an extra string, mentally-wise), I've never got on with any of my electric 5's. It somehow feels unbalanced to me & seems to slow me down - Perhaps not a bad thing in some eyes, LOL! Which brings me to my Yamaha TRB-6 which I adore! 6-strings seems to make more sense mentally & gives me the extra low end range I need and more soloing possibilities at the top end. As the others have said, the 35" scale gives an unrivalled tone. I suppose that it's having transferred double bass technique across to electric, I haven't had any problems with the 35" scale hand-wise, either. Looking forward to getting back into 32" scale this week with my new KingBass as well! Oh, and resting the thumb on the B-string does help, especially with stopping the B booming along with your playing all on its's own! Edited March 3, 2008 by OutToPlayJazz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlbbb Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 My first bass was a five and I found myself naturally resting on the low B when not using it. Then I got a four and it feels empty. Thinking of getting a six! I used to play in a punk band and a lot of stuff was played on the A string, and that was the middle string on the 5, made it so much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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