Ashwood1985 Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Ok guys so I know that muting with left and right hand is discussed somewhat on here but what about the opposite? I was reading a wiki page on bass for an unrelated issue and I came across this: "the sympathetic resonance of harmonically related strings may be desired for some songs, such as ballads. In these cases, a bassist can fret harmonically related notes. For example, while fretting a sustained "F" (on the third fret of the "D" string), underneath an F major chord being played by a piano player, a bassist might hold down the "C" and low "F" below this note so their harmonics sound sympathetically." Does anyone here actually do this?? Seems pretty classy and subtle to me but without trying it out I can be sure I it's useful. I can't recall hearing any examples of this either. I suppose with some fairly heavy compression going it may bring he harms out more and I suppose the amount of harms that come out of the strings from vibrations along sourced from the played string will vary from bass to bass. Anyone with experience in using or developing this technique? It's got me intrigued: will try it out a little me thinks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Sounds a little bizarre to me. Any note played on a bass (or any other instrument) will have the fundamental note plus a range of overtones arising from the note that is resonating. To fret another string just for it to vibrate sympathetically (i.e not to play another note) woudl only add something that is already there, in theory. Where I can see a benefit is if the additional note is out of tune and a subtle chorusing effect takes place (like when a fretless player plays an octave that is not quite perfect) but in 99% of cases (i.e anywhere where the bass is not being played unaccompanied) all of this would be completely inaudible. Or am I missing something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 [quote name='Ashwood1985' timestamp='1349865875' post='1831422'] "the sympathetic resonance of harmonically related strings may be desired for some songs, such as ballads. In these cases, a bassist can fret harmonically related notes. For example, while fretting a sustained "F" (on the third fret of the "D" string), underneath an F major chord being played by a piano player, a bassist might hold down the "C" and low "F" below this note so their harmonics sound sympathetically." [/quote] Really? I've literally never heard of anyone knowingly doing that. If you fret the notes mentioned,it doesn't matter if the fretted notes are ringing because it will just be an F 'power chord'. Also,bear in mind that the harmonic overtone series is not always positioned in the same place as the fretted notes so you may end up with a clash in the chord if you are trying to vibrate the harmonics. Personally,I think whoever wrote a wiki about that is just trying to sound too clever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashwood1985 Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 [quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1349874002' post='1831585'] Personally,I think whoever wrote a wiki about that is just trying to sound too clever. [/quote] Hmm yeah I think the words 'nail' and 'head' come to mind here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GonzoBass Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 [quote name='Ashwood1985' timestamp='1349865875' post='1831422'] "the sympathetic resonance of harmonically related strings may be desired for some songs, such as ballads. In these cases, a bassist can fret harmonically related notes. For example, while fretting a sustained "F" (on the third fret of the "D" string), underneath an F major chord being played by a piano player, a bassist might hold down the "C" and low "F" below this note so their harmonics sound sympathetically." Does anyone here actually do this?? [/quote] I doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 (edited) It sounds like bollocks, but I'll admit to doing something similar sometimes. I will pluck a note and make a note underneath very subtly audible with a gentle hammer on, usually an octave or a 4th or 5th below. But it's only of any use when the all the other instruments are fairly quiet, and I only really do it on a whim, I would not normally think of it in advance. It can add depth and a little more harmonic density. I would think the technique in the OP is way too subtle for anything but solo bass, which is usually unlistenable anyway Edited October 10, 2012 by silddx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashwood1985 Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1349893965' post='1831971'] I would think the technique in the OP is way too subtle for anything but solo bass, which is usually unlistenable anyway [/quote] Ha! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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