Stepping up to a 5-er

[JapanAxe]

Hi folks, apologies if this topic has been done to death but it's hard to check with such common search terms. So... Just got my first ever 5-er and trying to get used to it. So far I have been going through my pad of song transcriptions, some of which I know well, and playing along to the original tracks. I am trying to play up the neck and down onto the E and B strings rather than in the lower positions that I favour on a 4-string.

Any other tips that might help me?

[Mottlefeeder]

Group all your songs into keys, and tackle all the ones in the same key first, then another key and so on. I found that an easy and fairly fast way to get used to the new string.

Work out the scale for each key, using four frets plus one either side, across all five strings, and try and play each song without moving away from that 'home' scale position. For example, for a song in E major, start your scale on the B string at fret 5, and do not play below fret 4 on any string.

At the top end, decide where the B-string tone changes into something you don't like, and work out alternative places to play those notes.

David

[JapanAxe]

Cheers David. I think I've already decided that the 10th fret is high enough on the B string. I'll try your other suggestions too.

[chris_b]

Just play all your lines normally. There is no difference in the top 4 strings.

Then start to expand onto the B string, ie play E on the B instead of open E.

Don't switch back and forth. A 5er will feel different but it won't if you stick at it.

[Mottlefeeder]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1375037766' post='2156042']
Just play all your lines normally. There is no difference in the top 4 strings.

Then start to expand onto the B string, ie play E on the B instead of open E.

Don't switch back and forth. A 5er will feel different but it won't if you stick at it.
[/quote]

If the OP is playing 4-string basses in the lower positions, then surely he has to make a decision to move to a different area of the fretboard, otherwise he will make no progress in adopting the new string. That suggests to me that playing the lines normally is not the way to go?

In my case, I play across the fretboard, and I do not play open strings, which makes it very easy for me to change the key to suit a singer, but that obviously does not suit all styles or all songs ('All right now' springs to mind!). As you suggest, I did not swap back and forth between 4- and 5-string basses, and it took me abourt three months to be fully up to speed on a 5.

David

[JapanAxe]

Had a bit of a sesh on the 5-er tonight. I'm trying to wean myself off that reliance on the lower positions, which caused problems when I had to cope with higher notes, especially when sight reading. Some things end up being a lot easier too, e.g. the riff at the start of [i]Rescue Me[/i].

I will be going back to the 4-string, but I'll try and stay off it for the time being.

[ambient]

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1375045986' post='2156193']
Had a bit of a sesh on the 5-er tonight. I'm trying to wean myself off that reliance on the lower positions, which caused problems when I had to cope with higher notes, especially when sight reading. Some things end up being a lot easier too, e.g. the riff at the start of [i]Rescue Me[/i].

I will be going back to the 4-string, but I'll try and stay off it for the time being.
[/quote]

I find sight-reading easier on a 5 than on a 4 string, mainly 'cos you can stay in one position and play across the neck rather than along it, concentrating on the chart and not on where you are on the neck.
Pretty much all of my playing is from the 5th fret upwards, from there I can cover 2 octaves from a low E at the 5th fret on the B string up to an E on the 9th fret on the G string.

It's good practice to practice away from the bass, just visualise playing stuff while you're bored at work or standing in a queue or something. Just visualise where all the B's are, or where all the A's are on the neck. Then put that into practice when you get home. just sit for 10 minutes a day and pick a note at random, and play all of them on the neck.

Practice scales and triads etc all over the neck.

You'll very soon be as familiar on your 5 as you are on a 4 string. You'll wonder why you didn't get one years ago .

[JapanAxe]

Cheers Jake, I know what you mean about visualising, thanks for the encouragement.

[P-T-P]

Certainly a 5 string is more than simply 5 additional low notes for you to use.

Reworking existing basslines wouldn't be my preferred method of incorporating the new possibilities open to you, but there's nothing wrong about it either.

I would look for some 5 string scale/mode/arpeggio exercises - mainly just to get used to the way the extra string feels in your hands - then, as you learn new lines or refine older ones, using the extra string will be a more natural step.

[leroydiamond]

Stop Now. Step back up to a 4 string!!

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1375302228' post='2159579']
Stop Now. Step back up to a 4 string!!
[/quote]
Too late - I'm hooked!

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1375053213' post='2156278']
I find sight-reading easier on a 5 than on a 4 string, mainly 'cos you can stay in one position and play across the neck rather than along it, concentrating on the chart and not on where you are on the neck.
Pretty much all of my playing is from the 5th fret upwards, from there I can cover 2 octaves from a low E at the 5th fret on the B string up to an E on the 9th fret on the G string.
[/quote]
Still working on familiarisation by sight-reading my old transcriptions - I have hundreds! It's definitely easier on a 5, because you can anticipate where the intervals fall across the strings without worrying about what happens as you go up the neck.

[GazzBass]

You are on your way now, so stick with it! Happened to me 3-4years ago never looked back since!

[Happy Jack]

I routinely swop between 4s and 5s ... doesn't really bother me.

I try to avoid swopping during a gig (i.e. I take either 2 x 5s or 2 x 4s with me, rather than one of each) but I played a 4 last weekend and I'll be playing a 5 this weekend.

Different bands, different sounds, different basses.