Fretless advice

[waynepunkdude]

I have just nailed Lovecats, it's the first song I have learnt on the fretless but I find myself forever looking at the tuner for my intonation now I know this isn't right but I'm unsure of how to break this habit, should I be looking to know where the notes are on the fretboard or should I be trying to hear the notes?

[ahpook]

hear the notes, ideally.

but it sure ain't easy !!

Edited June 20, 2010 by ahpook

[Jerry_B]

Looking at the tuner will screw things up. You have to train your ears and fingers to get things just right - the latter being especially important. After some practice your brain will get into the right gear for playing a fretless. Trying to get things right by staring at a tuner will just cramp all of that, IMHO.

[TomKent]

Practice the intonation with other strings that are in tune. E>E A>A D>D G>G and then work from there.

[xilddx]

I will happen Wayne, you need to hear the notes though, tuner is not going to help you unless you can't hear the notes. Practice is all.

[thisnameistaken]

Put the tuner away and use your ears.

Practice every day.

Occasionally record yourself and listen back - see if it's as in-tune as you thought it was when you were playing it.

[waynepunkdude]

Cheers for all of the advice, looks like more practice for me, I'm not too worried I think I have progressed well and the skill of hearing notes will be handy when I finally get a DB.

[mrcrow]

my experience has been...see the bloody things...and then hear with joy
i have a useless ear so lined fretless would be my choice...if i ever got another

[Jerry_B]

It's good to learn bass lines that use a fretless, as long as they're not some mad jazzy free-form thing. That's what I did anyway.

[WalMan]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='872984' date='Jun 20 2010, 08:49 PM']Put the tuner away and use your ears.

Practice every day.

Occasionally record yourself and listen back - see if it's as in-tune as you thought it was when you were playing it.[/quote]
Sounds good to me....mind a lined fretless helps me to get closer then it's listening

[thisnameistaken]

Oh and also: Don't gliss up/down to notes - this can quickly become a crutch to help you intonate. Similarly don't wang tonnes of vibrato at higher notes, again you will end up doing this to cover up poor intonation.

By all means do these things when you're first gigging it and crapping yourself, but don't do it when practicing at home or you'll just be sidestepping important stuff you should be learning.

[AndyTravis]

i'm about to find out...i think. Will let you know.

[Jerry_B]

[quote name='WalMan' post='873035' date='Jun 20 2010, 10:02 PM']Sounds good to me....mind a lined fretless helps me to get closer then it's listening[/quote]

I had the opposite happen - with a lined fretless, I was crap. It wasn't until I got an unlined one that I actually got the hang of it.

[Clarky]

When I stand and play bass I can really only see the side dots on a bass neck when I look down - and so lined or unlined makes no difference to me on a fretless. I just go by the side dots. Mind you, I'm rubbish (which is why I tried to sell my Fender P f/l)

[geoffbyrne]

Try & play an open string if it's possible in the context - it gives you an aural landmark.

G.

[goblin]

I find it easiest to just go at it with confidence. As you first start, it'll sound iffy as it does with most people including myself, but I kept going at it, until i was confident enough to gig at it. I'm now at the stage where since I loved my fretless so much (Warwick Corvette), it became my main bass which I use as primary bass for gigs and a lot of recording. I'm at the stage where my fretless playing is better than fretted.

It'll come, don't worry about it

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='873073' date='Jun 20 2010, 10:32 PM']Try & play an open string if it's possible in the context - it gives you an aural landmark.

G.[/quote]
That's good advice.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='872943' date='Jun 20 2010, 08:12 PM']I have just nailed Lovecats, it's the first song I have learnt on the fretless but I find myself forever looking at the tuner for my intonation now I know this isn't right but I'm unsure of how to break this habit, should I be looking to know where the notes are on the fretboard or should I be trying to hear the notes?[/quote]
I'd say don't use the tuner but listen and maybe, sometimes, use the side dots as a rough guide.

And don't just be learning new things like, I presume, [i]Lovecats[/i]. Play some stuff you already know well and have some muscle memory for. Use those lines to concentrate on improving your intonation.

[waynepunkdude]

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='873100' date='Jun 20 2010, 10:54 PM']I'd say don't use the tuner but listen and maybe, sometimes, use the side dots as a rough guide.

And don't just be learning new things like, I presume, [i]Lovecats[/i]. Play some stuff you already know well and have some muscle memory for. Use those lines to concentrate on improving your intonation.[/quote]

Again thanks for all of the advice, I am taking it all on board.

My fretless has lines but they aren't very clear, is there anything I can mark them with?

[ZMech]

yeah i've also been starting fretless. I've found playing basslines i'm most used to playing, and so i know how they're meant to sound the most helpful thing, I think getting the muscle memory to play without looking at the lines will take a while.

[fatback]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='873121' date='Jun 20 2010, 11:16 PM']Again thanks for all of the advice, I am taking it all on board.

My fretless has lines but they aren't very clear, is there anything I can mark them with?[/quote]

I'd say don't bother. Concentrate on using the side markers (assuming they're in the right place, and if not, get them moved).