Six String Virgin

[stewblack]

So, you suddenly find you've bought a six string bass, having never planned to own one before. 

What's the best approach to acclimatise yourself with it? 

Just play something you know well and move it around the fretboard? Scales? Some kind of exercises? Dive in and hope for the best? 

[Gareth Hughes]

For the higher strings - take riffs you know and stick them up an octave. Try that in normal 4-string territory, then move that onto the higher strings. For example - Livin On A Prayer - open E starting note becomes 7th fret, A string. Work out riff there. Then move it to start on to D string, 2nd fret. That will have you playing the whole riff now from D string to C string. Saying note names for every note will help solidify things.

Chords are also a good starting point - simple 10ths, so E on 7th fret A string, add the 10th/G# on the 8th fret, C string.

 

Edited February 1, 2021 by Gareth Hughes

[Newfoundfreedom]

I found the best approach was to play things I already knew on the for string. Basically ignoring the top and bottom strings, until I got a feel for it. Then it was easy to use the top and bottom strings as an extension to what I already knew how to play. 

For me adapting to muting the extra strings was a bigger challenge than playing them. 

[CameronJ]

Do you already own a 5 string or have you gone straight from 4 to 6?

[therealting]

Timely, @sunneyboy!

[stewblack]

1 hour ago, CameronJ said:

Do you already own a 5 string or have you gone straight from 4 to 6?

I used to play a fretless 5, but that was a fair while back. I managed OK but I was younger, more malleable 

[stewblack]

Thanks for the advice folks. I shall try the suggested things 

[therealting]

No less a legend than Lee Sklar says he thinks of five string as a four with a few extra notes. If it’s all right for Lee, I guess it’s all right!

[stewblack]

I have done as suggested (actually a blend of the different advice) and the results have been great. 

As has been said muting or accidentally hitting more than one string is an issue but a fret wrap should fix that. 

I played a few parts as if it was a four, which was excellent advice as it kind of took away the "oh my god I'm playing a 6er" feeling. 

I then spent an evening moving one song I know well around the fretboard, finding it in as many different places as possible. 

What has really helped has been the work I've done in lockdown around theory and intervals. 

Sounds simple but knowing the notes I'm playing makes it easier to get used to the extra strings. For years I learned patterns or shapes which had to start on a specific string and fret. I now know the notes and can find them in multiple places. 

Improving my ear and scale work has helped me place my fingers more intuitively so the new strings seem not to be such alien territory. Rather, they're logical extensions to what I already know. 

Having said all that I still get horribly lost and entangled and wouldn't take it to a rehearsal never mind a gig yet! 

The bass run in Sir Duke is a lot of fun. Whereas it used to run up and down the neck horizontally, it now stays pretty much the same place and runs up and down vertically! 

[Newfoundfreedom]

I've also found that six strings surprisingly makes music theory much easier. 

It's far more intuitive to find the notes across the neck than it is up and down. It feels like there was a massive gap before that's now been filled in. 

I also much prefer the tighter spacing of the six strings. I can't see me ever going back to playing a four string, even if most of the stuff I play is still using mostly the EAD and G. 

[Doddy]

49 minutes ago, stewblack said:

As has been said muting or accidentally hitting more than one string is an issue but a fret wrap should fix that. 

As useful as frer wraps are, I would advise against this for now. It will be far better to get your muting together with your technique, whether that means using a floating thumb or doing something similar to what John Patitucci does. 

I love playing six string and used to play it all the time, but now I mainly play it when I know that I'm going to be soloing a lot and I want the extended upper range.

Edited February 3, 2021 by Doddy

[TheLowDown]

Welcome to the world of 6 string, Stew.

As a daily exercise it's useful to go up and down each string singing each note immediately before you play it. There is also a scale exercise by Jon Packard that many find useful, but it's time consuming and not much fun. A much better way of doing the exercise though is to only play the root 3rd, 5th, and 7th of the scale. It's more difficult, but it's a good way for getting to know the 6 string fretboard in its entirety(rather than seeing it as a 4 string with 2 strings either side) and for learning the inversions and intervals around the neck.

Doddy is right about the fret wrap. It's a crutch and diverts attention away from developing the best technique you can. Even on 4 string, it's ideal to develop good muting techniques.

 

If you're normally a 4 string player, a 6 string will make you a better 4 string player and will give you a more fluid way of understanding scales and the fretboard. Everyone who wants to be the best bassist that they can should swap between basses of different strings now and again.

Edited February 3, 2021 by TheLowDown

[stewblack]

1 hour ago, TheLowDown said:

Welcome to the world of 6 string, Stew.

As a daily exercise it's useful to go up and down each string singing each note immediately before you play it. There is also a scale exercise by Jon Packard that many find useful, but it's time consuming and not much fun. A much better way of doing the exercise though is to only play the root 3rd, 5th, and 7th of the scale. It's more difficult, but it's a good way for getting to know the 6 string fretboard in its entirety(rather than seeing it as a 4 string with 2 strings either side) and for learning the inversions and intervals around the neck.

Doddy is right about the fret wrap. It's a crutch and diverts attention away from developing the best technique you can. Even on 4 string, it's ideal to develop good muting techniques.

 

If you're normally a 4 string player, a 6 string will make you a better 4 string player and will give you a more fluid way of understanding scales and the fretboard. Everyone who wants to be the best bassist that they can should swap between basses of different strings now and again.

That's great advice, thank you. And for the scales. Don't tell anyone but I actually enjoy scales! 

[therealting]

I started on six, so I’m still pretty comfy on one. I find floating thumb technique helps a lot.

I still find slap on it a challenge - it’s fine doing standard pentatonic slap patterns, but anything more scalic is tricky as it requires careful muting with both hands. 

[stewblack]

9 hours ago, therealting said:

still find slap on it a challenge

As do I on any instrument. 

The thing is, because I'm not really turned on by the noise of a slapped bass, there is less incentive to learn the technique. 

Consequently I tend only to learn the bits of slap I'm called on to learn for a particular song. 

Not many of my bands insist on it. One guy did (that little run in Car Wash) so I learned it and can still get away with it. Otherwise I confess I don't really try. 

[Newfoundfreedom]

1 hour ago, stewblack said:

As do I on any instrument. 

The thing is, because I'm not really turned on by the noise of a slapped bass, there is less incentive to learn the technique. 

Consequently I tend only to learn the bits of slap I'm called on to learn for a particular song. 

Not many of my bands insist on it. One guy did (that little run in Car Wash) so I learned it and can still get away with it. Otherwise I confess I don't really try. 

Same. It's not a technique I'm interested in learning. I don't like the sound of it. So I don't do it. 

[Doddy]

I love slap bass, and if you want to hear some impeccable slap on a 6 string listen to Alain Caron. As far as I'm concerned he has the best slap technique anywhere. His fretless 6 playing is ridiculous too.

Although if you don't like jazz or fusion, maybe you shouldn't bother.

[TheLowDown]

On 03/02/2021 at 15:55, stewblack said:

That's great advice, thank you. And for the scales. Don't tell anyone but I actually enjoy scales! 

Np. Scales are best for musical context and ear training, chord tones always are where it's at.

As for slap, I'm allergic and it will never be on my agenda.