Five, Six, Seven, Eight ... etc., ... Strings ... Why?

[ajdover]

Gents/Gals,
 
   I've always wondered why some folks go for a 5-string (or six, or seven ... other than the music/genre calling for it).  Me personally, I've never felt comfortable with them.  Granted, I grew up with 4's, but I just don't get why some folks think they need to go so low ...
 
   I've yet to find a five string that I'm comfortable with.  As Jeff Berlin once said, those with five/six/seven/eight/nine/ten string basses can now be as non-melodic with them as they were with four strings.  That's how I view myself with an extended range bass.  I just don't get the whole 5-6 string bass thing, but maybe it's just me.  And I'm getting older, you know! :-)  
 
    Anybody care to tell me why they chose or prefer an exteded range bass?
 
Thanks,
 
Alan
 
(Message edited by ajdover on April 28, 2005)

[bsee]

Here are my observations:
 
Five strings let you play a two octave pattern without a position shift.  
 
They let you play E blues without using open strings.  The fingering of the pattern you play for the I can match what you're doing for the IV and V.
 
They let you play several keys at a higher position for shorter stretches.  
 
The low D is also a relatively useful note, and you get it without a Hipshot for drop-D that would alter your patterns.
 
I played fives for a long time, but have been using a four almost exclusively the past year.  Don't ask why, I don't know...
 
-Bob

[rklisme]

Alan
 
I think Bob gave some very good examples of why one might play an extended range instrument. I personally like to solo in the high range as a preference and the 6 string gives me that ability. I don't take a lot of solo's but when I do I love playing across the fretboard.  
Todays music calls for some bass players to be very versatile which means you can show up to the gig with one bass and cover the whole spectrum. I've shown up for gospel gigs and everything is played on the B string which I think is pretty common in that genre. I can do a jazz or funk gig and the 4 string does just fine. I love to play fusion even though there is not much call for it here but that is where I find the 6 really shines for me.  
In the end it is what you are most comfortable with and what styles of music you play!
 
Rory

[bigredbass]

I came to bass after years of piano.  I played 4-string for about 10 years, and was forever frustrated that I had to change positions so often to finish a particular passage.
 
I transitioned to five-string in the late 80s.
As Bob said in the preceding post, I could now play 'across' the fingerboard.  In most keys, first and second position really became one position working out of the second position area.
I feel like buying a five just to get B thru E-flat is not very smart.  For me, it just made life a lot easier, made more sense to me and the way I saw the fingerboard.  Plus, most keyboard players routinely go from 61 key to 88 key instruments without a lot of thought, so that also made it easier for me.
 
The sixes, sevens, etc., are for those who can marry their vision to an 'extended' range instrument.  I really don't need a low F-sharp or the higher notes as I just can't imagine what I'd do with them.  But my hat's off to those who can ! !
 
J o e y

[bob]

The other Bob had some good, concrete reasons for going lower, or at least for having five strings. On a more gut level...
 
If I only had a 4 string, it would be tuned BEAD. That's how I had my last one set up for a year, before getting my 5.
 
It's a *bass*, so for me, being able to go a little lower, and generally play with heavier strings, is essential.
 
On the other hand, that implies I could easily live without a G string, which isn't entirely true. The range, within a position, is so much better with a 5, and there are plenty of keys to play in that would force you to shift way up the neck if you didn't have a G.
 
But once you can do just a fret or two short of two octaves in one position, I don't personally feel a need for much more, and I just don't like skinny strings, or really wide fingerboards.
 
Some people do :-)
-Bob

[palembic]

I like to walk to E
 
Paul TBO

[jacko]

I think everyone has already commented on the reasons I went to 5 so I won't repeat any of it here.  
What I would like to make an observation on though is how some 'name' players seem to come down on extended range instruments. I'm thinking particularly of the aforementioned Jeff Berlin and also Carol Kaye. both highly respected musicians but both  self-obsessed (in my opinion). In nearly all their writings, I get the impression that it's a case of 'I don't play a 5 so there's no need for anyone else to'. Carol in particular seems to think that there's no need for a B string in Jazz - try telling that to Steve Bailey or oteil Burbridge or Marcus Miller or matt Garrison or dominique de piazza or anyone of dozens of Jazz musicians who keep a 5 string or two in their arsenal. On the other hand, I've read interviews with Stanley Clarke where he says he doesn't play 5 strings as he doesn't feel he's fully explored the posibilities of a 4. At least he doesn't then have a go at those of us who do play a five.
Mini rant over.  
Having played with 5 strings since the mid 90's, I'm lost without the B if I pick up a 4.
 
graeme

[alanbass1]

Well, I use an Overwater 5 string bass in a covers band that I dep for.  They play lots of songs that have a Keyboard bassline on the original and things like Seal's Killer just does not sound the same without the Low C#.  The great thing is that there is a choice, and people should choose the instrument that helps them create the sounds they hear in their head and want to get out; whether that's 4, 5, 6 string bass or whatever.
 
I think jeff Berlin is a talented musician, but I also think that his opinion sucks.  My favourite bass player is Tony Levin and he plays 4 and 5 string basses as well as a Chapman Stick.  Why a Chapman Stick; well songs like Peter Gabriel's Shaking The Tree will not sound the same without it.  And this is what I believe it's all about; creating the right textures and sounds to compliment a song. Every musician has their unique way of expressing this and, as a consequence, chooses the tools that are right for them.  Getting anal like Jeff Beck shows disrespect and certainly doesn't show him in a good light.

[ronl513]

I read a story about Jacko that claimed that someone offered him a five string to try out. He turned them down stating that he didn't need the extra string. Well, we all know he didn't. I've never tried one except in a music store and I found the neck to be quite clumsy, but my hands are somewhat small. Some of the perspectives I've read here explain why many soloist prefer the extra string. I'm pretty much a traditional player, and the four string has always served me well.

[keith_h]

I try to split my time between 4 and 5 string basses. I got the 5 string in part to cover some of the newer rock out there and to deal with non-standard tunings a guitarist I used to play with did. Playing them on the 4 string just didn't sound right since I had to play in a higher octave. There is also the advantage of not having to change hand position as often since I can drop down to the B string.  
 
Keith

[ronl513]

Did I say Jacko? I meant Jaco. Der!!!!!

[gare]

Like Ron, I too have relatively small hands. I've never found a 5 string that felt comfortable,both the longer scale and neck width. But I can see the usefulness mentioned above, 2 oct in 1 position etc. If I were to go to an extended range instrument I'd like a 6 string  tuned EADGBE,the only thing I've found that felt comfortable like that was a Fender BassVI,but thats not quite the same.    
But,for now,I'll have to stick to my original theory: 4 fingers, 4 strings..works for me.
 
Gary

[the_mule]

I own and enjoy both a 4-string and a 5-string bass, and I have great respect for the many skilled and talented players out there grooving on 6-, 7-, 9- or even 11-string basses. People with that ever so fashionable '4-string only' purist attitude usually have a personality problem. It's OK if you don't like to use more than 4 strings yourself, but it doesn't give you the right to judge and look down on the people with the big hands. Legendary players like Jeff Berlin and Carol Kaye should realise that being a part of bass guitar history doesn't make you the alpha and the omega. The continuing evolution of the bass is one of the most exciting things happening in the world of music right now. Just my $0.02 off course...
 
Wilfred

[David Houck]

I have a video clip of John Patitucci playing his six string and I've been to a clinic where Steve Baily was playing his six string.  I also have a Flectones DVD wherein Victor Wooten plays his five string.  When I watch guys like that playing their instruments, the question of why they would want to never occurs to me.

[richbass939]

I got my first 5-string about 12 or so years ago.  I have several 4s and 5s.  I like them all for different reasons.  One thing I like about the 5 is that sometimes I like the sound of the notes played on the lower strings/higher frets better than on higher strings/lower frets.  
Sometimes the B gives me options that the 4 doesn?t.  For instance, if I am on an A, am going down to an E, and want to lead up to the E with Db, D,Eb, I can do it low rather than high or not at all.  I don?t hang out on the B string much at all.  I just go down to it occasionally to grab a note or two.  It?s just my preference.
For those of you with small hands, there are narrow-neck basses out there.  I have a non-Alembic 5 with the exact same neck width as my Epic 4.  I don?t know how many Alembic 5s there are with narrow necks. It may be pretty expensive to get.
I don?t always play my Epic 5 because some songs have me on the D and G a lot.  It makes it harder to mute the B and E.  I know, I know, better technique would solve that.
Some people feel that if something doesn?t work for them then it?s just a gimmick.  I?m glad that there are a lot of open minds around here.
Rich