I was talking to my pop the other day about 4 string bass playing vs 5 string bass playing. We got on the topic as a result of him tipping me off about a Costco giveaway. The giveaway was for a 4 string Geddy Lee bass. I signed up of course but I told him I wouldn't play it because the muscle memory my hands have developed is for a 5 string. He understood that as he has the same issue with tennis rackets. He's a tennis buff and I guess different rackets cause different grips and/or swings. The rackets and grip/swing thing is beyond me as tennis and I are life long enemies but the muscle memory topic is a good discussion for the blog.
I started playing bass on a 4 string Gibson EB3. I then moved onto a Ibanez Musician 4 string and Fender Precision bass 4 string. Those 3 basses were my musical life for 7 years.
Enter the 5 string Warwick.
It took me almost 3 years before I felt comfortable on the Warwick. Not proficient - just comfortable. I remember thinking after 2 years that I made a mistake with the purchase.
However, I stayed the course and after about 6 years, 5 strings felt like home.
I suppose I can look at the transition from 4 to 5 as a learning experience. I know I had to relearn the bass neck and my hands had to adapt - so that experience has shaped my music. But I feel the transition was also a set back. It stopped my progression and caused a mini-restart. Looking back now, I see no real benefit to me switching to a 5 string. Yesyes, the lower D and C on a handful of songs sound very cool and the different hand position on the neck puts less stress on the shoulder joint - but if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't do it.
[to tell the truth, there are certain songs I still play the way I learned them on a 4 string - tweaked shoulder joint and all.]
The issue with switching between 4 and 5 strings, for me: my hands feel lost. When I play a song, its usually a song I know really well from years of playing it or its a song I know from the radio - either way, on these type of songs, my brain is not directing my hands 100% of the time. My brain is following the drum pattern, checking out the cute blond dancing in front of me, listening to make sure my fretless playing is still on key (or the band is still in tune), and listening to both the guitar and vocals to make sure the band is on the same page. There is a little bit of direction but it is usually my hands going to town alone.
If I move back and forth between 4 and 5 strings, my hands get confused. I have to think too much and focus on each note. My fingers get lost. I suppose I could change the way I approach my playing and be more mental with each song so it wouldn't matter how many strings I played. But where is the fun in that? I like having my hands do the heavy lifting. I've actually had my hands play passages that surprised me. No, you didn't just teleport into a 1950's monster movie about body parts coming alive. But its true - my hands will play passages that I have not thought of.
I won't go back to a 4 string but I tell beginning players or anyone who asks, there is no reason to move to a 5 string. If you learned on a 4 string, stay there and improve your 4 string playing. Moving to a 5 string won't make you a better player.
I started playing bass on a 4 string Gibson EB3. I then moved onto a Ibanez Musician 4 string and Fender Precision bass 4 string. Those 3 basses were my musical life for 7 years.
Enter the 5 string Warwick.
It took me almost 3 years before I felt comfortable on the Warwick. Not proficient - just comfortable. I remember thinking after 2 years that I made a mistake with the purchase.
However, I stayed the course and after about 6 years, 5 strings felt like home.
I suppose I can look at the transition from 4 to 5 as a learning experience. I know I had to relearn the bass neck and my hands had to adapt - so that experience has shaped my music. But I feel the transition was also a set back. It stopped my progression and caused a mini-restart. Looking back now, I see no real benefit to me switching to a 5 string. Yesyes, the lower D and C on a handful of songs sound very cool and the different hand position on the neck puts less stress on the shoulder joint - but if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't do it.
[to tell the truth, there are certain songs I still play the way I learned them on a 4 string - tweaked shoulder joint and all.]
The issue with switching between 4 and 5 strings, for me: my hands feel lost. When I play a song, its usually a song I know really well from years of playing it or its a song I know from the radio - either way, on these type of songs, my brain is not directing my hands 100% of the time. My brain is following the drum pattern, checking out the cute blond dancing in front of me, listening to make sure my fretless playing is still on key (or the band is still in tune), and listening to both the guitar and vocals to make sure the band is on the same page. There is a little bit of direction but it is usually my hands going to town alone.
If I move back and forth between 4 and 5 strings, my hands get confused. I have to think too much and focus on each note. My fingers get lost. I suppose I could change the way I approach my playing and be more mental with each song so it wouldn't matter how many strings I played. But where is the fun in that? I like having my hands do the heavy lifting. I've actually had my hands play passages that surprised me. No, you didn't just teleport into a 1950's monster movie about body parts coming alive. But its true - my hands will play passages that I have not thought of.
I won't go back to a 4 string but I tell beginning players or anyone who asks, there is no reason to move to a 5 string. If you learned on a 4 string, stay there and improve your 4 string playing. Moving to a 5 string won't make you a better player.