4 string to 5 and back to 4

[4string]

If I don't buy the Sterling I am looking at I am going to pick up a Sting Ray 5.

 

As my favorite bass is my Stingray 4, I am wondering if any of you use both a 4 and 5 string and can switch back and forth without any problems.

 

I know I have played both and have to think about what I am playing on the five, but does it come second nature to play both interchangably?

[Estebum]

It should become second nature pretty fast.. i play only 6 and 4 string bass, and 6-string guitar, pretty interchangeably. Although everything feels puny after the 6 string bass.

[95thfoot]

It does take some mental readjustment. If you are used to doing things a certain way, it's a great way to break out of a rut. I like playing the 5 string, but I still think of myself as a 4 string guy.

 

Lately I'll play fretless 4 string (Jazz Bass or Wishbass) and a fretted 5 string (Jazz Active Deluxe V), when fretted bass is called for. I just got a fretless 5 string, and will be using that onstage soon.

 

When just starting out going from a 4 to a 5, I ended up hitting the wrong notes a lot, reaching for the wrong string, even though I thought I'd know better. I still have a tendency to play the 5 as if it were a 4, with a low bottom string to be used every once in a while, but have been incorporating the B into my playing a lot more, even on old songs. That sub-bass sound really makes people want to dance!

 

My "comfort zone" of thirty+ years is still the 4 string, though, but a 5 is a brave new world for me. Someday I might try a six.

[hasbeen]

my main instruments are 6 string fretless and 4 string fretted. I approach them both differently mentally and stylistically anyway so the technique switch is no big deal.

[4string]

 

Originally posted by hasbeen my main instruments are 6 string fretless and 4 string fretted. I approach them both differently mentally and stylistically anyway so the technique switch is no big deal.

 

 

 

That's what I have been thinking. Using my 4 for rock / slap and the 5 for everything else.

[hasbeen]

 

Originally posted by 4string That's what I have been thinking. Using my 4 for rock / slap and the 5 for everything else.

 

 

that's a pretty good angle I think. I bought my first Five string that I really dug about ....oh, 5 years ago. So, I put down the four and just played five.

 

I do a lot of slap though. I eventually found that on the 5 string, because of the width of the neck, it changed up my slap technique too much. When I plat finger style, I play "correctly"...i.e. with my left hand thumb in the middle of the back of the neck. When I play slap though, for many, many of my licks/techniques, I clutch the neck baseball bat style....for left hand muting, hammer ons, string bending etc. My 5 string neck was just too wide for this.....back to 4 I went for funk and slap.

[LO_RYDER]

 

Originally posted by 4string If I don't buy the Sterling I am looking at I am going to pick up a Sting Ray 5. As my favorite bass is my Stingray 4, I am wondering if any of you use both a 4 and 5 string and can switch back and forth without any problems. I know I have played both and have to think about what I am playing on the five, but does it come second nature to play both interchangably?

 

 

Of course you can. I switch from 5 to 4 to guitar.

[Banta]

I played nothing but 4 strings for 18 years before switching primarily to a 5 string. I can easily go back and forth, but find the 4 string limiting. Also, since I've been playing in situations where I'm given written music to play, I find that I need the low B to play most of the music as it's written.

[82Daion]

It doesn't bother me when I get my hands on one.