Stews Lessons: Approaching the Extended Range Bass

There are a number of things to consider when one decides to pick up and play a bass with more than 4 strings. The challenges one faces when transitioning from a 4 to a 5 are the same as those tackled by someone who plays a 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11, but to different degrees.

The first thing to consider is why you want to play this instrument. If it is because you want something that looks cool, don’t do it. You will do neither the instrument nor the music any justice and you could very well look (and sound) silly. You are not simply adding a few notes to your palette, you are increasing the amount of time necessary to learn a different instrument and set of disciplines. While this may not seem to be the case initially, you have to realize that you must adjust your technique, the way you hear the music, how you approach playing your part, and the fact that your amplification/sound reproduction needs may change dramatically.

If you genuinely want to explore bass from another way, then make the move to more strings!

The second facet of playing an extended range bass (hereafter referred to as ERB) is the technical side of it. Mechanically it differs from a traditional 4 string in a number of ways. It is bigger, heavier, and has a larger neck. What does this mean to you as a player?

Your case will have to be more substantial. Both for storage and when carrying it to a gig, size matters! The chances are you will want a case that is well made because you do not want to replace the larger case any time soon. More size means more cost and replacing larger components is at the very least an inconvenience.

You may need to take some time to adjust how you hold and play the instrument. With extra mass and volume, you will have to reposition it in terms of how high or low you wear it. A 5 string may be very close to a 4, but they are not identical. A 6 is even more distantly related. A 9 or anything bigger will take some time to figure out!

What will take the most time is getting used to your new neck. Your hands – both of them – will have to make adjustments. Muting your strings can be quite a bit more challenging with extra strings. You will find that you use both hands and possibly body parts or fashion accessories to help you in the quest to keep your new bass quiet.

The simple fact is that more mass in the neck and body combined with more strings and bigger pickups will create more resonance or sympathetic vibration on your ERB. Put simply, if you fret the low D on your B string, every other D and all of you’re A’s will want to sound as well. No one muting technique works for everyone, so consult different players and watch as many players as you can.

The third and possibly most important aspect of playing an ERB is your concept, or your approach. This is certainly the most abstract, nebulous aspect of playing, but for many players and bandleaders it is the most important. Are you looking to simply take the parts you already play in the way you already play them and add to your range or decrease the amount of position shifting involved in executing lines you know? Many bassists use this as a rationale for moving to the 5 and 6 string, and it is as valid a reason as any. As a matter of fact, it was my initial reason for moving to the 5 way back in 1987! But let’s look into some of the other approaches and techniques that ERB owners exploit.

Many players, after the examples of Stu Hamm, Michael Manring, Victor Wooten, and Adrian Davidson, get into tapping. The technique, popularized in the mainstream by guitarist Stanley Jordan, involves looking at the fretboard or fingerboard of your bass like a percussion/keyboard-like instrument. These musicians craft wild chord voicings, extended arpeggios, and intense contrapuntal lines by using the fingertips of both hands to hammer the notes and create truly unusual parts which allow the bass to become something entirely different. Emmet Chapman’s Stick (among other “touch style” instruments) is designed to be played exclusively in this way. Jean Baudin is an excellent proponent of this approach. Garry Goodman has taken it in a different direction and calls his technique Percussive Harmonics.

Other, building on work of cats like Jaco Pastorius and Victor Bailey, have delved into the realm of chordal playing. With the added lows and highs of an ERB artists like Otiel Burbridge, Todd Johnson and Trip Wamsley are opening up new avenues of expression on their chose instruments. While there are certainly players doing this exceedingly well on 4 string bass, having the option of extra “colors” from both the higher and lower registers of an ERB can provide really singular tonalities.

Another direction taken by some of the pioneers on these new creations is that of technological explorer. The use of different electronics like midi, piezo and light-based pickups, as well as synthetic materials used in the very construction of the instruments is opening up exciting paths for others to tread. Among the ERB players to employ these features are John Turner and Al Caldwell.

And what about the players we haven’t heard about? How many cats are at home woodshedding their own unique and original methods of making music? Can you imagine what the vocabulary will be like for the ERB in another year? How about 5 years? Where will the players of these amazing basses be in 10 years’ time? I for one can’t wait to see and hear!

		Home > Lessons > Approaching the Extended Range Bass Approaching the Extended Range Bass There are a number of things to consider when one decides to pick up and play a bass with more than 4 strings. The challenges one faces when transitioning from a 4 to a 5 are the same as those tackled by someone who plays a 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11, but to different degrees. The first thing to consider is *why* you want to play this instrument. If it is because you want something that looks cool, don’t do it. You will do neither the instrument nor the music any justice and you could very well look (and sound) silly. You are not simply adding a few notes to your palette, you are increasing the amount of time necessary to learn a different instrument and set of disciplines. While this may not seem to be the case initially, you have to realize that you must adjust your technique, the way you hear the music, how you approach playing your part, and the fact that your amplification/sound reproduction needs may change dramatically. If you genuinely want to explore bass from another way, then make the move to more strings! The second facet of playing an extended range bass (hereafter referred to as ERB) is the technical side of it. Mechanically it differs from a traditional 4 string in a number of ways. It is bigger, heavier, and has a larger neck. What does this mean to you as a player? Your case will have to be more substantial. Both for storage and when carrying it to a gig, size matters! The chances are you will want a case that is well made because you do not want to replace the larger case any time soon. More size means more cost and replacing larger components is at the very least an inconvenience. You may need to take some time to adjust how you hold and play the instrument. With extra mass and volume, you will have to reposition it in terms of how high or low you wear it. A 5 string may be very close to a 4, but they are not identical. A 6 is even more distantly related. A 9 or anything bigger will take some time to figure out! What will take the most time is getting used to your new neck. Your hands – both of them – will have to make adjustments. Muting your strings can be quite a bit more challenging with extra strings. You will find that you use both hands and possibly body parts or fashion accessories to help you in the quest to keep your new bass quiet. The simple fact is that more mass in the neck and body combined with more strings and bigger pickups will create more resonance or sympathetic vibration on your ERB. Put simply, if you fret the low D on your B string, every other D and all of you’re A’s will want to sound as well. No one muting technique works for everyone, so consult different players and watch as many players as you can. The third and possibly most important aspect of playing an ERB is your concept, or your approach. This is certainly the most abstract, nebulous aspect of playing, but for many players and bandleaders it is the most important. Are you looking to simply take the parts you already play in the way you already play them and add to your range or decrease the amount of position shifting involved in executing lines you know? Many bassists use this as a rationale for moving to the 5 and 6 string, and it is as valid a reason as any. As a matter of fact, it was my initial reason for moving to the 5 way back in 1987! But let’s look into some of the other approaches and techniques that ERB owners exploit. Many players, after the examples of Stu Hamm, Michael Manring, Victor Wooten, and Adrian Davidson, get into tapping. The technique, popularized in the mainstream by guitarist Stanley Jordan, involves looking at the fretboard or fingerboard of your bass like a percussion/keyboard-like instrument. These musicians craft wild chord voicings, extended arpeggios, and intense contrapuntal lines by using the fingertips of both hands to hammer the notes and create truly unusual parts which allow the bass to become something entirely different. Emmet Chapman’s Stick (among other “touch style” instruments) is designed to be played exclusively in this way. Jean Baudin is an excellent proponent of this approach. Garry Goodman has taken it in a different direction and calls his technique Percussive Harmonics. Other, building on work of cats like Jaco Pastorius and Victor Bailey, have delved into the realm of chordal playing. With the added lows and highs of an ERB artists like Otiel Burbridge, Todd Johnson and Trip Wamsley are opening up new avenues of expression on their chose instruments. While there are certainly players doing this exceedingly well on 4 string bass, having the option of extra “colors” from both the higher and lower registers of an ERB can provide really singular tonalities. Another direction taken by some of the pioneers on these new creations is that of technological explorer. The use of different electronics like midi, piezo and light-based pickups, as well as synthetic materials used in the very construction of the instruments is opening up exciting paths for others to tread. Among the ERB players to employ these features are John Turner and Al Caldwell. And what about the players we haven’t heard about? How many cats are at home woodshedding their own unique and original methods of making music? Can you imagine what the vocabulary will be like for the ERB in another year? How about 5 years? Where will the players of these amazing basses be in 10 years’ time? I for one can’t wait to see and hear!