Even though we mainly address issues concerning guitar players in these columns, as we grow with our skills on the guitar, and eventually start making music with other musicians, it’s helpful to become aware of some of the nuances of the other instrumentation we may encounter in a group situation.
One such instrument is the bass guitar. The bass has the responsibility in a group or band, of carrying the bottom end of the rhythm section.
The bass player works closely with the drummer, and a top notch rhythm section is one in which the bass player and drummer work seamlessly together, nearly as one unit.
On a normal 4-string bass guitar, the four strings are tuned just like the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th strings on the guitar. The difference being that the bass strings are much “thicker” in diameter and gauge, and are tuned to a lower “octave” than a guitar string.
The strings on a 4-string bass are tuned like this:
E A D G
Most bass guitars are of the 4-string variety, but an ever increasing model that has been in existence for quite a while now, is the 5-string bass.
On a 5-string bass, and extra string is added to the low end of the bass guitar. In most cases, this string is of a large diameter thickness, and is tuned to a low “B”.
This tuning allows the bassist to extend the low end range of the instrument beyond that of a normal 4-string bass, which can add a whole new dimension to the music.
Then notes on a 5-string bass are tuned like this:
B E A D G
Although this extra “B” string would obviously add some new tonal possibilities for the bassist in the key of “B” – one of the more common ways the extra 5th string is used is when playing in the key of “D”.
On the extra 5th string, the “D” note is located on the 3rd fret of the new 5th string. With a normal 4-string bass, the player is limited to the open D string (or the 5th fret of the A string), to give them the lowest possible bass note when playing in the key of D.
Now, with a 5-string, the bassists can “reach down” an octave from that and add some serious bottom end to songs in the common key of “D”.
Bass players that are used to a 4-string bass, and then attempt to play a 5-string bass, sometimes face a challenge making the transition. The reason is, that they are used to the “E” string being closest to them when playing, but now that is replaced by the new “B” string, so a big adjustment must be made.
But, in the end, most bass players find that the increased choices in range and tonality are well worth going through a brief period of adjustment.
