![]() ![]() Most bass guitar instructors seem to suggest that starting out with a 4 string bass is probably best for most beginners, and especially for those with experience with the regular guitar. Should You Choose 4 Strings or 5 When Just Starting Out? When you think about the additional notes that become in reach with the fifth string, you can see that the availability of the notes is increased in a way that provides a lot more flexibility in how you finger the note progressions. This enables you to stay in any given “box position” of a scale without having to go as far up or down the neck when playing a bassline or chords. With the addition of the fifth string on the bass guitar, you now have a 25% expansion of every scale horizontally across the strings. With a 5 string bass, you now have the low E not only on the open E string, but also at the 5th fret of the low B string, which gives you the option to walk a bass line or play notes from the key of E without being limited to the open position.ĥ String Bass Benefit #3: You have access to more notes horizontally across the strings. Both the guitar and bass guitar benefit from having the common keys of E and A available in the open position, however sometimes you’ll want to play the low E in a more convenient position up the neck. The D note, as well as the C and B a step and a step and a half down, respectively, are readily available on the 5 string bass guitar, without the need to re-tune.ĥ String Bass Benefit #2: You now have the option of playing your low E in a non-open position. Having a fifth bass string on the lower end tuned to a low B provides the low D note on the fifth string, without the need to return the bass guitar to drop D tuning. Drop D tuning is pretty common in music, especially in certain genres like rock and metal. On a 4 string bass guitar tuned with standard tuning, the low E string cannot reach the lower D note unless it is tuned down one whole step. One thing that is time-consuming, mildly annoying, and certainly hard on strings is changing tuning frequently. For 5 string basses with the lower B string layout, which is probably the most common setup for 5 string basses, there are several benefits, such as:ĥ String Bass Benefit #1: You have access to the low D without having to retune to drop D tuning. The 5 string bass guitar adds several playing benefits over the 4 string layout that bass players find useful. What Are the Benefits of a 5 String Bass Guitar? Understandably, the placement of the fifth string of a bass guitar provides different benefits due to the additional notes that the string adds to the range of the instrument, and how those notes impact scales and chords on the bass guitar.Įither way the 5 string bass is laid out, standard tuning practices would dictate that the fifth string added to the instrument would be a fourth higher or lower than the existing four strings based on it’s placement, so that the tuning for your 5 string bass guitar ends up B-E-A-D-G with a lower fifth string, or E-A-D-G-C with the fifth string placed at the higher end of the range. These strings are tuned exactly one octave lower than the four lowest tone strings on a guitar when the guitar is in standard tuning.Ī 5 string bass guitar adds one additional string to the four string bass guitar layout, but this additional string can be added to the lower or higher ends of the existing four strings, based on your preferences about which tones you would like added to the instrument. The 4 string bass guitar has what can be referred to as the four standard strings of a bass guitar, which in standard tuning are E-A-D-G. 5 String Bass Guitar: What is the Difference? Let’s take a closer look at the differences between the 4 string and 5 string bass guitar, and which might be best for you.Ĥ String Vs. A 5 string bass guitar adds one string, either at the lower or higher end of the four standard bass guitar strings to increase the tonal range of the instrument. What is the difference between a 4 string and 5 string bass guitar? A 4 string bass guitar has four standard bass strings, which are one octave lower than the four lowest strings on a standard guitar. A lot of people wonder what the difference between these are, and which one would be the best to purchase, especially for someone starting out on the bass. If you’re looking at bass guitars, one of the things you may notice is that bass guitars are available in 4, 5 and 6 string formats. ![]()
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