Why fretless bass

Consequently, strings of very fast notes, especially through large or strange intervals, are infinitely easier on a fretted bass, while they can easily become 'muddled' on a fretless bass. For example, the opening bass-line for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' song 'Around the World' simply would not work correctly on a fretless.

Even if the player were skilled enough to play each note up to speed, which would be an impressive feat in of itself, the clarity in each note would be lost. The only purely stylistic advantage the fretless bass has over the fretted lies in the fact that the absence of frets on a fretless allows a smooth glissando, or slide, from one note to another, which is not possible with a fretted bass. In other words, on a fretted bass one must play, for instance, either an 'E' or an 'F'.

However, on a fretless bass, it is also possible to play every pitch between that of an 'E' and an 'F', allowing the player much more musical freedom, but, as mentioned earlier, leaving the need for proper intonation. This ability also allows the skilled bass player to compensate mid-song for bad tuning.

The most noticeable difference between fretted and fretless basses lies in their tonal qualities 1. Fretless basses, since they are intoned by the fingers, have a much smoother sound than fretted basses. With less of an attack, and an overall tone with much less upper and midrange, sounds from fretless basses tend to sound less like a string being plucked, and more like a sound very rich in low-range frequencies that simply starts at one moment and ends at another.

The fretted bass, on the other hand, tends to have a sharper, crisper tone that is often richer in harmonics than a fretless. The difference between the two could, to anybody familiar with bass playing, be described as similar to the difference between playing a bass without a plectrum and playing the same bass with a plectrum. That is, the change in tone from a fretted to fretless bass is comparable to the change in tone from a plectrumed note to a non-plectrumed note.

Bass-lines such as the one in The Beatles ' 'With a Little Help From My Friends' would suffer severely with a fretted bass, while ones such as the bass-line used in 'Drive My Car' would be next-to impossible with a fretless. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers.

To a more novice musician, there is a high likelihood of accidental intonations. Thus, that is why having frets on the neck of the bass makes playing that much easier. Notice that your notes are coming out a little flat?

Maybe a little sharp? With a fretless bass and the correct know-how, that is not a problem. Essentially, you can just slide your fingers a little up or down the neck on the out-of-tune string and make the necessary adjustment. You're not limited to the exact tone or pitches solidified by the frets. To an astute bassist, this is an invaluable benefit of a fretless bass. Without frets getting in the way, you are able to glide across the strings which create fantastic sliding harmonics. If you want to reach into the upper register of the bass and hit some fairly unique notes, then sliding harmonics is exactly the type of technique you want to add in your arsenal.

When you first pick up your bass your fingers are ready to go and there is nothing standing in your way. What about after an hour or so of performing or practicing? Even if you have developed calluses, your fingers may be starting to feel fatigued. One great thing about the fretless bass is, regardless of high or low action, without frets your fingers have to spend a lot less energy pushing the strings down.

You are not fighting against the frets or pushing hard enough to avoid the buzzing sound. With a fretless bass, you can glide along the neck and use much less effort pushing the strings down which can save you energy during the home stretch of your performance. While everyone has their differing opinions between, "fretted basses are better! Don't get paralyzed by worrying which bass is more suited for you, or how you will look to others or anything like that. Pick whichever one feels best to you and play your heart out!

Important tip: We highly recommend trying each bass before making a significant purchase. Call your local music store and see if they have both options in stock. If so, give each a try. While articles like this can give you solid information, only you know what feels right for you. If you are more of an intermediate musician and would like more opportunities to hone your bass craft, look no further than the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media.

At AIMM, you learn from both sides of the studio. That means you learn the technical and recording aspects of music along with the organic focus on bass or any instrument of your choice, including voice, guitar, drum, and keyboard. Our Music and Technology Degree with a Focus on Bass will provide you with the information and one-on-one attention in state-of-the-art studios that will boost your potential to heights you've never imagined.

I feel I have found my sound and style with extended range fretless basses. The third reason for considering fretless is the singing quality you can get out of the instrument, just like the human voice! Of course, this is only my point of view. Technically speaking, once again comparing fretless with upright, I feel fretless has more of a singing voice. Why, because of the length of the vibrating strings.

Upright acoustic bass is a bigger instrument and has more string length. The result of that length gives a deeper sound in the bass register, but if you go in the melodic or higher register, there is basically less sustain than on a fretless. Continue Reading. You may also like Click to comment. Leave a Reply. More in Latest. Bass Videos R. Musings From the Road.