I tried playing with a pick for exactly that reason - and failed miserably!
My picking hand simply could not find the strings properly. I know it is a matter of practice, but I was impatient and will rather focus on playing better for the time being.
But as I got some cool picks, I will … eh … pick up the picks again for sure in the near future.
Hi, I’m still an absolute bass noob (coming from guitar…) and I fell for the good reviews of the Harley Benton 5-string. 5 is more than 4, right? Two pickups are better than one, right?
I think I was really overthinking it and will return this thing and get a mean but solid P-bass (which I want to select in a real guitar store) and just concentrate on technique and playing more than on knob fiddling and 5-string awesomeness.
When most of us go for the pick, or slap etc we think we “fail miserably” because we expect to be able to play quicker than we realistically should.
Consider you are starting over and relearning the instrument from scratch. The muting techniques o ly come with patience and time, which, once we can play finger style, we tend not to allow for.
Start the course over with a pick, or simply refuse to put the pick down for a month. It’s what worked for many of us.
Great idea!!!
Coming from playing guitar (decades ago), the idea of playing with a pick still feels more comfortable to me. I’m still working through B2B for the first time but somewhere around the time that Billie Jean and I bumped nasty’s for the first time, I’ve been planning on finishing the course and restarting it right away and focusing on playing it through again with a pick, And getting the fretboard memorized, definitely that. It’s hard to have a serious bass face going if you have to keep looking at the fretboard.
This is bait lol.
I love how picks sound, but I listen to Steve Harris and I gotta say I love how fingers can sound too.
Of course 
I mean it’s also true too though.
I also got those Rombo picks, they are awesome.
I like the Crisp the most, close second is the Waves, that one was my favorite for quite some time.
The triangle shaped one is also awesome, I think it is called the Prism.
For learning to play with a pick, a thinner one is a good start, at least it was for me. I started out with a Tortex .73, and moved on to more stiffer variants as I progressed, up to the Tortex 1.1.
Now, I sometimes change picks depending on what I play. Some things work better with a stiffer one, some need more flex, but went kinda down the flex ladder again and prefer them a little more flexible now.
The Rombo Crisp is a good allrounder in that regard (the flex is comparable to a Tortex .88)
For me, stiffer is better ^^
I use the thick ones, also cause they are less noisy…
Ultex 1.14 is my choice
Considering 5 string after completing B2B.
Went the year with my Squier 4 string (which I plan to upgrade with new pickups) and ready to buy my first new bass. I’ve narrowed down to an Ibanez SR (1350B) or a Sterling Ray34 (although the new 2025 bongo looks worth a try).
I’ve played both 4 strings and love the sound of the Sterling.
The last question is 5 or 4 string.
I have wide musical taste so the more flexible the instrument the better.
I just worried 5 string will set me back learning wise by a wide amount.
A few folks at guitar center said it will not be too bad because I never played guitar and won’t have to unlearn the reverse order.
Questions:
For any folks who’ve upgraded to 5 string, would you recommend waiting until I’m a better 4 string player (I’m a year in playing simple songs and working hard on my technique)?
Thanks!
how is the the additional string?
Useful for the music I enjoy
how difficult is 5 string bto learn vs 4?
You have an extra string to mute. I find that not a big deal finger style but much more annoying for slap or pick playing. Also sometimes you need to remember the bottom line of tabs isn’t your lowest string, but I got used to that after a couple weeks.
For any folks who’ve upgraded to 5 string, would you recommend waiting until I’m a better 4 string player (I’m a year in playing simple songs and working hard on my technique)?
A five string is more range, not an advanced version of a four string. If you want to play music that uses a five string, you might as well start learning it as soon as possible imo.
Thank you Billn,
Appreciate the helpful insight.
You gave me an idea… as I build my 50 songs to learn post B2B, I’ll look to see how many require a five string. A few INXS, Stevie Wonder and Grateful Dead songs I like have one. I was surprised a number of Prodigy songs a love are 4 string. I was sure some notes were lower than E, but was wrong.
Any songs you especially enjoy playing on 5 string?
The question of 5 vs 4 comes around as regularly as Christmas (but perhaps more often) 
@Billn made some good points, and no reason to repeat those.
I just wanted to reiterate a difference that is often neglected a bit. Apart from the extended range, it is often more about being able to keep your hand in position (and avoiding long jumps along the fretboard).
Point in case: I am learning a tune right now and there is a run that starts on the lowest B on a 4 string (i.e., 7th fret E string) and goes all the way to the highest D (19th fret on the G string). And it’s a quick run; followed immediately by the same run, but starting on the A (5th fret E string).
That entire run requires a lot of quick movement along the fretboard and hitting those higher frets in time (and in groove) is hard.
Instead, on a 5 string, I can start the run on the 12th fret of the B string and only need very limited shifting of my hand during the run.
The “cost” (as also has been pointed out before) is that the B sounds differently when played on the 7th fret of the E string or on the 12th fret of the B string (different timbre), and while I would never hold a long B note on the 12th fret (doesn’t really sound all that good really), starting a quick run there is just fine.
Thank you joergkutter,
Super helpful additional consideration (hand position and movement), and surprising insight (long B note sounds less good). I would have guessed the opposite!
Thanks for the help.
Just to make sure we do not misunderstand each other: the open B sounds great (especially if you can leave it ringing) 
I was refering to the B on the 12th fret - I’d never use that B for a long note; rather use the 7th fret on the E string or 2nd fret on the A string for that.
One other thing I thought of: 5-string basses often have a tighter string spacing! Also something to keep in mind!
ah… thanks for clarification 
I’m a huge metalhead. Very very work in progress, but this is what I’m really excited to learn rn:
I have played 4 string since I took B2B back in 2019…. About 4 weeks ago I decided to add a 5 string to my arsenal so that I wouldn’t have to keep down tuning my 4 string basses for certain songs…. Here’s my 2 cents worth….
Personally, I wish I would have started playing a 5 string much earlier - like soon after I finished the B2B course…… It’s not that I’m having trouble learning how to play it, it’s more that my muscle memory is so solidly set on playing 4 strings that I find my fingers getting lost and confused especially when moving up and down frets… Many times I will catch myself plucking an A string when I really need to be plucking D string…. I’m getting better at playing it though - just have to be very cognizant of where my fingers are at when I’m playing - not like it is on my 4 strings where all my fingers just happen to know exactly where to go without ever having to really think about it….
So, my suggestion would be that if you’re considering playing a fiver, to familiarize yourself with it sooner than later….
This might sound weird, but many of the songs that I play on my 4 string basses, I tried playing on my 5 string and I SUCK!! However, the songs that I have learned on my 5 string I can play quite well and having that low B string to add to the mix is like adding a splash of strong coffee in the batter of a homemade dark chocolate cake!! Magic!!
Enjoy that fiver!!
Keep on Thumpin’!
Lanny
I have tried a few at the Guitar Center and love that deep B note.
The “but many of the songs that I play on my 4 string basses, I tried playing on my 5 string and I SUCK!!” is exactly what worries. I’ve worked so hard on songs like Gimme Some Lovin by the Blues Bros and Generals & Majors by XTC that were hard fought wins, it would be depressing to suck at playing them on a new guitar.
Your point about starting sooner than later tho makes perfect sense.
I’m going to research my first 50 song list. If I find 8-10+ songs that require a fiver, I’ll likely buy it now.
Thanks for the additional perspective. Rock on!
