it’s pretty easy in my experience. You’ll basically be doing all the exercises on the first four strings. What I do is after each lesson, go in and figure things out involving the 5th/B string. Maybe that’s playing the workouts an octave lower. Maybe that’s adding an octave to a scale. Maybe it’s just adding a few extra notes to a scale, depending on which scale it is. This will help later with the improv and arpeggio lessons.
There’s a lesson about a fretboard learning “hack” that details using the 3rd, 5th, and 7th frets, and you will know the notes around them more easily/quickly.
1)E-string they are G, A, B
2)A-string they are C, D, E
3)D-string they are F, G, A 4)G-string they are B, C, D
The low B-string they just are D, E, F if you see the pattern here.
The 5-string and 6-string basses are at times a bit of a different mentality, each one a little more to keep track of than the last in terms of muting strings, etc.
But yeah, it can definitely be done on a 5-string bass.
First of all, welcome aboard @beach5563 . . . . . we’re glad to have you with us!
You have two basses already, but have you had any experience with playing them? ( It might be confusing to you to learn if you’re following along with @JoshFossgreen in the course and using a 5 string). If you ignore the extra string you can do it, and at least get used to the feel of a 5 string bass guitar neck as well as the string spacing.
When you get the chance, stop by our “Introduce Yourself” thread and tell us a little about yourself.
Good luck to you and see you around the Forums
Joe
There’s a lot of videos out there of people describing the ‘perils’ of a 5 string and why you shouldn’t start on one.
Just added this to the ‘everything you ever wanted to know’ thread.
Q: Should I learn on a 4-string or 5-string?
A: Depends
So why so many people saying ‘stay away’ at first.
Because the generic answer is K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid).
The premise often overlooked by the K.I.S.S. principle is that someone is in fact Stupid, either inventor/designer or user.
Although it is generally true that the best ideas and inventions are the simplest, the idea does not necessarily apply to all users.
It is just a lot simpler for folks to say ‘start on a 4, one less variable’.
In the sax world, it’s ‘start on an alto’.
I started on bari, I don’t really care for alto at all.
Why, easier breath control if you are a kid, or, well you know, that ‘S’ word. Cheaper too.
I think some people pick up a 5 or 6 string and instantly go ‘wow, this is hard’.
Well, of course it is, its different.
No different than short scale vs. long, or P vs. J neck etc. Different may be more difficult, but if you give it some time, you may find a new favorite.
Approach anytihng in life with an open mind, and use the Force to guide you.
Only you know you.
When I first started learning to play bass, I made up my mind that I was going to be a 5-string player, therefore why not just learn on one. I immediately ordered a Yamaha BB235 (5-string) and took the B2B course on it. I have since owned and practiced on a few fivers along with some 4-strings. As a result, I can play just as easily on a 4 or 5. I think it’s a matter of personal preference. I didn’t find it any harder to learn to play bass on a 5-string than it would have been had I learned on a 4-string.
Thanks so much. Its really great to be here amongst you guys. I dont have any experience. I just have tried and failed so many times at learning and finally trying to get a good organized plan that fits with the 9 to 5 job. I think the best way is to just go ahead and go through it with the 5 and ignore the low B. Maybe start working it in later.
I think @Koldunya eluded to this…
Go through the course, ignore the B string.
Then you might go back and take a look at what you had played on the E string and say “how could I play this using the B string instead”. This unlocks the B string in a much bigger way than ‘what songs need the B string to play’. I wish I did this, still on my list to do but in a different way.
In seeing some of the topics on the forum I often wonder how many absolutely new Bass players give up trying because they have frustrated themselves.
By this I mean getting themselves engrossed in topics outside the boundaries, set up at the beginning of the B2B course, such as checking out different strings, whether tonewood is an actual consideration, pedals, and our all time favorite - in depth music theory, just to name a few.
Shouldn’t these sort of things be things to consider AFTER the B2B course?
So using KISS what does a rank beginner (no playing experience of any kind or music background) really need besides:
1 - A Bass that is set up properly
2 - Some form of amplification (either headphone or stand alone)
3 - The B2B course
4 - The willingness to really want to learn to play the Bass, and
5 - Time to PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
If you want to learn songs, Pink Floyd’s The Wall is an example that’s part of the course extras, too. On a 4-string it’s drop D, but if you learn it on a 5-string, that low D is just another note to fret on the B string (3rd fret). Once you unlock the achievement “Low End Rumble” you can play anything where an entire instrument is detuned as far as 2.5 steps.
It’s pretty empowering imo. I’ll never knock anyone for playing “just four strings” or going insane to the 7 and 8 string behemoth basses, either. Play the instruments you want to play and find joy in it Even if you insist on it being mahogany vs alder
I can’t say I agree with that, but of course everyone is wired differently…
For example, I took the TalkingBass Scale Essentials course simultaneously with the B2B course. I actually finished the Scales course before I finished B2B, and then started the Chord Tones course. I was about halfway through Chord Tones when I finished B2B. By that time, I was playing both 4 and 5 string bass, and was experimenting with fretless. I know of others who have taken similar paths.
There’s no harm in getting into a multi-faceted curriculum. Those who have attended college (as I have, twice) know that you may find yourself (for example) in an economics class at 9 am, followed by an ethics class, and then a psychology class.
I think it’s great to see those who are in the midst of the B2B course to be asking questions and expanding their horizons. The more curious you are, the more you will learn, and the better you will be.
YMMV.
I actually find it fun when I connect the dots while doing multiple courses. Example, I’m taking Jason Stalworth’s Metal Guitar Apprentice on the side right now, he and the other guy at Metal Mastermind are also fun to interact with, respond well to comments made, and it seems similarly structured as Beginner to Badass. I even told them I’m taking the lessons on a bass as well, since I know enough about bass and metal that they often go hand in hand with the guitar parts, I found myself adding fills to the riffs taught, etc. They thought that was really great. Jason even remembered me from my YouTube comments, and I think he’s pretty funny with all his facial expressions and hand-gestures at times XD
I’m also taking Talking Bass’ Technique Builder and was doing the Major and Minor scale/fingering exercises from earlier in the course, which basically extend on what Josh taught us about the scales, so it was a fun experience and something I was already doing on my own anyway but now I have a better idea of fingering positions, etc. Plus Mark tells you things to practice on your own versus just doing the lessons one after the other; it’s a bit of a different structure.
Then there’s that 5-string Mikro of mine that is tuned DADFA. Playing typical scales on it sometimes yields fun/interesting results, but also finding the scales I know on it is cool, too, because it gives me practice on knowing the notes themselves, and the fingerings in some cases are super smooth in a different way that is even more fun to play in some cases.
I actually feel sort of guilty mentioning stuff from other places on another’s forum/site, but Josh doesn’t seem to mind that I know of (a lot of people do it and don’t seem to catch flack from anyone really), some have said he and Mark are friends or something, etc, and Josh doesn’t teach guitar at all lol (and has explicitly said no to it XD).
I understand what you and @Koldunya are saying but for a newbie that knows absolutely nothing about music or the Bass multiple courses, at the same time, may only confuse things for them and steps outside of the KISS principle, leading to possible frustration that is absolutely unnecessary. There’s enough in the B2B course to keep a novice busy as it is.
But, as you say, everyone is wired differently.
It would be nice to hear what an absolute beginner thinks about this.
. . we’re glad to have you with us!
