Josh,
I have a question regarding the use of open strings. I have noticed that there is a natural resonance or vibration on the open strings that you don’t get on the fretted ones. I remember this from my guitar playing years ago. I heard from other players that the open strings are usually to be avoided for this reason except on passing notes or on an ending. I know the course makes use of the open string quit a bit, but I was wondering what your thought on this is. Sometimes, as I practice your lessons, I might just move the riff over (same key, same octive) to more fretted notes. Thoughts?
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Funny, I just got your email about this and suggested you ask around in the forum to hear some more opinions, and I see you beat me to the punch. 
I’ll paste my email reply for others reading:
That’s an interesting question. It depends a lot on your instrument + type of strings (roundwound vs. flatwound) too. For example, I love the open string sound on my vintage reissue Fender Precision bass with heavy gauge flatwounds, but I wouldn’t use the open strings on my Peavey Cirrus with relatively bright roundwounds for a lot of things because they sound too thin/trebley.
So yeah, it depends a lot, on the music/genre/role you’re trying to play too. If you want thicker, less trebley sounds, your closed strings are the way to go, in general.
Anyone else have thoughts?
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I agree here 100%. A lot of rock/pop/punk stuff where you’re really riding the one note can be played on an open string, and sometimes it has to be played on the open string because the other notes of the line are bouncing off of that string.
My main operating procedure is: Always play closed (which is to say, fretted) for control and then move to open if it sounds better/ more accurate (to a recording).
For any beginning course, the open strings are always the ones to start with, as it gives the extreme lows on the E, and (as is the traditional pedagogy) sets you up to play in that 1st position, where all the open strings are.
As things advance, things generally move from playing As Ds and Gs closed as the fretboard above the 5th fret become more accessible and navigable.
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I use open strings in fast passages. They are good for getting from a high position to a lower position. The open string lets your left hand to get down the fingerboard quickly.
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This is timely as I have focused on this for the past month. After Josh’s most excellent course, I am working out of the Hal Leonard book (on Book 3 now!) and just re-fingered several of the songs I played with open strings - hard to relearn with the new fingering (ugh!), but in many cases made the song easier to play. Using the fretboard also sets one up to easily change keys, if necessary, as the fingering would stay the same (well, at least for me as a beginner!).
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Yeah, good point.
Also, the process of relearning with new fingering is such a fruitful one. When I’m learning new music I like to come up with at least two or three left hand approaches just so that I have fluidity and I don’t end up in a panic zone if I happen to change something accidentally. And because the relearning/coming up with new fingering ideas process is such a good learning tool. Now I can come up with an ideal (for me) fingering for pretty much anything on my first or second pass, because I’ve gone through that process so many times.
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I seem to have more difficulty muting open string notes than fretted notes. For that reason when I read a “0” on bass tabs, I try to move open string notes on the 5th fret of next string.
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Trial and error has led me to the same conclusion, @Gio and @JoshFossgreen
A quick example is Zepplin’s “In The Light” . . . you could play either open or fretted “A”, but fretted might be more accurate to the studio recording.
One of the things I hope to accomplish (later on) is deliberately allowing one string to ring (drone?) while I am fretting notes on others . . . 
All best, Joe
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Yeah. There are some basslines that are designed around open string droning or chugging (Hysteria is a great example). They would just sound wrong if you didn’t, or be more difficult or nearly impossible to play.
But other than that even as a relative beginner I preferentially fret notes. I do have to make exceptions sometimes (my hand size necessitates a lot of shifting.)
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If you all wanna get into some droney, open string music, check out any of the Tool catelog. They’ve been making music for 30 years in the key of D. Pretty awesome to hear all the variations they’ve found… and all over that sweet, sweet open D string.
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Well, there’s the open D string, and then there’s also the other open D string. “Both kinds of music.” 
I’m glad I found this thread…
Right after I bought my bass and started learning how to play, and weeks before I discovered BassBuzz, I watched this video presented by a lady who is known as an excellent bass teacher. In this video, the first thing she says is NEVER use open strings.
However, once I started the B2B classes, I’ve followed Josh and used open strings with no apparent problems. To me, it just seems easier and quicker to use the open string, rather than sliding around the fret board and jumping a string to play the same note. So, I think I shall disagree with Yonit.
Your thoughts?
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Never say “never”, @PamPurrs . . .
There is NO “correct” answer to this . . . depends on the style you are playing, the locations of the notes on the fretboard vs where you’re going next, etc. Everyone has their own opinions on this one, so join the club!
All best, Joe
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Yeah I disagree with her as well, I understand what she was going for, which is giving a quick tip that will help people play better, but I don’t think it really helps without understanding why she’s saying that.
My guess is what she really means is don’t use open strings when you want the expressiveness of a fretted note. Having your finger on the string means you can do vibrato and give the note some continued life, which is often a better choice.
Also, she mentions the muting issue, but that isn’t really a reason to not use open strings, just something you need to be aware of if you do.
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This is an interesting thread. For the life of me, I cannot play open strings! I recently learned All My Loving; my fingers move easier by fretting A on the E string than by playing the A string open.
I also think the A on the 5th fret of the E string sounds a tad deeper than the A string open.
I think that, ultimately, we use the fingering that is more comfortable to play the bass line.
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I confess I haven’t read the whole thread (TLDR and it’s getting late over here in the UK!) so hope I’m not repeating anything. I use the open strings when appropriate (nice ambiguous word that!) but actually tend to prefer not to. Two reasons: one is that they do seem to have a slightly different tone (maybe the finger on a fret mutes fretted strings a little?) the other is that if I’m playing a line with no open strings it’s much easier to move it up and down to a different key.
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Open strings are actually superior for both tone and overall groove in many situations. It really depends on the song. Most of Peter Hook’s basslines, and many of Chris Wolstenholme’s, for example, sound and work much much better with open strings.
Open strings are used by double bassists who play walking bass lines. James Jamerson used them often when he switched from his upright to an electric bass.
Yep, plenty of reason to use them. They are a tool like anything else.
June 2019:
November 2023:
Our journey with bass has many turns indeed.
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