What about five strings? This is one of the thoughts that you'll begin to consider once you begin playing with other people. You may experience pressure from other musicians to play lower notes which can only be reached with the addition of a lower tuned string which, of course, would be on a five-string bass. The pitches of these lower notes are not that much lower than the low E when you consider their primary or foundation frequencies. The foundation frequency of the lowest bass E note is about forty-one point two cycles per second (41.2 hertz), the number of times in one second that the string swings from top to bottom and back to the top of its path of movement. If you add a lower (B) string, the primary frequency of the low B note is around thirty-two hertz (31.87 Hz) - not a lot of difference, really, BUT, and this is a big but, some musicians will claim these ten or so cycles per second will add a great deal of extra 'bottom' or bass tonality to the music. Currently, this is part of the evolution of style and the expectations of (some) of the listening audience. As for myself, using those lower tones are a matter of taste and agreement with the other musicians as to what is best for the group and the song - the musical philosophy of the group. As I said at the beginning of this booklet, there are some distortion problems with the lower bass notes, C#, C, B, and this uncontrolled distortion has to be compensated for in one way or another (fingering the notes and striking the strings differently, or adjusting your equipment in one way or another) so I can't speak totally in favor of using them - BUT, they're being used by bassists all over the world so you might want to consider using them, too.
Definition: foundation: base of a building; the groundwork or basis. Regarding a note or a pitch, which are complex sounds, the base or basis of the sound. The simple tone.
This could necessitate an additional outlay of cash for another bass, one with five strings. And of course it would also necessitate undergoing a short transition period during which you learn to incorporate the lower notes into your playing. There are advantages and disadvantages to this. The disadvantages are time investment and adjustment of your mental musical concepts as well as the physical concepts of positional playing (which is very minor). The advantages are, of course, greater range of lower pitches and the addition of notes which allow you to have additional inversions at your fingertips. This last advantage can be very satisfying! The advantages seem to far outweigh the disadvantages.
There is an alternative to buying a five-string bass.
What about four strings? Tuned B, E, A, D instead of E, A, D, G? I mean, who really uses the fourth (G) string on a four-string bass anyway? Why not just string your four-string bass using the lowest four strings of a five-string set? This gives you a low string that is five notes or half-steps lower than the previously lowest E string and only eliminates the high G string and the few times that you would use the notes on that string as harmonizing notes in diads or double stops. This added lower string is easily incorporated into your playing because all the positional fingerings which you've learned, the patterns of notes which can be moved as a group anywhere on the neck without changing their geometric pattern, can be migrated one string lower with ease because the added lower string is tuned in the same relationship in which all the other strings have been tuned (fifths, going downwards). The fifth fret position on the low B string is the same note as the open string position on the next highest string, now the E string as it is for all of the other strings, too. One advantage of using a four-string bass with this string configuration is that the neck of a four-string is slimmer than the neck of a five-string bass. A slimmer neck is generally easier on the muscles in your fretting hand.
If you were to adopt this particular four-string configuration you might need to have the tension bar(s) in the neck of your bass adjusted but this may not be necessary if you use a set of strings (a five-string set) which has lower tension or a lighter gauge (thicknesses of the strings). For example, if you were using a medium gauge four string set, when switching to the lowest four strings of a five-string set, use a lighter gauge. Or it's entirely possible that using the same gauge would make no difference to your neck at all. Just keep an eye from time to time on the straightness of the neck by peering up the neck from just above the body of the bass. You might also need to have the grooves in the nut, the small bar near the top of the neck near the tuners through which the strings pass and on which the strings rest, filed a bit to make them wider for the new strings. But also, maybe not. You'd have to judge whether the new strings set well and completely in the grooves. If you have to file them wider it can be tricky. You do not want to file them deeper. It would be best if you had a technician at a local music store do it for you if it's needed. You'd need a set of very small, very finely serrated files which are available at Radio Shack stores or the Home Depot. Specialized Nut Files which have blunted edges and file only on the sides are available from Stewart-MacDonald, telephone: 800 848-2273; web site: stewmac.com, but they're expensive.
So, that's a way for you to experiment with lower frequencies if you have the desire. It's easy to do.
Frequencies are simple sounds and consist of one primary vibration. Pitches are sounds that instruments and voices produce and are complex and consist of multiple frequencies although only one of those frequencies, the simple tone, is primary or foundational (to that pitch) while the rest are overtones or harmonics.
The primary frequencies of the open strings on the bass are: E - 41.2 cycles per second (hertz), A - 55.0 Hz, D - 73.42 Hz, G - 98.0 Hz. A low B string would be 30.87 Hz.
Foundation frequencies, from the A note, open 5th string on a guitar, one octave higher than the open A note on bass, up to middle C would be: A - 110.0, A# - 116.5, B - 123.47, C - 130.81, C# - 138.6, D - 146.83, D# - 155.6, E - 164.81, F - 174.61, F# - 184.9, G - 196.0, G# - 207.7, A - 220.0, A# - 233.1, B - 246.94 and middle C - 261.63 Hz.
As you can see, the primary frequencies of the A notes are the only ones that are consistently a whole number and the reason for this is that A is one of music's defined conventions. It's defined as A 440, also the frequency of an A tuning fork.
Octaves of any given simple tone are about one half or double the frequency of the (simple) tone. For example, A 440, 220, 110 and getting into the range of bass, A at 55 Hz. Of course getting above A 440 the next highest octave would be A at 880, then 1,760, 3,520, 7,040, 14,080 then 28,160 which is way above the range of human hearing of which the limit is around 20,000 cycles per second or hertz, Hz.
Why do I mention these? These frequency figures can help in understanding the ranges of frequencies that musical instruments produce. This is valuable information when playing and recording because you have to eliminate conflicts within 'sonic spaces' (frequency ranges), that is, if two or more instruments are being played or recorded and they share similar frequency ranges, uncontrolled distortions and other anomalies can easily occur so decisions have to be made about how to treat the sounds produced by each instrument in order to downplay or eliminate these conflicts. (This idea of the treatment of sounds introduces the concept of equalization or EQ, the boosting or decreasing of the loudness of frequencies, a tool often used in recording and as sound modifying controls on bass amplifiers).
Musical instruments include the human voice which has a range of about two thousand Hz, from about forty hertz for bass singers, through the tenor and alto ranges, to, maybe, two thousand hertz, which would be the highest pitches of the soprano range. Of course instruments, as well as the voice, have overtones which are higher than as well as mathematically related to the frequencies of the simple tones which are written as notes and played or sung as pitches made up of the simple tones and their harmonics. It's not so important to address these overtones or harmonics as potential causes of sonic conflicts because they are weaker and softer and less intense. They are ripples (literally) on the waves of the simple tones and form a sonic shimmering backdrop.
Definition: vibration: a swinging, backwards and forwards, an oscillation, varying between certain limits.
Definition: foundation: base of a building; the groundwork or basis. Regarding a note or a pitch, which are complex sounds, the base or basis of the sound. The simple tone.
Definition: pitch: the highness or lowness of a sound, the tuning of an instrument.
Definition: simple tone: a sound which consists of one thing or element; not complex or compound; a single frequency often unrecognizable as a note or a pitch since a pitch is made up of multiple frequencies. An example of a single frequency is a sine wave as measured by and displayed on an oscilloscope.
Definition: tone: a musical sound of definite pitch; a complex sound consisting of a simple tone and overtones.
Definition: overtones or harmonics: partial tones which accompany a simple tone; in physics, for example, one might look at the fluctuations along a sine wave's path, little waves on the larger wave, like bursts of foam or breaks on an ocean wave.
Definition: wave: a state of vibration (a tone) propagated through a system of particles (the air or water: the medium); an undulating surge traveling on the surface of the sea; to move up and down in time.
Our musical instruments and scales are not perfect. For example the frequency of a 5th of any simple tone is about 49 percent higher than the original but the 49 % figure is only approximate. It becomes more and more exact, 49.7 to 49.9, and even more precise as we define more and more exactly what the notes in our scale are to be. The scales we actually use are a little flaky and allow small deviations in pitches. This becomes more apparent to our ears, if they become refined, as we listen to extended chords and orchestrations. Everything is a balancing act. We will sometimes use a pitch which is slightly different than what we would expect to calculate mathematically or measure on an oscilloscope in a musical circumstance in which the surrounding notes have changed (same note, different chord). By aurally balancing, pleasing our 'ears,' by slightly changing the note, we make it almost imperceptively higher or lower, so that it 'sounds better' in the new or different environment. An example of this would be any note, let's say a 7th note of a major scale found in a major chord of one kind or another becoming, say, a 4th in another scale and another chord, say, an F suspend 4. The two so called 'identical' notes, Bb, would actually sound slightly different if measured in one way or another, especially if they were played on an instrument with non-fixed intonation mechanisms like a violin. Or a fretless bass. Many examples of this can be stipulated.
Definition: intonation: the pitching of musical notes. When we check to hear that the note played at the twelfth fret sounds like the note of the same string played 'open' or not fretted (the open string) we are checking the intonation of that string and, mechanically speaking, the proportion of its lengths: from the twelfth fret to the bridge, the adjustable string support at the bottom of the bass, compared to its total length, bridge to nut, the grooved string support at the top of the neck near the tuners. If you half the length of a vibrating string you make it sound an octave higher. There are physical ratios of string lengths for all the other notes, too.
This information about frequencies will be useful to you sometime. You might want to get a chart which depicts the frequency ranges of many instruments. In fact I've included one on the next page titled, "Frequency Ranges of Musical Instruments."
Instrument ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Frequency Range in Hertz
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Cycles Per Second)
Acoustic Guitar ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 82 to 880
Bass Guitar ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 41 to 300
Bass, Standup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 41 to 261
Bass Guitar, 5 String, with Low B String ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 32 to 300
Bassoon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~62 to 525
Clarinet~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~160 to 1750
Electric Guitar ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 82 to 1050
Flute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 260 to 2600
French Horn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 82 to 1000
Oboe ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 260 to 2600
Piccolo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 525 to 4200
Pipe Organ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 27 to 4200
Trumpet ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~160 to 1000
Tuba ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 45 to 240
Violin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 200 to 3100
Vocal, Bass ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~40 to 900
Vocal, Tenor~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~130 to 1300
Vocal, Alto~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~175 to 1760
Vocal, Soprano~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~220 to 2100
Bass Frequencies
5 = 30.87 B string
4 = 41.2 E
3 = 55.0 A
2 = 73.42 D
1 = 98.0 G
Key frequencies on the bass
are:
75, 350, 500 and 10,000 hertz.
Guitar Open-String ~~~~~~~~~~ Frequencies from
Frequencies ~~~~~~~~~~~ Guitar 5th Str. A - mid. C
6 = 82.41 E ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A - 110.0
5 = 110.0 A ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A# - 116.5
4 = 146.83 D~~~~~~~~~~~~~~B - 123.47
3 = 196.0 G ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C - 130.81
2 = 246.94 B~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C# - 138.6
1 = 329.63 E~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ D - 146.83
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ D# - 155.6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ E - 164.81
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ F - 174.61
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ F# - 184.9
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ G - 196.0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ G# - 207.7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A - 220.0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A# - 233.1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ B - 246.94
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C - 261.63
For the frequencies on the A string on the bass, just halve
the Frequencies from Guitar 5th Str. A - mid. C, above.
What do people mean when they describe certain musical sounds as 'tones?'
What is 'tone?' What is the 'Quest for Tone?'
There is a distinction between a tone and 'tone.' A tone is, technically speaking, a musical sound of definite pitch. It can be a simple sound (simple tone) or a complex sound consisting of a simple tone and overtones.
Definition: pitch: the highness or lowness of a sound.
Definition: simple tone: a sound which consists of one thing or element; not complex or compound; a single frequency often unrecognizable as a note or a pitch since a pitch is made up of multiple frequencies. An example of a single frequency is a sine wave as measured by and displayed on an oscilloscope.
Definition: overtones or harmonics: partial tones which accompany a simple tone; in physics, for example, one might look at the fluctuations along a wave's path, little waves on the larger wave, like bursts of foam or breaks on an ocean wave.
Definition: wave: a state of vibration (a tone) propagated through a system of particles (the air or water: the medium); an undulating surge traveling on the surface of the sea; to move up and down in space and time.
Definition: frequency: the number per second of vibrations or waves or cycles of any periodic phenomenon, one which occurs at regular intervals. The number of times that a vibration or wave occurs each second.
'Tone' is a musical colloquialism. The use of the word, 'tone,' in the phrase, 'Quest for Tone,' is less technical, musically speaking, more of a musical cliche, an idiomatic expression which loosely means: character, the sum total of all the peculiar qualities of a musical sound which constitutes its individuality and desirability (my inclusion).
Definition: colloquial: pertaining to, or used in, common (musical) conversation; a colloquialism is a form of expression used in familiar (music) talk.
Definition: cliche: a commonplace phrase.
Definition: idiom: idiomatic expression: an expression, characteristic of a language, in this case the language of music, not logically or grammatically explicable.
Another musical colloquialism is use of the word, 'fundamental,' which, colloquially, means the same as the more technical term, 'simple tone' or 'primary tone.' By technical, I mean very specifically defined. Technically, 'fundamental' means the root of a chord; a tone which produces a series of harmonics; a generator (of harmonics) but everyone uses 'fundamental' as a musical colloquialism when referring to the simple tone or primary tone which does, as the definition of 'fundamental,' above, states, generate harmonics. So the terms, 'simple tone' and 'fundamental' intrude on each other's definition. To keep concepts very clear I've chosen to use the more specific term, 'simple tone,' whenever there's a choice between the two. However, you will read the term, 'fundamental,' often, especially in music magazines.
Definition: root: the lowest note of a chord which is in the fundamental position (non inverted), for example, a C major chord, C, E, G, the root is the C note.
But I digress . . .
Why do I include harmonics? Because these partial tones add character to 'tone.' When emphasized they give 'tone' additional characteristics such as more treble or more presence. They also contribute to the creation of what we perceive as the signature identity of any particular instrument or sound.
Definition: character: essential features or peculiarities; the sum total of peculiar qualities which constitute individuality.
Definition: presence: a characteristic of sound which places it in the foreground of perception.
Definition: signature identity: signature: to sign: proof, outward evidence; to indicate, convey or communicate; identity: state of being the same; who or what a person is. Indication of who or what a person is, therefore as a musical term, an indication of what an instrument or voice is or what a person sounds like. And will sound like most of the time.
Our perceptions of 'tone' vary from musical genre to genre. One musician's 'tone' can be another musician's nightmare if they play different types of music, although this is not always true. So the 'Quest for Tone' takes musicians on all sorts of paths depending on the genre of music in which they're involved.
Definition: musical genre: musical kind, type, group, class. For example: some musical genres are: Rock, Jazz, Country, Classical, Funk, R & B, Hip Hop, Reggae, Dub, Drums & Bass, Bluegrass, etc. . .
The common meaning of 'tone' also includes another characteristic of sound, timbre, the quality of tone or sound. Now we've added another important adjective: quality.
Definition: quality: degree of goodness or worth.
So, 'tone' now includes character, harmonics and quality or an idea of worth or approval. Good 'tone' is sound that finds approval among musicians playing in a genre and fans who accept or set the standards for what 'sounds good' in that genre at that time. Getting more complicated by the minute.
Texture. Yet another complication! It's beginning to seem endless. Musical Texture is an impression resulting from hearing the combining or interrelating of the parts of a whole.
What's an impression? An idea or emotion left in the mind by an experience. A vague, uncertain memory. So texture is a 'soft' word in music. It has no hard and fast meaning. Boggles the mind. Now 'tone' has drifted into the realm of vague and uncertain memories. Pretty soon 'tone' could take us into the land of the delusional! Expenditure of effort without consistent results based on a false belief that something exists when it doesn't. Does 'tone' exist or is it an illusion? A sonic apparition.
You can see why musicians can become obsessed with the 'Quest for Tone.' Precisely because it is a (never ending) quest which is at best satisfied momentarily, for the one song or for the evening if you're fortunate enough to have one of those perfect, in-the-musical-zone, nights that come along once in a while. So, it's very subjective. An individual can hear a recording of a sound that she thought was just perfect the night before and, upon hearing it again the next day, from a recording! think, "What was I thinking last night? How could I have believed my 'tone' was so good? Yecch."
So perhaps 'tone' ought not stand alone. Maybe it ought not be judged as an individual element. Sounds have to work together. This makes the 'Quest for Tone' even more complicated! In the sense that sounds have to be modified from their original states in order to work well relative to other sounds, the 'Quest' can become even more difficult!
So what's the solution?
Is there a problem?
Maybe 'tone' is not really a problem at all. Maybe it's a spirit. Or a Mantra. Or a Zen Koan: you know it when you have it! Maybe you don't have to search for it at all. It might be at your fingertips all the time. All you have to do is hear it, in your mind's ear, then find a way to express it, articulate it. Maybe the 'Quest for Tone' is the connection between your mind and your playing. Between your desires and your physical articulations which is your touch. Certainly happiness can be found here. The perfect 'tone' is the one that makes everyone happy in the moment and you get it through experience, experimentation and playing in the moment, by developing your touch, by creating all your instrument and amp tone settings, effects and dynamics, relative to all the other sounds around you and articulating your notes in the way that best suits your sonic environment and makes everyone smile and nod in appreciation. It can be bliss, beyond your self, even mystical. That's why people love it.
Which is not to say that it is impossible to gain. It happens more often than you would think. Which is meant to be encouraging.
Definition: touch: distinctive handling of a musical instrument, skill or nicety in such; sense of feeling or contact; act of touching: any impression conveyed by contact.
As we expand our musical horizons and get GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) our eyes enlarge and become bigger than our pocketbooks. We would like to have the use of all sorts of amps and basses but we have financial limitations. To save money consider buying an amp simulator like the Bass Pod made by Line 6. It's an effects device that gives you models, simulations of sixteen different bass amplifiers all with very different characteristics. Expand your tonal horizons.
Definition: simulator: in modern music, to make something sound similar to another thing, like another thing. An amp simulator gives you the ability to make your music sound like you're playing through a totally different amplifier.
Cheap equipment is useful, too. If you could plug your bass into it, you could play through a radio from 1930, put a microphone in front of it and plug the mic into your regular amp. You would modify your tones and your 'tone.' You could play in different environments like a bat cave or in a hot air balloon's basket to modify. Of course it would be easier to simulate these environments with effects devices. And often that's exactly what bassists do to give themselves more options.
Up until the early twentieth century tones were fixed, as sounds produced by a limited number of musical instruments. All music was written for instruments which were fixed in 'tone' and in signature individuality. In a way this made it easier for composers because they had a limited palette of instruments with which to work; they didn't have the complications of modern music which utilizes instruments which can produce infinite 'tones.' They did not have the 'Quest For Tone.' In the beginning of the twentieth century that changed with the inventions of the first electronic instruments. Now, in the present day, almost any musician, including bassists, can produce any 'tone' imaginable. This is an amazing evolution! But, like anything else, it brings problems. How do you make ('tone') decisions when you have such abundance?
Why do I mention this bit of history? To emphasize how important 'tone' has become. Modern music has left the age of tones with its focus on the arrangements of notes as its most grand accomplishment and entered the age of 'tone.' We can no longer take 'tone' for granted and keep the major focus of our creativity on tones. It's the opposite in modern music, Rock music, which evolved from the Blues. Now 'tone' is more important than the notes we play. This is as true for the Rock bassist as it is for all other Rock instrumentalists as well as Rock vocalists, too. Contrary to the way some people perceive modern music, Rock music has become more subtle and sophisticated tonally than music has been for thousands of years!
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