Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert J Spear
Time warps are not uncommon if you make basses.  To me, the convention is only 20 months from now. It will probably take me at least a year or more to prepare everything, which means that I am thinking of it as being only six or eight months away! Bad habit. I must get over it. Sorry if I whet your appetite too soon, but at least now youwill have plenty of time to make plans.
I have heard that there will be a lot of events that will be of interest to players who either tune in fifths already or who are just curious. The fifths-tuning community looks like it will make a strong showing. My part will be the presentation of new bass designs that lend themselves to fifths tuning. Of course, these basses can easily be tuned in fourths as well. |
Several years ago after talking about 5ths, I walked into my office and re-tuned two of my basses to 5ths in the morning. By lunch time I tuned them back in defeat. I know a few hours is not enough but how do you reverse 40+ years of playing, training and thinking in 4ths? I have read that in the 19th century, 5ths players (3-strings only then) didn't play as well in tune as 4ths players. Shifting, stretching and pivoting all more of a necessity in 5ths than in 4ths. To get the Low C, I can see some merit here for the idea but with the limited usage of the notes below E, isn't the relaxed less stretched left hand faster to shift and fly than one stretched out with tendons screaming? Do you need bigger hands to play Cello fingering/tuning on a Double Bass. Isn't the bass big enough with 41-42" string length already when playing in fourths and wont 5ths make the bass feel even bigger? Please, correct me if I am wrong. Also, I would love to hear from players that make their living playing bass and playing it in tune. When I worked in NYC professionally, intonation wasn't an option. It was a prerequisite. Why chance a career change now if 4ths work!
I like the idea of the range but Cello tuning on a full scale Orchestra bass seems a bit painful for me. Like with a 5-string bass, when you are not using the B/C at all, it is still there. With a C-extension, the extended lower range is only there when you call for it. In 5ths, you are always stretching, for everything, not just the low notes.
One question for subject I have here is this; When you convert a bass from 4 to 5 strings, you have to beef up the bass bar as Luthiers did in the past converting 3 stringers to 4s. So, IF you want to tune your bass from 4ths to 5ths, will your regular 4-string bass bar experience any extra force exerted upon it like when adding a 5th string, to any degree?