Lessons for Fretless Players

FretLessSince68 · Post by **FretLessSince68** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 2:30 am

Properly placed side markers are my guide to being on position, then it's all about the ear.

Randy Ryan · Post by **Randy Ryan** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:26 pm

You forgot to mention the guitar player/teacher who picks up the fretless and slides into home on every note and shakes his hand violently to make some half-hearted attempt at vibrato and THEN classifies himself as an expert. I had one guy set up my fretless when I first got started (big mistake and I do all of my own setups now) and he did that same thing for me when I picked up the bass. He kept looking over at me in between all of those spastic acrobatics and just thought the world of himself. I wish I had handed him a chart and asked him just to play. Classic!

Big Thor · Post by **Big Thor** » Wed May 23, 2012 11:39 am

When I started out playing fretless I would play along with the songs I played on fretted. I quickly noticed that they sound like crap. Playing along with great fretless players, in the beginning will be nothing but confusing. You need to work on your technique and most importantly your ear. You need to be able to hear if your flat or sharp before you start sliding around. Again, I would recommend playing along with tunes you already know and get to a point where you can make them sound good. I have fretless and fretted jazz basses. I play both on gigs but the deal is to get the fretless as in-tune as the fretted—almost.
I know its old but that don’t matter, upright is much older. I dig his work, and anything helps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDdAOsY-mnE

wiro · Post by **wiro** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 10:35 am

If you cannot find a good bass teacher then find a piano player willing to teach you how to figure out bass lines.

By accident this happened to me and until today I'm happy with it.

Somehow piano players are capable of laying out the map of harmony in a practical and fun way which is ever so important for any bassplayer. While everything about posture and how to put your fingers and all that trivial stuff is better to figure out by yourself anyway to devellop your personal style.