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A Little Guide on How to Choose Bass Strings by Igor Saavedra
A Little Guide on How to Choose Bass Strings by Igor Saavedra… First of all I want to apologize with my readers for the delay on this April article. As you surely know I was in a tour in Europe playing in Germany at the Musikmesse and also in Spain and I just couldn’t find some good quality time to write.
Now concerning bass strings… Going into this subject, to my surprise, people frequently ask me things about strings that I took for granted that everybody knew. In this short article I will just give you a list of the things that everyone should know before choosing their strings.
1) “Rigidness” is not the same as “Tension”… that means a string can be very rigid but not necessarily very tense, or the opposite. A good example is when you play close to the bridge. Obviously the string feels very rigid right there, but the tension is quite the same all along the string.
2) Taking a four-string Bass as an example, the “Scale” (34”, 35”, 35”, etc.) of that Bass is measured from the nut to the exact point where the string makes contact with the bridge saddle and considering that not every string has the same scale because that scale distance usually increases towards the lower strings, the string that is taken as a reference is usually the G string.
3) The reason why the gauge of the strings is different is because that’s the best way to compensate for the lower tuning. A lower tuning on a string will apply less tension to it, but if you increase the gauge that will increase the tension of the string and compensate things; the wider the gauge the higher the tension.
4) Investigate… don’t assume that the “pre cocked” combination of gauges (tensions) that the string sets have are the best option for you, not everybody has the same hands, fingers, strength, angle of attack, sound preferences, etc., You can like a very tense “heavy” G string but a very soft “light” E string or quite the opposite, and that’s something you won’t find on string sets because either all the strings are “heavy” or all the strings are “light”, so my advice is trying to find single strings on the market and experiment as much as you can… you will be surprised. In fact, the gauges on my basses are just crazy, completely unavailable on standard string sets, but they perfectly suit my needs and preferences, which I think is far away the most important thing… experiment!
5) String gauge is expressed on “thousands of an inch”. That is for example a .040 G string has 40 thousands of an inch, so that’s the reason for the point on the left of the number. People in the US usually are more familiar with this information, but that doesn’t happen in the rest of the world where the Metric System is the one who reigns…
6) Learn and study about “Twelfth root of 2”… The scale of an instrument and the fretting is strictly related with this amazing number. I don’t want to extend this list explaining to you all the details about this, but I think it is a good idea to just give you the concept so you can find out more about it. String tension is closely related to this…
7) If you are looking for a brighter sound go for Roundwound strings. Roundwound is the most brilliant winding, though is a little noisier because of the increased friction with the fingertips. If you want less bright and less friction noise go for Halfwounds. And finally if bright sound and slapping are not important for you I would suggest using Flatwounds.
8) In relation to the materials, if you are looking for a brighter sound, go for Stainless Steel, then Nickel Plated Steel, and finally Nickel, which has the less bright. There are some Bronze windings that have a very bright sound but they will usually leave a lot of dirt on your fingertips.
9) You can get even brighter if you choose ”Exposed Core”, or “Contact Core” strings, where the core of the string, which has a higher harmonic composition, is exposed on the bridge saddle area so it can make direct contact with it. My advice is that you have to consider that if you choose this option as you’ll have to move the bridge saddles a little bit up so to compensate for this gauge reduction on that area, which will make the rest of the string, “which is wounded”, to be a little closer to the frets.
10) The Bass Pickups generate an electromagnetic field around each string. That electromagnetic field is altered by the string vibration and that vibration will have a different harmonic composition so it will behave differently depending on the string tension, the string material, the string construction, the tuning, the construction and woods of that particular Bass, the technique, the finger touch, the size of your hand and your fingertips, etc. The configuration of the particles (electrons, protons, etc.) obtained by this specific alteration then will travel from your pickups through your cable and will reach the amp and finally will go out from the speaker… so that’s how an Electric Bass sounds! For an Electric Guitar, obviously is the same principle… but we don’t care too much about that over here 🙂
That’s for this month my dear friends!
Bass Videos
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes…
It is always great to meet a super busy bassist who simply exudes a love for music and his instrument. Erick “Jesus” Coomes fits this description exactly. Hailing from Southern California, “Jesus” co-founded and plays bass for Lettuce and has found his groove playing with numerous other musicians.
Join us as we hear of his musical journey, how he gets his sound, his ongoing projects, and his plans for the future.
Photo, Bob Forte
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Visit Online
www.lettucefunk.com
IG @jesuscsuperstar
FB@jesuscoomes
FB @lettucefunk
Bass Videos
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
“These stories from the front are with real-life, day-to-day musicians who deal with work life and gigging and how they make it work out. Each month, topics may include… the kind of gigs you get, the money, dealing with less-than-ideal rooms, as well as the gear you need to get the job done… and the list goes on from there.” – Steve the Bass Guy and Shawn Cav
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This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
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Bass CDs
New Album: Jake Leckie, Planter of Seeds
Bassist Jake Leckie and The Guide Trio Unveil New Album Planter of Seeds,
to be released on June 7, 2024
Planter of Seeds is bassist/composer Jake Leckie’s third release as a bandleader and explores what beauty can come tomorrow from the seeds we plant today.
What are we putting in the ground? What are we building? What is the village we want to bring our children up in? At the core of the ensemble is The Guide Trio, his working band with guitarist Nadav Peled and drummer Beth Goodfellow, who played on Leckie’s second album, The Guide, a rootsy funky acoustic analog folk-jazz recording released on Ropeadope records in 2022. For Planter of Seeds, the ensemble is augmented by Cathlene Pineda (piano), Randal Fisher (tenor saxophone), and Darius Christian (trombone), who infuse freedom and soul into the already tightly established ensemble.
Eight original compositions were pristinely recorded live off the floor of Studio 3 at East West Studios in Hollywood CA, and mastered by A.T. Michael MacDonald. The cover art is by internationally acclaimed visual artist Wayne White. Whereas his previous work has been compared to Charles Mingus, and Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet with Charlie Haden, Leckie’s new collection sits comfortably between the funky odd time signatures of the Dave Holland Quintet and the modern folk-jazz of the Brian Blade Fellowship Band with a respectful nod towards the late 1950s classic recordings of Ahmad Jamal and Miles Davis.
The title track, “Planter of Seeds,” is dedicated to a close family friend, who was originally from Trinidad, and whenever she visited family or friends at their homes, without anyone knowing, she would plant seeds she kept in her pocket in their gardens, so the next season beautiful flowers would pop up. It was a small altruistic anonymous act of kindness that brought just a little more beauty into the world. The rhythm is a tribute to Ahmad Jamal, who we also lost around the same time, and whose theme song Poinciana is about a tree from the Caribbean.
“Big Sur Jade” was written on a trip Leckie took with his wife to Big Sur, CA, and is a celebration of his family and community. This swinging 5/4 blues opens with an unaccompanied bass solo, and gives an opportunity for each of the musicians to share their improvisational voices. “Clear Skies” is a cathartic up-tempo release of collective creative energies in fiery improvisational freedom. “The Aquatic Uncle” features Randal Fisher’s saxophone and is named after an Italo Calvino short story which contemplates if one can embrace the new ways while being in tune with tradition. In ancient times, before a rudder, the Starboard side of the ship was where it was steered from with a steering oar. In this meditative quartet performance, the bass is like the steering oar of the ensemble: it can control the direction of the music, and when things begin to unravel or become unhinged, a simple pedal note keeps everything grounded.
The two trio tunes on the album are proof that the establishment of his consistent working band The Guide Trio has been a fruitful collaboration. “Santa Teresa”, a bouncy samba-blues in ? time, embodies the winding streets and stairways of the bohemian neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro it is named for. The swampy drum feel on “String Song” pays homage to Levon Helm of The Band, a group where you can’t always tell who wrote the song or who the bandleader is, proving that the sum is greater than the individual parts. Early jazz reflected egalitarianism in collective improvisation, and this group dynamic is an expression of that kind of inclusivity and democracy.
“The Daughters of the Moon” rounds out the album, putting book ends on the naturalist themes. This composition is named after magical surrealist Italo Calvino’s short story about consumerism, in which a mythical modern society that values only buying shiny new things throws away the moon like it is a piece of garbage and the daughters of the moon save it and resurrect it. It’s an eco-feminist take on how women are going to save the world. Pineda’s piano outro is a hauntingly beautiful lunar voyage, blinding us with love. Leckie dedicates this song to his daughter: “My hope is that my daughter becomes a daughter of the moon, helping to make the world a more beautiful and verdant place to live.”
Bass CDs
Debut Album: Nate Sabat, Bass Fiddler
In a thrilling solo debut, bassist Nate Sabat combines instrumental virtuosity with a songwriter’s heart on Bass Fiddler…
The upright bass and the human voice. Two essential musical instruments, one with roots in 15th century Europe, the other as old as humanity itself.
On Bass Fiddler (Adhyâropa Records ÂR00057), the debut album from Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and bass virtuoso Nate Sabat, the scope is narrowed down a bit. Drawing from the rich and thriving tradition of American folk music, Sabat delivers expertly crafted original songs and choice covers with the upright bass as his lone tool for accompaniment.
The concept was born a decade ago when Sabat began studying with the legendary old-time fiddler Bruce Molsky at Berklee College of Music. “One of Bruce’s specialties is singing and playing fiddle at the same time. The second I heard it I was hooked,” recalls Sabat. “I thought, how can I do this on the bass?” From there, he was off to the races, arranging original and traditional material with Molsky as his guide. “Fast forward to 2020, and I — like so many other musicians — was thinking of how to best spend my time. I sat down with the goal of writing some new songs and arranging some new covers, and an entire record came out.” When the time came to make the album, it was evident that Molsky would be the ideal producer. Sabat asked him if he’d be interested, and luckily he was. “What an inspiration to work with an artist like Nate,” says Molsky. “Right at the beginning, he came to this project with a strong, personal and unique vision. Plus he had the guts to try for a complete and compelling cycle of music with nothing but a bass and a voice. You’ll hear right away that it’s engaging, sometimes serious, sometimes fun, and beautifully thought out from top to bottom.”
While this record is, at its core, a folk music album, Sabat uses the term broadly. Some tracks lean more rock (‘In the Shade’), some more pop (‘White Marble’, ‘Rabid Thoughts’), some more jazz (‘Fade Away’), but the setting ties them all together. “There’s something inherently folksy about a musician singing songs with their instrument, no matter the influences behind the compositions themselves,” Sabat notes. To be sure, there are plenty of folk songs (‘Louise’ ‘Sometimes’, ‘Eli’) and fiddling (‘Year of the Ox’) to be had here — the folk music fan won’t go hungry. There’s a healthy dose of bluegrass too (‘Orphan Annie’, ‘Lonesome Night’), clean and simple, the way Mr. Bill Monroe intended.
All in all, this album shines a light on an instrument that often goes overlooked in the folk music world, enveloping the listener in its myriad sounds, textures, and colors. “There’s nothing I love more than playing the upright bass,” exclaims Sabat. “My hope is that listeners take the time to sit with this album front to back — I want them to take in the full scope of the work. I have a feeling they’ll hear something they haven’t heard before.”
Available online at natesabat.bandcamp.com/album/walking-away
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
