How to Use a Fretless Bass
Fretless bass is one of the more controversial musical instruments and always seems to elicit strong opinions. If you own or are considering buying a fretless bass, or if you're considering enlisting the help of a fretless bass player in your band, keep in mind the strengths and weaknesses of the instrument. While always having the benefit of novelty, the fretless bass can be used in specific ways that make it a valuable instrument, as well as limitations and challenges that come along with them.
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Instructions
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Play tones that fall in between the notes played on a fretted bass. The fact that the fretless bass has no frets means that you can play with perfect intonation even if your instrument goes slightly out of tune. You can also play non-Western scales, an impossibility on fretted bass.
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Slide from note to note. The ability to slide fluidly is a big part of what gives the instrument its distinctive sound. Performing an accurate slide, however, is easy to do poorly or with bad intonation, since it requires you to move your entire fretting hand.
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Play notes with vibrato. The fretless bass allows for a vibrato technique similar to that of cello or other fretless stringed instruments. Some see this as a benefit, while others see fretless bass vibrato as one of the cheesier tricks a bassist can employ.
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References
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