I loved that one of the first things you shared was that you should play it similarly to a fretted bass but with some more subtlety in the notes. This is how I approach it. If you over do it on slides and vibrato, it's just too much. For me, I love the color it adds to the notes. Three really nice tips Greg. Thanks for sharing.
Love John Giblin, particularly his work with Chris de Burgh on the Getaway album. Also, let's not forget his beautiful bass line on 'The Lady in Red'. His work with Brand X is also sensational.
Hi Greg, I'm a 65 yr.old player and I finally got the courage to take up fretless about 7 months ago after decades of fretted,and I'm loving it.Though it's not easy I wish I did it years ago.Very nice site so I subbed.I didn't know who the bassist for Kate was and I'll look for more of John Giblin.
Hi Kev Mac, great you’ve got round to trying fretless. Great instrument isn’t it?! It is tricky playing one at first, I found that locking in a really uniform left hand technique helps with tuning. You might also like my lesson on Pino Palladino that I released yesterday. Good luck with your fretless playing and let me know if you have any questions.
Hi Kev Mac, I’m 64 and just got my 1st fretless last week, and it also happens to be my 1st 5-string (Ibanez GWB205) so I’m confounded on multiple levels ! I see your post is a year old so I wonder how you’re coming along. I’m learning to sight read as well so trying to read AND get proper intonation is BRUTAL. Best of luck to both of us !
@@michaelanthony9068 Better late than never eh? The fretless is such a beautiful sounding instrument.(in the right hands) lol. All we can do is plug along and stay at it.It is a challenge but one that rewards hard work.Your intonation will improve.You are probably doing better than you realize.I know I'm my own worst critic. Good luck also!
Excellent advice, Greg, I just got myself a pre-owned ibanez 370f fretless to do my best to play the sort of stuff you demonstrate here and I'm really grateful for your help. As it happens, I've been a fan of John Martyn for..oh my is it really near 50 years! Grace and Danger was the third or fourth album (vinyl of course) that I bought and I totally agree with you about the bass on it. Anyhoo, keep up the good work 👍
I use .040 GHS Pressurewounds on my fretless. They are smooth to the touch as not to damage the fingerboard but sound almost as lively as roundwounds. I love them.
What a wonderfull bass,is it a status??? Very good vid, in terms of basics. If you listen, to all the fretles beasts out there :mark egan, michael manring, eric czar,jaco p.,etc, the list is long.
Good video, Greg. I have a fretless but simply don't use it as much as I should. Thanks for the suggestion about another bass player to listen to; haven't heard of him before. But, of course, Pino plays fretless that is so recognizable on many people's albums.
Hi Brad, glad you liked the video. Yes I would definitely make a difference between that 'mwah' sound and a full-on vibrato, but for me using a subtle vibrato helps to bring out that mwah so I look at them as very much connected. That what I was trying to get across in the video, maybe not 100% successfully!
Ah, but was it John Giblin or Pino who played on 'Lady in Red?' :o The story is that each is honor bound to blame the other. :) Of course another good source of Giblin fretless stuff is Kate Bush. :)
Simon Bowkett didn’t know that story about Lady In Red. I’ll have to have a proper listen and see if I can pin it down! Good call with Kate Bush for more John Giblin lines.
@@blacktincrow2495 I was confused for a minute with your first comment 😀 I see what you thought, as the bridges on the Status basses look a little unusual!
@@GregsBassShed Percy is a monster…but very difficult to play along with! Another excellent player in the same zone as John Goblin is John Martyn’s other long term sideman, Alan Thompson. And let’s not forget Danny Thompson who’s just a world class player!
Just discovered your channel. Good job on the lesson! Might I suggest slightly better mic work? It would sound a bit more professional if you were speaking into a closet mic.
drumsnbass thanks, good suggestion, I’ve been working on sorting my speaking voice out, so hopefully this should improve in a few videos time. I’m using a condenser mic, and I am now placing it closer and working on EQ-ing it too. Appreciate the feedback and glad you are enjoying the videos.
Great video and tips. Especially the third one with the 5ths and octaves that sounds like chorus is a killer advice. Thumbs up, mate!
Zafbass thanks, glad you found the lesson useful.
Doubling up with 5ths or octaves really up’d my fretless playing.
Great tips, I learned so much!!!! Thank you.
You are so welcome!
I loved that one of the first things you shared was that you should play it similarly to a fretted bass but with some more subtlety in the notes. This is how I approach it. If you over do it on slides and vibrato, it's just too much. For me, I love the color it adds to the notes. Three really nice tips Greg. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked the video and share the same ideas towards playing fretless, it takes taste to play it well!
Love John Giblin, particularly his work with Chris de Burgh on the Getaway album. Also, let's not forget his beautiful bass line on 'The Lady in Red'. His work with Brand X is also sensational.
Some great suggestions, thanks! 'Crying And Laughing' is so great 👌
Hi Greg, I'm a 65 yr.old player and I finally got the courage to take up fretless about 7 months ago after decades of fretted,and I'm loving it.Though it's not easy I wish I did it years ago.Very nice site so I subbed.I didn't know who the bassist for Kate was and I'll look for more of John Giblin.
Hi Kev Mac, great you’ve got round to trying fretless. Great instrument isn’t it?! It is tricky playing one at first, I found that locking in a really uniform left hand technique helps with tuning. You might also like my lesson on Pino Palladino that I released yesterday. Good luck with your fretless playing and let me know if you have any questions.
Hi Kev Mac, I’m 64 and just got my 1st fretless last week, and it also happens to be my 1st 5-string (Ibanez GWB205) so I’m confounded on multiple levels ! I see your post is a year old so I wonder how you’re coming along. I’m learning to sight read as well so trying to read AND get proper intonation is BRUTAL. Best of luck to both of us !
@@michaelanthony9068 Better late than never eh? The fretless is such a beautiful sounding instrument.(in the right hands) lol.
All we can do is plug along and stay at it.It is a challenge but one that rewards hard work.Your intonation will improve.You are probably doing better than you realize.I know I'm my own worst critic.
Good luck also!
Funny, 60-ish seems to be the turning point towards fretless, the same here, I'm 63 and turned fretless about a year ago :)
Excellent advice, Greg, I just got myself a pre-owned ibanez 370f fretless to do my best to play the sort of stuff you demonstrate here and I'm really grateful for your help. As it happens, I've been a fan of John Martyn for..oh my is it really near 50 years! Grace and Danger was the third or fourth album (vinyl of course) that I bought and I totally agree with you about the bass on it. Anyhoo, keep up the good work 👍
Glad you enjoyed the video and great to find a fellow John Martyn fan! Good luck with the fretless!
I use .040 GHS Pressurewounds on my fretless. They are smooth to the touch as not to damage the fingerboard but sound almost as lively as roundwounds. I love them.
Hey Nuno, I've never heard of Pressurewounds but I'm going to check them out for sure!
@@GregsBassShed if you do try them out, tell us what you think. All the best.
Mick Karn is my favourite fretless bassist;sadly missed
Jon Swift great choice. I must dig out my Japan albums again!
Karn was like a god to me when I started on the bass. Of course it was a fretless.
Thanks Greg, 20+ years playing bass, I just bought my first fretless. This was the inspiration I needed to get started.
That is awesome Mike! Good luck with the fretless.
I like to do hammer-ons and pull-offs on fretless to get a slide sound.
They sound great on the fretless. You'll get a slightly different sound with a slide but it's great to have all these techniques at your fingertips.
Great tip on John Giblin - I'm looking for more fretless inspirations. Great vid - thanks!
No no worries Tom. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard John Giblin. Happy to spread the word!
Thank you for introducing John Gablin. Really like the song looking on
He is great isn't he!
Thank you young man for the great instruction
Cheers Drew
Good stuff
Cheers John
Excellent work, sir! Great video!
Cheers. I must make some full length lesson on some of the John Giblin bass lines. I love them!
@@GregsBassShed Do it!
This advice is gold
Thanks so much!
What a wonderfull bass,is it a status???
Very good vid, in terms of basics.
If you listen, to all the fretles beasts out there :mark egan, michael manring, eric czar,jaco p.,etc, the list is long.
Yes that's my Status that I got custom made for me back in 2004. I love it so much and so impressed by how much warmth the graphite neck gives.
Well hell's bells! A lesson even I can grasp. Well done. Subbed and liked
Thanks for the sub and glad you got into the lesson!
Thanks a lot 🙏
No problem, glad you like it.
Good video, Greg. I have a fretless but simply don't use it as much as I should. Thanks for the suggestion about another bass player to listen to; haven't heard of him before. But, of course, Pino plays fretless that is so recognizable on many people's albums.
Ron Mollinga thanks, let me know what you think of John Giblin. I think he’s on some of Kate Bush’s albums too.
Amazing 👏
Thanks 😄
Check out Dave Sturt. He plays his fretless beautifully and lyrically on Jade Warrior’s 1993 Album, “Breathing the Storm.”
Thanks bro.
Welcome!
Thanks for the outstanding video.
Thanks, glad you like it!
Thanks, I enjoyed this. One thing though... mwah and vibrato are two different things.
Hi Brad, glad you liked the video. Yes I would definitely make a difference between that 'mwah' sound and a full-on vibrato, but for me using a subtle vibrato helps to bring out that mwah so I look at them as very much connected. That what I was trying to get across in the video, maybe not 100% successfully!
thanks!
Welcome!
Ah, but was it John Giblin or Pino who played on 'Lady in Red?' :o The story is that each is honor bound to blame the other. :) Of course another good source of Giblin fretless stuff is Kate Bush. :)
Simon Bowkett didn’t know that story about Lady In Red. I’ll have to have a proper listen and see if I can pin it down!
Good call with Kate Bush for more John Giblin lines.
tip #4 and a very important one.. watch all the Tony Franklin videos you can.. THE fretless bassist
Thanks and good tip with Tony Franklin.
@@GregsBassShed I forgot to say that you play very well also .. !!
@@Bigstrat2 thanks!
Two sets of tuners?....I think I need another cup of coffee..
Forget it...I thought the saddles were headless tuners...lol
@@blacktincrow2495 I was confused for a minute with your first comment 😀
I see what you thought, as the bridges on the Status basses look a little unusual!
Percy Jones
Good call!
@@GregsBassShed Percy is a monster…but very difficult to play along with! Another excellent player in the same zone as John Goblin is John Martyn’s other long term sideman, Alan Thompson. And let’s not forget Danny Thompson who’s just a world class player!
Just discovered your channel. Good job on the lesson!
Might I suggest slightly better mic work? It would sound a bit more professional if you were speaking into a closet mic.
drumsnbass thanks, good suggestion, I’ve been working on sorting my speaking voice out, so hopefully this should improve in a few videos time. I’m using a condenser mic, and I am now placing it closer and working on EQ-ing it too.
Appreciate the feedback and glad you are enjoying the videos.
Or you could close yer eyes.
Yes Derek, that's always an option when playing if you're feeling this way inclined!