Fretless bass

In Advanced Pop Transcription, we continue to talk about instrument timbres that are widespread but not easy for most listeners to identify. Fretless bass is a case in point. Few people even listen to the bass intentionally, and even fewer distinguish between acoustic, electric and synth bass. That’s understandable! The bass isn’t usually supposed to be the focus of your attention. But musicians know that the bass is the cornerstone of the groove, and its sound can make a big difference in how the music feels, even if you aren’t conscious of it. Sometimes you hear a bass part that sounds especially mysterious or vocalistic, and that’s because it was played on a fretless.

If you are not a stringed instrument player, you will need a little background. Non-fretted stringed instruments like violin, cello and upright bass are so difficult because if your fingers are not in exactly the right place, then your notes won’t be in tune. Also, plucked notes on these instruments don’t sustain very long. Frets are little metal ridges on the fingerboard that provide two benefits: easier in-tune playing and longer sustain. If you press the string down anywhere in the general area behind the fret, it will produce in-tune notes that ring out much longer. This gives you a lot more ergonomic freedom. The Fender Precision Bass, introduced in 1951, was named after the precise intonation that the frets provide.

Convenient though frets are, some bass guitarists discovered that the instrument nevertheless sounds better without them. Your soft, round finger produces more nuances of tone and envelope than the metal fret, and you can do nice smooth slides and glissandos. And because bass guitar is amplified, note sustain isn’t such an issue.

The Rolling Stones – “Paint It Black” (1966)

I have seen it claimed that this song was the first recording to feature a fretless bass guitar, and I have no idea whether that’s true. It hardly matters, the bass isn’t a foreground element anyway. Great song, though.

The Band – “The WS Walcott Medicine Show” (1971)

Rick Danko’s fretless bass has a nice slipperiness to it, and while it isn’t very prominent in this tune, the groove wouldn’t have the same character without it.

Jaco Pastorius – “Portrait of Tracy” (1976)

Okay, now this is where the serious fretless action really begins. This is an extraordinary display of virtuosity, with the melody played entirely on natural harmonics. Jaco gets up to the seventh harmonic, which sounds very flat at first, but then once you get used to it, you realize how smooth and consonant it is compared to the 12-TET version on the piano keyboard. Here’s a live performance.

It can be exciting to listen to Jaco shredding, but nothing shows his musicality better than a simple slow-tempo tune. Jaco did some of his best playing with Joni Mitchell on her albums Hejira, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter, Mingus, and Shadows and Light. Here’s a performance they did together, which also features Pat Metheny on guitar and Don Alias on congas. What a band.

Michael Jackson – “I Can’t Help It” (1979)

Stevie Wonder wrote this tune for Michael, and it’s a beauty. It features Louis Johnson’s arpeggiated ninth chords on a fretless that is drenched in chorus and reverb. In the late 70s and early 80s, fretless players were required to slather on the chorus, it’s how you get that bwwwooommmm sound.

Paul Simon – “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” (1986)

Bassist Bakithi Kumalo is the unsung hero of the Graceland album, and he went on to play on Paul Simon’s subsequent albums and in his touring band. For Graceland’s 25th anniversary, they released a version of this tune with just the bass and vocals. Also don’t miss Bakithi Kumalo’s multiple layers of bass on “You Can Call Me Al.”

Peter Gabriel – “Sledgehammer” (1986)

1986 was a big year for fretless bass on the pop charts. Tony Levin played this rubbery, slinky groove on octave-harmonized fretless with a pick.

Primus – “Tommy The Cat” (1991)

I don’t know whether Les Claypool was the first bassist to play fretless in a metal band, but he is definitely the most distinctive. Atonal slapping and popping! Tommy the Cat is voiced by Tom Waits.

D’Angelo and The Vanguard – “Really Love” (2015)

RIP D’Angelo. Pino Palladino’s slinky, behind-the-beat walking bassline is the secret sauce in this exquisite groove.

If you’re not a bass player, what should you do with this information?

I compiled these examples for my students, few of whom are bassists but many of whom are DAW producers. The question for them is not, should you learn fretless bass, it’s, should you use fretless bass in your tracks? Synthesized fretless usually sounds grim, but sampled fretless can be beautiful.