# Guitarists and bass guitar question. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2014, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280 "2014-08-23T06:19:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/41 "2015-10-28T17:36:25Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Hope it isn’t too much of a nit, but isn’t the low B a 5th below E? … A Perfect Fourth interval is 5 semitones. A Perfect Fifth interval is 7 semitones. So, from the note E, going up to the B above is (the interval of) a Fifth. Going down to the B below is (the interval of) a Fourth. The confusion starts when you are looking at an E scale, or a piece in E Major… if you are in that mindset all B’s are “Fifths” (scale step, not interval) and all A’s are “Fourths”. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/42 "2015-10-28T17:51:25Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Umm, Smokey, I’m not the most intelligent man in the world. But from over here, it looks like you have that backwards. B is a fifth above the nearest E below it, and a 4th below the nearest E above it. :smack: Thanks, that’s what I meant. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/43 "2015-10-28T17:53:56Z")
I’m pretty ignorant in so much of music theory, but I thought bass and guitar (EADG) were tuned in 4ths - low to high, while fiddle and mando (GDAE) were tuned in 5ths. So, for example, if I’m playing I-IV-V on my bass - say with the open A string as the tonic, the IV is the next open string - D, and the V is 2 steps (frets) further up along the D string - E. Or, going the other way, the I-V is the open A and the open E. Am I misusing terms or misunderstanding something? ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/44 "2015-10-28T19:24:11Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I’m pretty ignorant in so much of music theory, but I thought bass and guitar (EADG) were tuned in 4ths - low to high, while fiddle and mando (GDAE) were tuned in 5ths. > > So, for example, if I’m playing I-IV-V on my bass - say with the open A string as the tonic, the IV is the next open string - D, and the V is 2 steps (frets) further up along the D string - E. > > Or, going the other way, the I-V is the open A and the open E. > > Am I misusing terms or misunderstanding something? No, you have it correct. But as explained above, there is a difference between designating intervals and designating scale positions. Going to the Fifth scale note from the root may be accomplished by either moving up the interval of a Fifth, or down the interval of a Fourth ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/45 "2015-10-28T19:45:06Z")
> [@K364](#): > > No, you have it correct. But as explained above, there is a difference between designating intervals and designating scale positions. > > Going to the Fifth scale note from the root may be accomplished by either moving up the interval of a Fifth, or down the interval of a Fourth So - any idea what scabpicker/1cent are talking about? ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/46 "2015-10-28T20:34:35Z")
Well, what I was thinking was, if I play a dyad consisting of an E and the B above it, that interval is a 5th. If I play a dyad consisting of a B and the E above it, that interval is a 4th. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/47 "2015-10-28T21:49:02Z")
Same with the Sixth: From root C up to A is an interval of a Major Sixth. From root C down to A is an interval of a Minor Third. But the A in both cases is the Sixth degree\* of the major scale. \*this was the term I should have used in my previous posts but I couldn’t remember it. I called it scale position or scale note which is imprecise. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/48 "2015-10-28T23:53:41Z")
You’re playing an E on the 7th fret of the A string. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a bass or standard guitar. If you drop a string to play the B on the 7th fret of the E string, you dropped a 4th. If, from the original E you go up a string and two frets to the B on the 9th fret of the D string, you went up a 5th. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/49 "2015-10-30T20:31:48Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > If you drop a string to play the B on the 7th fret of the E string, you dropped a 4th. Hence, the joke: Q: How many Nashville bassists does it take to change a lightbulb? A: I, IV, I, IV, I, IV … ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/50 "2015-10-30T22:04:22Z")
Then if the question is… Q. How many Tennessee Three guitarists does it take to change a lightbulb? A. I, IV, IV, V, IV, I, IV, IV … ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/51 "2015-11-07T16:00:41Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Heck, doesn’t anyone make a bass that comes with a metal nut? I’m pretty sure you can get them after market. Many high-end basses come with a brass nut. It was even more common, say, 20 years ago than today. I’ve had a bunch of basses with 'em (Alembic, Neuser, Spector, Warwick), and like it over other materials. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/52 "2015-11-08T08:53:59Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Many high-end basses come with a brass nut. It was even more common, say, 20 years ago than today. I’ve had a bunch of basses with 'em (Alembic, Neuser, Spector, Warwick), and like it over other materials. I should have mentioned that my 6-string bass has a brass nut. Though it’s not exactly “high-end”. It’s the “Rogue” brand — Musician’s Friend’s “house brand”. $250 is all it cost me, new. But, oddly, it’s one of most well-built basses I’ve ever played. 6-bolt neck, dual truss rods, basswood body with a bubinga veneer, massive bridge with a string-thru-body option, active electronics with a push-pull switch to turn them off. And the 35" scale helps to give all six strings a nice, tight tone. I bought it because I wanted to try my hand at 6-string, but didn’t want to invest a lot of money in case I didn’t like it. It turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/53 "2015-11-08T14:15:42Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Hence, the joke: > > Q: How many Nashville bassists does it take to change a lightbulb? > > A: I, IV, I, IV, I, IV … Shouldn’t it be 1 - 5 - 1 - 5 - 1 - 5? That’s the usual bass part (even if it’s a fourth below the root, that’s the V not the IV. Plus that’s how I’ve usually heard the joke, though “Nashville” wasn’t specified. Or there’s also the punchline: “none, the pianist can do it with his left hand.”) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/54 "2015-11-08T19:16:43Z")
Speaking of nuts, I just had the fingerboard of my upright bass dressed. Was a little taken aback when the luthier, who was doing the work in my basement, asked for a hammer and a piece of wood, and simply knocked the nut off! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/55 "2015-11-09T02:46:57Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Shouldn’t it be 1 - 5 - 1 - 5 - 1 - 5? That’s the usual bass part (even if it’s a fourth below the root, that’s the V not the IV. Plus that’s how I’ve usually heard the joke, though “Nashville” wasn’t specified. Or there’s also the punchline: “none, the pianist can do it with his left hand.”) Yeah, a V up, but a IV down, which is how it’s usually played. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/56 "2015-11-09T02:57:58Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Yeah, a V up, but a IV down, which is how it’s usually played. It’s still a V, though, no matter if it’s up or down. It’s a fourth below the root, but a V. ---
**Author:** ![I-VI-ii-V](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@I-VI-ii-V](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I-VI-ii-V)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280/57 "2015-11-09T03:13:39Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Yeah, a V up, but a IV down, which is how it’s usually played. **pulykamel** is correct. The interval is not important; what is important is that it is the 5th of the chord. Part of the problem is the nomenclature being used. Roman Numerals are used to name the chord in the chordal scale: I ii iii IV V7 vi viiø Intervals are named with arabic numbers: m2 M2 m3 M3 P4 aug4 dim5 P5 aug5 m6 M6 m7 M7 Scale degrees are usually named with numbers: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (major) 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 (natural minor) etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-and-bass-guitar-question/696280.md?page=2)