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The story is almost always the same: You rush out of the music store with your new fretless bass, conjuring dreams of being the next Jaco Pastorius or Les Claypool. All during your frantic drive home you visualize yourself effortlessly playing your new prize, with the same flair and proficiency that you play your old faithful fretted bass. Once you arrive home you run into your home and hurriedly put on your fretless bass and plug it in. You crank up your amp, adjust the strap, put your hands on the bass…and sound terrible. Every note you play is out of tune and you get lost whenever you try to shift positions. Frustrated, you throw the fretless on your bed and look for the receipt so you can return it tomorrow.

I wish I could tell you that the above story was an exaggeration, but it is not. Throughout my career I have heard from several players who told me strikingly similar tales of frustration surrounding their brief attempts at playing fretless. For some, the negative experience was fatal. For others, it was a trial. For all of them, it was unpleasant.

The unfortunate truth is that learning to play the fretless does not have to be such an ugly experience. With a specific mental focus, an understanding of the instrument and a few basic exercises, you can actually enjoy your time learning to play fretless bass. I promise.

Before you play your first fretless note you have to get into the right mental state. Primarily, you have to set realistic goals. To think that you can strap on your first fretless bass and immediately play "Teen Town" is a bit unrealistic. In fact, it is a recipe for disappointment. Instead, set small goals that will be attainable and enjoyable. Most of all, prepare yourself to be patient.

Your next step is to fully understand what it will take to play fretless bass competently. The main challenge is to play with good intonation, which means to play in tune. While it may sound great to slide notes up and down the fretless fingerboard, the true challenge will be playing an Ab on the E string, perfectly in tune. Be prepared to change some of your fingering habits so that you will be able to accurately play your bass in tune. It may seem like a simple concept, but it is a challenging endeavor. You must be flexible and adaptable.

Before I give you a few exercises, it is important to address your practicing environment. You may be able to practice your fretted bass while watching TV, but that is not the way to practice your fretless. You need a quiet environment where you can easily hear what you are playing. I cannot stress this enough. You should also have a tape recorder handy to record your playing so you can listen to it later with all of your focus. Mastering the fretless means improving your ability to listen acutely and accurately.

Your first exercise is a simple one, where you begin to develop your relative pitch. Be sure that you tune your bass to an electronic tuner or other tuning aid prior to practicing. Once you have done that, play your open G string and fret the G on the D string (the fifth fret on a fretted bass). Listen closely to the two notes and adjust the G on the D string until they sound the same. Once you get them sounding the same, take your hand off the bass neck and then see if you can accurately play the G on the D string. When you think you have it, play the open G string to check your pitch. When you can do it quickly and consistently, move on to the G on the A string, matching it to the open G string. I think you can see where this exercise is going. You use your open strings to help you find the fretted notes of the same pitch. When that becomes easier, you can use the open strings to help you find intervals like Major thirds and Perfect fifths. Even experienced, professional fretless players will use their open strings to check their intonation.

Another exercise you can do revolves around having an electronic tuner that you can put in your signal chain. The key is that the tuner should be "reading" your notes while you are playing. Start the exercise by playing a C on the A string (the third fret on a fretted bass), and then look at the tuner to see if you are in tune. Make adjustments to your fretting hand until you are in tune. Next, play a C major scale without looking at the tuner. When you get to the octave C, look at the tuner and see if you are in tune. If not, make adjustments. There are countless ways that you can use your electronic tuner to develop you fretless playing. Playing scales while checking your pitch is just one way.

Lastly, take out your fretted bass and record yourself playing one-octave major scales in all 12 keys. Play and hold each note of the scale for at least the count of four. Next, play that tape back, while simultaneously playing your fretless. Focus on matching the fretted bass pitches with your fretless. This will definitely develop your ear and your ability to make sonic adjustments on the fly. Be patient and do this daily. After awhile, you will be able to play the scales faster and faster, all the while staying in tune.

The three exercises that I gave you are a good place to start, but there is a lot more that you can and need to do. The internet will supply you with a plethora of suggestions, as will the various bass magazines. In addition, there are great videos and books available on the subject. Explore them all.

The fretless bass is one of the most expressive instruments on the planet. It is emotional and has a very distinctive sound. As a professional bassist, if you can play both fretted and fretless basses you will be much more employable than someone who plays only one. There are a lot of benefits to playing fretless, which outweigh by far the challenges that you will have in learning it. So grab your fretless and get on your way! If you have any questions regarding this column, please feel free to email me at DaleT@danabgoods.com.

Stay Tuned!