Four on Six is what we call a deceptively difficult bass line. It sounds really simple and really easy. On upright, it isn’t, and chances are you’re not playing it as well as you could be, especially if you’re coming from electric bass.
Quick answer
Play the first phrase with the open strings. I can play it that way for an hour, but the other way I can only do for 20 minutes or so before my wrist really starts to hurt. Then set yourself up for the awkward jump from the A-flat to the E-flat by how you finish the phrase before it.
The tune is Wes Montgomery’s. It’s on The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (1960), with Percy Heath on bass. This page is about the bass line itself and how to play it on upright so it’s easier, more in tune, and something your wrist can live with. Most things on upright are tough, I find. Fortunately for you, I’m here to simplify them.
Use the open strings and save your wrist
Start with the first phrase. I play it using the open strings. The other way skips the open strings, and if I play it that way for four minutes, my wrist is going to start to hurt. I’ve only played the line about four times that way and I’m already feeling a bit of tension in the wrist. With the open strings, I can play it for an hour. The other way, I can only do it for 20 minutes or so, maybe even less, before my wrist really starts to hurt and I can’t do it anymore.
It actually sounds more consistent, too, and that’s something we don’t talk about, especially those of us who also play electric. On electric, open strings are less consistent. On upright, they’re actually more consistent, and you can rely on them for intonation as long as your bass is in tune. Open strings are something I talk about in a lot of my lessons. They’re the key to playing Teen Town on upright, too.
When the bass line changes, they save you again. You don’t have to jump and shift. You just use the open strings to move across the fingerboard.
How do you play the A-flat to E-flat jump in Four on Six?
Later in the line there’s an awkward jump from an A-flat to an E-flat. If I have to make that awkward jump every time I play this bass line, chances are I’m not going to get it right every time. So I need to put myself in position to play it, and I do that by how I finish the phrase before it.
First I figured out the way of playing that part that’s much more consistent. Once I knew that, the goal became: how do I put myself in position for it? There’s a myriad of ways to do that. Here’s one choice I make. There’s a B-flat I don’t want to be on. It’s easy to get to, but then the next move is one you can’t rely on, and when I played it from there, it was horribly out of tune. So I want to be on the other B-flat, because that’s how I set myself up, and then it gets much, much easier.
You want to put yourself in the position to play the simplest way. You want it to be the most efficient way to play this bass line.
Cole Davis
You might say, well, now you have to shift from the C to that B-flat. Guess what: you’d have to make the same shift lower down. Just because it’s in first position or second position doesn’t mean it’s easier. It’s the same shift, and your hand is still doing the same thing. People have this thing with the bass where they think, it’s in half position, it’s in first position, so it must be easier. Not true. In this spot, the distance is actually shorter, so in a way it’s easier.
If you’re coming from electric, use the skills you already have to make these shifts and pivots all across the bass, not just in half and first position.
Try this: the exercise hiding in Four on Six
That move is a really great exercise on its own. You can practice it without it even being Four on Six, and it’s a really good exercise for moving around the bass.
- Play the first phrase both ways. With the open strings, then without. Notice which one puts tension in your wrist.
- Work backward from the jump. Find the A-flat to E-flat jump, then decide how you’ll finish the phrase before it so you’re already in position.
- Practice the move by itself. Take it out of the tune and play it as an exercise for moving around the bass.
What’s in the transcription
The full transcription is the Four on Six bass line in a PDF, with the full fingerings and where to play each note on each string. I didn’t put the fingerings on the video, so the PDF is where they are. The 8-minute video lesson walks through the open strings, the set-up for the jump and the shift.
Get the open strings under your hand first. Then set yourself up for that jump until you land it every time.
Go deeper
Wes Montgomery: Four on Six
The fingering that makes Four on Six easier, more in tune and a lot kinder to your wrist, and how to set yourself up for the one jump that trips everybody.
FAQ
Should you use open strings on upright bass?
On upright, open strings simplify everything. On electric, they stick out and they’re less consistent. On upright they’re actually more consistent, and you can rely on them for intonation as long as your bass is in tune. They also save your wrist on a line like Four on Six.
Is half position easier on upright bass?
Not automatically. People have this thing with the bass where they think, it’s in half position, it’s in first position, so it must be easier. Not true. You’re making the same shift either way, and in the spot I use for Four on Six, the distance is actually shorter.
Why does my wrist hurt playing Four on Six on upright?
On Four on Six, it can come down to the fingering. If I play the first phrase without the open strings, my wrist starts to hurt within a few minutes. I’ve only played it about four times and I’m already feeling tension. With the open strings, I can play it for an hour.
Who wrote Four on Six?
Wes Montgomery. It’s on The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, from 1960, with Percy Heath on bass. On upright, it’s what we call a deceptively difficult bass line: it sounds really simple and really easy, and it’s actually not.
