Theory
You've come a long way in three weeks. You made your first sound with two-finger technique, hushed the noise with muting, and stuck the root onto the drum's kick. Four weeks ago even one open string was a stretch, and now you hold up a song's foundation as one body with the drums. This week is graduation week — you add notes to a hand that only played roots to finish a real bassline and set off on the next journey. The first ingredient is today's fifth.
The fifth is the fifth note up from the root. The fifth of E is B. The shape is very easy — cross one string higher and go two frets up and that's the fifth. If you fret the open E (4th string), the neighboring 3rd string, 2nd fret is the fifth, B. This shape is the same from any root — just move the root's position and the fifth always follows to the same spot.
Why lay on the fifth? Repeat only the root and the line gets trapped on one note and flat. Alternate a fifth in and the line starts to bounce. The fifth is the note that fits the root best, so it never sounds wrong over any chord. That's why the very first note you add after the root is always the fifth. If the root is the song's floor, the fifth is a sturdy pillar standing alongside to prop it up.
Today too, the fingering is identical on a 4- or 5-string. On a 5-string, cover the low B (5th string) with your thumb to keep it asleep. Don't rush — watch just one thing, whether the hand moving between root and fifth is clean. When the two notes split clearly, today is a success.
See it
Today you look at two examples for learning the fifth by hand. First you fret the fifth shape long, half a bar each, to learn the position, then you roll root and fifth alternating to carve the feel of the line gaining strength into your hand. Each example is laid out in both a 4-string and a 5-string version.
Example 1 — the fifth shape. Fret the open E (4th string) root for half a bar, and the fifth B on the neighboring 3rd string, 2nd fret for half a bar. Confirm the difference in spot and sound of the two notes by eye and ear.
▶ BPM 70, 4-string. Blue root E → green fifth B. Learn the shape by eye — one string higher, two frets up.
▶ BPM 70, 5-string. The fingering is identical to the 4-string. Cover the low B with your thumb to keep it asleep.
Example 2 — root and fifth alternating (today's finished piece). Now roll it R–5–R–5. In steady quarter notes, check by ear whether root and fifth split clearly.
▶ BPM 75, 4-string. Alternate root E and fifth B (both blue). Make the two notes come out the same size, the same length.
▶ BPM 75, 5-string. The notes and positions are identical to the 4-string. Keep the low B asleep throughout.
Today's practice
0–7 min · Warm-up Loosen up the last three weeks' root, muting, and kick-locking at BPM 60. Warm your hand while checking that only one note rings and the rest stay quiet.
7–17 min · Today's skill Repeat Example 1 (the fifth shape) at BPM 70. Watch whether the hand crossing from root to fifth is smooth and whether you fret the one string up, two frets up spot exactly.
17–27 min · Applying it (today's finished piece) Play Example 2 (root–fifth alternating) 4 times at BPM 70 → when the two notes split clearly, raise it to BPM 75 for 4 more. Learn it on the 4-string, then confirm the same feel on the 5-string.
27–30 min · Check Write down the BPM you reached, and record 30 seconds to hear whether root and fifth come out evenly.
Done when: you can repeat an R–5 one-chord figure (E) with the fifth added, splitting the two notes evenly, clearly at 70–75 on both a 4- and 5-string.
- Only the fifth gets louder or softer. It's a new note, so power tends to pile onto it. Match the volumes of the two notes by ear so root and fifth come out at the same strength.
- A neighbor string rings when you cross over. Brush another string as you move to the 3rd string and it smears. Cover unplayed strings lightly with your picking or fretting hand to keep them asleep.
- You mix up the fifth's spot. Just remember the one rule, "one string up, two frets up." Wherever the root is, the fifth is always at that spot.
- Getting careless with the low B (5-string). Focus on the new note and drop the B, and the low end leaks. Keep your thumb resting on the B at all times.