Hey guys,

I've been playing the bass for a little while and I am going back to basics so that I can improve my playing. I am revamping the way that I finger frets. At first I would just carelessly hold my hands on the bass, now I am really trying to do the one finger per fret thing. With that in mind, what is the "CORRECT" way to finger octaves?? Me personally I have for years been fingering octaves with the index/pinky finger. But if you use the one finger per fret rule, it should be index/ring finger: is this the correct method for fingering ocatves using the four finger per fret?? I am trying to improve my bass playing, it is and has improved tremendously, and I'm finding that I am starting to get faster in my playing. But I also believe in being technically sound as far as correct bass playing technique. So what is the "Correct" fingering for octaves??? Index/pinky or Index/ring finger??


Thanks!!

If you're playing lower on the neck, playing octaves with your pinky will naturally be easier. I try to play OFPF as much as possible, but octaves low on the neck are just hard for me.

What do you mean by OFPF?? Is it Index finger/Pinky finger?? Yes it is easier to do the IFPF, but I'm thinking too that if I can get myself use to playing IFRF then it will always set me up to do riffs easier as well. Just want to make sure that technically I'm doing the right thing. Some people will say its ok to bring the thumb over to hit notes on the g-string, but technically it isn't sound, though I've seen some of the greater bass players today bring there thumb over. There are a lot of great bass players out, but two that stand out to me are Jaco and Adam Nitti for their technical expertise.

Most of the times, index and pinky work pretty well for playing octaves, and that fingering is the best when you're playing in the lower positions, as already said. But I'm a follower of the one-finger-per-fret technique and, whenever possible, I use middle and pinky for octaves. To me, that's more natural than index-ring if I want to play OFPF. You can see it in my "What Is Hip?" video (click on the link in my signature).

P.S.: OFPF is "One finger per fret".

Ok cool.......so all these years of playing I've been doing the correct thing I guess....:eyebrow: . I wonder how many bass players actually use the index/ring finger.

Thanks guys for your replies so far.....appreciate it!!

Most of the times, index and pinky work pretty well for playing octaves, and that fingering is the best when you're playing in the lower positions, as already said. But I'm a follower of the one-finger-per-fret technique and, whenever possible, I use middle and pinky for octaves. To me, that's more natural than index-ring if I want to play OFPF.

Another possible exception to the OFPF rule is when I'm playing percussive stuff with my left hand (known as "left hand slap") and I need to have it ready for that. In that case, I most likely will use index and pinky for octaves.

There is no real correct way to do it. Whatever works for you is what you should stick with.

Play what's comfortable for you. For me, that's index-pinky. The only time I'll use my ring finger is if I've got something else to fret with my pinky, and thus I'd need to abide by the "one-finger-per-fret" rule.

1 and 3, plus 2 and 4...practice practice practice (although since I started to play a little DB, I occasionally find myself using my index and pinky, which of course I must be punished for immediately.)

meh usually i don't even think about it my fingers just do it... but on lower ranges I mostly use index and my pinky supported by my ring finger an then past the twelfth fret i use index and ring finger... but yeah

I use index/pinky, middle/pinky and index/ring. For a line where I'm in the same position I might use middle/pinky (major/dominant) or index/ring (minor) but when playing a line where I'm shifting up and/or down the neck I almost always use index/pinky. Maybe it's noteworthy to also mention that I use traditional (Simandl) upright bass fingering (1,2,4 to cover a 3 fret area) AND guitar fingerings (1,2,3,4 to cover a 4 fret area) as I see fit. I wouldn't get to caught up with the "rule" thing.

I often use my thumb on the root for octaves/chords.

I usually use middle finger/pinky because it feels most comfortable to me and that's usually how I position my fingers when I play a normal major scale. I only use index/pinky in the lowest registers and sometimes alternate between the two if my fretting hand gets tired during tricky octave stuff. I don't really like using my ring finger for the octave.

The big advantage of using your pinky on the octave, with your index on the root, is that you can tuck your ring finger under the pinky to play the fifth in between. A lot of players use this chord shape as a kind of home base for all kinds of lines anyway; the root-octave lick is just one thing that's easy to do from that position.

I do both. Same goes for fingering 5ths, and pretty much everything else that I play too. When you've been playing for 3 hours, and you're 15 minutes into a jam that involves playing an improvised line which centers around roots, 5ths, and octaves, sometimes it's nice to be able to switch to the technique that utilizes the finger that does not feel as though it is about to burst into flames.

i used to play octaves with my ring finger but a older and much better bassist than i told me i should use my pinky instead and it's almost second nature to me now, feels a lot better i think, and it's easier for me to move around i think

People think to much... Just play around on the bass with octaves and see what you naturaly do. There is no right or wrong.

Play whatever way allows you to relax the most. There is a real danger of developing tendonitis which will put you out of commission for a long time. :( Focus on playing with good posture, especially if your sitting. Keep your back straight, your strap tight. Try not to crane your neck to look at the fretboard.

Personally I think the correct answer is "It Depends". Am I playing in a major or minor key? What was I just playing and where am I going next? I find myself at various times using every fingering mentioned. Sometimes I have to think about how I am going to finger a line but most times I just go for it. A big part of my practiceing is just playing scales in all seven modes of major thru the cycle of fifths using as many different fingerings as I can come up with. I try to stick with the one finger per fret deal but when playing a scale that covers more than four frets well it gets interesting. My two cents hope it helps.

I'll use the index and ring, unless I plan on playing a tenth soon, in which case I finger it like a guitar Barre chord, index on the root, middle on the tenth, ring on the fifth, and pinky on the octave. I'll also use the middle and pinky if I want to use a third soon.

Wow....many answers.....lol. I think that I will try to use various fingering methods depending on the line. I'm trying to train my hand to do octaves with the index/ring, but my standard will be index pinky. I've also tinkered with middle/pinky so I will just continue to practice with all three methods and do which ever is more suitable for the situation. Sometimes you might have to do middle/pinky because the next note might need to be fretted with the index on the next string, so to me it seems like economy of motion.....makes sense to me. Thanks again guys for the replies.

it depends... if you're playing an octave as part of that old cliched phyrgian rock thing... where you go up to the octave and wiggle around up to the flattened 9th, then OFPF might be better

but in the real world (where you have to play a 2 hour show etc), considerations of fatigue and therefore economy of movement is also a factor... in which case you play whatever's most comfortable (usually the pinky in this case)

OFPF is not a hard & fast rule... it exists to allow you to play material with the most economical & efficient movement by being able to call on all 4 fingers... but there are cases where OFPF doesn't provide the most 'economical & efficient' solution to playing the material... so common sense dictates that you don't use it then

think of it this way ..

if the chord is a major chord .. i play it middle finger - pinky.

if the chord is a minor chord .. i play it index finger - ring finger.

root notes should be played with middle finger on majors, index finger on minors.

this way you can stick with one scale on 4 frets. :)

for the most part whatever is comfortable. But in general index-pinky for me for the last 26 years.