3 Fingers?

[clockworkwar]

How do i use 3 fingers to pluck the bass? Ive been trying to play Iron Maiden - The Trooper. But i cant get my 3rd finger down quick enough, how do you do it??

(i know theres probably a million threads about this, but im in a rush and the search function quite frankly hates me )

[El Bajo]

This is a bit hard to explain because im gonna explain it how I was taught. Basicly get a metronome and slow that f***er down. Start with your ring finger, then your Middle then Index, then retrun to your ring (for some reason Ive forgotten the name sof fingers but I think thats right).

In this way you have a closed loop. Now the trick is you have 3 fingers but say if you where doing 4 notes in a bar you can double up a note one finger. DONT do that, go to the next finger so that the loop continues basily after four notesbar (4/4 timing) you should finish with the finger you started with.

Try and count it in you head. At first its solid but with practice you will begin to speed up and become extremely fast.

Dont forget when you change string use the floating thumb tec and keep the loop going round. Unfortunatly its hard to explain and is better showed. Just keep it real slow at first athst the key

[clockworkwar]

Originally Posted by El Bajo

This is a bit hard to explain because im gonna explain it how I was taught. Basicly get a metronome and slow that f***er down. Start with your ring finger, then your Middle then Index, then retrun to your ring (for some reason Ive forgotten the name sof fingers but I think thats right).

In this way you have a closed loop. Now the trick is you have 3 fingers but say if you where doing 4 notes in a bar you can double up a note one finger. DONT do that, go to the next finger so that the loop continues basily after four notesbar (4/4 timing) you should finish with the finger you started with.

Try and count it in you head. At first its solid but with practice you will begin to speed up and become extremely fast.

Dont forget when you change string use the floating thumb tec and keep the loop going round. Unfortunatly its hard to explain and is better showed. Just keep it real slow at first athst the key

Thanks man! Im getting the hang of it slowly now. Il be able to do it soon

[jady]

I know this crazy lil' bassist named jimbo that could rip out 16th notes using three fingers and somehow keep the accents on the 1/4 note pulse. He was continually having to switch which finger had the accent to split the 16 16th notes in a bar into groups of 4 with only 3 fingers. It took him about 6 months of shedding to get it solid but man talk about speed.......yikes (Not very practical but he plays a 10 string bass so he obviously isnt concerned with practicallity)

[ihateusernames]

Originally Posted by clockworkwar

How do i use 3 fingers to pluck the bass? Ive been trying to play Iron Maiden - The Trooper. But i cant get my 3rd finger down quick enough, how do you do it??

(i know theres probably a million threads about this, but im in a rush and the search function quite frankly hates me )

That's a mountain of a piece. Before I started playing bass a friend an myself recorded a version of that and due to the speed of things and being in a rush we changed the syncopation. Came out nice. Eventually we trained ourselves to play it, and I've "pick"ed it up on bass as well.

Keep at it and you'll get it (and inspire me to develop busier fingers)

[aesir6]

You dont have to use three fingers to play the Trooper. Its actually quite a bit simpler than you think. Its sounds so fast cause of hammer ons and such. But with three fingers I usually go index,ring,middle, and repeat. I can usually hit 16th notes and what not but not completely fluent im still working on the fuent part im getting better. But thats my .02 cents.

[clockworkwar]

I can play it with two fingers, but i want to learn 3 fingers on it. I can also play it easy with a pick. But i want to learn.

[FoolishFido]

Hi,

This is my first post as a new member. There are 3 ways to play 3 finger. I learned the Steve Bailey technique which is kinda a "wave" technique that goes Index-middle-ring-middle-index-middle-ring-middle and so on.

There's another technique (can't remember who popularized it) that goes index-middle-ring-index-middle-ring over and over.

I think the other technique is index-middle-ring-ring-middle-index.

Try them out. I decided to go from 2 finger to 3. I've been doing it for about 1.5 years and it requires continuous practice. Start out slowly, move faster. Interestingly, I can do the Bailey technique with my fingers on the strings almost without thinking about it - but if I try to practice in the air or on a table...it's real hard. Somehow, without the string being present makes it really hard.

My 0.02

David

[El Bajo]

Originally Posted by FoolishFido

Hi,

This is my first post as a new member. There are 3 ways to play 3 finger. I learned the Steve Bailey technique which is kinda a "wave" technique that goes Index-middle-ring-middle-index-middle-ring-middle and so on.

There's another technique (can't remember who popularized it) that goes index-middle-ring-index-middle-ring over and over.

I think the other technique is index-middle-ring-ring-middle-index.

Try them out. I decided to go from 2 finger to 3. I've been doing it for about 1.5 years and it requires continuous practice. Start out slowly, move faster. Interestingly, I can do the Bailey technique with my fingers on the strings almost without thinking about it - but if I try to practice in the air or on a table...it's real hard. Somehow, without the string being present makes it really hard.

My 0.02

David

So true, especially if you try and match up the drumming with your fingers on your left. However if you put your hands into an air guitar position you can do it. Weird ****

[Peregrine]

I tried using three fingers for a while and in my opinion they are only useful for iron maiden type galloping rhythms or triplets as it is too hard to get proper consistency when not grouping in threes.

[twincy]

guys. check out billy sheehan. he's a killer at it.
sometimes even uses 4 fingers.

[ge9375]

If I recall correctly, Gary Willis' techique is to always use the third finger when crossing down across the strings. That is, if your're playing the E string and you are moving to the A string, use the third finger for that first note. (Can somebody confirm this?)

My three-finger technique is not consistent, but something that I do regularly when I need the speed is to use the third finger on a string when it is the last note to be played on that string before crossing down to A from the E. This sets up fingers one and two for wherever they need to go. I guess it's kind of a reverse-Willis.

[FoolishFido]

The last 2 posts note the two other players who popularized the two other techniques.

So...

Bailey = I-M-R-M-I

Sheehan = I-M-R-I-M-R (I think...)

Willis = I-M-R-R-M-I (I think....)

I haven't tried the Sheehan or Willis technique - but have settled completely on IMRMI.

David

[JustOpenYourMind]

with IMRMI there is no gain in speed at all. when you use strict alternation like imr imr or rmi rmi each finger has two strikes of the other fingers to pluck again as opposed to two fingers where there is one the same is true with imrmi you just hit every other note with your midlle finger you gain no speed, the only benefit is that your index and ring will get tired less fast than with two.

[Erick Lam]

Originally Posted by ge9375

If I recall correctly, Gary Willis' techique is to always use the third finger when crossing down across the strings. That is, if your're playing the E string and you are moving to the A string, use the third finger for that first note. (Can somebody confirm this?)

I don't know about "always", but yes, that's the idea. 1 and 2 work together and 3 stays one or two strings above, depending on context.

BTW, speed has little to do with the number of fingers used. Contrary to what I read in other threads, you don't gain 50% speed by simply adding a third finger because you have another finger to manage and that finger doesn't as much dexterity to begin with.

[prince666]

Definately gonna try this when I get away from the pc again...this IMRI sounds pretty nice to me...my mousepad already likes me praticing on it

[Helstar]

DO NOT THINK ABOUT IT
IF YOU DO IT WILL MESS YOU UP

[BrandonBass]

I think i can help u with that. I hav only been playin for 2months when I tried to learn trooper with 3fingers. I use r-m-i-m-i

I start off real slow first and train my fingers to play notes of 4. To keep the notes even between 3fingers. Then I began to learn gallop using diff finger variations. rmi , irm, mir keep practising these 3 variations.....I practised it for a week and i can now play 3fingers as fast as 2, now it feels like 2nd nature

[Lokire]

I alternate using different styles. For most applications I just use 2 fingers, and only switch to 3 for fast runs, where the extra speed is needed. Here's my thoughts on different styles:

R=Ring M=Middle I=Index

RMIM

"The Wave" - I pretty much gave up on this style myself. I know Steve Bailey uses it, and Steve Digiorgio (awesome metal player) does too. With great results. The advantage I see to this technique is that when playing groups of 4 notes, you'll always start each phrase with the same finger. The downside is that the middle finger is being used twice for every 4 notes, so it's working harder.

The other downside (for me) is that you have to go both forwards and backwards with the finger 'roll', and for me going from middle back to ring is a very unnatural feeling. I used to spend hours practicing just playing even 8th notes alternating middle and ring fingers, and it never got much better. Alternating between index and ring or index and middle is fine, but not between ring and middle, for whatever reason.


Then there's RMI

This ones works great for triplets, or 16th 16th 8th patterns. Any 3 note patter, but for 4 note patterns it gets tough. Like its been said, you'll be starting each group of 4 notes on a different finger each time and getting not only the accents right, but just making fluidly connect with other rythms/picking patterns would take a LOT of work.


What I've taken to doing is a combination. A lot times I'll do RMIMIRMIMI, and continue with that pattern. Or if I'm moving across strings I'll use rakes along with a 3-finger pattern to get a faster run. Something like this:

-----------------------4---------------------------
-------------4--5--7-----7--5--4--------------------
-----------------------------------7--5--7-------------
--------------------------------------------0-----------
__________R_M_I__R_R_M__I_I_M__I_I______

I do some patterns like that in here (at 0:51):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMGhJ9JAECs


But for straight 16th notes runs, one note, one string kinda playing I've been doing something...different. I go Ring Middle Index, and then for the 4th note I bring my index finger back up to hit it from underneath the string. It keeps the nice flow of RMI, which I've always been very comfortable with, while adding that 4th note. You have to work at getting the index finger to come back up with the same force, but it's worked very well for me so far. The tone is a little different (fingernail hitting the string), but not enough to make it sound completely out of place. And when you're playing that fast, nobody is really paying much attention to your 'tone' anyways

I'll also do that with just 2 fingers (MII[up]MII[up]...) to get the same triplet pattern that RMI gives you, but with a different feel.

Then you can combine that all to come up with something like this:

-12-13-15-15-15-15-13---12----12------------------------------
--------------------------------15----15-13-12-15---13-12------
---------------------------------------------------------------15--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
_M_I_I[up] R_M__I_I[up]_M_M_R__R_M__I_I[up]_M__I _I_


^That took a long time to think about and write out. I hardly even think about it when I'm playing anymore. So hopfully that makes some sense, in a nonsensical way. Have fun

[FoolishFido]

Lokire,

I think what you're saying is "don't be so dogmatic - use combinations of fingers to achieve desired result". Couldn't agree w you more.

Sweet movie clip BTW...