4 fret finger stretch

[niels125]

Many bass basics books tell me I should cover 4 frets with my fretting hand (1 finger per fret technique).
I have tried to play like this MANY times but my hands won't stretch far enough to reach 4 frets on the neck below the 8th fret.

Is there some sort of training or technique to stretch out your fingers further, or are my hands too small for playing bass?

[lowendisthebest]

My hands won't stretch that far either. Just practice and get faster and it won't matter

[1958Bassman]

I stretch my fretting hand with the other and it makes a difference. I also know a couple of bass players whose hands are very small and they don't have any problems playing what they want- it's just a matter of finding a way that works for you.

[Marton]

In the lower part of the neck, I know my hand is doing a small "pivot", it's not really moving but, my wrist is moving a little bit.

Also, I generally use 1-2-4 fingerings the first 5 frets, but that's only because I also play double bass and that I like those fingerings, I could easily play 1-2-3-4 too.

[kevteop]

A lot of bassists can't cover four frets in the lowest positions, and many more can't do it comfortably for long periods - don't worry about it.

[lfmn16]

Originally Posted by niels125

Many bass basics books tell me I should cover 4 frets with my fretting hand (1 finger per fret technique).
I have tried to play like this MANY times but my hands won't stretch far enough to reach 4 frets on the neck below the 8th fret.

Is there some sort of training or technique to stretch out your fingers further, or are my hands too small for playing bass?

These books convey what works for the majority of players, not hard fast rules; if you have small hands, you may be more comfortable with double bass fingerings like in Simandl; if you have huge Jaco hands, you should take advantage of that. If a teacher tries to get you to do something that is painful, run like a rabbit because they don't know what they are doing.

Good technique is often misunderstood. It's all about playing things as easily as possible - for you. Always remember that technique needs to serve you, you don't serve technique. These are guidelines, not absolutes. If more teachers taught that way, there would be less resistance to good technique.

[fearceol]

Here is a similar thread :



1 - 4 FRET STRETCH

[ysand]

Originally Posted by niels125

Is there some sort of training or technique to stretch out your fingers further, or are my hands too small for playing bass?

Try wearing the bass a bit higher, and moving your fretting-hand's elbow a bit forward.

[maxgrant]

Learn to pivot with your thumb, as Marton suggests. Also don't grip the neck like a club and your can move your hand much more easily.

I've played bass for 28 years now, and I notice my pinky kind of leans out at about a 10-degree angle from the rest of my fingers. My right pinky only leans about half that. The more you play and the more you work those fingers, you are likely to induce some stretching as your body adapts to what you are doing.

Just don't keep doing it if it hurts. VERY IMPORTANT. If something hurts, back off.

[JimmyM]

I have the smallest hands of any male that I know of, and I can make a 4 or 5 fret stretch no problem. Now on a gig, I probably don't do a lot of that, but it's there when I need it. It's all in using good technique to get better leverage for your fingers. Keeping your thumb closer to the meddle of the back of the neck and curving your fingers enough to make the stretch easy.

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

I have the smallest hands of any male that I know of, and I can make a 4 or 5 fret stretch no problem.

That's fair enough Jimmy, but as is often stated when talking about technique, everyone is not the same, so a lot of people would find this stretch uncomfortable and possibly painful, regardless of hand size.

[Fergie Fulton]

Trouble with a books is they can't give variations of acceptable variations on what the talk about and show, so its a one stop shop, one size fits all sort of thing.....in the interpretation of the reader????

I always seem to explaining these matters in body mechnics to help players understand if a situation is theirs, so with that in mind here is what your hands can and cannot do concerning spans (fret stretching.
First point is that you fingers, therefore your span is at its widest and with fingers full extended and spread apart, in this position the fingers are at their most vunerable to inury or damage.
Secondly, as you curl and bring your fingers in towards the palm, as in to close them in to a fist, the span reduces to the point where it is at its narrowist, in other words you cannot spread your fingers a part. Now you fingers are at their strongest and fully protected against injury of damage as best as the body can do.

So we can assume that somewhere in between these two points each person has an optimal span for maximum efficiency, that maximizes everything possible they have at their disposal.
So we know that to much curl and the span is reduced but the feeling within the fingers is stronger and in that limiting their use. So i would ask " if your fingers are indeed curled to much then why?

Think on this, if a bass has a narrow or shallow neck/fretboard, or a combination that make it no deep, then the thumb has to hold out the fingers to allow the to curl for acces so the span will be reduced and/or the thumb is now under a strain or stress to hold out the fingers, the fingers are under no real strain because the have curl in them. On the other hand if a neck is to deep or thick, with a wide fretboard then, the fingers are to straight they will be under some strain because they are straigher, but now the thumb is under no real strain, so again a point somewhere between the two is desirable.

The mechanics of the hand are the same in most of us, it is their style that differs. Some have long fingers some have short, some have chubby hands some have skinny, some have strong hands some have weak, some have being injured and weaked ether by trauma or disease, some have a genetic problem, either way we have the same instrument but with different models so to speak.

So if you can spread you fingers long and wide then just gently curl them, but flexing them from the tips, not the base of the finger you will see that the span will stay wider. Within this you should have a range of movement in each finger to go left or right individually, so effectively you have spans between each finger as well as an overall span of the hand. Again it will be a personal thing to your model. But your hands are used for so much more than playing bass so this other use will have an effect. I am more than willing to bet that many will have issues with joints on the fingers not working as well as they should ( well a bet that if you one something about it you would win a better hand)

For example if you are a carpenter and swing a hammer all day then you will have a reduced span because you do not need one as most of your hand work is about holding tools or materials safe and secure...not about being dexterous as such. Where as a typist or programmer will be dexterous but only to the extent that applies to the keys they use. Each in their own right will have very diffrent issues to do with playing, but they will have them. To say as humans we are evolved our body mechanics through what we require then the time span would have been millions of years to give us function for use to use over a 45-50 year life span. So depending on use they will wear out, and decline in effectivness, the fact we now live longer and have so many different uses for our bodies, the updates we need will not be available to use for thousands and thousands of years, if ever at all.

So when techniques are talked about and players are demoing what they do you have to understand the parameters and do they apply to you, you have to be honest with what you can and cannot do with you body to get the best out of it for you. It may not be what you want but why incur possible harm or injury in doing something that may cannot be possible.

There are a few great exercises that can help increase in span and strength, and give you a healthier balanced hand.
First one is to simply spread your fingers out straight and wide, hold them for ten seconds, then bring them together keeping them straight, then spread them again, repeat about ten times every day. The action should look like a paper hand fan opening and closing.
Second one needs a smooth flat surface, like a table top. Again spread your hand, but this time on the flat surface. Now just lift each finger up and move it left and right five times (include the thumb as all thumbs are fingers, but not all fingers are thumbs).
Do each hand individually, then do two hands together mirroring the same fingers, that will be enough to start with. Both these exercises are quick and easy, but what they do is the tone and utilise a movement we do not use much, if at all in everday life. In other words they use muscle groups that are under used so can counter a number of daily uses than could give problems later in life as or hands lives are about holding gripping closing pushing, but not about being spread apart and using a span...unless you are a musician where such a movement is not only desirable, but essentail to stay fit, healthy and play your instrument.

If anyone has any queations about points raised then post them up and if i can answer them (or expand on it) then i will.

[XtheDeadPawn]

Don't feel bad I can't either till I get around the 12 fret.
I only use my index, middle and ring for fretting and while unconvential it suits me fine. My dad a former bass player says I'm doing it wrong I don't disagree but, then again I've never been normal. Besides over the last 6 years I've adapted into a hybrid fretter. Someone that anchors for a bit walking across when I need too. I wish my pinky was useable though it is a wussy.

[soulman969]

Originally Posted by maxgrant

Learn to pivot with your thumb, as Marton suggests. Also don't grip the neck like a club and your can move your hand much more easily.

I've played bass for 28 years now, and I notice my pinky kind of leans out at about a 10-degree angle from the rest of my fingers. My right pinky only leans about half that. The more you play and the more you work those fingers, you are likely to induce some stretching as your body adapts to what you are doing.

Just don't keep doing it if it hurts. VERY IMPORTANT. If something hurts, back off.

+1

Make sure you're not gripping the neck at all. The palm of you hand shouldn't be in contact with the back of the neck only the thumb. With the thumb in the middle of the neck flex your wrist downward so that your fingers can cover the fret board and using your thumb as a brace spread your fingers.

I have pretty short fingers but using that technique I never have a problem with a 4 fret stretch anywhere on the neck. Hope this helps.

[TeeAre]

WARNING: Doing this WILL change the shape of your fretting hand forever.

When you're not doing anything with your hands (watching TV, listening to a lecture, etc.) try slipping the fingers on your other hand between your ring finger and pinkie, and pushing the two fingers apart. It shouldn't take long before you'll notice when you put your hands palm to palm and stretch out your fingers, the 4th finger on your fretting hand does not align with that of the other, and stretches farther.

Don't pull it apart so much that it hurts. Just little by little. Got this advice from an orchestral upright player who was helping me transition to string bass. It really does make a difference, though it might make your hands a little ugly.

[Rage1331]

When I was 4 years old my left hand (fret hand) was slammed into a car door, stunting the growth of my middle and ring finger. To paint a mental picture, my fingers on my left hand are essentially all the same length, with my pinky being slightly shorter by about a 1/4 cm.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but when people try and tell me their hands are too small for bass, or a four finger strech, I just laugh. Do some hand stretches, as others noted.

[Emilym80]

I've never met anyone with smaller hands than me (male or female) and I can still play most things pretty comfortably. If you need to do stretching, you should be able to play it down a string on the higher frets. Very rarely will you actually have to do a 4 fret stretch- the only example I can think of is the 2-6 d harmonic in Portrait of Tracy by Jaco. I really wouldn't worry about it.

[TeeAre]

Originally Posted by Rage1331

When I was 4 years old my left hand (fret hand) was slammed into a car dor, stunting the growth of my middle and ring finger. To paint a mental picture, my fingers on my left hand are essentially all the same length, with my pinky being slightly shorter by about a 1/4 cm.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but when people try and tell me their hands are too small for bass, or a four finger strech, I just laugh. Do some hand stretches, as others noted.

+1 for ... I don't even have words for this.

[Mayers]

I did some strech when I was young and now I can play without covering 4 frets anywhere on the neck, less movement and it is better for more technical stuff to play.

I think everyone could play with a 4 fingers even in first position but most people don,t play technical stuff, only very basic rock and those guy usualy learn by themselve.

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by Mayers

I think everyone could play with a 4 fingers even in first position but most people don,t play technical stuff, only very basic rock and those guy usualy learn by themselve.

I infer from this, (correct me if I'm wrong) that you are saying that anyone who does not use OFPF on the lower frets, can not play technical stuff ?

So where does this leave the likes of Ed Friedland and Carol Kaye, who both endorse the 1-4 fingering on the lower frets ?

I'm sure there are lots of other pros with the same opinion.