Adjusting to bass fingering from guitar past

[Lunatique]

I just picked up the bass recently (bought a Warwick Corvette $$ 5 string), and I'm finding that it's very easy for me to slip back into the way I'd finger pick a guitar (using almost all fingers). I know that for bass, the proper technique is to use only the forefinger and the middle finger, as they are the strongest and gives you more defined tone in the picking, but I can play much fast using the old guitar fingering. Other than having a softer sound, what are the downsides of finger-picking a bass like you would a guitar?

[DocBop]

Actually if you Google for Gary Willis you will see one of the masters of bass who uses a technique almost like finger picking. He has a very light touch, but a big punch sound. He also is one of the players that use three-finger technique so not everyone just uses two fingers.

[Slax]

Originally Posted by DocBop

Actually if you Google for Gary Willis you will see one of the masters of bass who uses a technique almost like finger picking. He has a very light touch, but a big punch sound. He also is one of the players that use three-finger technique so not everyone just uses two fingers.

+1
Three fingers is popular. There's also that thump that Victor Wooten and others do.

[Lunatique]

When you guys say three fingers, do you mean fore, middle, and ring? Or do you mean thumb, fore, and middle? I tend to use 4 (thumb, fore, middle, ring).

Originally Posted by Lunatique

I just picked up the bass recently (bought a Warwick Corvette $$ 5 string), and I'm finding that it's very easy for me to slip back into the way I'd finger pick a guitar (using almost all fingers). I know that for bass, the proper technique is to use only the forefinger and the middle finger, as they are the strongest and gives you more defined tone in the picking, but I can play much fast using the old guitar fingering. Other than having a softer sound, what are the downsides of finger-picking a bass like you would a guitar?

Whoever told you that using the forefinger and the middle finger is "proper technique" is misguided. It is the most common fingerstyle technique, but it's not universal either. I see many people successfully using their forefinger and ring finger to pluck for example. If you can produce desired musical results with your own plucking technique, nobody who doesn't listen with their eyes should care either way.

[MistaMarko]

I use three fingers. Ever since I incorporated the ring finger, I can't go back to just 2.

[Lunatique]

Ok, so basically do what's right by me, as long as it doesn't cause injury.

BTW, Tired_Thumb, the Chinese signature while is technically accurate, no one speaks like that. It currently says "I perform bass guitar. How about you?" I think you meant to say "I play bass guitar. How about you?"

Originally Posted by Lunatique

BTW, Tired_Thumb, your Chinese is wonderfully masterful. I only wish I could touch your mastery of world languages, but alas, I can only settle on being mortal.

Fixed.





























Okay, just kidding. I changed my signature to your liking.

[Lalabadie]

What you could want to try is to emphasize on driving your picking finger all the way to the next string, so that you actually mute it. Guitar fingerstyle is more about lifting the string to make it sound, bass fingerstyle is a rather sideways movement (seeing the bass as a horizontal plane), you do not pull your finger back OVER the strings to let them ring, you sort of ram into the next one.

Example:

I am playing on the A string.
If I hit the A string, that means I am resting one of my two fingers on the E string. The other pulls the string and then continues its course towards the E string until there actually is collision, but I put a tiny bit of pressure that keeps the E string from ringing. While this finger was moving towards the E string, the one that was already resting on it lifted from it to attack the A string again. Then roles invert.

Note that this is not a walkthrough, it's more a description so you can remark the differences between fingerstyles (I tend to say that in guitar fingerstyle your hand floats over the strings, while in bass fingerstyle your fingers sort of ram through the strings).

I am not great in explanations (especially when they're not in my native tongue) but I hope you get my point. Learn bass fingerstyle just like you learned guitar fingerstyle (that is, from the very basics), and then apply this nice polyvalence of yours and mix them. But not before you've got the bass fingerstyle down

[Basshappi]

Originally Posted by Tired_Thumb

Whoever told you that using the forefinger and the middle finger is "proper technique" is misguided. It is the most common fingerstyle technique, but it's not universal either. I see many people successfully using their forefinger and ring finger to pluck for example. If you can produce desired musical results with your own plucking technique, nobody who doesn't listen with their eyes should care either way.

Absolutely!

I use forefinger and pinky and sometimes my thumb (but I don't play slap style).

[Lunatique]

Thanks for the tips! I find I can't playing nearly as fast with just fore and middle fingers--but I'm going to practice that finger style too just so I can diversify and learn as many different techniques as I can.

Tired_Fingers - Yep, that's how someone would say it in real life. BTW, 贝司 (pronounced "bass"--a direct phonetic imported word from English) is how most people refer to the instrument. 低音吉他 is a more formal term, directly translating as "low sound guitar."

You Chinese or have Chinese family by chance?

[Lunatique]

Yeah I'm Chinese, and my fluency in it is pretty close to my English--which means I can write novels, screenplays, lyrics...etc in Chinese without any problems.

Cool. I've been studying for a year, so I'm certainly a healthy distance behind you. Mind if I PM you if I ever have questions?

[Lunatique]

Not at all, anytime.

[elpelotero]

since electric bass is a fairly new instrument compared to something such as the guitar, there is no set technique that is considered the best. The most common is two fingers, but it's not the best for everyone.

There are tons of different techniques, and it's a good idea to know how to do a little bit of each so that you are versatile. Just off the top of my head, there is:

two finger, three finger, 4 finger, alternating, raking, thumb plucking (like guitar), gary willis technique, floating thumb, movable anchor, fixed anchor, slapping, popping, double thumping.....and within the 3-4 finger categories, you can alternate the fingers in many ways.

Any of these can be the best for you...you just need to be patient and find which you want to tackle first!

[js1]

Originally Posted by elpelotero

Just off the top of my head, there is:

two finger, three finger, 4 finger, alternating, raking, thumb plucking (like guitar), gary willis technique, floating thumb, movable anchor, fixed anchor, slapping, popping, double thumping.....and within the 3-4 finger categories, you can alternate the fingers in many ways.

How about single finger a.k.a. the hook (James Jamerson)?

js