basic finger placement, simple question

[project_c]

i'm learning bass from a book which forgets to mention one thing i'm curious about. if i want to play 2 notes on the same fret on adjacent strings (for example the 7th fret (A) on the D string, followed by the 7th fret (D) on the G string) in very quick succession, let's say with my little finger, what's the correct technique?

do i hold both notes with my finger at the same time, or does the finger have to shift from note to note, even at quite a high bpm? the reason why i ask is because the speed at which i have to do this makes it very unnatural, it's the first thing i'm having real trouble with, which makes me think that maybe i'm doing something wrong.

hope this makes sense, any help would be appreciated. thanks in advance.

[lamonica78]

Originally Posted by project_c

i'm learning bass from a book which forgets to mention one thing i'm curious about. if i want to play 2 notes on the same fret on adjacent strings (for example the 7th fret (A) on the D string, followed by the 7th fret (D) on the G string) in very quick succession, let's say with my little finger, what's the correct technique?

do i hold both notes with my finger at the same time, or does the finger have to shift from note to note, even at quite a high bpm? the reason why i ask is because the speed at which i have to do this makes it very unnatural, it's the first thing i'm having real trouble with, which makes me think that maybe i'm doing something wrong.

hope this makes sense, any help would be appreciated. thanks in advance.

Purists are going to tell you that the correct technique would be to shift from note to note, but it all comes down to what you feel comfortable doing and what sounds good. Personally, I tend to bridge my finger across both strings when necessary. Is it sloppy/poortechnique? From a text book standpoint, yes..but it works for me, it's comfortable and and it doesn't have a drastic effect on my tone.

[Dogbertday]

barring the note's works... i prefere to fin ger each with seperate fingers when possible..

ex. Ring on the A and pinky on the D (of course the doesn't always work but when it does it gives you a great deal of control over the muting and tone)

[project_c]

excellent, thanks for the advice. i'll try to work on both techniques. right now, if i shift fingers, i have to concentrate REALLY hard to get there in time, but if i bridge across both strings, the higher note has a tendency to make an offensive twangy fart noise because im not pressing down hard enough. it's like my bass is mocking me. ah the pleasures of learning a new instrument.. i love the way bass guitars have an ability to humiliate you if you're not 100% spot on

[MarkTAW]

It really depends.

If I'm playing:

g        7  9
d     7
a  5
e

I would do index, ring, pinky, slide pinky to 9, but if I'm doing:

g   7
d     7
a       9  10
e

I would do index, middle, ring, pinky.

I'm sure there's a "right" technique here, but I don't know it.

[Matthew Bryson]

I bar all the time on bass. It does take some practice as it requires a bit of strength and you might have to toughen up a new part of your finger, but it can be done and sound perfectly clean. Obviously, you have to use some right hand muting to make sure you are playing clean, but I highly disagree that barring should be considered categorically "sloppy/poor technique" by any text book standards. I'd throw away that textbook.

Originally Posted by lamonica78

Is it sloppy/poortechnique? From a text book standpoint, yes...

[tswd]

To me, it depends on what the next note is. Say you're playing

-------
---7-9-
-7-----
-------

Then I'd barre the 7th fret with my index finger. But if you're playing something like

-------
---7-5-
-7-----
-------

Then I prefer stacking my fingers and playing ring, pinky, middle or index (again, depends on what's next). You could barre with your ring finger, but that feels uncomfortable to me.

Try both ways and see what works for you.

[AndreasMergner]

My instructor says that you can play both notes with one finger, but rock the finger from one note to the next so you fret one at a time. That way you won't get that "farting noise". It will also tend to mute the non-played note.

[IAmTheDood]

i generally rock the finger from note to note as said above. Either that or I'll jump with the same finger quite often if it isn't that fast of a tune.

[maryhyphenbeth]

I know exactly what you mean about trying not to get it wrong. I find barring difficult, (mostly because my fingers are weak not because my fingers are short) so I try holding each string on the same fret with the tip of my index finger and middle finger. My teacher told me neither is wrong, both are good, and at the end of the day it's really just about getting the right sound. For a while I practised the same song both ways and eventually I found the barring to be...more effective, I'll say, rather than "easier". I plan to use the same elimination process in future!

And yes, "rocking" the finger is only natural. Not only is it easier to rock, it also helps with "minimum left hand pressure" to mute the string in time.

[project_c]

i've since found the rocking technique works well, and definately gets easier with practice. doing excercises purely with the 'weaker' fingers (ie just going up and down the strings with ring and pinkie to a metronome) helps too. thanks again for all the advice.

[warnergt]

One problem with barring two strings on one fret to play two successive notes is that, after you play the first note, it continues to ring when you go to the second note. You need to mute it or rock/slide your finger off of the first string to make that first note go away.

Experiment. You'll find the way that works best for you.

[LowDown Hal]

Originally Posted by AndreasMergner

My instructor says that you can play both notes with one finger, but rock the finger from one note to the next so you fret one at a time. That way you won't get that "farting noise". It will also tend to mute the non-played note.

That's the method my instructor teaches.