bass exercises

[mjwaaah]

Can anyone tell me of any good bass exercises/books or whatnot to help me increase all areas of my technique?

much appreciated.

[Mark Wilson]

Depends what part of your technique you want to increase.

your right hand? left hand? Fretting? dexterity? Slapping?

[fearceol]

Todd Johnson´s "Technique Builders" DVD is a good investment IMO.

[RAM]

That's really a broad request. Can you narrow it down a bit? I understand you want to increase your skill in a multitude of areas, but start with one and then move on.

Above all else, the biggest thing I can impart to you, and I don't care what some will say, is make sure your hands are in the proper position. If you don't use proper positioning, your technique will forever be sloppy and you will be limited in how far you can take the instrument - if not also causing permanent damage to your hands! This is more important, IMO, on the fretting hand, as the picking/plucking/slapping hand will allow more forgiveness.

[mjwaaah]

Apologies for not specific,

The main thing that's really been a difficult thing to grasp is my right hand muting. I moved onto 5 string and find that muting is much more awkward when my thumb is anchored on the D string as the low B string is left ringing. It would be a great deal of help if I could have some advice on what to do to keep all the lower strings muted because it feels comfortable to anchor on the A string when playing the D and G strings, but this leaves the B string resonating. My usual muting technique is bending my thumb at 90 degrees on a string and letting the lower part of my thumb catch the lower string. The problem that arises is that i can only mute 2 strings this way, and there are 3 strings in need of muting. Also, should i keep my arm hovering just above the body of is there no difference if I rest it on the body so my wrist is more or less at 90 degrees?

Another thing i would like to know is correct left hand technique, as I have been playing for 3 years but feel I have developed bad technique that is holding me back. With my left hand, I do the 4 finger - 4 fret technique, but I play with the pads of my fingers and slightly bent towards the headstock. I've heard that having your fingers parallel to the neck is the way to go, is there benefit in this? Also do I play with the tips or the pads, and should my left thumb be kept exactly opposite my middle finger in the middle of the back of the neck?

Cheers.

[Asher S]

Todd Johnson- the floating thumb technique:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU

Even better would be to get a lesson with a good teacher.

[RAM]

Originally Posted by mjwaaah

Apologies for not specific,

The main thing that's really been a difficult thing to grasp is my right hand muting. I moved onto 5 string and find that muting is much more awkward when my thumb is anchored on the D string as the low B string is left ringing. It would be a great deal of help if I could have some advice on what to do to keep all the lower strings muted because it feels comfortable to anchor on the A string when playing the D and G strings, but this leaves the B string resonating. My usual muting technique is bending my thumb at 90 degrees on a string and letting the lower part of my thumb catch the lower string. The problem that arises is that i can only mute 2 strings this way, and there are 3 strings in need of muting. Also, should i keep my arm hovering just above the body of is there no difference if I rest it on the body so my wrist is more or less at 90 degrees?

Another thing i would like to know is correct left hand technique, as I have been playing for 3 years but feel I have developed bad technique that is holding me back. With my left hand, I do the 4 finger - 4 fret technique, but I play with the pads of my fingers and slightly bent towards the headstock. I've heard that having your fingers parallel to the neck is the way to go, is there benefit in this? Also do I play with the tips or the pads, and should my left thumb be kept exactly opposite my middle finger in the middle of the back of the neck?

Cheers.

Not 100% sure I followed all that (though a lack of sleep on my part could help explain that...). Anyway, is there any reason you're not also using your left hand to mute? For certain patterns you may actually find it easier to do. However, if you're playing fast runs that may not be the case. As such, it'll just take practice to get it right where your right hand is effective muting the strings. The floating thumb technique may help you.

As far as how to hold your fretting hand, you're right - though one minor correction - your hand's fingers are perpendicular to the fretboard, not parallel. A good rule of thumb (pardon the pun) is to keep your thumb approximately mid-neck and aligned with the middle finger. Your thumb should also act as a pivot point so you can extend your reach beyond 4 frets. The lower you keep your thumb and the more room between the "V" of your thumb/index finger, the more freedom you'll have to move vertically and horizontally, and the less fatigue your hand will experience. In fact, you're least likely to do permanent damage by holding your left hand this way.

[mjwaaah]

Thanks for the tips.

I've had a look at the floating thumb technique but I can't see it working for me. Would it be considered bad technique to anchor your thumb but still keep it flat along the strings by keeping a straight arm?

[RAM]

Originally Posted by mjwaaah

Thanks for the tips.

I've had a look at the floating thumb technique but I can't see it working for me. Would it be considered bad technique to anchor your thumb but still keep it flat along the strings by keeping a straight arm?

I can't picture what you're describing here...what do you mean by keeping the thumb flat along the strings by keeping a straight arm?

[Asher S]

Originally Posted by mjwaaah

Thanks for the tips.

I've had a look at the floating thumb technique but I can't see it working for me. Would it be considered bad technique to anchor your thumb but still keep it flat along the strings by keeping a straight arm?

Honestly dude, find a good teacher, even if just for 1 lesson on hand positioning. You'll never get what you need on a forum like this. You need someone knowledgeable watching and correcting you.

[JTE]

Bah- The more I play and the more I teach, I find the best exercises are to play MUSIC, not physical exercises. It's ain't an athletic event. So, you need to improve your 16th note grooves and muting? Work on NAILING what Rocco did on the album recording of "What Is Hip". Need to work on chord work? Dig some Steve Bailey and/or John Pattituci. Etc. etc. Play music.

John

[Asher S]

Originally Posted by JTE

Bah- The more I play and the more I teach, I find the best exercises are to play MUSIC, not physical exercises. It's ain't an athletic event. So, you need to improve your 16th note grooves and muting? Work on NAILING what Rocco did on the album recording of "What Is Hip". Need to work on chord work? Dig some Steve Bailey and/or John Pattituci. Etc. etc. Play music.

John

Yes, but if you practice in a void, and therefore ingrain a bad habit such as an awkward hand position, you could easily develop tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome. Then you won't be able to do lots of things for a while, including play music.

I speak from personal experience. In a matter of just 10-15 minutes, my teacher spotted my problem and showed me how to fix it. I've also overcome carpal tunnel but only with help from some objective and very experienced eyes.

[JTE]

Yes, a GOOD teacher is a huge help and more important than vague listing of exercises. I'm saying that specific exercises for various physical "improvements" are less useful than finding real music that addresses those same issues.

John

I think grooves are the best thing to practice because there are unexpected ways they stretch your technique that are musical. A lot of the time there are parts of a groove that are difficult to make sound effortless and cool, and this stretches your technique as there is a musical end product that you can actually aim towards. For example, in reggae the middle 8 of Zion Train involves big leaps of the hand and to make it sound like your hand ISN'T leaping around requires quite a lot of technique. I don't think this would naturally come up in exercises. Without the musical end product, the only aim of an exercise is economy, which I personally feel can lead to bland playing.

[Fergie Fulton]

Hi, below are some links to great titles. Practise and improvement requires understanding of what you are doing. Improvement only comes from the mind, your way of thinking and relating what you are thinking to the instrument. Playing what you are thinking is physical so you must spend time away from the instrument with exercises and stretching to keep the hand healthy and therefore improve your technique.
This idea of playing is enough to exercise the hands for bass is not correct, the two are seperate and need to be worked on as seperate, then blended in to play or practice.

The understanding and hearing of intervals is a skill that will pay divideds to any bass player. It will allow you to learn songs by ear.

http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movie...tml?cid=133635

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&k...l_9s29i8un4b_e

http://www.stagepass.com/instruction...=bass&cat=1499

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&k...sl_mwej2yqmx_b

[JTE]

Well, I'm looking at the OP where they specifically talk "exercise" and "technique". Those to me limit the discussion to PHYSICAL approaches to the bass, and that's why I think playing music is the best physical exercise there is for playing the instrument. Interval studies, knowing the SOUND of the diatonic major scale and its harmonized chords, etc. are vitally important, but I will maintain that merely moving one's fingers under the guise of exercise isn't going to help in "all areas of ... technique".

John

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by JTE

but I will maintain that merely moving one's fingers under the guise of exercise isn't going to help in "all areas of ... technique".

John

Hi John, sorry but i don't want to be confrontational, but how can you prove this part of your statement?

If we are here to learn then information needs to be correct.
The question i ask you is a serious one so please give it thought and consideration before replying. Also consider this point

All voluntary muscle movement uses striated muscle, and as such repeditive or continual use to provide movement is considered exercise.

This movement has consequences in wear and tear to joints, tendons, ligaments to name but a few.

Striated muscle use, no matter how small follows these anatomical rules.

If what i say is true.. then why are bass players exempt from the workings of human anatomy?

I ask this question ....lots, and still have been given no answer by anyone that i have asked it to that is quantifiable by them. Where as what i say is quantifiable.
Please understand that i am talking about building speed, dexterity, and stamina, safely away from the bass. Using exercises and techniques that will help the hands rather than hinder them these techniques are of great benifit to players. These techniques are all quantifiable, as are the results, as they deal with the hands, not hands for playing bass. Because of this the hands when applied to bass playing are better suited to the task, and more importantly they recover from the tension and pressure of the movements used to play bass, faster and better on a daily basis.

[Billnc]

I think both of you are correct (JTE and Fergie Fulton). I think it is a waste of time to do exercizes like 'the spider'. It is much better to create arpeggio exercizes and do things in a musical context. Now maintaining joint flexibility and dexterity away from the instrument is good and obviously maintains basic health, healthy hands are good bass playing hands.