Critique my Technique #2, updated.

[Huffer777]

Original:

Critique my technique



So the original thread was very helpful, everyone had something constructive to say. But i want to make sure im taking this is correctly, so i took a short video of me trying to utilize this.

Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vPvg...e=channel_page

Any further suggestions would be nice, and i will get my right hand down eventually, but now is not the time or place.


EDIT: I know talkbass isnt my free little bass lesson guru, but they help me build a foundation.

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by Huffer777

Original:

Critique my technique



So the original thread was very helpful, everyone had something constructive to say. But i want to make sure im taking this is correctly, so i took a short video of me trying to utilize this.

Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vPvg...e=channel_page

Any further suggestions would be nice, and i will get my right hand down eventually, but now is not the time or place.


EDIT: I know talkbass isnt my free little bass lesson guru, but they help me build a foundation.

Regarding your fingers sticking up (you said you were concerned about that), that's usually from residual tension in your hand and left arm. That's normal when you're building up your strength and muscle memory at first, but you can help that by conciously trying to relax muscles you're not actually using to fret notes.

I.e. practice holding the bass with your hands in position but don't actually play anything. Note anywhere in your arms, shoulder, etc., where you feel any tension. I stick my left elbow out too much sometimes for example and sometimes I hunch my shoulders (especially when playing seated). Try to keep your elbow in a natural position with your left hand in position without hunching your shoulders. The shoulders should be relaxed.
Look for tension in your left hand. I tend to tighten up the back of my hand - try to keep the extensors (I think that's what you call the muscles/tendons that extend the fingers) relaxed as much as possible. You're only needing force to push the strings down, to release the fingers should feel like hardly any pull being used at all.

With the right hand, that's going to vary considerably depending on your plucking style. I use the floating thumb, so I follow the technique taught by Todd Johnson. But same sort of rule of thumb, try to identify and eliminate any excess tension.

Again, this is normal when building up your strength initially so you may have to make a concious effort at it for a while...

dunno if that'll help, I'm not a teacher, just been playing for a while...

LS

[Huffer777]

Originally Posted by unclejane

Regarding your fingers sticking up (you said you were concerned about that), that's usually from residual tension in your hand and left arm. That's normal when you're building up your strength and muscle memory at first, but you can help that by conciously trying to relax muscles you're not actually using to fret notes.

I.e. practice holding the bass with your hands in position but don't actually play anything. Note anywhere in your arms, shoulder, etc., where you feel any tension. I stick my left elbow out too much sometimes for example and sometimes I hunch my shoulders (especially when playing seated). Try to keep your elbow in a natural position with your left hand in position without hunching your shoulders. The shoulders should be relaxed.
Look for tension in your left hand. I tend to tighten up the back of my hand - try to keep the extensors (I think that's what you call the muscles/tendons that extend the fingers) relaxed as much as possible. You're only needing force to push the strings down, to release the fingers should feel like hardly any pull being used at all.

With the right hand, that's going to vary considerably depending on your plucking style. I use the floating thumb, so I follow the technique taught by Todd Johnson. But same sort of rule of thumb, try to identify and eliminate any excess tension.

Again, this is normal when building up your strength initially so you may have to make a concious effort at it for a while...

dunno if that'll help, I'm not a teacher, just been playing for a while...

LS

Thank you very much for your time reviewing and writing. After trying this i noticed loads of tension points which i have been consciously avoiding. Very much appreciated

[ErebusBass]

The one thing that really stood out to me is that you need to practice fretting all of your notes consistently with the tips of your finger, not the pads. It looked better in the first clip, but in the second your fingers were very flat and you were fretting with the fleshy part of your finger. Make sure your hand is curled slightly and you fret with the tips of your fingers. It'll sound cleaner and reduce some of the string noise.

Also, it might be helpful if you posted a video of your right hand technique. I couldn't see it, but it sounds like you pluck way too hard. It's an electric instrument. A little can go a long way. Turn your amp up a little bit if you have to. It sounds like you REALLY dig in, and I can hear the string bouncing off of the frets and/or the p'ups (which would be that CLICK every time you pluck a note in case you were wondering). Practice playing with a lighter touch and relax. You seem really tense while you are playing. Also, if you fret your notes cleaner (see above) they will ring clearer and longer, and you won't have to hit them so hard to get the same amount of sound out of it.

Hope this helps, but a couple real lessons, even just one or two, would probably help alot more than youtube and talkbass can.

[Slax]

Agreed to what has been said above.

It also seems that the licks played could probably be played in one position if you use your pinky finger. (At least the first one). It also seems you're moving your hands too far from the fretboard and also not using the somewhat "tips" of your fingers.

Always play relaxed with the least amount of effort needed. Words can not express how little effort is really needed to play after you've played something properly set up with proper technique. There should be no work involved in making a sound. That's what the amp is for.

[Huffer777]

Originally Posted by Slax

Agreed to what has been said above.

It also seems that the licks played could probably be played in one position if you use your pinky finger. (At least the first one). It also seems you're moving your hands too far from the fretboard and also not using the somewhat "tips" of your fingers.

Always play relaxed with the least amount of effort needed. Words can not express how little effort is really needed to play after you've played something properly set up with proper technique. There should be no work involved in making a sound. That's what the amp is for.

Alright, so working on really using the tips, instead of the pad. Use pinkie more, and relax relax relax. Appreciate the advice.

Originally Posted by ErebusBass

The one thing that really stood out to me is that you need to practice fretting all of your notes consistently with the tips of your finger, not the pads. It looked better in the first clip, but in the second your fingers were very flat and you were fretting with the fleshy part of your finger. Make sure your hand is curled slightly and you fret with the tips of your fingers. It'll sound cleaner and reduce some of the string noise.

Also, it might be helpful if you posted a video of your right hand technique. I couldn't see it, but it sounds like you pluck way too hard. It's an electric instrument. A little can go a long way. Turn your amp up a little bit if you have to. It sounds like you REALLY dig in, and I can hear the string bouncing off of the frets and/or the p'ups (which would be that CLICK every time you pluck a note in case you were wondering). Practice playing with a lighter touch and relax. You seem really tense while you are playing. Also, if you fret your notes cleaner (see above) they will ring clearer and longer, and you won't have to hit them so hard to get the same amount of sound out of it.

Hope this helps, but a couple real lessons, even just one or two, would probably help alot more than youtube and talkbass can.

Appreciate you looking at both of my threads. Im getting i still need to use my tips from multiple people. And i will try to post a right hand video because well, i really dont have much of a technique. its always kind of however i feel like that day. So i need to get proper one down. And yes ill try to get lessons, even if just a few.

[Slax]

Originally Posted by Huffer777

Alright, so working on really using the tips, instead of the pad. Use pinkie more, and relax relax relax. Appreciate the advice.





Appreciate you looking at both of my threads. Im getting i still need to use my tips from multiple people. And i will try to post a right hand video because well, i really dont have much of a technique. its always kind of however i feel like that day. So i need to get proper one down. And yes ill try to get lessons, even if just a few.

I saw the original post too. I'd say you've advanced a lot in the right direction. Keep at it!

[Huffer777]

Originally Posted by Slax

I saw the original post too. I'd say you've advanced a lot in the right direction. Keep at it!

Thank you! i try my best.

[f'nar f'nar]

Personally I would think you could advance a lot with two simple exercises, first of all what I like to call the spider:

Start on F (first fret on the E string) and go up to the fourth fret using one finger per fret, then move up one string and do the same thing backwards. Once you have done it all the to the G string, move up one fret and do the same thing again. This will REALLY help you get going on using four fingers!!

Secondly, practice with a metronome. I know it gets beaten to death on here a lot but they really do help, it will not only help you keep time but build up stamina in both hands so that when you're playing like you are there you don't slow down when your hand gets tired!

Anywho, good work and keep it up!

[Huffer777]

Originally Posted by f'nar f'nar

Personally I would think you could advance a lot with two simple exercises, first of all what I like to call the spider:

Start on F (first fret on the E string) and go up to the fourth fret using one finger per fret, then move up one string and do the same thing backwards. Once you have done it all the to the G string, move up one fret and do the same thing again. This will REALLY help you get going on using four fingers!!

Secondly, practice with a metronome. I know it gets beaten to death on here a lot but they really do help, it will not only help you keep time but build up stamina in both hands so that when you're playing like you are there you don't slow down when your hand gets tired!

Anywho, good work and keep it up!

Ive read a bit about exercises like that but with always unclear directions, which you just simplified. So thank you ill try that ever day for about 10 minutes or so.

And a metronome is something i need to buy, i figure it wouldnt be stressed so hard if it wasn't such a big deal. Until then i think ill try to find one on the internet, thanks for your time/help!

[Skywalker83]

Ok, there is something i can recommend/suggest that might seem strange. I would recommend at this early stage of learning to NOT take videos of yourself.

WHY??

i think its making you more nervous which isn't helping your playing. It's making you try too hard to do things right, and therefor you end up making more mistakes. Your thinking about the camera and people watching this later. Also , in both your videos your not relaxed at all, because maybe you're worried about the crit your going to get. You will become a really good player the more you practice and the more you learn, but its not going to happen overnight. Take your time and in the long run it will pay off.

I would wait a while before you post anymore videos. By all means ask questions about your technique and try and work things out.And we'll all do our best to help you along.

As others have suggested, get lessons, even just a few to begin with. Nothing beats actually having someone infront of you to help you fix your mistakes then and there before they get worse. And also to help you learn how to play the instrument.

This is just my 2c.

[Huffer777]

Originally Posted by Skywalker83

Ok, there is something i can recommend/suggest that might seem strange. I would recommend at this early stage of learning to NOT take videos of yourself.

WHY??

i think its making you more nervous which isn't helping your playing. It's making you try too hard to do things right, and therefor you end up making more mistakes. Your thinking about the camera and people watching this later. Also , in both your videos your not relaxed at all, because maybe you're worried about the crit your going to get. You will become a really good player the more you practice and the more you learn, but its not going to happen overnight. Take your time and in the long run it will pay off.

I would wait a while before you post anymore videos. By all means ask questions about your technique and try and work things out.And we'll all do our best to help you along.

As others have suggested, get lessons, even just a few to begin with. Nothing beats actually having someone infront of you to help you fix your mistakes then and there before they get worse. And also to help you learn how to play the instrument.

This is just my 2c.

I totally understand the video thing. It was more of a 'bored at night' idea that it hought i could post and benefit from so even though those wernt for entertainment really, ill take what you said into consideration and not make/post anymore for fun. So thanks for that input.

[Skywalker83]

I think your taking my comment the wrong way.
If you really feel that posting videos will help you then do it. But from what i can see, not much changed from the first video to the second one. I think its better to post for example 1 video every month or so where we can see really noticable changes/improvements in your playing overall,and help you along with things. Rather than seeing videos once or twice a week where one aspect of your playing changes at a time. It will help you in the long run and it will stop people getting bored and keep them interested in your progress.

Bass playing should be fun, thats what its all about. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, i'm just giving you my opinion.

[mebusdriver]

Adam Nitti taught me this. Youtube his name for credentials....

Permutation exercises. Simply finger 1234 in any position up and down the neck. So start on G (3rd fret) and finger the next three frets. So 3rd fret, 4th fret, 5th fret, 6th fret. Then move to the A string and do the same thing, and then the D string, and then the G string. I works wonders for finger independence if you finger the exercise in different patterns. Like this.

1234 2134 3124 4123
1324 2314 3214 4213
1423 2413 3412 4312
1342 2341 3421 4321

Seriously bro, this is a mind numbingly boring exercise, but if you stick with it and play it clean you will be flying.

The second thing would be to really work on your right hand. The best thing is to just make sure you're always alternating fingers. A great thing about the exercise above is that if you pair it with concentrating on your right hand finger alternation, you knock out two exercises in one that will GREATLY improve your overall technique. Just do each of those patterns twice, once a day, and you'll be amazed at the difference in a week.

[Huffer777]

Originally Posted by Skywalker83

I think your taking my comment the wrong way.
If you really feel that posting videos will help you then do it. But from what i can see, not much changed from the first video to the second one. I think its better to post for example 1 video every month or so where we can see really noticable changes/improvements in your playing overall,and help you along with things. Rather than seeing videos once or twice a week where one aspect of your playing changes at a time. It will help you in the long run and it will stop people getting bored and keep them interested in your progress.

Bass playing should be fun, thats what its all about. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, i'm just giving you my opinion.

Okay now i get what your saying, appreciate your time correcting me. Ill update in awhile after ive tried out these exercise and such to see if im actually improving.

Originally Posted by mebusdriver

Adam Nitti taught me this. Youtube his name for credentials....

Permutation exercises. Simply finger 1234 in any position up and down the neck. So start on G (3rd fret) and finger the next three frets. So 3rd fret, 4th fret, 5th fret, 6th fret. Then move to the A string and do the same thing, and then the D string, and then the G string. I works wonders for finger independence if you finger the exercise in different patterns. Like this.

1234 2134 3124 4123
1324 2314 3214 4213
1423 2413 3412 4312
1342 2341 3421 4321

Seriously bro, this is a mind numbingly boring exercise, but if you stick with it and play it clean you will be flying.

The second thing would be to really work on your right hand. The best thing is to just make sure you're always alternating fingers. A great thing about the exercise above is that if you pair it with concentrating on your right hand finger alternation, you knock out two exercises in one that will GREATLY improve your overall technique. Just do each of those patterns twice, once a day, and you'll be amazed at the difference in a week.

Thank you for your time posting, these are the hand exercises ive been looking for. Ill try these out every day and update in a few weeks about how they have been working for me!

[pinkzepphish]

on your fretting hand: when theres a gap of one fret between your notes (like as in a whole step), you should have a gap of one finger in your hand. in other words, dont use your pinky just because less of a stretch. this will open up more notes outside of your current fingering box.

[Huffer777]

Originally Posted by pinkzepphish

on your fretting hand: when theres a gap of one fret between your notes (like as in a whole step), you should have a gap of one finger in your hand. in other words, dont use your pinky just because less of a stretch. this will open up more notes outside of your current fingering box.

Makes sense to me, thank you!