Do you Pop the string with index or middle finger?

[steve66]

I prefer the index finger, but have seen other bassists pop with the middle. I like to hear your answers and opinions

[cowsgomoo]

generally the index finger.. if I need 2 pops close together i'll follow my index finger with my middle finger

[awaranowski]

I pop with my middle finger. It seems to be in a better and more comfortable position.

[MikeyFingers]

I use both. Depending on what the rest of my hand is doing, I may use my index or middle. I also got really good with repeating pops, like 8th notes etc, can run a few pops at high speed pretty well but it gets tricky.

[Blackbird]

I use both. I was lucky that I had a teacher who encouraged this technique.

He taught me an exercise where I would hold two notes an octave apart with my fretting hand while alternating between the index and middle finger on the high note while thumping the low one with my thumb. It went like this:

T-I, T-M, T-I, T-M...etc.

[awaranowski]

Hey guys. Since we're on the topic of popping, I figured I'd ask a quick question about popping really fast. There's this song I have downloaded called "miller time" or something and it's Victor Wooten starting with a rapid fire succession of muted pops. It sounds super amazing. Do you think he does it by alternating?

Mikey, you said you can pop pretty quick. Is that the trick? Alternating fingers?

[Whafrodamus]

Both

[Chunk-O-Funk]

First started using my index, now I use both.

[Jazzin']

Either, but I recently bruised my index finger, so it hurts to pop with it. I can still pluck though.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Middle for the G string and index for the D. I just can recall one single situation in which I pop the A string, and I use my index for that.

[Spikeh]

Both... it depends what I'm doing and where I am on the fret board.

[Michael Henson]

Originally Posted by awaranowski

Hey guys. Since we're on the topic of popping, I figured I'd ask a quick question about popping really fast. There's this song I have downloaded called "miller time" or something and it's Victor Wooten starting with a rapid fire succession of muted pops. It sounds super amazing. Do you think he does it by alternating?

Mikey, you said you can pop pretty quick. Is that the trick? Alternating fingers?

It's actually Marcus Miller, thus the title "Miller Time." And yes he uses both his index and middle finger to pop. A trick I've learned is that when you're doing a quick double pop you can catch two strings, like the D (with index) and G (with middle), to get a really fast pop in there. It gets difficult if you have to do more than one in rapid succesion though, especially if you're moving up and down strings.

[Alan Vorse]

Originally Posted by Alvaro Martín Gómez A.

Middle for the G string and index for the D. I just can recall one single situation in which I pop the A string, and I use my index for that.

+1

[MikeyFingers]

Originally Posted by awaranowski

Hey guys. Since we're on the topic of popping, I figured I'd ask a quick question about popping really fast. There's this song I have downloaded called "miller time" or something and it's Victor Wooten starting with a rapid fire succession of muted pops. It sounds super amazing. Do you think he does it by alternating?

Mikey, you said you can pop pretty quick. Is that the trick? Alternating fingers?

Yep. I have that song too. In his BassDay 98 DVD he says specifically that he does use this technique. BUT, I'm not 100% sure that it's even Wooten playing bass in that part. I think it's Marcus Miller. It sounds more like his tone and I know he does play in that song, hense the name. Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's the same technique, but I don't know if it's Victor that's playing it.

[WJGreer]

I use my index finger. Vernon Porter is a guy who uses his middle finger - he sticks his index finger out so his right hand looks like a pistol. It works, very well, for him.

[Techmonkey]

I normally just use my index, but when playing Get Up And Jump by the Chilis I always use T-I-T-T-M-T-T-I-T-T-M etc etc

[Chili]

depends on what i'm playing, when playing something like coffee shop or get up and jump i alerternate between index and middle, i suppose i usually use my index mainly tho, apart from when i screwed my index up i had to use my middle for a while, so i'm kinda used to both now...to every bads thing theres a good thing lol

[Phe]

Might as well ask a question about popping: What part of the fingertip do you use? Because I use the fleshy part, near the joint and I think it slows me because my finger is under the string. Am I completely wrong on this?

I try to use both fingers, but like I said I'm pretty slow with slapping and popping.

[MikeyFingers]

^I use the part close to the tip, but not quite the tip. Right where my finger starts to curve from the tip to the bottom, thats where I pop.

[lemur821]

I use my fingertip.