Double Bass Style Fretting?

[Techmonkey]

Sorry if this has been posted before, I couldn't find anything about it, if there is something please delete this thread.

Since I've been having DB lessons, the main thing giving me problems with DB over BG is the "fretting hand" techniques... things like moving positions and the like... but mainly having to keep all of your fingers down behind whichever is the finger closest to the bridge... this being the equivalent of, say, going to fret the 5th fret on a bass, and using your other 3 fingers to fret 4th, 3rd and 2nd frets at the same time...

I've been frustrated about getting an uneven sound all the time... and the more I practiced DB, the more even my response became... I thought it must be my fretting hands becoming stronger... but when I actually looked at my fretting technique, I noticed I was beginning to fret like I would do on double bass - for simple, slow basslines, like pop, straight 8 rock, blues etc... I've actually started to fret the frets behind the fret I'm fretting (that's a lot of frets in one sentence!)

Does anyone else do this at all??

[Swimming Bird]

I don't play that way on upright. I was taught a very chordal style of playing along with "don't be a wuss - just use your %*^$ing pinky."

That said, some of my right hand technique carried over. Upright has really helped teach me some of the fundamentals of good tone, especially in terms of fingers and "meat." On slower songs now I tend to hold my BG more upright and play with my whole finger.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by Techmonkey

Sorry if this has been posted before, I couldn't find anything about it, if there is something please delete this thread.

Since I've been having DB lessons, the main thing giving me problems with DB over BG is the "fretting hand" techniques... things like moving positions and the like... but mainly having to keep all of your fingers down behind whichever is the finger closest to the bridge... this being the equivalent of, say, going to fret the 5th fret on a bass, and using your other 3 fingers to fret 4th, 3rd and 2nd frets at the same time...

I've been frustrated about getting an uneven sound all the time... and the more I practiced DB, the more even my response became... I thought it must be my fretting hands becoming stronger... but when I actually looked at my fretting technique, I noticed I was beginning to fret like I would do on double bass - for simple, slow basslines, like pop, straight 8 rock, blues etc... I've actually started to fret the frets behind the fret I'm fretting (that's a lot of frets in one sentence!)

Does anyone else do this at all??

I tend to use 1-2-4 double-bass style fingering up to about the ninth fret (that includes planting all fingers behind the one that's fretting the note). I find that db technique generally puts much less stress on my left hand, and really helps with fretless intonation and position changes.