Exercises to speed up right hand fingers?

[bullshark]

I'm kind of new to bass playing, I played as a teenager but that was a lifetime away, and I'm to the point where I can't play things I'd like to play because my picking fingers are too slow.

Any exercise I could do to help speed them up? Or exercising would build endurance but not speed and I am stuck with a slow hand?

(I'm past 40 and have slight arthritis in both hands if it's relevant in any way).

[Roland777]

Just do it the way you improve speed in general. Start slowly, make sure your strums/plucks/whatever are even, then go faster and faster, always making sure that your playing sticks to the beat. Keep increasing the speed. Add more fingers later on. A good excercise is just to fret a note and start strumming as fast and evenly as possible.

[BrandonBass]

you might wanna practise pickstyle, if just might be right for you

[tycobb73]

Get a metronome. Start at fret 1, string 1, finger 1 with left hand. Play note with index finder of right hand. Go to fret 2 string 1, finger 2 with left hand. Play note with middle finger of right hand. Do the same with fret 3, finger 3 of left hand. This one is played with index finder again. Fret 4 is played with middle finger of right hand and pinky of left hand. Go back down the frets using the same picking pattern. Repeat on other 3 strings. Do not loose a beat with the metronome as you swtich strings. Move left hand up one fret and repeat so you are now doing frets 2,3,4,5. Do this up to the 12th fret or so. Everything you play should be alternated picking with your right hand. Also, practice scales always alternating. Speed up metronome when you can do it easily and mstake free. You will find it very slow at first but will accelerate quickly once you have it.

I don't know how this will affect your arthritis if at all.

[spindizzy]

First let me warn you that aging has its consequences for us bass players and it is in and of itself a problem that can get worse as time goes on.

I am 55 and have suffered from the condition in greater and lesser ways for over ten years now. I have found multiple ways to keep playing and to continue to be satisfied with my playing but it does take a certain amount of commitment to do so.

My recommendations are:

Make sure you are doing some sort of stretching and warm up prior to playing. I always start with washing my hands and forearms to keep my hands clean when I am playing (which helps preserve string life) and to allow me to massage my hands, wrists, elbows and forearms under warm to very warm water for at least five and often ten minutes. This helps me to relax when I am just starting out and by paying particular attention to the fingers, wrists and the muscles just below the elbow, I am helping blood flow into those areas as well as aiding in reducing any inflammation that is the result of arthritis.

I take anti-inflammatory medications when weather or an over active playing routine seem to be aggravating my stiffness and pain but I recommend talking to your doctor prior to using any medication whatsoever.

I start slow (as many have recommended already) and at first play only for a few minutes or until I feel like muscles are starting to tense or stiffness seems to be increasing. Then I break for approximately five minutes or so and begin again. I listen to my body for about an hour during regular practice sessions and try to only push enough to mover progress along but not enough to aggravate symptoms.

As for speed I have found the best advice is that given by Gary Willis and Todd Johnson about practicing slowly and making sure you are understanding what you are playing and doing it without mistakes at slower speeds. As pain and stiffness become a distraction it is helpful to not have to think hard about what you want to play while fighting against uncooperative muscles and joints.

Another speed and stamina exercise you can employ is the Bill Dickens method
which involves his "Buddha Rope". Now personally I don't think you need a signature "Buddha Rope" to do it but the basic concept is just like swingin two bats at once before you take your at bat in a ballgame. Take a piece of rope or rolled up scarf or something similar and place it under the strings towards the bridge end of you bass neck. Turn on the TV or something else to help ease the bordom of the exercise and simply work your plucking hand. Again the recommendation is to work all strings, in whatever plucking order you wish but make sure to evenly work the fingers you wish to strengthen, do it for about 15 minutes and then rest for 5 and repeat. Do that for about 45 minutes to an hour each day. This is only aimed at increasing the strength, stamina and flexability of your plucking hand. He also does similar exercise with the rope for the fretting hand. The rules are the same and you only hammer on to fret you don't use your plucking hand at all.

Lastly, and this is totally optional as I know the controversy surrounding it as a technique, I have found that my interpretation of the floating thumb concept has given additional ways to strike strings and increased the number of digits I have at my disposal. More digits, economic motion and proper playing positions all contribute to being able to achieve speed when necessary despite troublesome pain and stiffness.

Now if you do all of these things after a time you will notice that, although you start out with the symptoms, they go away after a short time and your hands will start feeling more like they did when you were younger. It isn't a cure it is simply a way to keep in the game.

Hope this helps.

[tradition_2kill]

lots of simple right hand repition {no need to fret} imimimimi ect.. or whatever variation you see fit. start on one string and then work on different groupings while changing strings. about 15 to 20 hours of this will kick your speed into the next generation

[bullshark]

I broke down and got a pick. One of those thick compressed felt ones, sounds a bit between fingers plucking and plastic pick and, by plucking on the up stroke as well as the down stroke I can finally play those rumbly fast height notes pass; the only thing I don't get at all is how to mute those open string note playing pick style. Still mostly practise finger style thought, but I at least have this option when fingering it aint cutting it any more.

I do want to thank all of you for your suggestions, but especially spindizzy who gave me a lot of hope, as well as good suggestions, that I would still be able to play at least 8 years from now. Thanks

[tenorbass]

Play with a metronome. Start out slow like 60bpm and play a simple bass line thats all 16ths, If it skips strings the better off you are. If you nail the line 3 times in perfect bump it up 3 bpm. If it gets to fast then take a break then back at it. This is the proper way to get faster!

[spindizzy]

Eight, ten maybe even twenty years of this I am sure. It is a passion that we cannot let die...ever. I may not play as well as I do now twenty years down the road but I intend to play until I drop. Obsticles are just that, things to climb over as you move ever forward. Take care of your hands, be patient with them, never take them for granted and play on. Good luck!

[chantezlebas]

get the manring video bass essentials the best thing i ever saw about dexterety

[dave_p]

i have just come to terms with the fact that i am slow, and use things like hammer-ons, sliding into notes and vibrato to spice up my lines and compensate for my lack of speed. i decided to stop trying to be fast and just try to be as smooth as i can. not to say that attaining your desired speed is a bad thing, go for it! there are many fine suggestions put out already so i wont repeat them. i just realized for myself that i will never be a fast player, and focused on other areas. being slow is not the end of the world. it took about ten years for me to realize that.