Finger style problems still..

[cire113]

Ive been trying to play fingerstyle for a year straight i practice hours a day.. i still have terrible time with accuracy tone and sound.. and the most speed...

I think i just still dont understand my technique or am confident about..

I still dont get it.. do you pluck the strings or roll over them?

right now im confused about the right hand angle.. when using fingers do the tips of the fingers point at the ground or right at the pick ups? or in between .. or does this matter?

Im trying to get economy of motion accuracy and speed...

but it feels like im grabbin too much string and its slowing me down... idk i give up

I just cannot play with my fingers at all... its terrible.... its like depressing

[jallenbass]

Get thee to an outstanding teacher.

[erock0138]

Do what feels natural, and sounds the best. pick a song, figure out the groove, and try to imitate it and see how it sounds.

[Dusty89]

I can give you a textbook answer. Roll your fingers over the strings, don't pluck at them. Also, try to keep your finger tips as perpendicular to the strings/pickups as possible. The floating thumb technique (found in sticky's) will help at retaining this 90 degree angle.

Over time you can do a variety of stuff with your fingers and develop a natural feel for whatever you like. This is just the basic approach which never fails.

[uethanian]

for me, i rest my forearm on the body and sort of let my hand hang over the strings. relax! you should not feel like you are holding up your arm or tensing your wrist/fingers in an unnatural shape. try pointing your fingers more into the instrument. the power should come from your knuckles, the fingers themselves need to be loose, especially at the last joint. think of rolling over the top of the string rather than plucking or pulling through it.

[chuck3]

finger style is the best way to play, so don't stop now.

It's more of a pluck than anything else. IMO you are making it a little too complicated. It's a string, you pluck it.

[JDeewond]

And raise your volumes instead of plucking like a mad man. Works for me.

[cire113]

maybe i should just not think about it an keep playing

[vivifiction]

Your fingers roll over the strings. Bunch of good advice up there. Your fingers should be relaxed, not rigid. Let the tip of your finger run across the string. Also, like JDee said, make sure your volume is up enough. Low volume will make you play as hard as possible to hear yourself more. Try cranking it up and trying to play as softly as possible

[cire113]

im going to victor wootens bass camp in 2 months... if i cant figure it out till then im sure they will show me the right way LOL..

the sad thing is ive been trying for a year...and dont get me wrong im a real good bassist but i usually play with a pick mostly....

[Dusty89]

Originally Posted by cire113

im going to victor wootens bass camp in 2 months... if i cant figure it out till then im sure they will show me the right way LOL..

the sad thing is ive been trying for a year...and dont get me wrong im a real good bassist but i usually play with a pick mostly....

If a pick feels the best than go for it. Nothing wrong with that. However, you seem intent with using your fingers (which is good), therefore, just remember that proper technique will take very little physical strain when done properly.

[HeadyVan Halen]

Finger plays string and mutes the string behind it...in other words, play A string, finger hits on E string..

Practice

JC McNeil Band

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by cire113

Ive been trying to play fingerstyle for a year straight i practice hours a day.. i still have terrible time with accuracy tone and sound.. and the most speed...

I think i just still dont understand my technique or am confident about..

I still dont get it.. do you pluck the strings or roll over them?

right now im confused about the right hand angle.. when using fingers do the tips of the fingers point at the ground or right at the pick ups? or in between .. or does this matter?

Im trying to get economy of motion accuracy and speed...

but it feels like im grabbin too much string and its slowing me down... idk i give up

I just cannot play with my fingers at all... its terrible.... its like depressing

A year is nothing it takes time and as you are finding out it is not a fast thing and there are no real short cuts.

But if you are practicing hours a day, then if you are practicing wrong then you are practicing at making your faults dominant over what is correct. In other words you are just practicing to be a bad player with bad technique and ultimatly will succeed because of the time and effort you put in to be bad.

However if you are practicing the correct things then indeed time will bring its just rewards...and year is nothing.

Always remember practice is just that practice, and you can practice to improve and be good, or you can practice at being bad and stay where you are. You can either ingrain good habits or bad ones, but if you have been practicing bad ones they then become the norm and are hard to change or break.
This is why good teachers and hands on education work because it will address problems and fix them.
Good luck at Victors i believe you will come back thinking like a different player.

[steddy2112]

In the end remember to do what's comfortable for you and gets the job done.

I play with my thumb/index/middle primarily rather than the 'traditional' style.

Do what feels natural, there's no right or wrong way to play the way you play, that's the part that makes all of different from one another.

[tobiasaurusrex]

Try working on the feel before you go for speed and volume.

Try this, rest your thumb on a pickup as thumb rest, or a thumb rest. Keep your fingers straight, but not stiffly locked, and let them easily pivot at the hand-knuckle. (Try it right now without the bass, wag them like you're swim-kicking in the air with your fingers.) To get a good feel, rest one finger on the A string and thumb on a pickup or thumb rest, making an A-frame (no relation to the A string). Now imagine your thumb is creating gravity, and pulling your finger to it. Let your finger ease over the string, and come down to rest on the E string. Now do that with the other finger. Now, when one finger hits the E string, get the other finger above the A string and set up to go. Do this till you get it, then calmly play chromatically up the A string, or some kind of fingerboard exercise. Let your mind think more about the fingerboard goings-on than the thoom-thoom. Try and let it happen subconsciously, naturally, and relaxed. Think of your finger falling onto the next string, more than "plucking" anything. When working the E string, let your fingers fall to your thumb if using a pickup edge for a rest, or the bottom side of the thumb rest proper.

I also have my fingernails nearly as short as an obsessive compulsive biter (never bite your nails, they can tear back nastily). The whole top of my finger can ride right around the string smoothly and without snagging.

This is just another way to approach it, and all methods are like favorite colors, none is right, it's just right for you.

[cire113]

thanks for all the advice guys!!!! i really appreciate it very much....

Ill keep at it... Honestly im so good with a pick i dont know why im even trying finger... but i want to learn both... but really i like finger more....

and its weird with a pick i cant play anything i could with fingers its just different...

[jaywa]

Originally Posted by tobiasaurusrex

Try working on the feel before you go for speed and volume.

+1 to this but I would take it even farther and say that tone precedes feel. First work on getting every note to sound good, every time. Strong, consistent tone is not often praised or emphasized for a bassist, but it is critical.

If you're hearing clanks or clatters you are likely attacking the string too hard which is common in beginners because the plucking hand is your strong hand. I am a huge proponent of playing with a light touch and turning up for volume.

After you're getting good tone comes making the notes "feel" good, i.e., playing each note with the right duration relative to everything else going on in the song. IMO this is where a fingerstyle player has a tremendous advantage because of all the muting possibilities available with the fingers that can't be done (or are much harder to do) with a pick.

Once you have tone and feel down, THEN you can start working up to speed. Otherwise you're putting the cart before the horse and possibly setting yourself up for hand/wrist damage as well.

[Voodoochild1970]

I'd say it's best just to keep practicing. I've been playing for about 3 and a half years and play mostly finger style. That being said, I'm still learning new things and improving my technique every time I play. I think it's just a matter of keeping at it. I'm not sure a year is enough time to develop a great technique if you use a pick most of the time and rarely use finger style.

I think it can benefit you to learn both styles. Like I said, I primarily use finger style but I like to pick sometimes too so I have both at my disposal. Just like you sometimes I have trouble with my picking technique because I don't do it a lot of the time. I think you'll be fine, just keep at it!

[tobiasaurusrex]

To follow up, here's John Entwistle using fingerstyle with Eric Clapton. He's using the pickup as a thumb rest, keeping it anchored. You can see his whole arm, wrist, and hand posture, and where he's static, where he's fluid.

"Eyesight To The Blind" - "Tommy" (1975)
YouTube - Eric Clapton - Eyesight To The Blind - Tommy (1975) [HQ]

[tobiasaurusrex]

More with some snippets of Dave LaRue playing fingerstyle.

Dixie Dreggs: "Assembly Line"
YouTube - dixie dregs -assembly line

These are posted for instructional and contemplative purposes only, a legal allowance.