Fingerstyle and skipping strings...

cire113 · #1 12-25-2009, 01:10 PM

I just learned fingerstyle when you switch between strings do you still go 1-2 1-2 1-2?? Or do you sometimes roll down with 1 finger to play the next string..

Does this even matter?

Im having problems with skipping strings....

Hollywars · #2 12-25-2009, 01:17 PM

1-2-1-2-1-2 doesn't always work. I sometimes roll, but it really depends on the riff. Just practice slowly and you will get better.

bass_snake · #3 12-25-2009, 01:19 PM

Just practice man. Whatever makes you feel comfortable.

You' ll get it.

Fred

Fletcher Lanning · #4 12-25-2009, 01:24 PM

I'll do that more often than not, but it depends on the style and your hand position. Rolling the finger over the next string puts your hand in a different position and, in turn, will change the tone of your attack. Thats not necessarily a bad thing but it is something to be noted. Anything is reasonable if it fits in the overall scheme of your line.

cire113 · #5 12-25-2009, 01:27 PM

maybe i should just play and not think about it

Dimitar · #6 12-25-2009, 01:29 PM

i always roll, it's easier to me.

Fergie Fulton · #7 12-25-2009, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cire113

I just learned fingerstyle when you switch between strings do you still go 1-2 1-2 1-2?? Or do you sometimes roll down with 1 finger to play the next string..

Does this even matter?

Im having problems with skipping strings....

In playing finger style it is not always a strict alternate pattern, but a start on the dominant finger when ever possible. This is evident when a single rest or a small break occurs, it is natural for the fingers to "re-set" and start alternating from the dominant finger again.
In changing strings or skipping strings introduce a "3rd" finger and try to develop a 3 finger ocassional style. This is just a 2 finger style that allows the 3rd finger to help out when ever necessary, usefull in skipping strings and moving smoothly through fingerings.

somegeezer · #8 12-25-2009, 03:16 PM

1-2-1-2?... I go 3-2-1-3-2-1-3-2-1... Sometimes I'll switch it up though... But you just use any finger that isn't the last one you used.

cire113 · #9 12-25-2009, 03:20 PM

also can i pretty much play anything fingerstyle on picK?

The reason i ask is because i broke my right arm in half 10 years ago(ulna and radius compound fracture hardcast 1 year 2 plates 20 screws)... and my finger muscles never returned proper strength and endurance..

I can play awesome with a pick but i feel pressured to learn fingerstyle.. but my arm just physically cant do it...

Fletcher Lanning · #10 12-25-2009, 10:15 PM

What position are you playing with the bass in? If you broke your arm and your shoulder re-adjusted in a different position it might be hard to play with the bass where you had it before, especially if you play with it hung low like so many EB rockers do. If this is the case, try pulling the bass up a little higher (like above your waist) when you're playing finger-style and see if it's a little more comfortable.

To answer your question, you can play music with whatever tool you want, but it will sound different. The sound of a pick will always be quite a bit different than the sound of your fingers. If you can live with the different sound and don't miss the fingers, then play whatever you want; it is YOUR sound after all.

JimmyM · #11 12-25-2009, 11:23 PM

hope you can work it out to play at least a little fingerstyle. it's fun and a different sound that a pick doesn't do.

anyway, i've softened up a little on raking. i used to be totally anti raking. now i think if it's not a part where you are doing a lot of quick notes all in a row, then it's fine to rake if you want. i like to strictly alternate, but a rake now and then won't kill you. but if you're playing something with a lot of notes in a row and a lot of string skipping, you're way better off using strict alternation.

Fergie Fulton · #12 12-26-2009, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cire113

also can i pretty much play anything fingerstyle on picK?

The reason i ask is because i broke my right arm in half 10 years ago(ulna and radius compound fracture hardcast 1 year 2 plates 20 screws)... and my finger muscles never returned proper strength and endurance..

I can play awesome with a pick but i feel pressured to learn fingerstyle.. but my arm just physically cant do it...

There is no real reason why after a fracture 10 years ago,
you would lose stamina if all the attachments are are healthy and the nerve passage un-interupted. Sound like you need some physical therepy or PNF treatment to re-introduce you arm to what it should be doing and so help the hands and fingers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNF_stretching

Montsegour · #13 12-26-2009, 04:08 AM

I'd say always do 1 2 1 2 1 2 even when your brain goes against it. It makes much more confort at playing some insanely fast songs, when u get used to it. ( if you decided not to use your third finger atleast )

cire113 · #14 12-26-2009, 12:25 PM

but back to my question can you play the same thing with a pick as with fingers just different tone?

crucislancer · #15 12-26-2009, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cire113

but back to my question can you play the same thing with a pick as with fingers just different tone?

I don't see why not. I can't, I suck at playing with a pick, but look at some of the fantastic players out there that use a pick (Paul McCartney and Chris Squire come to mind) and see how they knock out some fantastic bass lines.

JimmyM · #16 12-26-2009, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cire113

but back to my question can you play the same thing with a pick as with fingers just different tone?

of course.

iamlowsound · #17 12-27-2009, 01:15 PM

I don't strictly alternate. I used to all the time, but then one day I realized that I had started to always play the quarter note with my index finger and the 8th note with my middle. Well, for the most part. If I am skipping strings, I always use the next finger, but then revert to the index on the quarters. I use a ring-middle-index pattern for triplets. It is an interesting style, but it works well for everything that I have played in the last several years which ranges greatly in styles.

lowsound

Lobster11 · #18 12-31-2009, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cire113

maybe i should just play and not think about it

To the contrary, you should probably think about it and work on it a lot -- while practicing. Whichever method you want to use, practice it slowly and carefully until it becomes automatic, so when you're playing "for real" you don't have to think about it.

On another point, be sure to try out a variety of picks. If you have to play with a pick but prefer the tone of fingerstyle, some picks (such as the felt ones) will get you closer to that tone than others.