Four-fingered players

[charic]

Originally Posted by xolin

Do you fret tap? Or are you saying you pluck by hitting the string with the tips of your fingers? I dont see how that would give you a good tone...:?

I mean the second way that you mentioned, im not saying its a gr8 tone lol (altho sometimes the odd one does sound good, im planning on ivestigating what im doing different there) i only really posted this as i wondered if this is a used technique

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by xolin

...I use three fingers sometimes, but it gives you more of a triplet feel. I use the different techniques depending on the pattern. Tremoloing with three fingers doesnt sound as tight to me as with four or two.

I now use three fingers pretty-much constantly and automatically. For some funk and soul songs, using r-m (usually muting the m with i) is very important to the groove-feel for me. One example that comes to mind is 'Get Up Of'a that Thing' by J.B. - "boo pa-doop pa-doop doop doop doop.."; the "pa-doop"s are always r-m. Maybe even moreso is Back In Love Again by LTD, where I think for most of the verses I'm using predominantly r-m (for the chorus I switch to double-thumbing through the whole thing).

What I'm trying to do now, is to use 'Wooten-style' for tremelo-playing (which I don't need much of with the funk band - 'cept for 'hair metal concert' style song endings - but I want to be a 'complete bassist') - like thumb-down, thumb-up, middle, index. Boy! is that hard to do -- but when every once-in-a-while it falls into place, it inspires me to keep working on it!

Also - every time I see one of Mike Flynn's videos, it makes me want to play like him. I really think of it as more "Mike Flynn style", than 'Wooten style', I guess.

Joe

[Goregrind29]

Wait, how COULD you use a six string with a set anchor. I started my playing on a sixer and moved to 5, so I always just had my thumb resting on the next string for muting, stability (only moving maybe 1,2 strings away from that anchor quickly). I use three fingers sometimes, but it gives you more of a triplet feel. I use the different techniques depending on the pattern. Tremoloing with three fingers doesnt sound as tight to me as with four or two.

Well some great bassists do play anchored on a six, steve bailey(i think he might play anchored on the B string, no the pickup, but close enough), i have seen John patitucci play this way as well, diddnt work for me to well though.
Anyways in order to make a three finger tone very even, simply roll the fingers.. R-M-I-M or I-M-R-M.. and although at first this seems to defeat playing with three fingers, it really does improve your speed. Another way ive found to increase tone consistency is to play with the fingertips as much as possible.

[Mr M]

I was planning to start a new thread when I came accross this one. I'd like to discuss what you do in some special patterns/positions when playing with 4 fingers.

I play with my index-middle-ring-pinky for some years now. First of all if I knew it before, I would begin to play with 4 fingers at the very beginning because I've spent a good time when switching from 2 fingers to 4 fingers. Changing habits are more difficult rather than forming from zero..(but it's not impossible)

There are some ways to play with 4 fingers, but as I said I use always the pattern of i-m-r-p i-m-r-p...

There is also Matt Garison technique where he uses t-i-m-r

There is also what I call "go-and-return technique", I mean i-m-r-p-r-m-i

etc. etc.

For me, the hardest part was(and sometimes still is) with triplets. I am doing i-m-r p-i-m r-p-i m-r-p and repeat it again and again. If I am tired (after making 2,5 hours of set), I switch to 3 fingers i-m-r i-m-r....
Hardest part with triplets is to have an even sound at the first accented notes, as all of the fingers play some time that first accented note. What do you do?

Jumping strings can also be a problem, I mean playing on E first 3 notes and fourth note on G string. I mostly attack with my index on G string and begin my i-m-p-r, from there. What you do?

i m r i(rarely p)
---------6--------
------------------
------------------
-2-2--4-----------


For octave playing (a la disco mode), I play with i-m or p-i or i-r. Is there anybody going another way?
i m i m
---5-----5--------
------------------
-3-----3----------
------------------

For slow whole notes I usually go only with index or only with thumb.
i i
-----------------------
-----------------------
-3~~~-------3--------
-----------------------


When attacking the next lower string, if the finger going to next string is index or middle, I mostly continue using the same finger.
i m m r
-3-5--------------
-----5-6----------
------------------
------------------

or
p i i m
-3-5--------------
-----5-6----------
------------------
------------------

Or I begin again with index
i m i m r p.....
-3-5---------------
------5-6-3-5------
------------------
------------------

If the finger going to next string is ring or pinky, I always begin with index
i m r i m r p
-3-3-5------------
-------5-6-3-5----
------------------
------------------

For the songs going steady eight notes (i.e. Parallel Universe by RHCP) playing with all four fingers is difficult too as the first notes played by index and ring can sound different.
i m r p i m r p i m r p....
->--->---->--->---->--->------
-9-9-9-9--9-9-9-9--9-9-9-9----
------------------------------
------------------------------

So I use i-m i-m or play with a pick

Here is my story about this technique. I've sincerely put where it causes problem to my playing. I am surely not the first one to use this technique but I have not begun using four fingers after seeing someone but come to conclusion by myself. It's in fact not important. I discovered that I was not the only one after seeing that famous "Henging ten on bass" article. I've made 3-4 times the exercise with duct tape explained at that article but left the idea, because I didn't like the feeling and my ring and pinky was not so weak when I came across that article.

[Blunt]

i like the comment about the go and return technique. This is what Digeourgio uses for his speed metal with three fingers.

I have no desire to incorporate a 4th finger but there are of course those two fundamentals that you speak of.

[natedawg5280]

When you three fingered players play.. do you just do:

I-M-R....... over and over? It's weird with 4/4.. and I could probably get it.. but is there a better way?

I thought about possibly:
M-R-M-I..... Over and over.

[Mr M]

Originally Posted by Mr M

For me, the hardest part was(and sometimes still is) with triplets. I am doing i-m-r p-i-m r-p-i m-r-p and repeat it again and again. If I am tired (after making 2,5 hours of set), I switch to 3 fingers i-m-r i-m-r....
Hardest part with triplets is to have an even sound at the first accented notes, as all of the fingers play some time that first accented note. What do you do?

Any 4 finger player out there, that would like to share their experience?

[xolin]

Originally Posted by natedawg5280

When you three fingered players play.. do you just do:

I-M-R....... over and over? It's weird with 4/4.. and I could probably get it.. but is there a better way?

I thought about possibly:
M-R-M-I..... Over and over.

That would actually slow you down and defeat the point of 3 fingers. Yeah, 3 isnt bad for 4/4 though, if you can make all the notes sound consistent and on time

imri mrim rimr imri, etc