Fretting hand dexterity and independence

[rainbownorth]

This has probably been covered many a time before now, but im gonna write this anyway.

What are some good exercises to get my pinky finger to stay near the fretboard without me having to think about it? Ive been playing riffs from the song Asteroid by Kyuss, and just practising slowly, in order to keep my fingers near the fretboard. But I'm impatient, so I was wondering if anyone else had tips for increased dexterity of the fretting hand.

[Poop-Loops]

Get into 5th or 6th position.

Then just play stuff like 1-2-3-4 8 times, 1-3-2-4 8x, 1-3-4-2, 1-2-4-3, etc... Slowly. I noticed that different patterns "arouse" my pinky differently. Going 4-3-2-1 is the worst for me for some reason.

[RevGroove]

Get "Bass Fitness" by Joaquin de Pres...nuff said!

[floopy]

Originally Posted by rainbownorth

What are some good exercises to get my pinky finger to stay near the fretboard without me having to think about it?

This may be less to do with dexterity and more to do with your arm and wrist position. If your left wrist is straight and your forearm more at the right angle to the neck of the bass (as close to perpendicular as you can get) your pinky will automatically stay close to the fingerboard.

[Alec W. Conway]

Originally Posted by RevGroove

Get "Bass Fitness" by Joaquin de Pres...nuff said!

+1