Fretting hand - hover or all down?

flashboom · #1 11-20-2011, 10:39 PM

I did a brief search and didn't see anything regarding this...

When fretting a note with your little finger (for example), do your other fingers hover over the string or do you put them all down on the string? (Same would apply for the fingers above the ring and middle finger when fretting with them.) Any pros or cons, advantages or disadvantages to this technique?

I love watching technically proficient players who look like they are hardly moving their fingers; to the point where you can't tell what notes they are fretting. I realize that technique is not everything, I'm just curious as to what other's do and how much time and effort I should put into this technique. Any advice or opinions would be appreciated.

AmadeusXeno · #2 11-21-2011, 01:29 AM

I let my other fingers lightly rest across the strings so that they don't ring at all from any vibration that carries through the bass from the played string.

klaus486 · #3 11-21-2011, 02:13 AM

Depends on what the other strings are doing! Sometimes yes sometimes no. So many muting techniques involve the left hand!

JohnMCA72 · #4 11-21-2011, 10:08 AM

If I have to hold a note for awhile, I'll usually add the ring finger as a "helper". Otherwise, it all depends! Other fingers may be on another string/fret, they may be muting another string, or they may be momentarily not in use & I have no idea exactly what they're doing.

Mike in Chicago · #5 11-22-2011, 02:27 PM

If your index finger is not clamped down...but laying on the strings behind your ring and pinky...it's easier to put the string down w said pinky.

flashboom · #6 11-23-2011, 01:11 AM

Thanks for the replies so far. To clarify a bit, I'm not talking so much about holding down a single note or helping out the pinky. I'm thinking more about when running chromatic scales and such. I've been doing the "Taming Your Fretting Hand" exercises from Bass Player Magazine. It's a dexterity exercise and, if I'm reading it correctly, they recommend keeping the fingers above the fretting finger down. It feels fairly comfortable when doing the exercises, but not so much when doing scales or actually playing. Keeping all the fingers down seems like it would be slower and more awkward. Should I really pay attention to this aspect of fretting or should I just go with the flow and let what happens, happen? I'm new and teaching myself so I'm looking for a little guidance. Thanks again for all your help.

flashboom · #7 11-23-2011, 01:19 AM

Here is a link to the article. BassPlayer: Taming Your Fretting Hand, Part 1

The relevant passage is this one:

“Whichever finger you’re pressing down at the moment, all the fingers behind it should be down and in position, ready. That way, if you go to play a note below the one you’re playing, all you have to do is lift the finger you’re using. And if you’re playing a note above it, that finger is in position to drop onto the next note. Your hand should look like you’re playing trumpet: All your fingers move in concert, close to the strings, ready to play.”

Reading it again and looking at the picture, I'm thinking what he is actually recommending is what I'm calling "hovering". I guess what is throwing me is the "down and in position" bit. How do you more experienced folk interpret it?

GeoffT · #8 11-23-2011, 03:31 AM

For excercises like this, the idea is to keep the fingers down until they are needed on the next string and only moving one finger at a time. The purpose of doing that is to develop independence between the fingers as he mentions. This is not necessarily a "technique" you should be applying all the time but rather something to be used for these types of excercises to build up dexterity and independence. Additional benefits would be you get in the habit of keeping the fingers close to the strings and keeping the movements as small as possible which are important for speed, timing, and muting.

As far as how much time to spend, you could use them to warm up once you get the hang of it, focus more on the hard ones than the easy ones. They probably don't remind you of your favorite songs or sound really cool so don't spend too much of your time on them. Since you say you are new and trying to teach yourself, do yourself a favor and work on chord tones (arpeggios).

soulman969 · #9 11-25-2011, 12:08 AM

To me down means "at the ready". The fingers will be touching the string above the fret you'll be playing but the note won't typically be fully fretted unless you're doing a hammer on or a pull off. If you're "gripping" the neck it takes all the fluidness out of your technique. That's my 2 cents.

Rockin Mike · #10 11-25-2011, 12:23 AM

I leave my index finger down if I'm playing pull-offs, hammer-ons or trills.

If I'm moving to a new hand position or lots of motion across strings, the fingers walk like a spider, only one down at a time.

Most of the time my fingers are up if they're not needed to fret a note. This makes it quicker to go for the next note. I don't have to (1) pick up a finger, then (2) move the finger, then (3) put a finger down. Fingers already up so step 1 is just "move the finger".

Also, I do a violin or cello style vibrato. the non-fretting fingers must be up for this to work well.