get pinky close to the fretboard

[JackWhite]

hi all! ive used the search tool but i didnt quite find a thread that solved my problem 100 %

so here's my question.

lately ive been trying to play as economical as possible. for example i have a special set up to build up strength in my fingers. on my practice bass (in my room - squier P-bass) ive got quite high action and i have to dig in the strings but on my main bass (fender jazz) ive got low action - whereas the jazz is much more easier to play in the long run.

however what im unfortunately failing to be able to is to have my pinky very close to the fretboard. this gets especially hard near the first few frets. (1,2,3,4,5). i somehow have to crump my left hand. dont think this is the way it should be. but i have to mention that i got used to playing octaves in this position. i just stretch my pinky straight away and this works quite well.

im just afraid im aquiring a wrong technique here which will be very hard to get away from again in the future. right now im thinking of just always stretch/ leave my pinky stiff like this so it is sooner ready to fret a note. but isnt relaxation the key to fast and right playing? and when im stretching my pinky all the time this isnt really relaxation. hope u get what im saying also this stretch/stiff pinky thing doesnt work really well. for example when im playing chromatically to F on the D string (D,D#,E,F) my pinky somehow gets BENEATH the fretboard. and this is an absolute NO-NO!

so is there a way to get my pinky used to be near to the fretboard ready to fret a note?

ive adjusted my bass height so it feels very comfortable for me (quite high. id say the lower end of the body is just under my belly)

ive been thinking of doing chromatic runs on the lower frets to get my pinky used to be near the fretboard, but im just afraid that this will end up in a "stiff" pinky and that this is a wrong technique.

thx for your help and sorry for the long read

have a nice day!
greetings from vienna - austria

[jsbachonbass]

My first thought is not the height of you bass, but the angle of your bass. Even if you have it high, if the neck of the bass is parallel to the floor, it can cause the same problems as a low bass. Your bass should be about 30 degree. Put it this way, when I have my bass on, the head stock about the same level as my neck and head.If your are sitting, rest your bass on inside of your left leg instead of your right leg, like a classical guitarist does.

Now at this position, I can naturallly and easily touch the 5,6,7 & 8 frets on my E string with my 4 fingers,all 4 of my fingers are parallel to the frets. I can then move my hand out and play the 1,2,3,4 frets, and my fingers naturally spread and angle a little, but my pinky can still easily reach the 4th fret of my low B string. At the same time, I can put my first finger on the first fret of my high C string (6-string bass).

[JackWhite]

my bass is not parallel to the floor. its exaclty the other way around. id say ive got it too diagonal!

you say it should be about 30 degrees. i cant say exactly now because im not at home, but if i just think about my bass playing right now id say my bass points at approx. 45 to sometimes even 60 degrees to the ceiling!

how can i get an angle of 30 degrees? just by putting the strap another way around my shoulder?

im absolutely selftaught and never had lessons. right now i also cannot afford some.

here is a little video - its 5 months old, my technique has improved since then, but u can quite get the idea. just look at my pinky. its almost always underneath the neck.

the angle of the bass seems to be quite right if i follow the rule head of bass = neck of me... this is my old squier p-bass, i didnt have the jazz then. on my jazz i can fret more comfortable but i got the same problem like in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwWRWDR-YgQ

if you now look at lokires video (tb-user too) - this is just where i want to get! his left hand seems to have contact to the fretboard always all the time while being TOTALLY relaxed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa89o8rDAN8

any practices somebody can tell me?
maybe even lokire himself?

thx in advance

[jsbachonbass]

Is that your thumb I see on top of your neck? That might be the cause of your fingers being angled so much. Your fingers should always be about parallel to your frets. The popular analogy everybody uses here is holding a coke can in your hand, but you don't wan't wrap our a hands around it. use only the ends of your fingers and thumb. Your thumb should be directly across your 1st or 2nd finger. On your bass, the end of your thumb should always stay follow the center of the neck in the lower positions.

Do you do any finger exercises? Here is a tip. If your pinky needs he most work, then do it first. You have probably seen 2,3, & 4 finger patterns. Instead of always starting on first finger , start on the pinky. So 2 finger combinations would be 4 3,4 2, 4 1. Do each pattern 4 times, starting on the G string. Then move to the D string, then A, then E. This is good endurance exercise for your pinky and 3rd finger, you will probably get cramps at first.

Here is another think I thought of. You said you adjusted to play octaves, and I assume you meant with your 1st finger on the root, and 3rd on the higher octave. Try it with other way. Put your pinky on your 5th fret A on the E string, and play the higher octave A with your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of your G string. You basically just need to use your pinky in the lower positons more on the lower strings. You will have to adjust your wrist, arm, and shoulder to keep it comfortable.

[JackWhite]

thx for this tips!

as for endurance. my pinky can handle quite much. since the early days im a 1,2,4 player. i used my pinky exclusivly to get it stronger. and now its on a level im comfortable with it.

is it true that the "spider-exercise" helps much with my problem? i did it a week or two daily. but stopped again, dont know why.

ill try to have my thumb always in the center of the back of the neck and straight (parallel to frets, NOT parallel to neck)

thx for your help!

[Koki]

some people don't get it but the pinky is really important finger. The weakest one is ring, not pinky!
1,2 &4 is the way to go

[jsbachonbass]

Originally Posted by Koki

some people don't get it but the pinky is really important finger. The weakest one is ring, not pinky!
1,2 &4 is the way to go

Well I personally believe in using all 4 fingers with the 1 finger per fret technique, but I understand not everybody is 6'5" like me and can hit the caps lock and return button at the same time with one hand. But even if you use 124 in the lower position, you should be able to use 1234 at the 5th fret. That is about the same as first postion on a guitar.

I believe one reason 3 and 4 fingers aren't as strong is people never practive them enough. The always start evry finger exercise on 1, and then dont make it to 4. That is why I always start my evercises on the 4.

[Koki]

Originally Posted by jsbachonbass

Well I personally believe in using all 4 fingers with the 1 finger per fret technique, but I understand not everybody is 6'5" like me and can hit the caps lock and return button at the same time with one hand. But even if you use 124 in the lower position, you should be able to use 1234 at the 5th fret. That is about the same as first postion on a guitar.

I believe one reason 3 and 4 fingers aren't as strong is people never practive them enough. The always start evry finger exercise on 1, and then dont make it to 4. That is why I always start my evercises on the 4.

I can fret any way, maybe my fingers aren't so big but I can do a 1-5 stretch. The good way is to have flexible fingering..I mean when not needed on lower frets it's good to play 1,2&4 but if needed all 4 like chromatic runs it's good to do 1,2,3,4... I'm saying that it's stupid to me to play a blues bassline that needs 3 fingers with 1,2&3 and to have a pinky flying away, it's better to use 1,2&4 approach then

[JackWhite]

koki. thats exaclty what i do. i always do 1,2,4 to get my pinky strong. my hands are, well, SMALL. a 1-4 stretch is really hard and i JUST can get it working. my index is next to the fret-line on the first fret and my pinky is next to the fretline on the 4th fret when my left hand (fretting hand) is totally stretched.

i can stretch from the second to the 5th fret for chromatic runs. but im afraid that my thumb has to make a little movement? is this bad? (when playing fast it could crump up)

about the thumb movement. i made a thread for this a while ago..

eg. i play a country bass line (root, 3,5,6,8,6,5,3) on the lower frets. lets say root is G on the E-string i have to move my thumb so much, that after about 1 minute it starts to hurt.

i think the only thing i could do against it is stretching my hand extremely so i do not have to move my thumb around. but this is not (yet) comfortable so its no relexation => so it cant be the best of technique. man.. im a little bit clueless in this situation.

i just want du aquire proper technique i know.. "whatever feels comfortable for me" but i want a clean technique THAT feels comfortable.

thx in advance guys! in the meanwhile ill just practice chromatic runs starting on the index and also starting on the pinky!

have a nice day!

[Koki]

just play and remember, keep moving your hand, not stretching it beyond limits