Give me some SPEED.

[spector29]

Ok I consider myself a reasonable bass player, can play by ear, learn songs almost instantly, tell when changes are to occur when playing things I don't know etc.
Now I'd consider myself a groove bass player, I can fancy things up or add highly melodic bits but I mainly groove and flow around.

So I just got listening to Mastodon again and started playing to a few songs, especially colony of birchmen.
Now I can play all of it flat out pretty perfect, although it's not fast but just at the end, just before the big bridge heavy ending thing (no idea what else to call it ) the bass player does an incredibly fast line, now I've fiddled with it, I know the notes but not for the life of me can my fingers on my fretting and fingering hands get that speed.

Most people say I'm fast at throwing pentatonic esque etc gear into bass lines without loosing any feel or groove but god damn this guys little tiny speed fills (doesn't seem an often occurrence) are a killer for me.

Maybe I should join a speed metal band and sweat balls all night hoping to keep up .

If anyone has some knowledge of the song and have tried etc how do you go. I'm sure most can shred a bass quicker than I can change channels.

Spector

[Nyarlathotep]

Just practice it a lot. Start off slow, and build it up. Its working for me speed wise

[roberthelpus]

Mr. Metronome is your friend. It allows you to find out where you are, and then set goals and raise by increments. Helps instill good timining as well.

[jollygiantchris]

Troy Sanders does the 3 fingered technique he started doing it after Leviathan was recorded I think he said Steve Harris showed or he saw him do it in an interview in Bass Player or Bass Guitar... Might want to try that or try using a pick.

[Questor]

WinAmp has a Pace Maker plug-in that lets you adjust pitch and tempo independent of each other. You can slow the tempo down by 10% and practice at that speed.

[mothmonsterman]

buy mr. metronome a beer

[megadethjohn]

Originally Posted by jollygiantchris

Troy Sanders does the 3 fingered technique he started doing it after Leviathan was recorded I think he said Steve Harris showed or he saw him do it in an interview in Bass Player or Bass Guitar... Might want to try that or try using a pick.

Steve Harris only uses two fingers.

[Moreau]

Pretty sure I have read an interview where Steve does mention that he from time to time "cheats" and will use the third finger. But regardless, I gained alot of speed with that, and a technique i saw in a Sheehan video lesson, where he used each of the 3 fingers to do quarter notes, and eventually you speed it up. I suck at explaining things, but I think its on Bassplayer TV or something.

[Chizzops]

The key is using strings above your target string to pull on to the next note. This conservation of motion is the biggest thing to build speed in fingerstyle. Watch Janes Jamerson. He only used one finger, but can out-groove many using two. Also on the same string, practice timing and plucking strength to make a balanced and consistent sound between plucks and hammer-ons, so you can ascend or descend on one string alternating between pluck and hammer-on.

Most of the speed you hear is through conservation of motion, not ungodly dexterity.

[improvpwnd]

Demystifying Metal styles, how to make fingerstyle playing heard in Metal

Check this out..