How fast have you learned a new technique?

metalguy2 · #1 04-28-2011, 10:46 AM

Learning a new technique isn't easy. I have been playing with three fingers for years now and I never truly got the concept of playing in fours and how the accents are extremely important until about a year ago.

After a year of working on this technique I am still not comfortable enough to use it in a band situation. However, I am able to play this way running scales. Just not quite fast enough to where I need it to be for death metal.

(Any genre or technique applies here!)

What technique did you learn and how long did it take you until you were able to use it in a band situation!? Or even worse... recording it.

I am hoping to hear from everyone working on something new or has worked on something new in the past.

Bijoux · #2 04-28-2011, 10:50 AM

I am slow at learning new stuff.
I've been trying on and off the 3 fingers technique but it doesn't feel quite right. I also have been working on and off on the thumb upstroke for slap playing and although I've come a long ways, when I see other guys doing it I feel like I still have a lot of work to do.!

metalguy2 · #3 04-28-2011, 10:58 AM

I feel the same way. Like the more work I do the more holes I find that I don't like that I absolutely must fix.

I am going to try using my pinky as a fourth finger when I practice tonight. I have seen and heard people get great with four fingers.

Three fingers takes way more mental capacity I think. I am almost wondering why I didn't just try and use my pinky in the first place.

Mayers · #4 04-28-2011, 11:14 AM

I think many technic take a lot of time. I think you have mastered a technic when the music you're creating needs it and it just came along naturaly. If you force yourself to use double thumb or three finger like John Myung and Alain Caron just for the sake of it you still have work to do IMO.

Lately I worked on solo stuff and naturaly I use my thumb for picking bass and three fingers for the melody/harmonic part like a classical guitar player would do.

TOOL460002 · #5 04-29-2011, 08:38 PM

the fastest i ever progressed was after my first back surgery (loooooooooots of down time). thats when i "got" the wooten double thump pluck thing. i still cant get that middle finger in between strings though, so i guess i only learned 3/4 of it. so, in conclusion: have back surgery. play better.

Fassa Albrecht · #6 04-30-2011, 11:24 AM

I've mastered some techniques in hours, some I still struggle with.

Skitch it! · #7 04-30-2011, 05:04 PM

About 2 years before I'm happy enough to do it live, if it's part of a track then less, but as a whole technique and adding a bit of my thinking/feel to it, 2 years.

Two things I never stop practising are left/right hand muting and fretless intonation, but as far as 'mastering' any of them, that's a big statement indeed, a lot bigger than I am

By techniques I mean 2/3/4 finger picking tech's, thumb/doublethumb/finger independence etc.

Sharkie · #8 05-01-2011, 04:08 PM

Usually when I learn a new thing it will just snap and I'll be able to do it, and then over time I gain more mastery of the technique.

Like back when I was first starting and trying to get the slap thing right, I was trying to learn the bounce off the string thing, and I couldn't get that bounce part right so notes wouldn't come out. Until one day i picked up the bass and tried it again and it just worked out. Then I was able to play a few basic slap lines just like that. And then I got better at it.

I don't think you ever stop learning your techniques. I mean even just basic two-finger plucking, I'm still getting better at; playing faster, or getting different tones based on how i pluck the string. Trying to get different emotions and feels out of it. It's all a constant work in progress.

bosw04k · #9 05-01-2011, 04:25 PM

I've been working on this one technique for my entire 4 year bass playing career - perfection is unobtainable IMO, and I will keep working on my 2-finger technique untill I have 'learned' it to a standard where there is nothing that could possibly be improved on. It's going to take a while

I too am taking steps into the world of three fingers, I've got a nice gallop going on, but need to get a nice smooth 1-2-3-2 motion going on for steady sixteenths.

BinkyBassist · #10 05-01-2011, 05:26 PM

I started 3-fingers and slap the very first day I got my bass, so they feel natural to me.
I am no master of any or make Wooten-esque jaw-dropping slap solos, but sure I can play it. Double thumb was really hard for me! But finally, I've already got the basics. Sweeping wasn't too difficult for me. Neither was tapping (started with it really soon). I want to do slap triplets like slap-popindex-popmiddle, but it's really hard for me! Now I guess I should have started building a solid rythm base and not tapping Van-Halen lines, but it's late... I'd change all the techniques I can play for being really good at just one!

Justbleazy · #11 05-01-2011, 05:35 PM

Like the other posted, it just clicks. I used to use a pick and play with 3 fingers until I saw a video of James Jamerson playing with Marvin Gaye. I immediately went to my bass and started doing the finger style with 4 fingers. Haven't used a pick on my bass in a year and half since then.

As far as slapping the way I wanted to, it happened by accident. One day I was watching Baggage (lol) and playing on my bass and started doing the double slap on accident and was like WOAH!! What did I just do?????

Watch a lot of TV and Youtube.