Just how bad...

[ssc4]

i have been a guitarist for 3 years and have recently taken up bass so as to play in a friend of mine's band i have self-taught finger-picking and the way i have done this is quite odd when i strike a note i do not continue on to rest my finger on the next string but pull away from the body i have been told this is bad as it allows strings to ring-out and a less desirable sound is produced i have however learned to mute strings quite efficiently with my left hand and also learned to strike so that the note has the same "chunkey" sound but continue to pull away after the note has been struck.

My question is, is this pulling away from the body once the note is struck devestating to my playing or is this ....odd form of playing viable?

[waleross]

Most bass players don't do that. Find a bass player to help you get a better style, no biggie.......................

[Spin Doctor]

Most bassist use both a rest stroke and left hand muting. I'd say record yourself when you rehearse with the band to make sure you are really sounding the way you think you sound. You'd be surprised how different the two can be. Having said that, I'd just learn to do rest strokes. It's not that hard.

[Spin Doctor]

I see we are in agreement, waleross :-)

[eyeballkid]

well I will sacrifice myself upon the Altar of the Technique and endure the Flames of Derision poured out by its worshippers and tell you that I have been playing that way basically for 20 years and I do A-OK. I dont mute with my left hand unless I need to, but I never rest on the next string. I find that makes me sloppy... but I play loud rock with a fast heavy attack that I find is best suited to get fingers away from other strings as completely as possible. Hitting a Stingray hard and doing rest stops on other strings can be 'clicky' if youre not careful. If I want speed I lighten my attack and flutter on thru. If you get the sound you want and youre not hurting your hands youre fine! If you cant get the tones and style that you want cos of your technique then you need to change it. Some of us ice skate like a figure skater, and some of us play hockey. It just depends what youre trying to do.

[makkE]

The way you describe it, it sounds like an unnecessary effort and might hinder your overall speed and precision one day. Also, you miss out on muting the string below the one you strike with the rest stop.

You usually get the fattest tone (with less chance of clank) when striking the string parallel to the fretboard. If you pull through, you automatically land on the string above.

If you play fingerstyle, you should make use of the muting capabilities you have, either by floating or anchoring your thumb (moveable anchor) + the rest stops to ease the work on your fretting hand.

Still, being able to mute with the left hand efficiently is needed when you play pick or slap, or lots of open strings.