Plucking with alternate fingers?

[Fassa Albrecht]

OK, this is something I have tried to get my head around for hours on end and it's beginning to really annoy me.

Among the techniques I've been trying to learn is this thing of plucking notes on the bass using alternating fingers (in this case, the index and middle fingers). Problem is, I still can't get this right. My hand (and head) just don't want to do this one bit, and I seem to either use the one finger (which is not the best thing to do) or using both fingers, but not in the way I want.

Anyone know anything which will make learning this easier?

[El Tostito]

Go slow, and focus on one finger at a time. The muscle memory will come after time.

[Lambic]

Keep practicing, it's well worth the invested energy and time. Multiplies your possibilities, independence and speed. Practice with triplets (slow blues lines work wonders here, with three notes on each beat) and with crossing strings. Not easy, but rewarding!

[littlepope]

Alternate fingers work for me. Especially if I get a cramp-which will happen at some point of a musician's life.

You can always teach your fingers to do things more than one way. I have seen people who strum bass strings like a pick - flamenco style. Not my thing, works for them. Mostly I do thumb and snap for funk. Sometimes thumbing 2 strings together.

Or some bassist does this: fret a note with the thumb while holding a doublestop down!

Make some noize . . . 'player.

[Fassa Albrecht]

Originally Posted by El Tostito

Go slow, and focus on one finger at a time. The muscle memory will come after time.

I've been practicing. It's annoying because the more I practice, the less I seem to be able to actually do it.

Originally Posted by Lambic

Keep practicing, it's well worth the invested energy and time. Multiplies your possibilities, independence and speed. Practice with triplets (slow blues lines work wonders here, with three notes on each beat) and with crossing strings. Not easy, but rewarding!

Good plan!

Originally Posted by littlepope

Alternate fingers work for me. Especially if I get a cramp-which will happen at some point of a musician's life.

You can always teach your fingers to do things more than one way. I have seen people who strum bass strings like a pick - flamenco style. Not my thing, works for them. Mostly I do thumb and snap for funk. Sometimes thumbing 2 strings together.

Or some bassist does this: fret a note with the thumb while holding a doublestop down!

Make some noize . . . 'player.

Geddy Lee does the flamenco thing...seeing Rush live I really paid some serious attention to his technique.

[Lulz]

You've been playing for god knows how many years, and been on this forum for ages, and you still don't know how to alternate your fingers?

[tharv]

I've been trying to train my third, or ring finger on my right hand after an accident that has temporarily disabled my middle finger. There's an exercise that my bass teacher turned me on to that came out of a book by Rocco Prestia. Here's the idea:

Set a metronome at 60BPM. Playing a D Mixolydian scale, start out with 4 8th notes per scale degree, focusing on making each note sound EXACTLY the same. None should be louder/softer, longer/shorter, or have more/less attack. Ascend the scale, then descend. Play it 2 octaves. Then move on to 2 8ths per scale degree. Then move to skipping scale notes, (i.e. D,E,D,F#,D,G,D,A,D,B,D,C,D, then turn around and descend) 4 8ths per scale degree, then move on to 2 8ths per.

Practice this at a PAINFULLY slow tempo. 60 is a ballpark starting point. If you can't alternate fingers evenly/consistently at 60, slow it down more. Keep it slow for a few days or more before upping the tempo. Eventually, work it up to 100 or better. Spend a good 15 to 20 minutes a day doing this one, and you WILL see an improvement. It's really helped me.

[Mattosaur]

If you're really just working on alternating plucking, skip scales altogether. What really did it for me was taking my lefthand off the bass and just alternating on open strings to a metronome. I'd do this for long stretches at the beginning of every practice session, say 5-10 minutes. I'd then do it again at the end. The metronome is key.

I actually was just trying to figure out an oddity in my alternating finger style yesterday. I noticed that I was starting some bars of a steady eighth note rhythm with my middle finger, which should be impossible if I'm not dropping notes. What I was actually doing was raking one finger across two strings when string skipping. It seems easier, but I was even aware I was doing it.

[carl h.]

Buy a cheap acoustic guitar and take a few classical guitar lessons - focusing specifically on your right hand technique. Classical players have specific etudes for the right hand - fluidity and balance are required to play non electric power chord based guitar.

[Skitch it!]

Originally Posted by Mattosaur

If you're really just working on alternating plucking, skip scales altogether. What really did it for me was taking my lefthand off the bass and just alternating on open strings to a metronome. I'd do this for long stretches at the beginning of every practice session, say 5-10 minutes. I'd then do it again at the end. The metronome is key.

+1.

Slightly different but mute the strings with your left hand and put all your concentration into the right hand alternating and string crossing with your index and mid, working to a metronome is good of course, but just for automation and independence you can do this watching T.V. or something in-between casually for a breather away from the click.

[Fassa Albrecht]

Cheers for all the help guys. I'll be sure to do all the stuff you suggest.

Originally Posted by Lulz

You've been playing for god knows how many years, and been on this forum for ages, and you still don't know how to alternate your fingers?

Not in the manner that I'm trying to do, no. I started out playing with two fingers, but in a Geddy Lee-style flamenco style, or playing slap bass a la Mark King.


Alternating them in a 1-2-1-2 pattern is something completely different to what I've been doing. Especially when I'm being told to alternate on each and every note.

[finsceal-cnoc]

I remember when I started using 2 and eventually 3 fingers, I got such a bad blister on my index finger that I had to play with my middle finger, eventually that got blistered too so I went tho the third haha, now I play with all 3 and sometimes even my pinky

[Fassa Albrecht]

Originally Posted by finsceal-cnoc

I remember when I started using 2 and eventually 3 fingers, I got such a bad blister on my index finger that I had to play with my middle finger, eventually that got blistered too so I went tho the third haha, now I play with all 3 and sometimes even my pinky

Maybe I should try this then?

[JimmyM]

Fassa, there is no other way to get used to it than just practice till you get it.

[Fassa Albrecht]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Fassa, there is no other way to get used to it than just practice till you get it.

I can't. I've tried and tried, and I end up just saying 'screw it' and going back to my old (and wrong) technique.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

I can't. I've tried and tried, and I end up just saying 'screw it' and going back to my old (and wrong) technique.

It's at the point where you say "screw it" that you have to keep going. Nobody ever got anywhere by giving up.

[Fassa Albrecht]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

It's at the point where you say "screw it" that you have to keep going. Nobody ever got anywhere by giving up.

There is little point in doing anything when you feel like throwing your bass at a wall.

[BigOldHarry]

Originally Posted by El Tostito

Go slow, and focus on one finger at a time. The muscle memory will come after time.

I too struggled with this when I started; My teacher at the time told me to practice counting 16th notes to it, starting slow and getting faster and faster. It just take practice and PATIENCE.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

There is little point in doing anything when you feel like throwing your bass at a wall.

That's between you and your shrink I'm telling you what you need to do, and you can either do it or not. There are no magic bullets. If you want to do it badly enough, you'll do it. If not, then you won't. Either way, just remember it's supposed to be a FUN thing to do.

[treekiller]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

It's at the point where you say "screw it" that you have to keep going. Nobody ever got anywhere by giving up.

It took me a year to get to the point where I was completely comfortable with it, enough that I didn't reach for a pick anymore. Hang in there, you'll get it!!!