precise fingering exercises?

[HardTech]

I've been playing bass for a while but just recently got pretty serious about it.

I'm practicing my major and minor scales (just running up and down the neck) and while I would like to speed up, my left hand does not seem to want to coordinate with my right. Any exercises I could be doing to help solve this? I know this takes time

[bullshark]

I'm a newbie, so I'm sure more experienced bassist will have better suggestion, but the exercise that helps me a lot is called the spider.

It goes like this (fingering below):

----7----8----5----6--
5------6----7----8----
-----------------------
-----------------------

1_3_2_4_3_1_4_2


I play to metronome and gradually increase tempo. When I get to 120 or so, I move to this:

----7----8----5----6--
-----------------------
5------6----7----8----
-----------------------

And then this:

----7----8----5----6--
-----------------------
-----------------------
5------6----7----8----


I make sure each note sound nice and true before I move to faster tempo. I I start to mess up, I drop tempo again and practice some more. Good luck.

[HardTech]

I've heard of the spider, but it's more like


------------4567----
--------3456--------
----2345------------
1234-----------------

up and down the fretboard

[Charling]

no, the spider is the exercise bullshark cited, but both are very good.

the spider will slowly teach you full co-ordination in independent finger movement, by getting you to use digits that arn't linked, physically. There is a tendon which controlls the index and middle, and one which controlls the ring and little, the spider is using these alternately, unlike allot of exercises, and as such builds up a good feel of independence in all you're digits, hopefully getting all the more tricky combinations you might find in tunes nailed!

the exercise hardtech sighted is very good at getting you to change positions smoothly. the 4 finger position (rather than the 4 finger 3 fret technique, used often in 'closed' grooves) can be quite hard at first to move around comfortably, and this technique breaks you out of that. it also develops great 'pinpoint' accuracy which you need to play repeated notes on the same string cleanly!

hope that helps

Owen

[JimK]

Whatever exercise you do...make sure the fretting fingers are not flailing off the neck.
If, say, you do 'the spider'-
Fret the first note with the index finger...that finger should stay on the neck. It should not pop up off the neck when you fret the next note with the ring finger. When the middle finger goes down to fret the 3rd note in the spider', the index & ring should stay put. Etc.
You want 'economy of motion'.

[thewanderer24]

and make sure you do these excercises SLOWLY until you are truly accurate. Otherwise you aren't gonna learn anything. Also, you'll help yourself by doing them in time (i.e., with Metronome.

Don't up the tempo until you are dead on accurate.

[HardTech]

Originally Posted by Charling

no, the spider is the exercise bullshark cited, but both are very good.

the spider will slowly teach you full co-ordination in independent finger movement, by getting you to use digits that arn't linked, physically. There is a tendon which controlls the index and middle, and one which controlls the ring and little, the spider is using these alternately, unlike allot of exercises, and as such builds up a good feel of independence in all you're digits, hopefully getting all the more tricky combinations you might find in tunes nailed!

the exercise hardtech sighted is very good at getting you to change positions smoothly. the 4 finger position (rather than the 4 finger 3 fret technique, used often in 'closed' grooves) can be quite hard at first to move around comfortably, and this technique breaks you out of that. it also develops great 'pinpoint' accuracy which you need to play repeated notes on the same string cleanly!

hope that helps

Owen

interesting... I used to play 3-frets with my ring finger, but thought that was a bad thing to do so I switched to my pinky.

Is there a right or wrong way?

[Charling]

Originally Posted by HardTech

interesting... I used to play 3-frets with my ring finger, but thought that was a bad thing to do so I switched to my pinky.

Is there a right or wrong way?

hmm, you mean you played lines that kept within 3 fretts using you're inder middle and ring? in which case yeah, you should really be using you're pinky rather than ring. Allot of funk grooves allow you to stay in a 3 fret closed position, and using this technique gives you more flexibility and strength than just using the first 3 fingers of you're hand and leaving out you're pinky! I've found that using this method I can groove a bit heavier on you're standartd root, octave, 5, b7 type grooves!

4 finger-4 frets way is the better one to get nailed first though, most tracks do go outside the 3 fret box!

so yeah, you're on the right track im sure, let me know if you need me to clarify further, I tend to ramble....

Another thing you can try is real simple, but helpful. Just play any 4 frets on one string, going up and down ie 4,5,6,7,6,5,4.

go at a steady pace, dont tense up and just keep at it for hours. I used to sit and watch a film or something while doing it (while doing all these exercises to be honest!) after a while you forget you're doing it, you can switch off and relax but all the time you're hand is getting a great workout.

REMEMBER though to stop if it starts to ache allot! a little aching is ok, but doing a bit of a stetch, especially on the lower frets, and playing for a long while could damage you're hand if you're holding the bass crooked, or if one of you're fingers is a little weaker than the others!

[jady]

I use this one a lot

--------4---2--------------6--4-----------
------3-------3----------5------5---------
----2-----------4------4----------6-------
--1---------------5--3--------------7-----

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

up the neck and then reverse it going back down, it's a killer!!!!

[Habdul]

Jady exercise variante

--------------4-2------------------5-3-----
-------------3---3----------------4---4----
-2-4-1-3---2------4---3-5-2-4---3-----5---
1-3---2-4-1--------5-2-4---3-5-2-------6--... continue

[sloppyjaloppy]

Originally Posted by Habdul

Jady exercise variante

--------------4-2------------------5-3-----
-------------3---3----------------4---4----
-2-4-1-3---2------4---3-5-2-4---3-----5---
1-3---2-4-1--------5-2-4---3-5-2-------6--... continue

i like this one, its a good warm up. im going to steal it off you and keep it part of my warm up.

[Depth_Charge]

Originally Posted by HardTech

I've heard of the spider, but it's more like


------------4567----
--------3456--------
----2345------------
1234-----------------

up and down the fretboard

In the book "Bass for Beginners" by Sharon Ray, "the spider" is described as shown above. The next set of notes would be frets 5,6,7,8 on the D string, then 6,7,8,9 on the A and so on and so forth up the fret board.

I have no doubt that there is more than one interpretation of the spider exercise, however this is (was) the only one I was familiar with until reading this post.

Cheers,

Andy

[_P_I_P_]

[quote=jady]I use this one a lot

--------4---2--------------6--4-----------
------3-------3----------5------5---------
----2-----------4------4----------6-------
--1---------------5--3--------------7-----

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4QUOTE]

Hi, thanks for all the advise! Im going through a phase of trying to improve my technique as it is something i wanna improve in my playing.

Is the excercise above better for you if you let each note ring as your going through the groups of four? Or do you get the best out of it if you play them Stacato (i think thats the right word)

thanks

[tradition_2kill]

you want to be able to do it both ways, but being able to let them ring is the more rewarding route. depending on your style of course