Proper 3 Finger Technique (avoiding pain)

[DreamJazz]

So I use 3 finger technique to strum triplets especially alot of the time going Ring-Middle-Index. I used to do it previously with no problems. Now that I brought it back after stopping for a while (a month and a bit) I've undergone a serious pain feeling like a build up of pressure in the joint if i attepmt to straighten my ring finger. The closer it is to the pinky when trying to straighten it the more sharp the pain. It almost hurts down my rist which could be explained by a tendon injury possibly. Just wondering how my pinky should be positioned as I play to hopefully eliminate the problem.
Please help I don't want to encur any further damage.

[WillBuckingham]

If it hurts don't do it.

[Poop-Loops]

Originally Posted by WillBuckingham

If it hurts don't do it.

That's crappy advice.

You said you had a tendon injury? Tendons take a lot longer to get strong than muscles. I'd go talk to your doctor about what exercises you can do to strengthen it. Probably some grip work, but if you overdo it (by jumping into pull ups or something) it will probably make it worse. So ask him what's acceptable.

Next: are you stretching before you play? My knees still hurt from when I injured them if I don't warm up properly before exercising. So you want to start slow and make sure to stretch.

[WillBuckingham]

Originally Posted by Poop-Loops

That's crappy advice.

You said you had a tendon injury? Tendons take a lot longer to get strong than muscles. I'd go talk to your doctor about what exercises you can do to strengthen it. Probably some grip work, but if you overdo it (by jumping into pull ups or something) it will probably make it worse. So ask him what's acceptable.

Next: are you stretching before you play? My knees still hurt from when I injured them if I don't warm up properly before exercising. So you want to start slow and make sure to stretch.

Riiight . . . spend hundreds of dollars and hours of time so you can begin working on a useless technique instead of spending that time practicing conventional (painless) 2-finger bass technique. Good advice . . .

[Poop-Loops]

Conventional =/= better.

Useless? By who's standards? I can play 3 finger just fine.

More importantly, people do more with their hands than play bass. It's worth it to keep them healthy.

If you were my doctor and you told me "don't do it if it hurts" when it's something that isn't supposed to hurt, I'd just punch you in the face. I've had a doctor tell me that before and I'm sorry I didn't punch him.

"Help! Mechanic! My car starts making noises when I drive it!"
"Then don't drive it!"

"Help, chef! I always make my chicken soup too salty when I cook it!"
"Then don't cook it!"

Need I go on?

[DaemonBass]

Let me interupt really fast...

First of all, Willbuckingham is correct, if it hurts, DO stop for the sake of your own well being. When it comes to big muscle training I would disagreee (ie, no pain no gain) but whenn it comes to small tissue and tendon joints I stand to my guns that no pain needs to be felt; espesically just playin' bass.

To you Poops who said it's "crappy advice" you should not be on here giving people advice when you have no idea what their situation may be... and he never claimed to be a "doctor" but I would recommened that's what the OP should see if he is having wrist pains.

[Poop-Loops]

This is really sad. Did neither of you see when I wrote "go see a doctor"? It's the 4th sentence of my post.

I wouldn't trust people who can't even read to give me advice, either.

[Volk]

I have to agree with Pooploops, if somethings hurting find the problem, because it shouldn't be, don't just ignore it.

Three finger technique has several advantages over two finger, calling it useless is ignorant and doesn't help anyone.

[WillBuckingham]

Originally Posted by Poop-Loops

Conventional =/= better.

Useless? By who's standards? I can play 3 finger just fine.

More importantly, people do more with their hands than play bass. It's worth it to keep them healthy.

If you were my doctor and you told me "don't do it if it hurts" when it's something that isn't supposed to hurt, I'd just punch you in the face. I've had a doctor tell me that before and I'm sorry I didn't punch him.

"Help! Mechanic! My car starts making noises when I drive it!"
"Then don't drive it!"

"Help, chef! I always make my chicken soup too salty when I cook it!"
"Then don't cook it!"

Need I go on?

Well, I could probably play bass with my bass upside down behind my back, but it might hurt . . . should I go see a doctor and seek physical therapy so I can keep working on that technique? No. It would make a lot more sense for me to just not worry about that pain, and practice playing with my bass in front of me.

[Poop-Loops]

Originally Posted by WillBuckingham

Well, I could probably play bass with my bass upside down behind my back, but it might hurt . . . should I go see a doctor and seek physical therapy so I can keep working on that technique? No. It would make a lot more sense for me to just not worry about that pain, and practice playing with my bass in front of me.

Or you could just get some, you know, common sense.

I play 3 finger. Other people play 3 finger. There is no reason he shouldn't, if he wants to. He just has to go to the doctor first and see how to fix it.

It's one thing to stretch your fingers in unnatural ways for the sole reason of playing one finger per fret at 1st position, but it's a totally different thing to HEAL your finger so you can do something normal.

[WillBuckingham]

Originally Posted by Poop-Loops

Or you could just get some, you know, common sense.

I play 3 finger. Other people play 3 finger. There is no reason he shouldn't, if he wants to. He just has to go to the doctor first and see how to fix it.

It's one thing to stretch your fingers in unnatural ways for the sole reason of playing one finger per fret at 1st position, but it's a totally different thing to HEAL your finger so you can do something normal.

Well, I'm biased. First of all, evey electric bassist that I admire plays with two fingers: Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, Jeff Berlin, John Patitucci, to name a few. I can't remember ever seeing a professional bassist in person using three-finger technique. Furhtermore, I play upright bass and electric bass, and being able to use a consistent technique on both is another reason I use a straightforward right-hand technique because your ring finger would not produce an adequate tone on acoustic bass.

The most important things in playing bass are time, feel and consistency. Acheiving this while using classical guitar technique is much more difficult and complicated than using the system of playing that the vast majority of bassists have been successfully using for years. So, if you're having big problems with that technique, I think you're much better off just forgeting about it and focusing on playing the "regular" way.

[Poop-Loops]

Originally Posted by WillBuckingham

Well, I'm biased. First of all, evey electric bassist that I admire plays with two fingers: Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, Jeff Berlin, John Patitucci, to name a few. I can't remember ever seeing a professional bassist in person using three-finger technique. Furhtermore, I play upright bass and electric bass, and being able to use a consistent technique on both is another reason I use a straightforward right-hand technique because your ring finger would not produce an adequate tone on acoustic bass.

Yes, these people are quite a bit older than me. And 3 finger technique is relatively new. I wouldn't suggest they try to relearn something. But if they are already doing it, why should they suddenly stop? For example, you wouldn't tell Jaco to only play with 1 finger, because that's how Jamerson did it, would you? We can both agree that 2 finger > 1 finger. I don't think 3 finger has that much of an advantage, but it's definately not useless.

The most important things in playing bass are time, feel and consistency. Acheiving this while using classical guitar technique is much more difficult and complicated than using the system of playing that the vast majority of bassists have been successfully using for years. So, if you're having big problems with that technique, I think you're much better off just forgeting about it and focusing on playing the "regular" way.

He's having problems for different reasons. If someone told me "I just can't play in time with 3 fingers" I'd just tell them to forget it. But he's having physical pain when there was none before.

Also, like I said, tradition is worthless if you can't back it up. "Traditionally" people anchor their thumb on a pickup or string, yet the floating thumb method is clearly superior.

[Volk]

If everyone just copied those before them we'd never get anywhere.

[WillBuckingham]

Originally Posted by Poop-Loops

Yes, these people are quite a bit older than me. And 3 finger technique is relatively new. I wouldn't suggest they try to relearn something. But if they are already doing it, why should they suddenly stop? For example, you wouldn't tell Jaco to only play with 1 finger, because that's how Jamerson did it, would you? We can both agree that 2 finger > 1 finger. I don't think 3 finger has that much of an advantage, but it's definately not useless.



He's having problems for different reasons. If someone told me "I just can't play in time with 3 fingers" I'd just tell them to forget it. But he's having physical pain when there was none before.

Also, like I said, tradition is worthless if you can't back it up. "Traditionally" people anchor their thumb on a pickup or string, yet the floating thumb method is clearly superior.

I think you're a little mixed up as to the history of electric bass technique. Upright bass players had been playing with two fingers long before James Jamerson. When people started to play electric bass they just transferred this technique to that instrument. Jamerson was the exception, not the norm. So the two-fingered electric bass technique that you see today is not an advancement on a one-fingered approach. Therfore, imagining that using three fingers is just another step in a series of progressions would be misguided.

[Poop-Loops]

You're appealing to authority. "Hurr hurr, Wooten plays bass with 2 fingers, I can be just as good as him if I play with two fingers." So I'm doing the same thing.

It would be misguided by your logic of it being chronological. But for a fact you can play with 3 fingers at least as fast as with two, and your fingers don't get as tired while doing so. There really is no disadvantage in playing with 3 fingers.

But more importantly, he USED TO do it, so there is no reason that he shouldn't still do it.

[Rich600]

This is absolutely ridiculous, arguing like kids over who's sand box is bigger.

If the guy wants to play with 3 fingers and it hurts he should check it out professionally, because if it were me it would be imparing my technique and i would have to get it fixed.

And it's not relative whether Jaco and co used 2 fingers and sounded good or whether they used their elbow.

*flicks scarf over shoulder*

And that's the end of that chapter.