QUICK FRET MOVEMENT AND FINGERING!

[Holteender_rob]

I've been playing the bass for just over a year now, following a drunken conversation to join up to a band my mates were forming (sound familiar anyone!!!!), and quite truly it is the best thing I've ever done pi55ed with no regrets!!!!

My only concern at the moment is that there aren't any bass tutors near my area (Warsash, Southampton, UK) and that I might be picking up bad techniques and slowing myself down progression wise through lack of decent excercises.

What I'm really after is some decent fret board movement technique excercises to quicken up my finger movement, can anybody help with this???

Also, I started off using a pick to play as this felt easier as a beginner, but the more I see other bass players (good one's!) using their fingers to play I can't help but feel this is going to restrict me in the long run. I am finding the switch to using my fingers challenging and I will not be defeated! Does anyone have any excercises to help my finger plucking technique progress in the right diresction????? I find it easy to play one string repetatively and quickly with a pick, but with the fingers this is hard work! Is it best to alternate when plucking, between 2 fingers to maintain efficient speed, or go all out using one finger!???!??!

[BassChuck]

If you can't get with a teacher who can do regular lessons, you might just ask the guys you are watching in other bands if they wouldn't mine you buying them a beer in exchange for a few pointers. Other than that there are quite a few good books available.

No matter what you do, to avoid bad habits, TAKE IT SLOW and get things sounding good, THEN work for speed. Trust your body. If you feel clumbsy, you should probably change something. Try to feel graceful and effortless (without being frooty).

Think of all the things you do that you couldn't describe. Like kicking a ball, tying string, unwrapping CD's. There are thousands of moves we make each day that we do with very little effort or thought. That's were you need to be with your bass playing.

Good luck. I got into playing bass pretty much the same way you did... except I took gig claiming I played bass... and then went out and bought one to learn how to play. Sometimes testing the waters first is just a waste of time.

[Holteender_rob]

Thanks for the advice, that's so true though! Sometimes I find myself playing and when I'm in the zone and not even thinking about it it just seems to flow and work, rock on!

[Sippy]

Originally Posted by Holteender_rob

Thanks for the advice, that's so true though! Sometimes I find myself playing and when I'm in the zone and not even thinking about it it just seems to flow and work, rock on!

*sigh* isn't that the best feeling in the world? When you get into the groove you're playing and everything is so effortless.

[CJK84]

1. Play with a light touch. With your fretting hand, apply only enough pressure to keep the string from buzzing.

2. The pressure the thumb exerts on the back of the neck should be minimal (think how little pressure you'd gently apply to the face of a sleeping baby if you didn't want to wake him or her).

3. Most of the time, fret a string by pressing your finger down directly over the fret - this is the spot where the string will sound cleanly with the least amount of pressure applied.

4. Usually, keep your fretting hand fingers parallel to the frets.

5. Keep the fretting hand fingers as close to the fretboard as possible - even when they're not being used. Minimizing motion is often difficult for beginners, but it's really important to developing speed and clean playing.

Good luck.

[daffy]

These are really good points. I would recommend the beer buying tip if you can't get a teacher. Find the bass player you most want to play like and go up and talk to them - they may be happy to give you some technique lessons.

I also recommend the other tips about light pressure, etc.

The one that caught my eye however was the one about pressing down directly on the fret. I switched from 20 years of guitar where you are taught to press behind the frets, to bass where I see a range of places people push. I have watched bass player after bass player (some of the instruction DVDs are excellent - John Pattitucci is great for the problems you mention) and they all do it differently.

I still press behind the frets dur to my guitar habits but was wondering if anyone had comments about on the fret vs behind the fret - I can see definite advantages in moving to fretless if you press on the fret as your intonation will be perfect.

Is it worth me retraining myself?

[lemur821]

I think he meant right behind it when he said "on". It's same on the bass as it is on the guitar: get as close to it as you can without muffling the sound.

[CJK84]

Originally Posted by lemur821

I think he meant right behind it when he said "on".

I had meant what I wrote - that you should finger on the fret. It's true that a portion of the fingertip remains behind the fret - and no flesh can extend in front of the fret - but a part of the fingertip is directly above the fret.

Gary Willis explains this well in his book 101 Bass Tips: that applying pressure directly on the fret allows you to exert the least force possible, which is desirable. Some passages make it difficult to do this (at least for me), so I don't do it 100% of the time, but nearly so.

When I first read Willis's words I found it to be an odd concept - I had played guitar for years before picking up the bass, so fingering directly on the fret seemed wrong to me.

But it works!

[Verbannter]

Originally Posted by CJK84

I had meant what I wrote - that you should finger on the fret. It's true that a portion of the fingertip remains behind the fret - and no flesh can extend in front of the fret - but a part of the fingertip is directly above the fret.

Gary Willis explains this well in his book 101 Bass Tips: that applying pressure directly on the fret allows you to exert the least force possible, which is desirable. Some passages make it difficult to do this (at least for me), so I don't do it 100% of the time, but nearly so.

When I first read Willis's words I found it to be an odd concept - I had played guitar for years before picking up the bass, so fingering directly on the fret seemed wrong to me.

But it works!

I'm speechless.. I started with guitar but I had never read that as I moved onto bass.. it really does make a difference. Much love to you!

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by CJK84

I had meant what I wrote - that you should finger on the fret. It's true that a portion of the fingertip remains behind the fret - and no flesh can extend in front of the fret - but a part of the fingertip is directly above the fret.

We're just disagreeing about how to say it, because that is what I meant. My thinking is that you get as close to the fret as you can, and that includes being on top of it it a little. You're supposed to do the same thing on the guitar, too.

[daffy]

Many thanks for the reply - I had heard and seen this done but I am glad it was as foreign to others (especially old guitarists) as it was to me!

Going to try this tonight while practicing!

As I said, I can see this making a big difference when you switch between fretted and fretless - you won't need to adjust your fingering.

[Holteender_rob]

Great tips guys, thanks. I've had a go using some of these pointers and already I can feel/hear the difference. I'm starting to prefer using my fingers as opposed to the pick now too, the more I play with my fingers the more the bass feels a part of me!

Rock on.

[fr0me0]

Originally Posted by AerospaceGuy

*sigh* isn't that the best feeling in the world? When you get into the groove you're playing and everything is so effortless.

i think the best feeling is when you're like who's playing that awesome bassline and I"m like man who's playin that awesome bassline and i'm like oh wait thats me.

doesn't happen as often as it should tho lol