Right hand Finger Technique

**iriegnome** · #1 01-18-2006, 08:27 AM

Well, I have been playing for almost 26 years now and I have just started playing a 5 string bass. I have started having trouble with my right hand finger technique. It seems that I am more or less hitting the strings. I get a tapping sound from the frets as I play. Through my amp I cannot pick it up that much, but on CD it comes through and sounds like ****. I need to clean up my finger picking technique and improve my style.

HELP

. I am sure it is a easy fix with practice of the technique being key.

tiredman9 · #2 01-18-2006, 08:33 AM

I had this same problem when I switched to a new 4 with much tigheter string spacing. I noticed that a lot of it was my middle finger hitting the string below it. I took some time and looked and my fingers and technique and came to the conclusion that since your middle finger is much longer than your index taht you have to compensate for this length (extra work) while playing. I also noticed that, by chance, it was my middle finger hitting the string below mine. I thought about how to fix this and realized that while your middle is much longer than your index, your ring finger and index finger are the same length more or less and get rid of this problem.

Thats was my situation at least

Burning_Sphere · #3 01-18-2006, 09:20 AM

I play on tight 5 (Ibanez) and I can suggest a bit of 'gary willis' technique exercise:
low bpm! after picking a string with a finger lay second one on the string imidiately, to make sound as short as possible.
at first do this on one string, than change
after few ours of this excercise you'll be able to switch strings and get sounds good and quiet

**iriegnome** · #4 01-18-2006, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burning_Sphere

I play on tight 5 (Ibanez) and I can suggest a bit of 'gary willis' technique exercise:
low bpm! after picking a string with a finger lay second one on the string imidiately, to make sound as short as possible.
at first do this on one string, than change
after few ours of this excercise you'll be able to switch strings and get sounds good and quiet

It sounds like you would loose a lot of speed this way. Most 6 string players that are on the road heavy use a pick.

kenlacam · #5 01-18-2006, 04:17 PM

AUGH! A pick! that is the bane of us finger-players!!!!

**iriegnome** · #6 01-19-2006, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenlacam

AUGH! A pick! that is the bane of us finger-players!!!!

I understand that, but..... Paul McCartney uses a Pick. Mike Gordon Uses a Pick. Phil Lesh uses a pick. The list of great players goes on and on as to using a pick. I personally stopped using a pick about 14 years ago or so.

scourge · #7 01-19-2006, 11:28 AM

Uhoh!

**iriegnome** · #8 01-19-2006, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scourge

Uhoh!

No harm no foul. I completely understand these points of view. What I am concerned with is my personal technique and how to make it better. Part of that for me is understanding completely everything I can about the actual reasons for Finger style (Which I use almost totally) and Pick style (which I am starting to use now that I have a 5 and 6 string bass).