Right hand technique - wrong :-(

[Theopij]

I have a very big problems with my plucking hand technique, i cannot achieve speed more than 16th notes at about 80bpm. I have heard that i have wrong technique because i am bending my fingers at all jonts when i am playing. Should i play with straight fingers ? And how to make that ? They are too long and i have to bend them, i can't play with straight even for several seconds. I give you a link to a movie (18 megs) where you can see my fingers playing. http://www.toya.net.pl/~100kilo/palce.avi
Please help...
and sorry for my bad english ;-)

[elpelotero]

Your technique doesn't seem that bad to me. In my experience, it is easier to go faster when my fingers are straight and playing perpendicular to the bass. What I would actually recommend you do is straighten up your wrist some to avoid future injuries. You'll have to pick up your shoulder in order for your arm to raise up enough to straighten the wrist. I would also recommend you try moving your thumb down to the E string of even A string when you pick the D and G strings. It seems like you were stretching just a little too much for those strings and that can slow you down.

[Insanity^2]

Exactly like mine, and my teacher says mine's fine
I hope it's fine

[jschwalls]

First problem i see is that you are starting with your index finger.......If you "drum" your fingers o the table, like when you are bored or mad about something, you should notice that the natural way is from pinky to index finger..... I had a student a while back who was a GREAT player but he had the same technique..... after i pointed this out.... he made a serious effort to correct and re-train his fingers to play middle index...
Now, in terms of accents what happens is that index middle causes the accent to be placed on 2 instead on one...while middle index places accent on 1.

also when you are coming back from G string to D string you actually play middle index on D string... then when you get to A string you are back to index middle... when you get back to E string you are middle index again.... and if you will notice you can see that you timing is a little off when switching strings. Your index finger looks alot more relaxed when it is not the leading finger...

So try re-training your hand to play middle first and index second....

I have a feeling you will be flying in no time.... everything else looks fine....
Also if you notice when you first reach the G string you thumb searches for stability so it moves over and finds the pickup. Concentrate on keeping your hand in one solid spot.. I play with my thumb resting against the pickup.. It knows it's place... haha

Good Luck...
thanks
JON

[Coeball]

I would say do whatever feels natural plenty of use their fingers in the order you do. Perhaps when you drum your finger on a table you use your index first I certainly do.

[Human Bass]

Originally Posted by jschwalls

First problem i see is that you are starting with your index finger.......If you "drum" your fingers o the table, like when you are bored or mad about something, you should notice that the natural way is from pinky to index finger..... I had a student a while back who was a GREAT player but he had the same technique..... after i pointed this out.... he made a serious effort to correct and re-train his fingers to play middle index...
Now, in terms of accents what happens is that index middle causes the accent to be placed on 2 instead on one...while middle index places accent on 1.

also when you are coming back from G string to D string you actually play middle index on D string... then when you get to A string you are back to index middle... when you get back to E string you are middle index again.... and if you will notice you can see that you timing is a little off when switching strings. Your index finger looks alot more relaxed when it is not the leading finger...

So try re-training your hand to play middle first and index second....

I have a feeling you will be flying in no time.... everything else looks fine....
Also if you notice when you first reach the G string you thumb searches for stability so it moves over and finds the pickup. Concentrate on keeping your hand in one solid spot.. I play with my thumb resting against the pickup.. It knows it's place... haha

Good Luck...
thanks
JON

I disagree about the last part. Floating thumb is something good!

[perucci]

Here's a lesson on good right-hand technique, keeping the fingers straight: http://youtube.com/watch?v=FmCsiZxONZI

I don't alternate fingers quite like he suggests, but I find keeping the finger straight helps with speed and comfort. The hardest habit for me to break is resting my wrist on the bass and letting the fingers do all the work; when keeping the fingers straight, you need to have more of a bend in the wrist, and can't just rest the wrist on the bass.

[rustinstrings]

Originally Posted by perucci

Here's a lesson on good right-hand technique, keeping the fingers straight: http://youtube.com/watch?v=FmCsiZxONZI

I've just watched this. I think that straight fingers may conflict with floating thumb - how do rest you thumb on D string while playing G string with straight fingers?
Also slightly related question - do you need to straighten your LH fingers as well? I find it more comfortable to curve them a bit and play with my fingertips, but it never hurts to go back to basics when encountering speed barriers, which I often do.

[cheapbasslovin]

I have TWO!!!! suggestions:

1. Sling that bad-boy a little lower on your body. That will allow your arm to come across the body a little straighter and your hand won't have to adjust so much as it moves up and down the strings (it will only have to slide, not change angle).

2. If your fingers move as much when you play at speed as they do in this demo, that is way too big a range of motion. Speed comes with an economy of motion. To play fast, your fingers barely want to come above the string before they come back down. Unfortunately, that takes practice, so that is what you will have to do. Hope that helps, and is accurate.

[jschwalls]

Originally Posted by Human Bass

I disagree about the last part. Floating thumb is something good!

oops, i guess i should have explained further... what i should have added was find a solid perpendicular placement of right hand to strings.. ( unless you are moving for tonal purposes of course ). If you watch his video, his hand moved over to the pickup when he reached the G string , which i took as meaning that he was over extending his range a bit... and Yes, "floating thumb" is a great thing.
I personally found that adding some stability to my thumb, ie... resting it on edge of pickup or another string... allows me to have add resistance for my finger to have something to pull back towards...

JON

[Theopij]

Thanks for help, i will try to change my technique a little, as you said. But i am happy that as you claim my right hand is not so bad as i thought. The biggest problem i have is when i change strings, my fingers often get stuck between the strings...

cheapbasslovin - when i play up to speed my fingers make even bigger motion than slow, how to achieve economy of motions ?

[DougD]

I have not seen the video yet, but plan to soon. One common problem I’ve come across is that people new to bass try to actually pluck the strings by getting way too much of their fingers under the strings. You should actually be lightly plucking strings not pulling. (Unless you are playing certain styles that require that tequneqe) As was said in the above responses, economy of motion will allow you to play faster. It can be corrected, but you have to work at it until it becomes second nature. One way to work on it would be to sit down with your bass (unplugged) and timer and (making sure your fingers are moving correctly) alternate your fingers across the strings. Don’t worry about the notes or the sound your making; you just want to concentrate on the motion. Now do this while you are watching TV or something for a few minuets a day. If you do that for a week or two, it will become second nature and you won’t have to worry about it any more If you want a good example of how your fingers should look check out these links.http://www.adamnitti.com/bass_player_02.shtml

[mutedeity]

Originally Posted by jschwalls

First problem i see is that you are starting with your index finger.......If you "drum" your fingers o the table, like when you are bored or mad about something, you should notice that the natural way is from pinky to index finger..... I had a student a while back who was a GREAT player but he had the same technique..... after i pointed this out.... he made a serious effort to correct and re-train his fingers to play middle index...
Now, in terms of accents what happens is that index middle causes the accent to be placed on 2 instead on one...while middle index places accent on 1.

Good Luck...
thanks
JON

Personally, I don't see what that has to do with anything. The way I see it it is more important to make sure you are alternating fingers properly, and really, I think that it is better to practice leading with either finger. Also, I don't know if playing with straight fingers helps anything either. I personally would find it very difficult and restrictive to play with straight fingers.

I don't know how long the OP has been playing but speed, strength and stamina come from one thing and that is practice. It can take months or even years to build up speed, strength and stamina, so if you are frustrated after a few months of playing, my best advice is keep practicing.

[DougD]

I saw the video. I think youre problem is economy motion your fingers are moving too far away from the strings which is not normaly a problem untill you need to go really fast. But lots of people who double play that way and can play increadably fast Just watch Stanley Clarke's right hand

[Theopij]

I have seen John Entwistle solo on youtube, and he played there very fast but his fingers had very long motion, even bigger than mine. He's figers just moved a lot faster...

[cheapbasslovin]

Originally Posted by Theopij

Thanks for help, i will try to change my technique a little, as you said. But i am happy that as you claim my right hand is not so bad as i thought. The biggest problem i have is when i change strings, my fingers often get stuck between the strings...

cheapbasslovin - when i play up to speed my fingers make even bigger motion than slow, how to achieve economy of motions ?

For me having my hand flat and not arched so much is helpful, but the big thing (for me) is never pull your fingers too far of the strings when you are playing. When I was less skilled at this I called it 'smooth' and I didn't have it, nor really got what it was. I think the floating thumb thing is good for this because you keep your hand low and your fingers can stay closer to the strings. Keep your fingers straight as much as possible- not stick straight - but relaxed, and moving with only the knuckle at the hand joint. This should get you pushing through the string, rather than pulling up through it. Practice will help immensely. I explained that as best I could, maybe somebody could clarify, add to, or completely disagree with me.

:bass ist:

[cheapbasslovin]

Originally Posted by Theopij

I have seen John Entwistle solo on youtube, and he played there very fast but his fingers had very long motion, even bigger than mine. He's figers just moved a lot faster...

I just watched one and you'll notice that his fingers are only moving at the top knuckle, not the one in the middle of his finger. That should help alot.

[floopy]

Lots of different opinions. My suggestion is that you try moving your plucking arm up and forward a little, so that it's not resting on the bass.

This will straighten your wrist, and also make your fingers more towards a right angle to the strings, which should help prevent your fingers getting 'stuck'.

[DeepSouth]

I'm happy to see this discussed. I thought I was weird leading with my middle finger. The technique books I have seen in the past always suggested index first. I actually use both tho. I play mostly blues and for shuffles I find it really easy to keep the feel playing middle finger first. When I'm playing something that has a straight feel I start with index. For some reason it allows me to switch feels between songs with ease. O yea, and for swing I just use one finger ala uprite style. I suppose its a goofy way to keep my feels from bleeding over onto each other but it works, even when drunk off my arse

[Arpeggiator]

Finger speed, i had problems with this about a year ago so i went to 3 fingers.. but to improve your 2 finger playing i suggest: the Middle finger Index finger thing i cant play teh way you do. you want to almost stroke the strings with the tips of your fingers unless you really need to dig in.
keep your arm of the bass body since that is restricting tendon movement all the way up your arm.

im not saying my way is "the way" but i find it helps me