should I learn to play with 3 fingers?

[D.Don]

Anyone playing with 4 fingers?

D.Don

[dystopiate]

There's a sticky called demystifying death metal techniques... or something to that effect. It deals a little w/ 3 finger technique and whether or not tighter strings are faster. The OP argues that tighter is not faster.

Someone who's fast with two fingers will never be as fast as someone who is also fast but is using three fingers. That doesn't make using three fingers necessary, however.

It's a nice technique for a variety of reasons... I personally use it mainly for speed. It took me a long time to get my three finger speed to surpass my two finger speed, but now that I feel comfortable with it, it's just plain silly how much faster it is.

If you think it's worth it for you, learn it, refine it, get great at it. For those who think it's simply not worth learning because two fingers is fast enough, why not just one finger then? Does two fingers open more doors than one? Yup. How about three? You bet.

[Twistad]

I used to think 3 fingers was necessary to play fast, but check out guys like Hadrien Feraud, Janek Gwizdala or Tony Grey. They can play everything and use 2 fingers most of the time. Imo the key to playing fast is economy of motion, not necessarily the number of fingers that you use.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZrh3dwf5OM

[garth elson]

I learned to play with three fingers on bass from doing solos with chords. It's never really that applicable for straight playing imho, but for solos/playing guitar it helps quite a bit.

[Cult_King(216)]

im learning to play with 4 fingers, mostly cus i play alot of Thrash and death metal and i dont wana use a pick lol

[TheInsane]

Sure who not learn it? It helped me when I learned to use three fingers. Its not just about speed but some stringskipping and such became easier as well. I do use the two finger technique as well though (and picks) depending on my mood and the song.

Initially I found it quite easy to go 1-2-3-2 in straight 4/4 songs but then finger 2 is doing double duty compared to the other two (and indeed as much work as it would have done with just two fingers being used). I would recoment learning the 1-2-3-1 style (or reversed of course). It will feel odd at first if playing in straight notes on 4/4 but one gets used to it.

[dukeisdog]

I'm doing a cover of the Trooper with my band for Battle of the Bands this year at school, and it's got a really cool galloping pattern.

It doesn't sound great with a pick, so I'm learning to play it with my fingers. It's a challenge, but even in the 3 days I've been practicing the song, my speed has increased lots.

[D.Don]

Originally Posted by Cult_King(216)

im learning to play with 4 fingers, mostly cus i play alot of Thrash and death metal and i dont wana use a pick lol

I kind of think that it'd be no bigger diff learning playin 4 instead of 2 or 3, it's all about practice and motoric memory anyway.


D.Don

[JehuJava]

Check out Bill "the Buddah" Dickens's method of buiding speed. He uses the "Buddah Rope" I've used it and it seems to work pretty well.

alan

[TheInsane]

Originally Posted by D.Don

Anyone playing with 4 fingers?

D.Don

I tried but it was really hard considering my 4th finger is alot shorter than the others and alot weaker as well. I guess one could always practice alot and make it work but it was to much work for me.

[ysand]

Maybe it's not a new technique that u need, but an improvement to the one u already use. Maybe u're doing smth "wrong" and doesn't let u reach your full potential with 2 fingers.

[D.Don]

Maybe a bit off topic in this thread, but I am running this excercise at least once a day, most often twice.

On each band walk from lowest string to highest using all four fingers BOTH on left and right hand:


5-string, and numbers are "play order" not finger numbers (finger order comes logical just use them as they come natural L->R or R->L)

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

and then up to next fret, and next etc. etc. up to at least 13th

after 1 or 2 rounds, metronome of course, I continue with:

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

This I can do anytime during the day (home office) when I have 10-20 minutes left over, and after a cpl of days increase the tempo by 3-5 bpm when I feel "safe" with the tempo I am at.

By doing this I hope to get my right hand used to running all 4 fingers as pick fingers, and the left hand to fly over the fret board (right now I am at 65 bpm, playing eights, no really "speed" here yet but it feels good, and It swings pretty good).



D.Don

[metalstorm]

Do excersises on one string where you accent with different fingers, it helps you gain independent control of your fingers.

[OtterOnBass]

I play with 4 fingers. Sometimes I ask myself why I do, because it took a lot of work and it's not as fast as 2 fingers. In the end, it's good for endurance and as a signature technique (if that's possible.) I think 2 fingers is going to be the fastest method, short of a pick. As a guitarist, I've learned to pick fast enough to keep up with any kind metal I've heard.

For me the challenge is to play fast and keep the tempo (you know, the common role of bass.) I often play at church, and there's this one song with a bass solo that requires speed and metronomic time-keeping. Everyone else drops out, so if I waver, everyone feels it.

[soong]

Originally Posted by THSL

Learn as many techniques as you can so you have them at your disposal when you need them... There is no real right or wrong way to play unless you are hurting yourself... Even learn to play with a pick...

+1