Speed vs. Stretch?

[Paperman]

Two questions, really:

Can anybody recall any famous bass guitarists who rely on speed/movement over stretch in their fretting hand technique?

Is foregoing a proper hand strech in favor of rapid hand movement considered a valid fretting technique in any bass guitar methods/schools?

I just saw the way that Django fretted the guitar, and it made me wonder about bass technique.

Just curious, and thanks,

Paperman

[John Wentzien]

Check out Billy Sheehan...

He uses both!(edit)

[dreadheadbass]

steve harris uses speed on both hands although only in short bursts on his left hand in the form of a run or lick

[Fergie Fulton]

Speed is a side effect, a by product if you will, of great technique, which stretch is one part of. Playing fast is not where its at, playing a song slow and deliberate is more pressure on your technique than playing fast.

[kreider204]

Maybe look to fretless or upright players? When I played fretless, I was coming from playing upright, so I tended to use more position shifts than stretches.

[bottomzone]

Check out bunny Brunel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wCyX48nV-c

He is a fretboard wizard and utilizes both.



A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

[pukeorama]

When i was taking bass lessons as a kid my teacher really stressed minimal hand movement and proper hand positions so you can reach your next note without having to move your fingers very much. With minimal movement you can achieve speed very easily. For example if you look at jazz fusion guitarist Alan Holdsworth his left hand barely moves and yet hes making all these wild sounds. I would really be working on hand positions and finding the easiest way to get to the next note. Most time you will have to stretch one of your fingers to get there espcially if you have small hands like me. Once you have reached the next note that give you a new area to work in where you use all the notes in the area. Doing that really gives you versatility, speed and it forces you use proper octaves. For example in one of my bands songs starts off in C minor. So my first note i go into is the freted C on the A string then i go up a step and a half to D# on the A string then from there i moved back to C but on the E string and work around there. Once i reach the C on the E string i dont have to move my left hand at all to get all the notes i need to use. As long as you really know your scales and note names you are gonna rip it up. Anyways thats what i taugh at a young age and its really helped me out to achieve quick runs and it makes you look like a pro on stage. People start to wonder what you are really doing when they cant see your left hand move a lot. thats my 2 cents there bud hope that helps out.