Super fast finger playing

[Suckbird]

So i see those very fast death and blackmetal players with pick playing fast 32th and i wonder if there's any chance for a finger player to ever be that fast, is there any fast fingerplayers that can do 32th at over 120?
Also, what would be a good exercise to be mad fast in my fingers, i saw those finger stretching balls wich purpose is to give stamina and speed, maybe these are good?
And metronomes?

thanks.

[hunta]

My guess is that those finger stretching things won't really help you. If you really want to develop fast finger speed you need to practice practice practice. One of my old bass teachers used very simple practice drills, like:

(on G string)
Ab A Bb B A Bb B C
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
etc etc. Doing a 1 2 3 4 finger pattern ascending chromatically on each string and then shifting up a half step and repeating till you get to the end of the neck, then reverse it 4 3 2 1 and walk back down. You can vary something like this doing 1 3 2 4 or 4 2 1 3 or whatever to build up your left hand dexterity, or play chord arpeggios walking chromatically up the neck.

Do this with a metronome at a comfortable speed, where you are hitting every note and getting good tone. Gradually step up the tempo until you've reached your target, just make sure when you go faster you can still play all the notes right. If you can't yet, just step it back down and practice some more. Throw this into your practice regimen and do it for a few minutes before you start on whatever else you do. It's amazing how quickly your finger dexterity will improve doing simple stuff like that.

Another thing you can do is pluck with 3 fingers instead of 2, although this is better suited for playing triplets (ring middle pointer finger in that order).

Hope this helps you.

[Ozzyman]

You can't play as fast as a pick wth two fingers. But you can play as fast (probably faster) with three fingers than a pick. Also fingers definately sound nicer at high speeds than a pick. It's because your finger can get the string vibrating faster than a pick.
Read some three finger technique threads which'll show you how to play with three fingers and gain speed. There were a few posted this week.

[geoffkhan]

If anything the finger stretching/excercise things you can buy probably hurt your fingers rather than doing them good. Anyways, the best excercises for your fingers are the ones that involve your instrument. You want to keep it in its context.

[fallon]

Originally Posted by Suckbird

So i see those very fast death and blackmetal players with pick playing fast 32th and i wonder if there's any chance for a finger player to ever be that fast, is there any fast fingerplayers that can do 32th at over 120?
Also, what would be a good exercise to be mad fast in my fingers, i saw those finger stretching balls wich purpose is to give stamina and speed, maybe these are good?
And metronomes?

thanks.

All I can say is that the sound/ speed of the plectrum(pick as you lot call in America ;-) is unique.Geddy lee with YYZ! The styles and sounds of fingers/plectrum are so much poles apart,its just nuts!

[yoshi]

Yo! Constant and frequesnt practice is your best friend when searching for a hasty 2 or 3 finger pick technique.

There are a number of metal (death, black etc) with bass players who hurl out some impressive, high speed licks with their fingers, for example Steve D'giogioro of Death. Then there's also the outstanding finger picked bass work of bass players residing in more technical, progressive stuff, namely Sean Malone (ie in his work with Aghora or Gordian knot). And finally there's teh mind blowingly fast work of technical-butchery band Spastic Inks's Pete Perez. I'm not sure if that guy opts for a pick at times, but man can he deliver once he gets going!

Some reccomendations:
Death: Spirit crusher - fast triplets and pedalling.
Aghora: Satya - generally fast, technical riffage
Spastic Ink - anything! The Mad Data Race stands out as a speed demontome though.

I've managed to push my 3 finger work to an almost steady, staccato beat as such, similar to that of an AK47 only less freedom fighteresque

PS - apologies for bad spelling.

[yoshi]

Argh I decided to record some 3 fingered dread and did so, undeterred by the fact that I've been drinking wine for the last 6 hours, lots of, and taht the cable I'm, using to line my bass in to the PC is just 15cm long haha! I was sprawled beneath my keyboard tray, much like a cranefly spindled withing the sticky web of a spider.

Anyway to cut a long story short: The recording sounded very, very **** so i didn't bother.

hit me up on msn for a jam sometime, I'm not brilliant but an extra someone to jam with never hurt deathbycornishpastie@hotmail.com

[complexprocess]

Originally Posted by yoshi

Some reccomendations:
Death: Spirit crusher - fast triplets and pedalling.

A guy named Scott Clendenin played on this album (Steve was busy with Sadus or something), and in the live video I've seen he played with a pick. Still a great song, and worth trying to learn.

[Aaron Saunders]

I learned a technique recently that, if I do it as fast as I possibly can on my fretless, my finger's already hitting a note before the note from the one previous has even properly sounded. This is best done on non-light strings -- this seems to be the problem with my fretless (TI Jazz flats). It sounds a lot cleaner on regular or high tension strings (D'addario XLs, for instance). What you do, is play ring-middle-index. Then, instead of pulling back and plucking again, sweep your fingers back in the same order -- ring-middle-index -- and you'll get two triplets, as fast as sin. Work on it slowly at first and work on getting it nice and clean, and then speed it up. Working on this technique will also make integrating your ring finger into regular, non-right hand sweeping easier too.

Work in the pinky if you can -- I find it hard because there's a dramatic size difference between it and my other fingers -- bigger than most people's. Not to the point of looking absurd, but just annoyance when it comes to integrating it into my plucking hand. I managed to do it tonight at a battle of the bands, and it was pretty rockin' fast. Go for it!

[Stephen Soto]

http://www.billysheehan.com/audio/basssolo2.ram , he's jaco on 10 kinds of steriods.

[Suckbird]

I have started play with 3 fingers now
It's hard, i try do it like this 321-321-321 but it often gets
like this 321-213-212 etc.. i see the advantages though.

Anyway, i guess i should learn it correct before i start to speed it up, is it normal to look on your fingers to see if you do 321-321-321 like i do, i dont care 'bout the fretboard just the fingers.

[Stephen Soto]

Originally Posted by Suckbird

I have started play with 3 fingers now
It's hard, i try do it like this 321-321-321 but it often gets
like this 321-213-212 etc.. i see the advantages though.

Anyway, i guess i should learn it correct before i start to speed it up, is it normal to look on your fingers to see if you do 321-321-321 like i do, i dont care 'bout the fretboard just the fingers.

That technique you are doing (321-213-212 , I don't know how you came up with THAT but,) it makes it so that it's not faster at all, your still using 3 fingers like you would two.

[Suckbird]

Ow, i think you misunderstood me
I meant, i try do this 321-321-321 but sometimes i do it wrong and does it somehow like this 321-12-231 etc..

[nailuj1987]

Why all this obsession with speed..

[Aaron Saunders]

Why all the obsession with learning music theory, or buying better gear? Because it's just another component of being a bassist. If you don't like people talking about speed, then you're probably not going to want to spend much time in the Technique forum.

[Suckbird]

Originally Posted by nailuj1987

Why all this obsession with speed..

Maybe because my style requires speed?

[nailuj1987]

Point taken and accepted(ain't looking for trouble here). but what i think is that the more one plays be it fasst or slow.. the more one gets familar with the motion and there should be a improvement in speed. Don't get all 123 321.. just do whats comfortable and effiecent

[l0calh05t]

Originally Posted by nailuj1987

Point taken and accepted(ain't looking for trouble here). but what i think is that the more one plays be it fasst or slow.. the more one gets familar with the motion and there should be a improvement in speed. Don't get all 123 321.. just do whats comfortable and effiecent

comfortable doesn't necessarily mean efficient...

just wanted to point that out

[i like tictacs]

32nds at 120 plus with a pick you say?

I know Vic gets 32nd's at arouund 130 or so with his fingers. But that's vic. I can get 16ths at 136, (stomping grounds) but i miss notes here and there occasionally.

[storm10]

wow i have trouble doing 16ths at 120.....i couldnt imagine doing 32nds over 120