Too many descending runs!

[Johnny StingRay]

Lately I've noticed that whenever I do runs, whether scales or arpeggios, one octave or two, I play them descending at least 80% of the time.

I think it is because it is easier for me to finger pick moving from the higher pitched strings to the lower than it is vica versa. Speed wise, descending I can play slow or fast, ascending is always slower.

And for some reason, I think my descending runs sound better than when I play ascending runs. What's that all about?? I don't know.

Oh, I've been playing for thirty years and when I was younger, I was solid and fast on runs no matter which way I was going with them. This problem seems to have become more prevalent just the past few years. Age thing maybe? I don't have any arthritis or finger problems. (OK maybe a little stiffness.)

So, does anyone have any suggestions for exercises to improve my playing, sound, and speed on ascending runs?

Peace be with you,
Johnny

[BassSlave]

I've been playing for 32 years and what I practice I always play whatever material I am working on at the moment in reverse, so if it is a decending run I'll play the last note first and ascend. Another variation I love to play is what I call ascending-backwards or decending forward. All it is is take a run or scale and reverse the order of notes per string. So if you are using a simple blues run going forwards it would be (blues lick #1) Rb34#45b78 and then reverse per string it wqould be R5b5#4b38b7 which is a new lick no one has ever played, but it was taken from the most abused lick in history. I will take that run up another octave and you really can hear the pattern. Here is the same oncept using the major scale fingering going forward 24134134 and now reverse per string it will be 4242143. I have expanded this idea on my 6 string and this is where thins really open up for me. I use the wide fingering 3-note-per string on a major scale 124124124124134134 which covers 2 octaves and a perfect fourth. Reversing the notes per string turns this into 421421421421431421 and creates a great warm-up/exercise. I apply this practice to runs I create and this way for every lick you create, you will have a variation in reverse and another ascending-reversed. I also do the same thing descending but going forward per string. It sounds hard, but trust me if you apply this to the simple major scale and the blues lick #1, you will see the idea is not too hard. It can get hard with longer licks and patterns because you have to remember the original sequence of notes so writing them down helps, but I always break them down on a per string basis and come up with nice twists and retrograde turns in my solos that I would not have come up with. So the next time you are already running in reverse or descending as you would say, simply reverse the order of notes and play the same run ascending. So to help you further, if you are running blues lick #1 in reverse (which is the way most people learn it and abuse it) it would be (from high string to low) Rb75b54b3R so you already can do this in reverse without thinking. So also try to ascend using the same pattern per string (from low to high) R5b54b3Rb7. It helps to start with little phrases like this and then you can always recall them quicker and you will get much mileage out of your old worn out licks and patterns. You can do this with grooves to.

[unclejane]

Yeah, I sort of had the same discovery lately myself.

It's probably because you've been doing descending parts a lot more and neglecting practice in doing ascending parts.

I've been playing many years as well and didn't notice this had crept into my playing. Not long ago I'd bought a loop station to practice with and work on some of my own stuff, I was shocked to discover I could hardly play an ascending scale in time and with clean even notes.
I'm not that great of a player in general, but this was pretty ridiculous....

So I simply had to start a new regimine of practicing this.

A big problem was poor right hand technique, which I'm currently correcting by learning the floating thumb. This has made an enormous difference and I'm now at least on the way to being able to play ascending lines properly.

I bet this is pretty common for us finger players as descending lines are simply much easier to play for mechanical reasons. And it really can creep in over time without you realizing it.....

LS

[BassSlave]

Floating thumb does help as it makes going in either direction feel the same. When you anchor your thumb too much it will sometimes make you feel comfortable in that spot so you tend not to move around. I've used floating thumb before it was called floating thumb and I also use anchors on a few areas of the bass for playing in those areas and for slightly different purposes. The key here is to be comfortable in moving the plucking hand around. It is also easier for you to play descending lines because for your right hand it is easier to pluck toward your body and for your fretting hand it is easier to climb down to the lower notes on the neck. However if you practice plucking away from your body, or from low strings to high and climb up the neck you can find equal comfort going in either direction.

[Johnny StingRay]

Hey guys! Great ideas! I really appreciate the backwards run technigue and the floating thumb technique. I will practice both.

Again, thanks for the advice.

Peace be with you, Johnny StingRay

[daffy]

I play games with myself when I practice. For instance, last night I was doing walking bass lines, and I constrained myself to a single position (4 fret span only - no extended fingers) and then let loose for 5 minutes.

Not only helps creativity but also helps learn fingerboard etc.

Maybe you could invent similar games for yourself? Maybe stay only on a single string - if you keep descending on a single string you'll eventually HAVE to come back up, or you'll fall off the fingerboard

[BassSlave]

Another simple exercise that will seep into your playing and makes ascending runs as well as playing faster even easier, but it takes some effort in shedding on this simple concept. Switch the picking finger you "lead" or start the run,lick,pattern or scale on. In other words if you tend to start picking with your middle finger, which is very common since it is the longest finer, simply start the run on the index finger and alternate i-m-i-m-i-m as opposed to m-i-m-i-m-i. now star slowly on simple open strings and scales or even grooves. If you notice that you will sometimes feel out of place or out of sync since you always play starting on the index finger, however this will "even up" the plucking hand in ways you will discover as it creeps into your playing. It took me about two weeks of concentrating on this principal alone and believe me when I say it makes many things easier even if it was easy before you learned to switch. I see and feel the advantage of having the shorter finger starting off the licks and having the longer middle finger trailing as opposed to the other way around. Play a simple open string exercise using four quarter notes or eights or sixteenths per string and alternate index-middle-index-middle fingers. So B string gets four notes then jump or climb to the next string E and give four notes, etc. Notice that crossing strings is easier and if you practice slowly until you really feel the ease, ramp up your speed and make sure you cover all your strings. When you get to the top, notice how coming down "feels" trickier, but it really is just strange for about a week and then you will see the advantages. So come backward starting from your high string using the same i-m-i-m alternating plucking pattern on the open strings. One of the advantages this has over the other way around is that when you are using an even number of notes before you go to the next string, the index finger has the job of locating or starting the next string. Just like pointing at the next string and the index already knows how to lead in a more natural way. As for odd number notes, say if you played three notes per string before ascending to the next one, then you will have to alternate i-m-i m-i-m i-m-i m-i-m and coming down it would continue i-m-i m-i-m i-m-i m-i-m if you were on a four string. I use four five and six string basses and its no problem on either. After a week or two you will notice that it really feels the same as starting on the middle finger first, however with more accuracy and speed and ease. The key is to develop this and still keep playing using the middle finger to start your runs, but you will start to know when to switch and use the index first when alternating. It has helped me in ways that I can only show when playing and I already have clean technique and execution, but I still try to find ways to plays with more ease, speed and control and this definitely helps. Try this with the first exercise about playing the simple runs backwards and ascending and at first it will feel like a finger twister (tongue twister for the hands) for no more than two weeks if you do a little every day and post your results and let us know if you found something new to play using the same stuff you already know. This will in NO WAY harm you or change the way you play and will improve your accuracy and not change your "feel" but help you use what you already know in more ways. I call it "perspective" playing and I do it with rhythms as well and sometimes looking at things we do from another perspective is the key that will unlock your natural strength. It works for me.