Trouble using fingers

bladeskink · #1 08-08-2006, 05:12 AM

Hi,

I have played bass with my band for a few years but have always used a pick. I try and use my fingers but I just can't do it! I don't seem to be able to acheive any kind of speed or coordination. I do practice but I don't seem to get any better. Everything I do is very slow, deliberate and laboured. Any tips???

Cheers

Mark
www.theskinks.com

aesir6 · #2 08-08-2006, 06:23 AM

Well it's gonna be a slow process if your used to picking with something other than your fingers. And of course they'll get sore and all that good stuff until you build up your callouses. I mean if your really serious to switch to fingers than just whenever you play only!(not that you cant play with pick if your not serious) play with fingers so you can build muscle and callouses and then start adding fingers 1, 2, 3, maybe 4. Then you could(if you like) start learning to slap after you get better with your fingerstyle. Just my .2 cents.

Alex

vindy500 · #3 08-08-2006, 06:30 AM

just practice. 2 fingers is what most use and all i think you need, some prefer 3 or 1 or even 4. thats cool there the minority. just keep swimming to quote finding nemo

if all else fails wack em with a metal rod, thatll teach em whos boss

PrimusNut · #4 08-08-2006, 08:45 PM

lol yeah wack em with a metal rod.. broken fingers are better than ones that work properly.

practice with 2 fingers only. once you perfect that then you can move up to whatever you want. One thing that helped me to be able to pluck accurately was to play one thing over and over again until my right hand fingers play along with me left..

thebassclef · #5 08-08-2006, 08:51 PM

Started that way, also. It just took practice and more practice. BTW, I am one of the minority that uses only one finger. Kinda helped during the transition. But, I am always playing catch-up, and am now learning to use two and three fingers.

ric1312 · #6 08-08-2006, 08:58 PM

Here is what got my using my fingers quick......

1. with your left hand one finger for each fret, just go 1234 down the kneck on each string. With your fingerpicking hand alternate 1212121212121212. Make sure 1 going to 1&3 fret and 2 goes to 2&4.

2. Any scales you practice do the same thing.

3. For speed and feel practice with a drum machine so you are steady and on beat with alternating with the picking fingers.

P.S. It's funny, but I've always played with my fingers, tried picking the other day and it sounded like I just started, it tottally threw me off. then I gave up as it was just one more thing to drop and go wrong during practice/show. And I like the fingerpicking sound better.

JcHc · #7 08-08-2006, 09:01 PM

Just keep doing it, Ive been playing for 4 yrs, and Im just now getting pretty good at it.

Bassist4Life · #8 08-08-2006, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bladeskink

Hi,

I have played bass with my band for a few years but have always used a pick. I try and use my fingers but I just can't do it! I don't seem to be able to acheive any kind of speed or coordination. I do practice but I don't seem to get any better. Everything I do is very slow, deliberate and laboured. Any tips???

Cheers

Mark
www.theskinks.com

Be patient and consistent. Don't give up. It's kind of like doing anything that takes effort over a period of time; like, building muscle, losing weight...

Use a metronome to "measure" your progress. Don't cheat. Keep it slow, keep it simple.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
Joe

corrosivemind19 · #9 08-08-2006, 09:22 PM

Theres a technique I used when I first started to help me obtain speed with using my fingers and it goes as follows:

G----123---
D----123---
A---123----
E---123----

If you go back in forth using your pointer and middle finger on each string in a triplet kind of motion. It helped, im just giving you my 2 cents.

bladeskink · #10 08-09-2006, 01:43 AM

Thanks for the tips, looks like I need to practice, practice, practice! Nice to know it took others a while to get it too. It feels very limited playing with a pick.

Mark
www.theskinks.com

clockworkwar · #11 08-09-2006, 03:29 AM

I was also a converted pick player. No i majoritally play with fingers, although its nice to delve into the realms of pick once and a while. I got it quite easy, and now i have tree trunks of fingers because i do a Jack Bruce kind of style (hard sound). It feels great when you get the hang of it!

tranquilitybass · #12 08-09-2006, 05:11 AM

The big challenge I find with all right hand technique (and especially with 'two finger' playing) is that it must become so second nature that you don't have to think about it. It requires enough muscle memory that you can co-ordinate between right and left hands without thinking about the right hand.
Internalizing string-muting with both hands is really the big trick.
As with all technique, patience and perseverence is key.

The chromatic excercises already mentioned in this post are very good. Also, for developing speed, I like using smaller and smaller rhythmic sub-divisions over a scale to work up speed; i.e. play a scale (or other excercise material) progressively using half notes, dotted quarter-note triplets, quarter-notes, eigth-notes, eight-note triplets, sixteenth notes etc., all at the same tempo. The sub-divisions can be played on each note (x-note rhythm on each note up the scale; a little easier) or across the whole excercise (the scale up/down in x-notes, then again in the next subdivision, etc.).

Here's a good right hand string crossing exercise on open strings. This one really helps with learning raking and right hand co-ordination. It is a string-bass warm up, meant to teach avoiding 'finger crossing' in the right hand, but it works great for electric as well. There are more variations in combinations of string-crossings and rakes which can be worked up for electric as well, but I'll leave that up to you.

string: :E--A--E--D--E--G--E--D:
rt. hand fingers: 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

string: :A--E--A--D--A--G--A--D:
rt. hand: 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 1

string: : D--A--D--E--D--A--D--G:
rt. hand: 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 1

string: :G--D--G--A--G--E--G--A:
rt. hand: 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

Hope these help. Keep it up!

bladeskink · #13 08-09-2006, 05:11 AM

I think I'll just quit practicing with the pick full stop and only use my fingers. My problem is when I need to practice with the band, I have to use a pick or I sound terrible!

Thanks for all of the exercises, I'll definately be using them.

Mark
www.theskinks.com
www.myspace.com/theskinksrock

BrandonBass · #14 08-09-2006, 10:10 AM

you're prolly using the wrong techniques or something. Its actually pretty easy for me to convert to fingerstyle from pick...I can do it decently in a day. Another friend of mine who is a pick player manage to play all the slow songs with fingers he used to play with pick.

Make sure you're not digging too hard into the strings. You can either use the pickup as an anchor or anchor onto the strings. Dont keep ur fingers bent, let it be kinda straight and dont tense up. Just relax and go slow at first and get used to the feeling

when you're not with your bass you can like just click onto something with your fingers walking to get used to the motion.

dont give up man, im sure you can do it

BrandonBass · #15 08-09-2006, 10:11 AM

and for the band practising thing i faced somethin smilar...i was playin with 2fingers and experimenting on 3fingers back then but not good enough to play well with 3fingers.

just play with a pick with yer band and practise fingerstyle on yer own. ull come to grasp with it in no time

Atoz · #16 08-09-2006, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bladeskink

Hi,

I have played bass with my band for a few years but have always used a pick. I try and use my fingers but I just can't do it! I don't seem to be able to acheive any kind of speed or coordination. I do practice but I don't seem to get any better. Everything I do is very slow, deliberate and laboured. Any tips???

Cheers

Mark
www.theskinks.com

I have exactly the opposite problem. I'm adept with the fingers, but can't for the life of me figure out how to use a pick. Between the two of us, we're competent.

bladeskink · #17 08-10-2006, 07:46 AM

I started out playing guitar and switched to bass a couple of months after. I think I started out playing bass like a guitar hence me using a pick. i'd definately suggest that any new starters use fingers and not a pick!

Mark
www.theskinks.com
www.myspace.com/theskinksrock

PrimusNut · #18 08-10-2006, 10:05 AM

I'm with Atoz. Took me about 2-3 months before I could decently use a pick. When i first started playing I used a pick, but then found out how many people in my area hated pick players, so I stopped and became one of those people. Then I got to jamming with my friend who plays guitar, and he told me I should try using a pick, as it gives a different attack. I got him to teach me some pick techniques (fast trem picking, etc...) and what do ya know, I loved it. I has been about 3 months since then and I'm still not "good" but I know with practice I will get better. All anyone can really say is practice, practice, practice. There are things listed here in this thread that will help you along, but its still up to you to practice them as much as you can/want.

Alec W. Conway · #19 08-10-2006, 10:30 AM

play till they bleed => stop => heal => play till they bleed => stop => heal => repeat until you can beat Victor Wooten for speed.

new_west · #20 08-13-2006, 12:48 AM

Try to play all your songs that you normally use with a pick with your fingers.

If you have a piano or a keyboard try messing around on it and learn some songs or excercises that make the right hand move a lot on the keys. I found out that when I started playing bass, I owe my nimble fingers thanks to playing piano first..