What left hand fingering do you prefer?

[Rattlehead]

I don't know if this was worth making a thread about but here goes:

Say you're playing three notes on a string that are each one tone apart. For example you might be using the 12th, 14h, and 16th frets on the D string.

What fingering do you prefer? Obviously you're going to use index on 12th and ring on 16th, but do you use ring or middle finger to get the 14th fret A?

Reason I ask is that yesterday I was jamming and me and the guitar were doing the same riff but I was using the ring and he was using the middle finger for notes in that situation. I actually found it difficult to switch to doing it his way ... it just feels unnatural.


Pretty much the only reason I can think of this being important is if you want to play 14p12h14, it will be easier if you have the ring on the 14th, but if you want to play 14h16p14, it will be easier if you're using the middle finger on the 14th?


What do you think?

[Jazzdogg]

To play three notes in succession, each a whole-step apart, I usually position my hand as though I were going to play a major scale:

Middle finger to play I
Baby finger to play II
Index finger (on next string) to play III

I tend to think of bass fingerings as being like "playing position" in billiards because, in order succeed, you have to constantly set yourself up for the next three "shots;" I like to give myself good position to reach all of the notes in the current and next chords I'm accompanying.

I might select different fingerings than described above if I were playing double-stopped tenths or octaves, for example, but for the most part, I position my left hand with my middle finger holding down the root of the chord, and the rest of my fingers positioned as though I were about to play a major scale.

[middy]

I use my middle finger, but I hardly ever need to stretch like that. I usually choose a different fingering.

for the most part, I position my left hand with my middle finger holding down the root of the chord, and the rest of my fingers positioned as though I were about to play a major scale.

Jazzdogg, out of curiosity, because my hand is often positioned like that, how do you play the minor third up from the root? Do you stretch your pinky "up" 3 frets, or do you stretch your index finger "down" 2 frets on the next string. I usually end up just switching my index finger to the root so I can use my pinky for the minor third with out stretching, and then trying to make a mental note to use my index on the root for minor chords, which never works...

[Rattlehead]

Originally Posted by Jazzdogg

To play three notes in succession, each a whole-step apart, I usually position my hand as though I were going to play a major scale:

Middle finger to play I
Baby finger to play II
Index finger (on next string) to play III

Ummmm yes.
But I now realize the situation I was talking about really only applies to playing on the highest string - G or C depending on how many strings you have.

So I'll ask again, this time with the right question:

You want to play G-A-B (frets 12, 14, and 16) on the G string. What fingering do you use?


Note that "play the G and A on the D string is not the answer I'm looking for. Sometimes this is appropriate but every bass player should be able to stretch at least one fret in the upper registers. In the particular riff I was playing I go as low as the lowest D, but I move down the next to play it on the 5th fret A instead of 10th on E because that is the "sound" that is called for. The movements up and down the neck explain why more than one finger per fret might be desirable.


As for minor, it feels completely natural for me to use the index, but I guess that's because I play much more minor than major. Chords are entirely different, I prefer 'straight' chords, by which I mean you follow the jumps by thirds in order, for instance playing E maj as follows:
G-9
D-9
A-11
E-12
Sounds really brutal that way. (so much so that I think most bassists wouldn't like it)

[beggar98]

For that I use index, middle, pinky. I play major scales starting on the E string that way so I can go from root to the octave of the fifth in one position. I picked that up from Jaco's "Modern Electric Bass" video. So, in C, I would play C D E on E8, E10, E12; F G A on A8, A10, A12; B C D on D9, D10, D12; and E F G on G9, G10, G12. It eliminates shifts, and also allows me to start both major and minor scales on the index finger.

[iamlowsound]

I use my middle finger, but I hardly ever do this on bass, guitar on the other hand I find my self doing it a lot.

lowsound

[Sneckumhaw]

Originally Posted by Rattlehead

What fingering do you prefer? Obviously you're going to use index on 12th and ring on 16th, but do you use ring or middle finger to get the 14th fret A?

Why obviously? Why wouldn't you use the pinky on the 16th fret?

[Jazzdogg]

Originally Posted by middy

I use my middle finger, but I hardly ever need to stretch like that. I usually choose a different fingering.


Jazzdogg, out of curiosity, because my hand is often positioned like that, how do you play the minor third up from the root? Do you stretch your pinky "up" 3 frets, or do you stretch your index finger "down" 2 frets on the next string. I usually end up just switching my index finger to the root so I can use my pinky for the minor third with out stretching, and then trying to make a mental note to use my index on the root for minor chords, which never works...

I guess the answer depends on (1) where I am on the fingerboard; and (2) what notes/changes will follow.

If I'm far enough up the fingerboard, I might stretch up to reach the minor third with my pinky; most of the time, however, I'm more inclined to pivot my thumb on the back of the neck to allow my fingers to float, and stretch down for the minor third with my index finger.

Of course, if someone videotaped my playing, I'd probably be chagrined at some of the things I do without even realizing it, and not at all surprised to learn that I play some figures quite differently than I've described above.

[PilbaraBass]

It depends on the notes, and what comes before and after...but I generally try to keep the root around my middle finger...this leaves my index on the next string down for the minor third, and my pinky for the fifth and/or octave...

the ring finger generally plays the 5th (if I'm already playing an octave), or I'll use it for transition notes and muting the root and minor 3rd...

it's not really a conscious thing...I just do it, because it conserves motion.

[thewanderer24]

If I am high up on the neck, I might play that in one position, first finger on the G, middle finger on the A and pinky on the B.

How I finger that, really depends completely on context, though.

There's at least 3 or 4 answers off the top of my head, depending on where I'm coming from, where I'm going, what I'm doing with each note, and how long I intend to stay.

[seanm]

The obvious answer is that I wouldn't be up that high

But I went and tried it. My first response was index, ring, pinky. But index, middle, ring and index, middle, pinky all felt comfortable.

So it would depend on where I was coming from and where I was going to. And probably how my fingers fell on the string.

[Pilgrim]

My first response is that I wouldn't be up that high. I tend to play primarily on the first 6 frets, and frankly like the sound much better.

But how I fingered it would depend on the pattern and what came next in the note sequence. Every passage needs to set up your hand to advantage for the next passage coming up.

[PrimusNut]

Index, middle, pinky. I actually do this quite often.