What are your favorite right hand excercies?

[steviep77]

I've been playing bass for a few years now, and have always loved Jaco. Figured I'd give "Donna Lee" a try. My finger technique is nowhere close to where it needs to be to play like that. I know there isn't some magical exercise that instantly gets someone to play like Jaco, but how do you (did you) build up your right (or left) hand's finger playing?

[Marty Forrer]

Tearing the tops off beer cans?

[repoman]

....I'm not saying it .......

[DiabolusInMusic]

I listened to this band a lot.

No but seriously, use Donna Lee as practice, just play it slowly and work yourself up to it, do it everyday for at least an hour and it'll get easier and easier.

[Skitch it!]

The Donna head is one of them for me, there is a lot going on in that piece for both hands to phrase it and play it fluidly. Difficult string crossing and muting in the left hand, awkward string crossing and muting in the right plus the tempo aspect.

Blues for Alice is another tricky one too.

Start slowly, choose the most comfortable and economical fingerings and hand positions for the left. Reinforce everything hyper consciously, the right hand/muting etc. Gradually increase tempo but getting full note values and keeping things clean.

It's worth the effort.

[LuckyBassPlayer]

I know MY favorite hand exercise won't help a lot. But I can't add much to the above tips.

[SurferJoe46]

The best exercising is playing.

Perfect practicing will result in perfect playing --- or so I'm told.

[sammyp]

Here's a couple that helped me in the past year....

[keiththebassist]

Not a fan of exercises. IMO the best thing to do is stretch your fingers out and your hand muscles as well so as to avoid cramping, then get playing! I just simply take the things I am struggling with and I break them down into just those sections and then work them good till they fear me, not the other way around

[Psycho]

I wouldn't call the first exercises, so much as two bass lines I feel are good to warm up with. The intro to Deja-Vu and the bridge/verse of Revelations, both Iron Maiden songs.

One I use a lot I picked up from Alex Webster's book, something along the lines of this:
G-------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------
B--5-5-5-5-7-7-7-7-6-6-6-6-8-8-8-8--

Just a straight pattern of 16th notes, works absolute wonders for getting a feeling of 4 beats using 3 fingers. You could slow it down or speed it up as you like as well, if you find any inconsistency in the pattern or are just starting it up. Really gets easy to do, so you can focus on hearing 4 beats without actually stopping to mentally count them.

[phillybass101]

Practice River People by Weather report. Take your time and play it in time. practice the song Colibri by the group incognito. practice the song, the dance has begun by a guy called hamilton bohannon. If you can work these up where you can play the whole song(s) withouth having to stop you'll be well on your way to building a great right hand technique. Loosen up before you attempt to play these or you will surely cramp up.