Who are the fastest 2fingerstylers?

[BrandonBass]

Hi guys, Im new here. I just started playing 3weeks ago...and it seems to me that most of the fastest bassist think Sheehan and Myung etc. uses 3fingers. So Im wondering if I should practise the 3finger style if I wanna achieve good speed in the long run?

Btw, whats the deal with using picks? thanks

[HELLonWheels187]

3 finger isn't nessecary learn 2 fingers well before you even consider using a 3rd. Picks are just another way of playing. You can get a differant tone(ussually more treble) of your bass. I personnally don't really like playing with a pic, but its pretty popular among metal bassists.

[ras1983]

Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten. All three can play blindingly fast when the time comes for speed. And they play using just 2 fingers.

Be careful when you listen to Victor or Marcus, they sometime double thumb/pluck. But if you watch any video footage you will see how fast their two fingers can be.

Geddy Lee can play really fast, and he uses two fingers.

Just be careful with speed. Playing well doesn't mean playing fast.

Although, its good to have the chops.

[BrandonBass]

yeah I know playing fast doesnt mean everything, but its good to be able to play fast. cause im trying to learn the maxwell murder solo...

[Josh Raines]

Originally Posted by BrandonBass

yeah I know playing fast doesnt mean everything, but its good to be able to play fast. cause im trying to learn the maxwell murder solo...

Hmm, fyi Matt Freeman uses a pick.

[Erick Lam]

3 finger isn't nessecary learn 2 fingers well before you even consider using a 3rd.

I'd say the contrary. If you want to learn to play with 3 fingers, start now. Why wait? It will be a lot more difficult to learn a new technique later.

[Brandt Scanlan]

Originally Posted by Josh Raines

Hmm, fyi Matt Freeman uses a pick.

While Matt Freeman does often play with a pick, he can play just as fast (and just as well, in general) with his fingers. In fact, when I saw Rancid he purposely played the Maxwell Murder solo sans pick. I was impressed.

[wesker]

IMO you should concentrate more on having an unbreakable technique(not break the flow) and then you can gradually speed-up .You can achieve fast playing both with 2finger and with 3finger style.The whole subject of using a pick may just need to be a new thread cause there all lot of things to be said.But in my opinion using a pick is achieving a tone punchier than the one by using fingers.I believe that you should also check out the pick style as an alternative skill.Cheers

[improvpwnd]

im gonna go ahead and disagree with many of you. the 3 finger technique DOES allow you to play faster than the traditional 2 finger, IMHO. Also, it has to do with endurance....you are doing less work to achieve the same job.

[christoph h.]

if you want to learn the 3-finger-technique because you like that style go for it. personally, i never had a real interest for that because players like adam nitti, mike pope, victor wooten, richard bona, jeff berlin, christian mcbride and more can go insanely fast with 2 fingers.

[Gopher Bob]

I agree with HeadBanger... I also believe that because most people get so used to playing quickly with 2 fingers, adding that 3rd finger in there later on is rather difficult and tends to be considered unnecessary. Maybe it also feels to some like 'if it aint broke don't fix it'. I feel with proper dediction to both 2 and 3 finger styles the pay off is well worth the work. More tools for the tool box.

I have to ask you headbanger with all the different approaches to 3 finger technique do you prefer the sheehan way or the digiorgio way (steve bailey in reverse)? Or maybe something else?

Personally I see more benefits of the sheehan approach while the latter seems like a more confusing two finger approach forcing the middle finger to work twice as hard.
R-M-I (sheehan) I think the toughest part is being able to start with a different finger each bar (I need to work on my music theory, most likely!)

IMO, pros of 3 include endurance boost and a small about 1/3 increase in speed, IF you can get your Index and Ring to alternate properly.

The con of it is you have to start on a different finger when playing even lines.

ex. R-m-i-r-M-i-r-m-I-r-m-i etc

R-M-I, always in that order (sheehan)
R-M-I-M (digiorgio)
I-M-R-M (bailey)

I like to practice them all though to help with finger independence and breaking any raking type habits that seem to occur when the ring finger gets tossed into the mix.

And as a final note... some can argue that 3 finger is not 'needed'... but if you think about it 2 finger isn't 'needed' making great music either. But since this is a technique question and not a musicianship questions lets keep the advice to that.

final note part 2.. yea picks are perfectly fine and its just a personal choice to use them or not. Im absolutly not hating on pick players but, I personally feel that 'I' am a much better musician using my fingers. I feel that my expression on the instrument would be crippled using a pick and I'm actually a pretty good pick player but this is purely my opinion.

[ras1983]

Originally Posted by christoph h.

...richard bona...

Yeah, bona's insanely fast. VERY, VERY fast when he wants.

[Eddard]

John Alderete in Racer X. "Scarified" is a good example of the fast he can play.

[Goregrind29]

I have to ask you headbanger with all the different approaches to 3 finger technique do you prefer the sheehan way or the digiorgio way (steve bailey in reverse)? Or maybe something else?

I play with the three finger rolling method, R-M-I-M ... and honestly i think that it doesnt matter where you start off, the key to that technique for me was to be able to play starting from any finger
R-M-I-M
M-I-M-R
I-M-R-M
M-R-M-I
I also think it is important to work on straight 3 finger starting on all positions for Stanely clarke style triplets and some arpeggios(steve Bailey does this)

Also for more extreme string skipping you can do what John Myung does and use the Index and ring fingers.

I like to practice them all though to help with finger independence and breaking any raking type habits that seem to occur when the ring finger gets tossed into the mix.

I would say that raking is ok, as long as it is only when decending strings, in fact i would recomend it in most cases

I would say the best way to practise three finger playing, is to first work on three sets of two fingers I-M, M-R, R-I

Than, if you are using the rolling method, which is less complicated, and seems to allow for a more even tone, work on playing standard 16th notes accenting the first of every four beats, but starting on a different finger for each set...
R-M-I-M... until you are satsfied with practising it than start with the next combination M-I-M-R etc.

Than after that work on groups of five, this is what steve bailey does to practise, so..
R-M-I-M-R
M-I-M-R-M
I-M-R-M-I
M-R-M-I-M
you just need to get that pattern up to speed, and at that point you would be a pretty good 3 finger style player

If you have any more questions you can PM me.
If i had a vid camera i would post a video, maybe some1 on this thread can.

[Thunder_Fingers]

Jari Kainulainen, previously bassist for Stratovarius... this guy can get a insane speed, and i think he only use 2 fingers...

[WHOlovesBASS?]

Originally Posted by ras1983

Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten. All three can play blindingly fast when the time comes for speed. And they play using just 2 fingers.

Be careful when you listen to Victor or Marcus, they sometime double thumb/pluck. But if you watch any video footage you will see how fast their two fingers can be.

Geddy Lee can play really fast, and he uses two fingers.

Just be careful with speed. Playing well doesn't mean playing fast.

Although, its good to have the chops.

victor actually plays with 4 a lot of times, not 2...although he is mad fast with only two fingers...he does a double thumb and then adds his index middle and ring, so essentially its 5 fingers cuz the thumb hits twice...but anyway, faster is not better
it seems that way when you first start, everyone wants to be the fastest, but my advice to a pure beginner, screw the fast, go out and get some professional lessons, and learn as much theory as you possibly can

[jwl]

Originally Posted by WHOlovesBASS?

victor actually plays with 4 a lot of times, not 2...although he is mad fast with only two fingers...he does a double thumb and then adds his index middle and ring, so essentially its 5 fingers cuz the thumb hits twice...but anyway, faster is not better
it seems that way when you first start, everyone wants to be the fastest, but my advice to a pure beginner, screw the fast, go out and get some professional lessons, and learn as much theory as you possibly can

good advice. and geddy usually plays with one finger. check out the r30 dvd and prepare to get taken to school on playing with one finger. peace, jeff

[christoph h.]

Originally Posted by WHOlovesBASS?

victor actually plays with 4 a lot of times, not 2...although he is mad fast with only two fingers...he does a double thumb and then adds his index middle and ring, so essentially its 5 fingers cuz the thumb hits twice...

yeah, but that's when he slaps. he doesn't do that all the time, so i'm talking (as the original poster wanted) about his 2 finger playing.

[Digo]

John Entwistle eg Thunderfingers

Originally Posted by Eddard

John Alderete in Racer X. "Scarified" is a good example of the fast he can play.

Just to make sure it's clear though, Alderete tapped the lick in the middle of the song, video clips being on youtube and etc. However, he is very fast with two fingers, and there's a video of him playing a solo in the middle of a song, which though it's no Michael Angelo speed, it's fast.