Assistance for a Bass Player with Stubby Fingers

[beka]

I'm having problems with my left hand fingerings. Any suggestions? Someone once told me to use double bass fingerings instead, but I have yet to find a double bass fingering chart.

[MarkTAW]

I also have short fingers. What your friend probably meant was to double up the pinky & ring fingers as if they're one finger, especially towards the headstock end of the fretboard, near the lower numbered frets, and don't try to span more than 3 frets with your fingers until you get to the higher fret ranges - say, once you've cleared the 5th fret.

This is what I do instinctively & I've been told it's very upright-like in technique.

[MarkTAW]

Just to be clear - by "no more than 3 frets" I mean index finger on the first fret, middle finger on the second fret, pinky finger on the third fret. 3 frets total, not 3 frets from the first fret.

[mambo4]

MarkTAW is correct.

to expand, there are a few subtleties to keep in mind:

-always keep a "C" curve in your fingers, like they a wrapped around a soda can (but relaxed)

-when you fret with your1st finger , the other 3 should be relaxed with tips hovering less than an inch above the string -no "flying fingers"

-when you fret with your 2nd finger, the 1st finger should be down on the neck behind it in support.

-when you fret with the 4th, all 4 fingers should be against the neck similarly.

-keep you wrist straight -adjust with the neck tilt and strap height to help.

and the biggest "secret" to 1-2-4 fingering is that it is not necessary to stretch you fretting fingers uncomfortably. you are allowed to move your hand around 'within one position.' Just keep your thumb in the same spot, and use it to pivot /slide your palm and fingers further up the neck to reach, then slide back down as needed. even with short fingers you can probably span 5 or 6 frets this way.

Ideally your supporting finger tips will stay on the exact fret they start on, and learning to stretch them at least that far is useful. but with small hands you simply may not be able to.

Many feel that 1234 if more efficient and therefore you can be faster, but I'm conifdent that with practice a 124 fingering can be just as fluid and musical as 1234 fingering in 99% of the playing a bassist will be asked to do. Carol Kaye plays this way, and it obviously didn't hurt her career

[daHammer]

Hi,
Can't see that anyone answered this. Any number of good double bass books with charts are out there (the classic one being Simandl's "New Method for the Double Bass, Book 1" but I especially recommend for a bass guitarist John Patitucci's "60 Melodic Etudes for Acoustic and Electric Bass". This book doesn't have a fingering chart but the entire second half of the book consists of scales, all of which are given in four variations. Patitucci is a master of both (jazz) upright and guitar bass and provides correct fingering, with a few variations for those who might play upright electric bass, for every scale.

daHammer

[beka]

Thanks so much to all of you for your help. I was in the horrible habit of trying to play everything with one finger. It's just going to take some good old practice to compensate for my initial stupidity in trying to play my own way. Anyone have any advice for muting strings since I also play with my thumb?

[DudeistMonk]

Your left hand should mute strings higher (in tone) than the one your playing and your right hand should mute those lower (in tone) than the one your playing.

Should work regardless of thumb or finger style...but its probably a lot easier to do finger style, where you can just make sure that after every hit your fingers come up and touch (without sounding) the next string lower (in tone). I'd imagine that you would need to use the side of your hand to mute the strings playing thumb style, but I don't play that way so I don't know the technique in detail.

Also have you considered just going to finger style? I don't really know what advantage thumb picking offers outside of slap and double thumbing. In which case you still need to be decent with finger style for pops....but maybe that's ignorance on my part.

[MarkTAW]

What are the possible options?

Go to the next higher string (E to A). In this case your right hand should land on the E string and mute the string.

Go two or more strings higher (E to D). In this case, I leave a finger on the E string, usually my middle finger since I rarely go down frets (e.g. from fret 4 E string to fret 2 A string), but other fingers as well.

Going to lower strings (A to E, D to E). In these cases, my left hand does the muting.

[HosMan]

Just use the great tips and advice you are getting from these veteran TBers and you`ll be surprised how those little hands of yours can handle a bass.

I printed out this thread because I have a hard time making all of my fingers behave and/or hug the neck.My hands are not much larger than the average woman`s hands. Like the others mentioned: DON`T buy into that one finger per fret(especially starting out and save the 1,2,3,4 for 7th fret and higher).Ten years ago I injured my left hand/wrist from playing 1,2,3,4 down low when 4 fingers-3 frets is what I should have played.