Where to go next?

[Splanky]

Hi TB´ers!

After 10 years of self taught noodling and spending WAY to much money on nice basses and stuff. I have developed a really good ear and a lot of sloppy habits. I thought it´s about time that i justify my gear and shape up.
I have signed my self to a course i music theory and harmonics starting today.

Since 2 weeks i have spent 0.5-2 h/day doing right hand techniques. My first goal is to get my index/middle alternating
i all kinds of situations and also work my speed up.
So far i have covered Arpeggios up and down the neck. Pentatonic scales, Octaves and so on and so on. Always starting slow and tried to avoid unwanted buzz and noises. I have focused on my right hand so far but kept an eye on my left hand. I have used Wheat´s bassbook as a reference. http://www.wheatdesign.com/bassbook

I have gotten quite a lot better and faster. And also tried to incorporate it while playing songs so it feels natural.
Have decided that i want to keep my cool and not rush in to new techniques without nailing the ones i practice at the moment. I will continue with my right hand for a while. But i have to start looking forward to what to do with my left hand to make it work better. It´s easy to just play scales without thinking. But i want to leave it and try to incorporate that when my reading skills and understanding of music theory get´s better. And i am in no hurry.
I have seached through TB and other sites for good practices
But there are lot´s of highly skilled people here to give me a hint and a push.
So any suggestions on good left hand techniques.

B.t.w so far no problems with muscles or ligaments. Try to do a proper warm up and also a proper cool down.

Very important!

Regards!

Henrik

____________________________________________
Sorry am late! Missed the bass!

[tim99]

When you say you are working on your right hand (plucking hand), are you working on your right hand absolutely and completely alone without doing any fingering whatsoever with your left hand? If not, you gotta try that. It is fun.

Have you been to bassbooks.com ?

Look at these books:

Bass Fitness at bassbooks

Bass Fitness at sheetmusicplus.com

Note Reading Studies for Bass at sheetmusicplus.com

[tim99]

Years ago I carried an Architect's Scale with me everywhere I went. It looks like a ruler, is 12 inches long, but it is triangular instead of flat. Engineer's Scales are similar. You could use a piece of wood or plastic. Anyway. I would hold it in my right hand, while fingering with my left fretting hand. I would "fret" my fingers down in order, 1, 2, 3, 4, and then lift them up in order 1, 2, 3, 4. But this is the key, when you lift your pinky 4 finger up a small amount, you keep your 4 finger in the same location, the same distance from the "fretboard", as you then lift your 3 finger up, moving that finger indepently of your 4 finger. Continue lifting each finger while maintaining all fingers the exact same distance from the "fretboard" (scale, ruler, whatever). Most people who have not worked on this type of exercise will find the 4 finger getting farther and farther away from the fretboard with the rising of each next finger.

Many people make two mistakes with their left fretting hand. 1) they rotate their wrist, and 2) they let their fingers get way too far away from the fretboard. I was doing both of these. When a teacher pointed it out to me, I came up with the above exercise to end those habits. It worked for me.

I don't know if this is the type of advice you are looking for. Maybe it will help someone.

tim99.

[Splanky]

Thanx Tim99!

Good points and i really like the idea with the ruler/scale.
Will try that.

Ran across a good exercise yesterday.
It´s based on one finger per fret. Alternating the order 1-2-3-4 and all different ways to do that.

Ex. 1-3-2-4, 1-2-4-3, 2-1-3-4 ect.

Playing all 24 possible modes is a tough task but concentrating on playing 4 each day and cover all in 6 days. Well that could keep me busy for a month
I think this could be one good way to make the fingers work properly. And yes! I have a strong pinky but it´s defenetly living it´s own life from time to time.

Yes! Have strongly considered bassbook´s.

Any more suggestions?

[tim99]

Originally Posted by Splanky

Alternating the order 1-2-3-4 and all different ways to do that.

That is what the Bass Fitness book is all about. You can imagine all the different fingering combinations. Well, add to that keeping one of those fingerings on the fourth string as your go up and then keeping that fingering on the first string as you go down. Like 1 2 3 4 on the fourth string, then 1 on the forth string and 2 3 4 on the third string, then 1 on the forth string and 2 3 4 on the second string, etc. That's another month.

Some people even like to keep that finger on that anchor position and force the other fingers to stretch to the next strings and frets, like a spider.

tim99.