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A little problem I have come across.

A

Ant_C

Jul 25, 2012
38
1
Tamarac, FL
#1
Lately I have been practicing for about 5-6 hours a day for 5 days a week (on Tuesday and Wednesday I can only practice for 3 hours).


My warmup for fingerstyle (using 2 fingers) has been to set a metronome at 60 and run through 4 bars of straight 16th notes on each string, then do various string crossings (go from low e to d, low a to g, d to high c, then high c to low b). I would do this until I could keep this 16th note pulse going for 16 bars without messing up, then I would set the metronome 4 clicks higher. I keep repeating this process till I get up to around 120 beats per minute. That's when my right hand starts to fail me, unless I switch to using a 3 finger technique or switch to playing triplets using 2 fingers and keep the same process going up until around 168 bpm, and then my right hand fails me and I move on. This whole process usually lasts an hour.


Is this a natural thing, being difficult to play rapid 16th notes at these faster tempos like it is for woodwinds (if you are single tonguing them), or is it a technique problem. I have been playing electric/acoustic bass for quite awhile and have got my technique to the point that past instructors have commended me on it (my slap is a little iffy, but I only use it if it fits the song I'm playing). Any input would be much appreciated.


Also, if it makes any difference the bass I use is my 6 string bass I have had for years (a cheap Ibanez one, but it get the job done).
 
#2
16ths at 120 is pretty darn good... I'd be surprised if you ever have to go any faster actually. Off the top of my head I can only think of RHCP's Parallel Universe and it sounds like flea uses a pick on that anyway!

I would say it all depends on your goals... What kind of music do you want to play, will you need to go crazy fast for long periods of time? Short bursts of 16ths are usually not much of a problem for you by now (and I mean in the high bpm range)
 
#3
Ant_C said:
My warmup for fingerstyle (using 2 fingers) has been to set a metronome at 60 and run through 4 bars of straight 16th notes on each string, then do various string crossings (go from low e to d, low a to g, d to high c, then high c to low b). I would do this until I could keep this 16th note pulse going for 16 bars without messing up, then I would set the metronome 4 clicks higher. I keep repeating this process till I get up to around 120 beats per minute. That's when my right hand starts to fail me, unless I switch to using a 3 finger technique or switch to playing triplets using 2 fingers and keep the same process going up until around 168 bpm, and then my right hand fails me and I move on. This whole process usually lasts an hour.
Click to expand...

This does not seem like a warm up to me. It appears that you are diving into fast complex playing right from the get go. What a warm up means to me are first, gentle stretches, before I even touch the bass. I do this for about three minutes. Then I pick up the bass and SLOWLY do some chromatic scales for about two minutes. Another quick stretch and I'm ready to play.

Even at this stage, I would not delve into very fast playing, but increase the tempo gradually.

Also, as you are doing such long practice stints, make sure you are eating well and are well hydrated.
 
#4
Ask yourself, are you practicing for so long to practice "for a long time"? Are you playing fast to say that you can "play fast"? Nothing wrong with that mind you. Just remember, and I'm sure that you do, the MUSIC is the best part.
 
#5
Ya, I heard no discussion of music. Learning how to play exercises fast just makes you be able to play exercises fast. What counts is music. Go study some challenging music for a change.
 
#6
Do you have a teacher who is helping you organize your practice time effectively?

If the answer is "yes" then I don't want to contradict this excercise your teacher has assigned to you.

If the answer is "no" then my advice is to focus your musical goals and ask some pros what is the best way to reach those goals. For example, my goal has always been to have a good time playing in bands with other musicians. Towards this goal I devote 95% of my practice time to learning actual bass lines to popular songs and familiarizing myself with the common chord progressions (I-IV-V, ii-V-I, I-V-vi-IV, blues form, etc.) until they are second nature. Your goals may be different than mine, but whatever your goals are, it is important to have them and to use your practice time constructively towards those goals.
 
#7
what you are doing is called velocity exercises. I had a girlfriend who was a piano prodigy, and she would whip through Czerny 299 while talking to me. Blew me away, but inspired me, too.

Bassists can gain a lot if a proper series of velocity exercises are used as warmups, provided they are coupled with STRICT attention to a metronome - every note has to line up, and every note has to be clean. I just play scales and arpeggios until my hands are loose, and the notes come out smooth, over the entire neck. I start a little under the tempo of the previous day, then bump the speed up a little, until I am faster that the day before, I guess it takes me about 30 minutes to warm up. I also take some time to isolate passages I am having trouble with, and work on them in different positions and keys. Then I put it away and work on music.

As a tip, once you are done with the velocity work, drop the metronome way down, to like half of your max speed, and play a little, as a cooling off.

Don't get, as I once did, caught in the speed for speed's sake trap. Not only will it hurt your feel for the groove, (I think it hurts the ability to swing and play relaxed) it can hurt your hands - this is a good way to develop tendonitis, if you push it too fast and too soon.

my two cents is keep the velocity exercises going, vary them, don't push the tempos too much and don't spend over 30 minutes a day on velocity work.

edit:

"Is this a natural thing, being difficult to play rapid 16th notes at these faster tempos like it is for woodwinds (if you are single tonguing them), or is it a technique problem."

It takes a while to get three fingers to work for 16th note passages, especially when crossing strings. Just like double, triple, or flutter tonguing, it takes practice. Generally the third finger does not have the same pull as the second, so it takes work to get that to happening. I found that a lighter touch works better for three fingers. I got started on three fingers when I got a painful blister on my first finger and had to do a gig, so I played it with fingers 2 and 3, and went from there. Finding the right wrist angle, in relation to the strings, helps, and this is different for everyone.
 
#9
Is it actually sounding any good with 3 fingers at 168 bpm?

I've never heard anyone play at that speed with fingers and make a sound that's rhythmic and powerful. AFAICS the physics of fingers + bass guitar don't allow it.
Please feel free to post clips suggesting otherwise!
 
#10
Well thank you all for the replies. I have been doing these little exercises just so I can get my right hand in shape, nothing more than that. My goal was to be able to always be able to keep a controlled and perfectly in time 16th note pulse at these tempos so that if need be I would be able to throw out some extremely quick licks in my soloing (I am a jazz guy if that makes any difference).

I have seen the videos about mastering the rhythm yardstick by Anthony Wellington, and that is something I can do at the 16th note subdivison with ease (maybe its time for the 32nd note subdivision?).

I guess i'll start working through my scales in these exercises to warmup both hands (starting at 60 bpm), and then go through these velocity exercises as azureblue has mentioned.

@topo morto; I go to playing triplets at 168 (and it sounds okay in the upper octave, but it could be better in time, the lower octave seems impossible for it to be that clean)
 

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