Am I the only one that obsesses over fingerboard position

[Slade N]

You can't play bass without thinking about positions, can you. Your position will even dictate what you are going to play. Take for instance Am7-Dm7 transition. If you are at 1-5 fret and start with your pinky, it's likely that you will skip the 1-3-5-5b model, because it's not that comfortable to play in that position. Now, if you were at 5-9 position, you will love using 1-3-5-5b, because it's very comfy, less strings, less stretching, could be played more precisely.

you make an assumption that what is comfortable for you is what is comfortable for everyone else. there are different ways to play a part and different reasons to play them those ways. i think obsess is an overstatement but if we are doing our job on bass we should be thinking about our choices and its impact on the what's happening in the music. since the same passage played in different ways will sound different and feel different we should be considering those type of things as they make the difference. for many that thought process may be more auto pilot from years of experience.

 

[micguy]

I often play the same parts in different positions, using the sonic differences at different points in a tune to help the tune "build" or to accentuate down choruses and the like.

 

[Wasnex]

Anybody else do this. Or am I overthinking this????

Depends on how I am approaching the music. If I am reading someone else's line (or a written solo) I might have to analyze the fingering and position necessary to cover the line efficiently. If I am improvising my own line off chord notation, I usually just play, unless the chords have too many altered extensions...then I might have to slow down and think a bit more.

The better you know your fretboard, the less necessary it is to think in positions. Perhaps the box +/- 1 approach could help you. I haven't gigged a string bass for over a decade and I never think in positions any more. Back when I last marked music, I think I used up or down arrows to show a shift and 1,2,3,4 to show which finger I landed on.

 

[ObsessiveArcher]

This is something I do pay attention to and helps me play more consistently and evenly. However, I'm already obsessed with Archery. No room for hand position...

 

[Whippet]

Thanks for your thoughts. Are you playing electric or upright or both?

If you are playing electric, figure out the playing positions that work for you best, mark up the sheet music and master that option. If you have other fingering (position) options for 5 or 6 string, do a markup on a separate sheet. Once you set the positions, the fingering is locked down.

I make all my markups in pencil to allow for future improved fingerings.

On electric, my working box is 4 with an occasional stretch of the pinky. Otherwise, i shift.

On. Upright my working box is 3 as per Simandl with some pivoting. Higher position go to thumb.

I play mainly the electric and I am starting Simandl on the EU6 sometime soon.

Thanks for the information, I will take your advice and put marks and take the pinky advice.

I have not started the Simandl and have absolutely no idea about going to the thumb on the higher position. I am looking for a teacher in Ukraine and hope to find one soon before I start picking up bad habits.

Anyway once again thanks for the advice.

 

[dexter3d]

I play mainly the electric and I am starting Simandl on the EU6 sometime soon.

Thanks for the information, I will take your advice and put marks and take the pinky advice.

I have not started the Simandl and have absolutely no idea about going to the thumb on the higher position. I am looking for a teacher in Ukraine and hope to find one soon before I start picking up bad habits.

Anyway once again thanks for the advice.

Taking a 5 or 6 string as a beginner is the biggest mistake you can make. Don't do it and you'll thank me later. Go standard Fender or clone 4 banger, less than 24 frets. As a beginner, you want to decrease complexity to the minimum, not to increase it to the maximum. When you add strings, you add problems. And no, it's not going to make you a better or a more versatile player. What you'll get is more confusion that might put you off playing bass altogether.

 

[SactoBass]

After 30+ years of playing, I do not obsess over hand position, or finger position.

At this point, my fingers just go where the notes in my head are.

Same here!

I just wish my brain worked more betterer!

 

[Wisebass]

I notate the positions to learn them along with the piece

Bingo!

Hence, why I broke out the pencil and marked up the positions.

sorry CET 2.00 I am and

watching!!!!! And reading!

¨Playing the bass is like sex. You don' t feel it? Change position!"

may the bass be wiyh you

Wise(b)ass

 

[IamGroot]

I play mainly the electric and I am starting Simandl on the EU6 sometime soon.

Thanks for the information, I will take your advice and put marks and take the pinky advice.

I have not started the Simandl and have absolutely no idea about going to the thumb on the higher position. I am looking for a teacher in Ukraine and hope to find one soon before I start picking up bad habits.

Anyway once again thanks for the advice.

I would definitely learn how to play bass with only 4 strings as recommended. It forces you to learn how to move up and down the neck, if nothing else. Whether you do it with a 4 string or you simply don't play the extra strings is your choice (detune them).

It is wise to have a teacher and a bow when learn upright.

Друг,
Я пришлю вам личное сообщение с упражнением для басов.

 

[MrLenny1]

The Nanny Method is one of the best books I went thru
to get proper fingering. Before that I was a sloppy rocker.

 

[Whippet]

I would definitely learn how to play bass with only 4 strings as recommended. It forces you to learn how to move up and down the neck, if nothing else. Whether you do it with a 4 string or you simply don't play the extra strings is your choice (detune them).

It is wise to have a teacher and a bow when learn upright.

Друг,
Я пришлю вам личное сообщение с упражнением для басов.

Thanks for the advice. I will tell you one thing though. The high C on a fretless 6 string bass or the NS EU6 is so addictive. I hardly use anything above the 12th fret on my F Bass AC6 due to my horrible intonation and horrible technique and finger positioning but that high C sounds so good.

Anyway I am surprised, not many Russian speakers here. I've been living in Ukraine for over 7 years and I never bothered to learn the language because there's no money in it for me. I make my money overseas and the time to learn the language eats into other stuff. My son at 2 years 11 months speaks better than me.

There are a lot of negative things living in Ukraine so we're moving next year to Spain or Portugal but one good thing is that private music teachers come really cheap. Cheap as in 7 to 10 bucks an hour for any type of instrument. I know by Ukrainian wage standard it's not cheap but by our (Japanese) standard, it's dirt cheap. I should have a teacher by the end of the month.

Once again thanks for the advice and I will keep a lookout for the exercise.

 

[Whippet]

Taking a 5 or 6 string as a beginner is the biggest mistake you can make. Don't do it and you'll thank me later. Go standard Fender or clone 4 banger, less than 24 frets. As a beginner, you want to decrease complexity to the minimum, not to increase it to the maximum. When you add strings, you add problems. And no, it's not going to make you a better or a more versatile player. What you'll get is more confusion that might put you off playing bass altogether.

Thanks for the advice. I somehow thought that 5 would be better than 4 and 6 better than 5.
The NS EU6 is so low in action, it's almost cheating. This takes out one big stumbling block out of the learning process.

More strings does add to confusion but the end result was actually good. I finally learned the fretboard! The approach notes were so difficult I had a hard time with the simplest notes, going from F7 to Bb7 to Gm7 to C7. I was thinking, how difficult could it be to go from an F to Bb to a Gm to a C. Boy was I wrong. After 2 days, I figured out that I just didn't know the fretboard. I couldn't visualize the notes above, below, 2 above, 3 below, etc etc .

It literally took me 4 months to memorize the fretboard to the point that I could actually use chromatic, dominant and scale approach at the most elementary level.

Now that I have the EU6 with me, I have to intonate the notes on top of learning new technique. Since this thing was so expensive and takes up so much space, I'll be sticking to this one for some time. LOL. Anyway thanks for the advice. I'll try to snag a cheap 4 string Stagg sometime soon to learn according to the textbooks since they are mostly written for 4 stringers.

 

[Whippet]

The Nanny Method is one of the best books I went thru
to get proper fingering. Before that I was a sloppy rocker.

I have been looking into that one. Seems excellent.

 

[IamGroot]

Thanks for the advice. I will tell you one thing though. The high C on a fretless 6 string bass or the NS EU6 is so addictive. I hardly use anything above the 12th fret on my F Bass AC6 due to my horrible intonation and horrible technique and finger positioning but that high C sounds so good.

Anyway I am surprised, not many Russian speakers here. I've been living in Ukraine for over 7 years and I never bothered to learn the language because there's no money in it for me. I make my money overseas and the time to learn the language eats into other stuff. My son at 2 years 11 months speaks better than me.

There are a lot of negative things living in Ukraine so we're moving next year to Spain or Portugal but one good thing is that private music teachers come really cheap. Cheap as in 7 to 10 bucks an hour for any type of instrument. I know by Ukrainian wage standard it's not cheap but by our (Japanese) standard, it's dirt cheap. I should have a teacher by the end of the month.

Once again thanks for the advice and I will keep a lookout for the exercise.

Sorry for delay in sending info. Check Email.

 

[Wasnex]

Thanks for the advice. I somehow thought that 5 would be better than 4 and 6 better than 5.
The NS EU6 is so low in action, it's almost cheating. This takes out one big stumbling block out of the learning process.

More strings does add to confusion but the end result was actually good. I finally learned the fretboard! The approach notes were so difficult I had a hard time with the simplest notes, going from F7 to Bb7 to Gm7 to C7. I was thinking, how difficult could it be to go from an F to Bb to a Gm to a C. Boy was I wrong. After 2 days, I figured out that I just didn't know the fretboard. I couldn't visualize the notes above, below, 2 above, 3 below, etc etc .

It literally took me 4 months to memorize the fretboard to the point that I could actually use chromatic, dominant and scale approach at the most elementary level.

Now that I have the EU6 with me, I have to intonate the notes on top of learning new technique. Since this thing was so expensive and takes up so much space, I'll be sticking to this one for some time. LOL. Anyway thanks for the advice. I'll try to snag a cheap 4 string Stagg sometime soon to learn according to the textbooks since they are mostly written for 4 stringers.

IMHO it sounds like you have learned enough to stick with the 6-string. I used to play one of the US made NSD 6-string electric uprights. I didn't particularly like playing swing standards on it because it sounded more like a fretless electric than a string bass, but it was incredible for more modern compositions and the low B string blew my mind.

 

[IamGroot]

Russian Ukraine thing is so sad. Most of my friends here are former Ukrainian but ethnic Russian. Sometimes, we get together and go to bar in a small texas town, sit outside, drink wine and sing in Russian. Locals love it. Ukrainian is not all that different from Russian.

 

[IamGroot]

Check out the REAL Bass.

 

[IamGroot]

The above is from "Bebop Bass" by Harold Miller. From the asking price of $172 on Amazon, I assume its out of print which is kind of steep for 40 pages. It was definitely worth the $5 retail I paid for it back in the 80s.Keep an eye for it in used book stores.

Mike Richmond's "Modern Walking Bass Technique" should be in every bass players library. Its selling for $36 and is still worth it. Get it while you can!!

https://www.amazon.com/Bebop-Bass-Harold-Miller/dp/0769209688/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Walking-Bass-Technique-Richmond/dp/9995982447

Mike Richmond advised me his book Modern Walking Bass Technique is only $30 directly from the publisher (Ped Xing Music, PO Box 628, Englewood NJ, 07631 if mailed in the US. ($45 international)

If you want to "get" walking bass lines, Mike Richmond's book is the real deal. Its not easy, and it will take time to work through the 20 examples, but it is well worth it.

 

[Whippet]

Russian Ukraine thing is so sad. Most of my friends here are former Ukrainian but ethnic Russian. Sometimes, we get together and go to bar in a small texas town, sit outside, drink wine and sing in Russian. Locals love it. Ukrainian is not all that different from Russian.

without making it political, it's sad. I've lived here long enough to know that every and I mean EVERY single family has a Russian or Ukrainian relative in Ukraine. I ask some of the die hard Ukrainian nationalist friends how do you tell the difference between a Ukrainian and a Russian and they can't answer. It's the same.

My wife is Ukrainian and she is so fed up with all these problems we're leaving for the sake of our son. Just the other week she got into a fight over my son's passport issued in Sao Paulo, Brazil by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The idiots at the regional office in Pechersk wants bribes so they tell her that the Ministers' stamp of approval isn't enough. Well, as usual she fought back like tactical surgeon with an angry pitbull by her side. She had to threaten them , if they were actually questioning the Minister of Foreign Affairs and all the signatures she collected at the Ukrainian embassy in Sao Paulo. The idiots backed down after she demanded them to call their superiors and the Minister directly. All they wanted was bribe. Literally took 4 hours of fighting just to just get a simple passport. Bribe, so that they could pay the bills due to the stupid currency losing 80% of it's value.

People are getting meaner and more spiteful. For some time people stopped spitting on the streets and breaking beer bottle but that's coming back. People are getting angrier by the day. If one is attentive enough, you can see the deterioration. It's got bad after Lehman shock and accelerated at an unbelievable rate after Maidan. Now everyone, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Arabs, etc etc all have to live in fear. It didn't have to be this way but the ones ruling the country made it like this.

Oh well..... at least my electric bass classes are still 7 dollars and I hope to find a contra bass teacher for something in that range. In fact I'll be taking electric guitar lessons since they are really cheap, due to the number of electric guitar players. LOL Might as well get it done while I am still in Ukraine.

 

[IamGroot]

Right. I'm sure that we're thinking about position, but after a few decades of playing it becomes a background task, and is virtually intuitive.

I play intuitively also. I figured out my approach to positions years back when sight reading big band charts.
The chart above wasn't intuitive for me, hence the mark-up. Try playing the chart at 150 BPM and let me know how it goes.

It isn't all that hard except in about three or 4 crucial spots. Before I figured out the fingering, my playing at 150 BPM was rough. After getting the fingering straight, 200 BPM isnt too hard.