Bad Habits

[RedHatter]

Hey guys, I'm new here so I apologize if this isn't in the correct place.

That said, here's where I am now...

I decided that I wanted to play bass because, well, seems like everyone plays guitar. I went out and bought a 4-string bass and amp and immediately realized that I didn't know what to do next. After spending days of searching the internet looking for what to do next and becoming extremely frustrated I figured that the best way to begin this journey would be to hire an instructor.

After speaking over the phone to a couple of instructors in my area I found one that seemed to click with what I was interested in playing (Classic Rock and Blues) so I hired him. That was around six months ago. During our first session I remember telling him that I wasn't interested in learning scales and whatnot but that I just wanted to learn songs.

I realize now, after six months later of playing, how ignorant that was - in my defense, I really didn't understand how important scales and theory are to bass (and any other instrument). So... for the last six months I've just been learning songs and pieces of songs at a snails pace. I've come to realize that I don't want to be one of those guys you see at a Guitar Center who don't really know how to play their instrument but that only know a dozen or so songs or pieces of songs very well (think the whole 'No Stairway to Heaven' from Wayne's World).

My instructor has just let me get away with using only one finger for my plucking hand and only the index and middle finger for my fretting hand. I didn't fully comprehend until recently how important it was to use at least two fingers for plucking and all four fingers for fretting notes. Now, unfortunately, I have the bad habit of constantly falling back into using the first two fingers of my fretting hand.

My question I suppose is - how do I begin to retrain myself to use all four fingers of the fretting hand and two fingers of my plucking hand? I know that it's all about practice, but I am looking for (hoping for) something a bit more specific. Scales? Practicing using 4/2 fingers with the songs/pieces that I know?

Any help is greatly appreciate as I am really struggling with this.

 

[ONYX]

You'll want to get what's sometimes refereed to as "muscle memory"---repetitive motions or movements that you don't need to think about.

Here's a simple exercise to start you on your way:

G: 1-2-3-4
D: 1-2-3-4
A: 1-2-3-4
E: 1-2-3-4

Start at the first fret--using one finger per fret--start on the E string first fret, and walk that up to the G string fourth fret. Now do it in reverse. On your plucking hand, use strict alternation of index and middle finger ( I-M-I-M-I-M, etc.) Do this exercise slowly at first.


Practice this until you can do it in your sleep. (Of course, if you start to experience any pain or discomfort, stop and rest.)

 

[Lobster11]

Start at the first fret--using one finger per fret--start on the E string first fret, and walk that up to the G string fourth fret. Now do it in reverse. On your plucking hand, use strict alternation of index and middle finger ( I-M-I-M-I-M, etc.) Do this exercise slowly at first.

Agreed that simple 1-2-3-4 exercises like this are a good way to start getting your left hand accustomed to the one-finger-per-fret technique, but I strongly recommend against starting out doing this at the first fret. Start at, say, the 7th or 9th fret instead, where (1) the frets are closer together and don't require such stretching, and (2) it is easier to maintain a straight rather than bent or twisted left wrist.

 

[RedHatter]

I actually tried doing this a couple of weeks ago and after practicing for only ten minutes or so my wrist began to ache the next day. Literally it ached for days afterwards. I haven't played much since then because I've read that the ache is a sign that I was doing something incorrectly.

 

[ONYX]

Agreed that simple 1-2-3-4 exercises like this are a good way to start getting your left hand accustomed to the one-finger-per-fret technique, but I strongly recommend against starting out doing this at the first fret. Start at, say, the 7th or 9th fret instead, where (1) the frets are closer together and don't require such stretching, and (2) it is easier to maintain a straight rather than bent or twisted left wrist.

That's a good point.

As a bass player for almost 35 years, sometimes it's all to easy to forget how strenuous these exercises can be in the early stages.

 

[aMoose]

I'm a beginner as well, so I might not know the best way to learn but this is what I do. I do the chromatic scale practice as stated above and the major scale, but I've also been trying to train my ear and hands to "know" where to find particular notes.

 

[1954bassman]

I actually tried doing this a couple of weeks ago and after practicing for only ten minutes or so my wrist began to ache the next day. Literally it ached for days afterwards. I haven't played much since then because I've read that the ache is a sign that I was doing something incorrectly.

You probably need to adjust your playing posture and also make sure you have your bass in a proper playing position. Try to make sure both your wrists are not sharply bent while you are playing.

 

[ONYX]

I actually tried doing this a couple of weeks ago and after practicing for only ten minutes or so my wrist began to ache the next day. Literally it ached for days afterwards. I haven't played much since then because I've read that the ache is a sign that I was doing something incorrectly.

Are you stretching and doing warm ups before you start playing? That might be a good idea. My personal bad habit was that for years, I would never warm up before a gig. I'd come flying out of the gate at 100 m.p.h without doing any type of preparation. The result? Nerve damage in both of my wrists---which has since been treated, but I still don't have feeling in my finger tips.

Avoid that problem right now. Always do some stretching and warm ups before before playing.

 

[RedHatter]

I'll try the warm-ups. Silly as it sounds, I never thought of that. Thanks.

 

[Lobster11]

You probably need to adjust your playing posture and also make sure you have your bass in a proper playing position. Try to make sure both your wrists are not sharply bent while you are playing.

IMO this is the single most important thing to get right. If you're getting pain in either wrist, this is probably why. The first step is to find the right combination of strap length, neck angle, and arm positions to ensure that both wrists remain as straight as possible. Playing with a bent wrist not only reduces your finger dexterity, but is likely to lead to injury.

 

[Technicality]

There's nothing wrong with taking it slow to start with and not using all your fingers. There are lots of bass players with big hands that hardly ever use their pinky, and lots of bass players who only pluck with one finger. You can have good technique whilst doing this, so I would argue you can learn some good technique doing it too. You can also learn bad technique doing it, but you can learn bad technique using all your fingers too.

I didn't use my pinky when I started out. My technique wasn't at the point where I could do so without discomfort. I didn't need it to play really basic stuff, so not using it allowed me to have fun jamming with people right away and work on everything else. As I got better it eventually just integrated in.

I think the catalyst for me was trying to learn things that I couldn't play without it, so I'd recommend doing that. One of the songs that pushed me that fits your classic rock interest is "Free Bird":



Lots of octaves, double stops and fiddly bits, which you'll need those fingers for.

 

[Mushroo]

Don't be too hard on yourself. Learning songs is THE most important musical skill. There are too many bassists who have memorized a thousand scales, but can't play a simple rock song with good feeling and emotion.

Yes, you have some bad habits, but you have the opposite bad habits from many other beginners. By all means continue to improve your technique and knowledge of theory, but please don't ever lose sight of the fact that playing your favorite songs is what music is all about.

 

[RedHatter]

IMO this is the single most important thing to get right. If you're getting pain in either wrist, this is probably why. The first step is to find the right combination of strap length, neck angle, and arm positions to ensure that both wrists remain as straight as possible. Playing with a bent wrist not only reduces your finger dexterity, but is likely to lead to injury.

About 90% of the time I play I am sitting down without using my strap. Again, this is something that my instructor has told me to do as he's said something along the lines of the strap 'getting in the way' at the beginning. While my instructor is a good guy on a personal level I am seriously wondering if I shouldn't find someone else.

 

[Mushroo]

I was taught to always wear a strap so that the bass is the same height and position, whether I am standing or sitting.

 

[RedHatter]

There's nothing wrong with taking it slow to start with and not using all your fingers. There are lots of bass players with big hands that hardly ever use their pinky, and lots of bass players who only pluck with one finger. You can have good technique whilst doing this, so I would argue you can learn some good technique doing it too. You can also learn bad technique doing it, but you can learn bad technique using all your fingers too.

I didn't use my pinky when I started out. My technique wasn't at the point where I could do so without discomfort. I didn't need it to play really basic stuff, so not using it allowed me to have fun jamming with people right away and work on everything else. As I got better it eventually just integrated in.

I think the catalyst for me was trying to learn things that I couldn't play without it, so I'd recommend doing that. One of the songs that pushed me that fits your classic rock interest is "Free Bird":

Lots of octaves, double stops and fiddly bits, which you'll need those fingers for.

I hear what you're saying, but the fact of the matter is that I am not a teenager, nor am I even in my twenties anymore. While I realize that becoming proficient in any instrument is a life long journey, and I do have the patience to learn, my practice time is extremely limited due to real life responsibilities. I would much rather focus on correct/proper technique right out of the gate as opposed to months down the road having to re-learn things - this is the situation that I am finding myself in now.

 

[RedHatter]

I was taught to always wear a strap so that the bass is the same height and position, whether I am standing or sitting.

That makes a lot of sense, actually.

 

[fearceol]

G: 1-2-3-4
D: 1-2-3-4
A: 1-2-3-4
E: 1-2-3-4

Start at the first fret--using one finger per fret--start on the E string first fret, and walk that up to the G string fourth fret.

I know you are trying to be helpful here, but OP... playing OFPF at this early stage in your playing (some people never feel comfortable with it on frets 1-5) can lead to injury problems. Try the above exercise on the fifth (or above) frets. Then as you feel more comfortable, move lower, provided you experience no pain or discomfort.

 

[RedHatter]

I know you are trying to be helpful here, but OP... playing OFPF at this early stage in your playing (some people never feel comfortable with it on frets 1-5) can lead to injury problems. Try the above exercise on the fifth (or above) frets. Then as you feel more comfortable, move lower, provided you experience no pain or discomfort.

I can see what you mean. Wish I wasn't at work right now as I write this so that I could try this out.

What brought this all on, the realization, rather, was the other night over at a friend's house and he was playing guitar on Rocksmith. He knows that I've been playing bass for a few months so he asked if I wanted to play together - him on lead and me on bass. I figured it would be cool so I borrowed his brother's bass and we started in. It literally went something like this:

Played Young Lust - I got destroyed
Player Brick in the Wall (1 - 3) - I got destroyed
Played Pour Some Sugar on Me (arguably the easiest song in the game for bass) - I got destroyed

Talk about walking away in frustration. I was so flustered that after those three songs I just went home.

 

[CatSquare]

I was taught to always wear a strap so that the bass is the same height and position, whether I am standing or sitting.

Yes, do this. Assuming you plan to play standing up, it's a good idea to practice that way; practice how you'll play.

 

[RedHatter]

Yes, do this. Assuming you plan to play standing up, it's a good idea to practice that way; practice how you'll play.

I intend to. I have a Levy's strap that has -literally- just been collecting dust.