Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Disadvantages to playing with 3 fingers
- Thread starter Joshuadriller
- Start date
Groove Master
Commercial User
- Apr 22, 2011
- 1,808
- 1,291
- Disclosures
- Author of Groove 101, Slap 101 and Technique 101
Actium said:
That's what I thought too.. I've got nothing against playing with a pick. it's not for me, but I know some guys who can make playing with a pick sound really cool.
One disadvantage to playing with 3 fingers: Your fingers will want to play triplets instead of quarter, eighth, or sixteenths.
And I have to agree with the different sound thing, that's why for some parts I play with one finger. A bass line sounds totally different to my ears depending on which finger I start on.
And I have to agree with the different sound thing, that's why for some parts I play with one finger. A bass line sounds totally different to my ears depending on which finger I start on.
3 finger hasn't really made me play a whole lot faster...because my left hand is still trying to catch up!
:scowl:
I always play 3 fingers and it didn't make me faster either. However I only found advantages.
If you have an injured finger you can leave it at rest.
Less tiring on the fingers.
Easily adaptable. You can play 1-2-3-2 or 1-2-3 depending on the rhythm you play.
To play 3 fingers you need to spread them a bit, which raises the forearm and gives me a naturally comfy position, without stress on my wrist.
It develops independance of fingers, so that switching to picking when needed is easy.
When you want strict unity in your tone, nothing prevents playing with one finger only.
If you have an injured finger you can leave it at rest.
Less tiring on the fingers.
Easily adaptable. You can play 1-2-3-2 or 1-2-3 depending on the rhythm you play.
To play 3 fingers you need to spread them a bit, which raises the forearm and gives me a naturally comfy position, without stress on my wrist.
It develops independance of fingers, so that switching to picking when needed is easy.
When you want strict unity in your tone, nothing prevents playing with one finger only.
String crossing can be trickier, constant 16th's can sound more like triplets because of the articulation, my last pad is slightly softer than the idex and mid too. Triplets without too much string crossing involved is a lot faster with 3 ime. I tend to stick to the index and mid and bring in the ring when I need it for certain stuff, but depending on what I'm playing I'll use whatever sounds best.
Fair point and I agree on the difference on tone, but that my opinion is a desirable point to have in a bass sound, or it can just sound like a computer or sequenced tone, so for me never ever found any draw backs because I have the choice to use that characteristic to 'colour' my playing. The point to me is the the 1 or the strong beat really sounds the same so as to identify the beat, the rest is nuance and character of a players style.
I found that lack of consistency of tone and articulation was the main factor which caused me to drop 3 finger technique. I felt like I was never really in control of the sound as much as I would have liked. Now, I end up playing with one finger most of the time for that reason - I get a much more even sound.
Hey Adam, have you noticed any real loss of function when playing?
Some of your music is quite intricate so does it hold up with just using the one finger?
Wel, stuff that's complicated I play with two fingers when I need to, of course, and I guess for a lot of my own personal music that's most of the time. However, in "real" situations where I've been hired to hold it down for others, one finger all the way.
Here's my latest video on it.
Bass Lesson - Playing With One Finger - YouTube
I'm a 3 finger guy, but in certain recording situations I'll back down to one if nothing particularly difficult is required - it does give you a very consistent sound and level.
Jamerson didn't do too bad with one.
Jamerson didn't do too bad with one.
I have a related question: who here plays, two-finger style, with the index and ring finger instead of the index and middle fingers? Is there any difference in tone, more even or less even? How about playability with those fingers? After all, they are closer to each other in length.
Cheers.
Cheers.
