Fast Plucking Assistance

[fdeck]

See it lays better fingering the A instead of playing open A. My son's cello teacher said that he should choose the fingering that makes bowing work better, and I think the same thing applies to plucking.

Also, what sometimes seems like a plucking problem is actually a problem with the left hand getting where needed quickly and solidly enough.

 

[-Stingray]

Or you can cheat and use a pick. (Ducking for cover now...)

Username checks out....

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

The problem I am having now (and I need to see my doctor) is arthritis is making my joints lumpy and they rub against each other which might slow them down and is certainly distracting.

Depending on the type of arthritis, there are some really effective meds available now. I had a finger joint that was swollen to nearly twice it's size. Now it's almost down to normal. But every day that goes by, damage is happening.
Good luck getting things under control.

 

[lermgalieu]

Practice. As a lefty playing right-handed, it took me years of practicing (including playing with my plucking fingers on my leg when doing something else) before I had any decent speed with my right hand.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well. I am currently learning my first song (Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down) and the chorus requires me to pluck quickly.

I've watched various videos on Youtube and tried many drills on fast plucking. However, I seem to have a problem where my finger gets "stuck" on a string. I'm able to get the index and middle pattern down but the consistency of how my finger touches the string is not very good (I hope this makes sense). Does anyone have any advice? This may sound funny, but I put a bit of lotion on my fingers to make it smoother and it helps for a minute before it dries haha.

I'm able to get 80% speed fairly well but beyond that I have the problem described above. I have attached the music sheet for the particular section I am attempting to get down.

Thank you very much!

This should not be to hard with a little practice. Think of it this way. One 8th note follow 2 16th note the a 8th note repeated over and over. To start, just play the first 4 notes slowly then stop. Work that up to tempo. Do just that much ten times in a row without your fingers sticking before moving on in a row.

Just a couple of pro tricks. One, make sure your strings are clean. Having a good polish cloth handy is a good idea. A couple of wipes up and down the stings can work wonders .

Secondly, lotion can help but it can also build up and may deaden the strings. I use a very natural substance, the oil on my nose which IMO is a better option for those of us with oily noses. It’s a much thinner weight lubricant and doesn’t seem to effect the life of my strings.

Best wishes, and keep working on that figure. You will get there.

 

[GretschWretch]

I did not really think of the lotion clogging up my strings oof. I would put on very little but yes, I should stop and just keep practicing.

Practice is definitely good advice haha. I have definitely seen improvement but as with all things you get to certain moments where you feel you are at an impasse. But you just need to work harder



I had to look up what that was (I learned something new!). It looks interesting. I wonder if it's better for me to just practice as is. I wonder how it'll feel removing the ramp after I get used to it.

You don't remove the ramp; it stays. The ramp gives your fingers that rapid post-pluck rebound you get from picking directly over the fretboard, only you can get the benefits with the more mid-centric areas of the string.

 

[Modulus 96]

Try a ramp. It can help with over follow through (for lack of a better term). It will stop your fingers from going too far past the string when you pluck.

Pickups do this already...

Play with a metronome. Increase tempo, practice, increase tempo, practice some more ...

 

[Kipp Harrington]

If you don't use Flatwoods, give them a shot. Otherwise, a pick/plectrum comes in handy. Good luck.

 

[Ric5]

Do you use a up/down motion during the chorus or straight down? I've been avoiding the pick as the online lessons I'm taking (BassBuzz course) recommends I learn finger style as a new player first. But yeah, a pick really suits this song.

up and down strokes both work ... all down also works ... Entwistle typewritter method works ... The Geddy Lee dig in and get gritty also works ...

it sounds good with a Rickenbacker and round wound strings and some treble bite and some distortion

 

[IamGroot]

The answer is a metronome and proper dedication and technique.

Not a drum machine, not an app, not a ramp. Those come later.

Look up how to practice effectively.
Look up how to practice with a metronome. Start way below the speed you can play. Practice daily for at least 15 minutes, but not enough to hurt.

Most importantly, practice perfectly.

Use a method book for pattern ideas. "What is Hip" is always good.

 

[BlueTalon]

Two things. First, if your fingers sometimes feel like they're getting stuck on a string, it might be because they're getting stuck on a string. There are products you can buy like Fret-Ease or Fast-Fret that will help clean & lubricate your strings. I do that whenever my strings start feeling a little grippy. Sweat and humidity can cause that.

Second, I have found I can simulate the speed of a pick by using my fingers in alternating downward and upward motions, rather than alternating 1st & 2nd fingers in a downward motion. You might find that technique handy. It feels a little funny, plucking up with the backside of your fingertips, but once you get used to it, you can gain a remarkable amount of speed in your playing.

 

[Swipter]

You can try a Rush song tidbit by doing 8th notes and double 16th notes.

Use two strings. For example, 3rd string 2nd fret, B, and 2nd string 4th fret, F#.

B F#F#

Circumstances uses this.


Look around the 40 second mark for what I'm trying to say.

 

[Ralph Manak]

Here's an additional exercise that builds on the already mentioned start-slow-and-increase-tempo exercises: Start ridiculously slow and find the best sound with the least effort/motion, really paying attention to how it feels (this can be just eighth notes on one string, adding crossing strings later). Gradually increase tempo, but stay at each increase for some time, again attending to the motion and how it feels. When you reach a tempo where it feels different—some shift in how your body is working—you've found the place where you can adjust accordingly, then keep going. Note: this concept borrowed from a drummer.

 

[BlueTalon]

You can try a Rush song tidbit by doing 8th notes and double 16th notes.

Use two strings. For example, 3rd string 2nd fret, B, and 2nd string 4th fret, F#.

B F#F#

Circumstances uses this.


Look around the 40 second mark for what I'm trying to say.

Kudos for your tone and technique!

 

[mambo4]

are you plugged in and amplified?
"acoustic" practice usually causes you to pluck much harder than real world gigging requires
and plucking harder is an enemy of speed
pluck lightly , turn up. Also develops dynamic control.

 

[Swipter]

Kudos for your tone and technique!

That's not me but I have learned so much from him in technique and ability improvement.

You're funny

 

[retslock]

Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well. I am currently learning my first song (Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down) and the chorus requires me to pluck quickly.

I've watched various videos on Youtube and tried many drills on fast plucking. However, I seem to have a problem where my finger gets "stuck" on a string. I'm able to get the index and middle pattern down but the consistency of how my finger touches the string is not very good (I hope this makes sense). Does anyone have any advice? This may sound funny, but I put a bit of lotion on my fingers to make it smoother and it helps for a minute before it dries haha.

I'm able to get 80% speed fairly well but beyond that I have the problem described above. I have attached the music sheet for the particular section I am attempting to get down.

Thank you very much!

I’ve had this sticking middle finger problem quite a lot. Is the length of your index finger much shorter than the middle finger? Some are similar in length. Mine are very different and it has been an issue. I get around it by tilting my plucking had at an angle so both fingers more or less attack the strings at the same angle. It changes the tone slightly unfortunately - a softer tone with a bit less attack but to play faster stuff that’s what I have to do.
Another thing that helps is notice which knuckle is bending most when you encounter the stickiness. If it’s the second knuckle then try consciously to get the movement from the third and last knuckle - the one where the finger joins the hand. I find that pivot point is stronger and more reliable than the second knuckle.
I also practice arpeggios with double or triple plucking of each step before moving to the next. The essential approach is to play difficult parts SLOWLY first until you can play it smoothly at the slower tempo. A metronome or drum machine is a good tool to help with staying at the necessary tempo until you are fluent. Speed up slightly when you have it at the slower tempo and eventually as you master each faster tempo you’ll achieve the desired result. There is no better way to learn difficult passages than to slow them way down until you can play them smoothly.

 

[retslock]

Speed comes from economy of motion and practice. Economy of motion comes from practice. You're starting out, the fact that you can't play blazingly fast is to be expected.

There are software programs (I use Anytune) that will allow you to take an mp3 or wav file and play it faster or slower (without altering pitch) and you can also transpose. Load the tune in that you want to play, and slow it down until you can play cleanly.

If you're in doubt about what speed to start at, lean towards slower. Play it a bunch of times at that speed, concentrating on making sure you can play cleanly. Then, and only when it gets easy, turn the speed up a bit - I think Anytune goes in 5% increments. Play that for a while, again concentrating on playing cleanly. When it gets tough, take a break. Come back and start over, at the slow speed. Eventually, you'll get there. Don't try to get really far in one session - patience and persistence are key (Haste makes waste).

I've been playing for over 40 years, and I still use it to build speed - I don't strive to be the guy who can play the fastest, but if I run up against a tune that's a bit tough, I will work on it until I can play it cleanly at speed, and then run it up in increments to 120% or so - the point of building speed to me is not about being blazingly fast, it's about having enough "headroom" in your technique that, when you go on stage, you're not running at the limit - everything is in control and well within your capabilities.

Another vote for Anytune. It’s brilliant practice tool. I use it every day and can’t speak highly enough of it.

 

[DianaBass]

Welcome! And the best advice I was given is this... "learn it slow to play it fast." Use the speed feature on Youtube to learn it inside and out at a slower speed. I've found that when I get excited about a fast song, if I don't learn all the mechanics at a slower tempo, then what I'm learning is not the song, but the speed. If that makes any sense. It's like learning a dance routine...

 

[Topkat13]

It’s like fishing bro…the more you keep your line in the water the more likely you are to catch fish. The more you keep your hands on your axe the better you’ll get. No matter how many suggestions you get you still gotta play. This stuff takes time… ain’t no shortcuts.