Wow, thanks for all the replies!
As for the basic plucking technique, when I first started earlier this year I thought I needed a thumb rest, so I drilled some holes in my first cheap bass and installed one, only to quickly experience the unwanted vibrations of unmuted strings. Then I discovered the Nitti video (having your thumb move from string to string), so that's what I've been doing and it comes pretty natural now so I'll stick with that.
Focusing on a lighter touch is helping, and I'm definitely forcing myself to practice more instead of getting frustrated and moving on to something else. In fact, I can feel the tiredness in those muscles as I type this! I am also going to start working directly with a metronome using the methods suggested above. And I'm going to forget about the "more than two fingers plucking" approach for now.
Also, another question: For some fast stuff moving across strings (e.g., the basic riff for "Good times bad times" on the first LZ album, I find it very easy using my guitar background and finger picking with the thumb and first two fingers, but it does not sound anything like the record, which sounds like a regular pluck to me). Is this guitar technique ever of much use for bass? It does not seem like it has enough attack for the thick bass strings.
As for the basic plucking technique, when I first started earlier this year I thought I needed a thumb rest, so I drilled some holes in my first cheap bass and installed one, only to quickly experience the unwanted vibrations of unmuted strings. Then I discovered the Nitti video (having your thumb move from string to string), so that's what I've been doing and it comes pretty natural now so I'll stick with that.
Focusing on a lighter touch is helping, and I'm definitely forcing myself to practice more instead of getting frustrated and moving on to something else. In fact, I can feel the tiredness in those muscles as I type this! I am also going to start working directly with a metronome using the methods suggested above. And I'm going to forget about the "more than two fingers plucking" approach for now.
Also, another question: For some fast stuff moving across strings (e.g., the basic riff for "Good times bad times" on the first LZ album, I find it very easy using my guitar background and finger picking with the thumb and first two fingers, but it does not sound anything like the record, which sounds like a regular pluck to me). Is this guitar technique ever of much use for bass? It does not seem like it has enough attack for the thick bass strings.
