Finger question from a newbie

[maltje]

Hi,

I have small hands and fingers so I was wondering:
Do you always use your first finger on first fret,second finger on second fret and so on?
When I take the 4th fret with my pinkie I don't have enough power to make a nice sound.
Are there maybe some tricks?
I also have problems to play groundnote,fifth and octave.

Kind regards

 

[MrLenny1]

Learn the spyder training exercise.
Go slow at first.
The pinkie is the weakest and hardest finger to develop
even for guitar players.

 

[neckdive]

Check out Hal Leonard's 3 book series for beginning bass players if you haven't already. He addresses this by covering 3 frets with 4 fingers (1 2 4 method). Otherwise, google 1 2 4 bass fret for more info and videos.

Good luck in your studies.

 

[Shinbone]

A lot of times I double-up by fretting with my pinky and ring finger at the same time. Just to give some support for the pinky.

 

[Elkaykue]

Yes you do, BUT, it may help and it is perfectly fine technique just to slide up a bit and fret down using more than just your pinky for support as what Shinbone said. I assume you're quite young and I started very young too and had the exact same problem, keep at it and within 6 months it'll be second nature. Once this happens its virtually the same muscles for 1-5-8 so it will all fall into place.

 

[Mushroo]

Hi,

I have small hands and fingers so I was wondering:
Do you always use your first finger on first fret,second finger on second fret and so on?
When I take the 4th fret with my pinkie I don't have enough power to make a nice sound.
Are there maybe some tricks?
I also have problems to play groundnote,fifth and octave.

Kind regards

Shift, don't reach!

I have small hands too. I use the 1-2-4 fingering method. So, in your example:

1st finger=1st fret
2nd finger=2nd fret
4th finger=3rd fret

Then if I need to play the 4th fret, my entire hand shifts 1 fret:

1st finger=2nd fret
2nd finger=3rd fret
4th finger=4th fret

Here is a video of a player with excellent 1-2-4 fingering technique. Notice how he is keeping his fingers close together (strong) and constantly shifting his entire hand 1 or 2 frets, rather than keeping his hand in one place and spreading his fingers far apart (weak).



Remember that amplified electric bass is one of the physically easiest to play of instruments. It should not require a great amount of strength or tension in your hands. Make sure you bass is properly set up, get a teacher to show you good technique, and turn your amp up loud so your hands don't have to work so hard. All your physical movements should be efficient, controlled, and relaxed.

 

[socialleper]

I'm in the same boat. I didn't receive formal training for years and was a three finger bassist for a while, never using my left pinkie for fretting, which really slowed down my playing. I took some lessons and my teacher was very much a one finger per fret kind of guy, showing me why when we covered theory and he demonstrated the logic around intervals. When you figure that out, the four finger theory makes a lot more sense.
As I've aged I've become a little lazy about always using my ring finger on whole step intervals when I'm playing lower on the neck, subbing my pinkie instead. I don't have the long ET fingers a lot of bass players have, so a first fret to third fret interval on the E or B can get a little ugly sometimes and I cheat on the one finger per fret rule.

 

[Mushroo]

cheat on the one finger per fret rule.

One-finger-per-fret is not a "rule" and you're not "cheating" if you use a different fingering system.

The majority of pros I have observed who have had successful 20-30-40+ year careers do not use one-finger-per-fret as their primary fingering system.

Here is a video of Jaco Pastiorius (enormous double-jointed fingers and chops out the wazoo) using 1-2-4 fingering in 1st position:

 

[socialleper]

One-finger-per-fret is not a "rule" and you're not "cheating" if you use a different fingering system.

The majority of pros I have observed who have had successful 20-30-40+ year careers do not use one-finger-per-fret as their primary fingering system.

Here is a video of Jaco Pastiorius (enormous double-jointed fingers and chops out the wazoo) using 1-2-4 fingering in 1st position:

Its a little hard to see on that clip because the old VHS transfer is so bad. I wish someone would go back, touch those up.

What I was never able to master was keeping all four fingers flat on the fret board the way Jaco does here. When his fingers are fanned out he keeps them evenly bent. When I use my ring finger or pinkie on a wide interval my middle finger hooks in like a velociraptor claw. I know looks shouldn't matter, but I think it makes me look like a noob, which is another reason why I started to cheat on my 1 3 intervals.

 

[maltje]

Thanks a lot ,for all the answers.
I have a bass guitar,so its not so that I going to buy another one.
I didn't know that there was a lot of difference.I just going to practice a lot.
I'm a viola and violin player,so I understand a lot of the technical stuff of music.

kind regards

 

[B Major]

I was the exact same way. I just worked my pinky so hard at first that now I hate using my 3rd finger. I'm most comfortable with the 1st finger n pinky. Only been playing for a couple years. It takes practice but, over time, the muscle memory builds up n you'll be flying with all fingers... Just gotta put the work in... Good luck!!

 

[Lobster11]

One very common approach is to use 1-2-4 fingering down near the nut, where the frets are farther apart, and one-finger-per-fret higher on the neck -- say above the 5th or 7th fret.

 

[maltje]

That's something that I will try out.
Thnx very much,but first I try some "simple" things.

Kind regards.

I'm not technically advanced like some other TB members; therefore, I don't follow those strict rules.
I've wrote a very simple exercise for myself with a strange idea to use only 1st and 4th fretting fingers, plus open strings.
What's more, my right hand plucks only the open string, and my fretting hand's 1st and 4th fingers "fret"/push the strings without any right hand/plucking hand participation.
Ex.:
Open D - plucking with the Right hand finger.
G (5th fret) on the D string - fretting with (the left hand/fretting hand) 1sth finger.
A (7th fret) on the D string - fretting with (the left hand/fretting hand) 4th finger, etc...

P.S. I've noticed that plucking the first note, and fretting the second and the third notes without right hand's participation, helps me with my timing issues.

View attachment 502547

 

[maltje]

Link Removed ILink Removed

 

[maltje]

the left is ok?
But its hurting for me.
Right is with happens after a few minutes.

 

[Schlyder]

yes, you will have problems with your left hand position like that.

 

[bolophonic]

I use whatever finger is most comfortable. I've been working my pinkie into the mix for 27 years and I still sometimes use my ring finger in conjunction to make sure my notes stick. It all depends on what you are playing.

 

[bolophonic]

One very common approach is to use 1-2-4 fingering down near the nut, where the frets are farther apart, and one-finger-per-fret higher on the neck -- say above the 5th or 7th fret.

But there is no money up there!!

 

[Mushroo]

Looking at the photos, one suggestion is to try dropping/relaxing your elbow away from your body and toward the floor, so you aren't hanging on so tight to the neck. Your elbow is not visible in the photo, but it looks from your hand position like you might be tensing your elbow and/or holding it too close to your body.

I think this will help get your hand at a better angle, so all the fingers can relax and have an equal job. Ideally your hand should be roughly parallel to the fretboard and your elbow relaxed. Did you watch the Paul Jackson video I posted above?

After you've been playing for a few minutes (the photo on the right) I can see that your hand relaxes into a more comfortable position. In the photo on the left, your palm is wrinkled and compressed, and turning white (like you are squeezing a tennis ball), and your fingernails are white indicating not enough blood is getting to your fingertips. But in the photo on the right, I can see that your palm is relaxed and open, and blood is circulating freely (the natural pinkish color of your skin is restored). The hand position on the right is not perfect, but it is much better, in my opinion. Just drop/relax your elbow as I suggest above, and it will rotate your hand a bit so your fingers are lined up at about a 90 degree angle with the fretboard (rather than your photos, which show more of a 30 to 45 degree angle). It is much more ergonomic if the fretting strength comes from gravity pulling your arm to the floor (rather than squeezing tension of your hand/fingers).

A local teacher can work with you in person. It is hard to teach good technique in writing over the internet.

 

[flameworker]

Get that thumb back around to the center of the neck or below, keep it parallel with the second finger. space one per fret starting at the fifth fret and go up each string 1 2 3 4 , 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, then go up a fret and repeat. go all the way up til you run out of frets then play 1 4 2 3 , 1 4 2 3, 1 4 23, 1 4 2 3, and so on, build up strength over time, then drop to 4th fret and do it,. any combination helps. 2341, like that. Whenever i spend a few weeks without playing I do those exercises to wake up my hands. It hurts, that's how you know it's working.