• 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.

finger streching techniques

#21
Matthew Bryson said:
Index finger stays on 5th fret the entire time:

---5---9---5---9-------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------5---9---5---9-----------------------------------------
------------------------------------------5---9---5---9----------------------
------------------------------------------------------------5---9---5---9---- ….and then go back up to the 1st string

When that starts to get easy, do it between the 3rd and 7th frets, and eventually the 1st thru 5th frets.
Click to expand...

pfft, those are cakewalks.. How about some 1 to 13th fret reaching. That's a challenge :p
 
#22
I recommend NOT stretching. In time you will develop the facility to play with more dexterity but stretching your hands (on purpose) is never a good thing IMO. This is especially true on double bass but just as applicable on electric. The most I will ever go for on electric is four frets in a row for a quick chromatic run but even then you should learn how to shift and not stretch. There is no reason to keep your first finger anchored down when your pinky is holding down the note being heard.
 
#24
The composer/pianist Robert Schumann is reported to have damaged his hands from excessive stretching:
Schumann set about with such haste to make up for the many years in which he had been deprived of musical training that he did himself permanent injury. He recklessly attempted to stretch the ligaments of his hands and thus find a short road to the acquirement of a good technique. The result was that he lamed his right hand so seriously that he never again was able to use it for piano playing.
Click to expand...
Extracted from:
http://www.oldandsold.com/articles04/music9.shtml
 
#25
metron said:
There is no reason to keep your first finger anchored down when your pinky is holding down the note being heard.
Click to expand...

Not sure if that was in regards to my post or not - but if so:

the reason to keep your first finger anchored is because what I posted was a stretching exercise - which is what the thread starter seemed to be asking about.

I learned the exercise from my bass teacher who is a very good player and a great teacher.

The same teacher who taught me about stretching taught me to be able to play five fret patterns - to play a minor scale using nealy the same pattern as the major (same finger for each scale degree as is used in the major) which makes it necesary to span 5 frets because you have to reach for the lowered 3rd and 6th (of course the 7th is also lowered in the minor, but you don't need to stretch for it)

I do realize that a minor scale can be played using a 4 fret pattern - but that pattern is very dis-similar to the primary major scale pattern. Both he (teacher) and I feel that there shouldn't be such a big diference between the primary major and minor patterns (you should know more than one for each scale) I am very comfortable and actually quite fond of the 5 fret minor scale pattern. To play a G minor starting at the 3rd fret of the 4th string, the 3rd scale degree will be 1st fret 3rd string and the 6th at 1st fret 2nd string - to play the scale nice and clean using this fingering, you've got to be able to stretch out and get those notes.

Many players with smaller hands won't be able to play the five fret minor patten cleanly in the lower frets until they've made some prgress on stretching out the fretting hand. The fret skipping / stretching exercise that I posted is intended to help with that, without causing injury. That is why it is to be done between the 5th and 9th frets, which isn't that much more of a stretch than from the 1st to the 4th.

Thats the why and how of stretching as I know it.

YMMV
 
#27
Matthew Bryson said:
Not sure if that was in regards to my post or not
Click to expand...

No not directly but I see that it applies. I just dont think stretching is good/necessary. Especially with players that have small hands because they need to stretch farther then those with larger hands and the possibility for damage is greater. I think that stretching your hands out purposely is bad.

Learning how to shift is the key to developing greater fluency in your playing IMO.
 
#28
It depends on what the meaning of stretching is. If by stretching you mean something deisgned to extend your reach beyond what is reasonable and normal then it would be a bad idea IMHO. OTOH if someone is simply seeking to keep their hand limber and take full advantage of what their particular hand has to offer than I can see little in the way of risk or harm. A player that has limber hands can gain a lot of reach without any damage to the sinews in their hand.

After 38 years of playing, the fingers on my left hand are noticeably longer than the fingers on my right hand when compared side-by-side. When my fingers are spread apart I find that I have about 1 inch greater ability to stretch my left hand (span from by 4th fingertip to my 1st fingertip) than my right. I have routinely reached as far as I can but I have never resorted to forcing my hand to stretch. This would be dangerous but I think spreading your fingers apart under their own power would be safe, at least it has worked for me.

In an interview regarding Tal Farlow (who had inredibly long fingers and an exceptional reach) I heard George Benson tell of guitarists in the past that would have surgery on the skin between their fingers in order to attain greater reach. He then pointed out that Tal Farlow didn't need any such help because of his large hands.

Shifting is obviously important too. For single note playing three really isn't much need for heroic stretches but for very tightly voiced guitar chords the picture changes.
 
#31
I'm self taught, so I went through periods in which my technique was particularly poor. When I first started playing bass, I had problems stretching because my left hand was so tense trying to hold each notes. As greater dexterity, coordination and finger strength came, I was able to stretch further simply through not putting so much force into holding each note. I have small hands and I found that by simply practising scales, progressively getting closer toward the headstock while maintaining a relaxed and comfortable hand position, finger flexibility stopped being an issue very quickly.
 
#33
after watching stu hamms first video he shows a classical piano stretching technique which also applies for bass...on your left hand fold your thumb down, dont move it, then point out your 1st and 3rd fingers, then switch those two with your 2nd and 4th...it'll be quite unco at first (unless you're good) and keep on trying that until you speed up...also when i practise sitting (which isnt very often) i sit in the classical guitar position and set the strap to that height and keep it at that height so when you stand up the bass should be in the same place as it was when you were sitting..i also play with a fairly low action and play soft/medium and focus more on finger dexterity/control...i play a medium scale bass 32" and at the moment i can stretch from 1st to 7th but theres really no need to stretch that far when you can just cross strings :p
 
#35
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
#38
Since I'm a little stuck in what I should be playing/learning at the moment, I've taken it upon myself to heavily concentrate on trying to develop my left hand.

The most helpful change I've made, was tinkering with my thumb position. After just a day or so, I was able to hit a straight 1,2,3,4 permutation (see following tab).

---1---2---3---4---
---1---2---3---4---
---1---2---3---4---
---1---2---3---4---

What I'm stuck on now though, is something like the 2 to 4 stretch on the same string, or the 1 to 4 stretch, when the pinky is going to a lower string (see cruddy tab examples).

---2---4---

or

1-------
-------4

I started working on these stretches, because I found the "mini shifts" I was doing, complicated things even farther, caused a lot of string chatter, and caused me to lose a lot of the continuity in the music.

I never really stopped to think about injury though. I've incurred pain since day one, and usually keep going until I have to stop from the pain. I take it this is probably a bad thing? Is there an acceptable level of pain then? I would think there would have to be, because when you first start any activity the muscles are going to be sore because they're unaccustomed to the work, no? :help:
 
#39
Mini shifts are pretty hard to avoid in the lower positions. I would submit that as long as you are using the correct finger for each fret the mini shifts are nothing to worry about.

If you are having to stop practicing from pain it sounds like you need to give that atention. Limbering-up your hand is one thing but stretching to the point of real pain sounds dangerous to me.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back