For you finger pickers...

[kawika5150]

Do you normally use two or three fingers? In my earlier days, I used three fingers but noticed I was unable to keep any sort of consistent temp, even with the use of a metronome. I changed to two fingers and have seen a HUGE improvement.

A good practice song for me is Run to the Hills (Iron Maiden) to keep my "galloping" skills above par.

What do you use?

 

[prd004]

Oddly enough I learned two fingered alternate picking. Way back in the day I would use three fingers for the Steve Harris gallop, but about ten years ago I had surgury on my right index finger and it's never been the same. I can still do good alternate picking but I find myself playing with one finger ever since the surgury.

 

[oniman7]

I alternate. When playing fast rolls, triplets, or things like that, I use three. For slower parts I use two. When I'm playing 16th notes for long periods, I use three fingers to keep my hand from getting tired, but it's important to work on a constant beat so it comes out as 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 vs. trip-uh-let-trip-uh-let etc. I had a lot of trouble with this when beginning, but it's all about practice.

 

[vivifiction]

I switch back and forth, too. Normally I'll just use two, but sometimes i'll switch to 3. I'll also use 3 for fast triplets, etc. For using 3 in duple meter, i'll play the first six beats between my three fingers then for beats 7 and 8 use only my first two fingers.

 

[kawika5150]

I'll admit, the two finger technique for "RTTH" and "The Trooper" is extremely taxing. Great exercise though, but I sometimes think, "curse you, Steve Harris!"

 

[waleross]

From playing the String Bass first, I seem to use 1 (index) finger most of the time....

 

[Russell L]

I'm just 1 and 2. If I have to play fast triplets it comes out like 121 212, etc. If needed, I can also alternate the emphasis from 1 to 2 to accent the beats. Sometimes I'll just play with one finger, either one. Then, there are times I wish I could play with 3 as well. I use it on guitar, but not on bass for some reason. Maybe it's because I don't feel comfortable playing "rest stroke" with 3. 99% of my bass playing is rest stroke instead of free stroke.

 

[Fendbassfan]

I normally use just my index finger and thumb but used 3 fingers (one is thumb) when I go really fast. I've toyed with the idea of using a thumb pick (like banjo players use). I've heard Berry Oakely used finger picks

 

[sammyp]

i use 2 but practice the gallop with 3 ....i'm not that far into my 3 finger tech...

 

[Crumbs]

I've got a bit of a weird technique, I think. I generally use two fingers, the index and ring fingers. It sounds better than using the index and the middle, I can do it faster, and string skipping is a hell of a lot easier. For the really fast parts, I use three fingers.