Fretting hand. Which way is correct?

[Joe Bananas]

Simple.
Which is the correct way of fretting here?
A or B
As you can guess I am an absolute beginner and want to know if I have to keep pressing all the previous frets of the note I am actually playing or I just need to press the fret of that note with a single finger.
Thanks.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

Single finger. When you push the string down and it touches the fret wire everything back toward the nut is not active, i.e. killed.

Get your tuner out and experiment......

 

[Joe Bananas]

Single finger. When you push the string down and it touches the fret wire everything back toward the nut is not active, i.e. killed.

Get your tuner out and experiment......

Ive seen and heard propper technique is to press the rest of the frets above the note being played. This is confusing now.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

Above .... is that toward the nut or bridge?

Fretting behind the note, toward the nut, is like wearing a belt and suspenders, imo....

 

[tzohn]

No need to press hard with the other fingers, just "rest" them on the string to make it a little easier for the fretting finger. I think this is the reason why some people say so.

 

[Schlyder]

for economy of motion just avoid having your fingers flying well away from fretboard. You don't have to press down and fret notes behind where you are fretting a note already.
A couple things I did note watching your video.

right/left hand muting. - try to always be in control of the tone. Don't let any extra noises and string vibrations to happen.
fretting. - for best tone try to always fret right behind the fretwire, not in the middle of the space between two frets.

...Other than that, your hand positioning looks fine, and your fingers look to be moving well.
Just tighten up that fretting, and work on r/l hand muting.

 

[Lobster11]

I disagree with @MalcolmAmos here. If you start out by, say, fretting a C note with your middle finger, and then the next note you are going to play is D with your pinky, leave the middle finger on the C while you play the D -- just as you're doing.

Yes, it's true that you're now wearing both a belt and suspenders, and that this isn't necessary. Once you put on the suspenders you don't need the belt anymore -- but taking off the belt is unnecessary extra work. (That's the "economy of motion" that @Schlyder is talking about.) Besides, it might be that after playing C and D, the next note you plan to play is the C again, in which case you can just lift your pinky off the D and your C is ready to go.

 

[Rich Fiscus]

You always want your hands, arms, and really your entire body, to remain relaxed at all times. That's not likely to be possible when you're constantly pressing down with the fingers behind where you're fretting.

 

[Lobster11]

You always want your hands, arms, and really your entire body, to remain relaxed at all times. That's not likely to be possible when you're constantly pressing down with the fingers behind where you're fretting.

Right, of course. If, as in my example, you play C with your middle finger and then D with your pinky, you don't have to continue to press down on the C with the same force as if you were fretting it; you can let that finger relax. If that is all that @MalcolmAmos meant to say, then I don't disagree with him after all. My point was that you shouldn't expend extra effort to lift your middle finger off the C when you play the D; just leave it where it is.

 

[Rich Fiscus]

Right, of course. If, as in my example, you play C with your middle finger and then D with your pinky, you don't have to continue to press down on the C with the same force as if you were fretting it; you can let that finger relax. If that is all that @MalcolmAmos meant to say, then I don't disagree with him after all. My point was that you shouldn't expend extra effort to lift your middle finger off the C when you play the D; just leave it where it is.

Absolutely agree. Economy of motion is very important for good technique.

 

[BassUrges]

I always try to have extra fingers resting on the strings for muting purposes.

 

[Matthew Fisher]

Take the advice of random people from the internet with a grain of salt. They can't all be right.

 

[Joe Bananas]

Take the advice of random people from the internet with a grain of salt. They can't all be right.

It seems we are in a particular corner of that internet where people gather fueled by their common passion for bass playing. Is not that I am asking random people in a random internet site how to cook lentils... Id get interesting answers also in that case. Grain of salt and some pepper as well.

 

[Rich Fiscus]

Take the advice of random people from the internet with a grain of salt. They can't all be right.

I'm more of a specific person, but I still recommend taking anything I say with a grain of salt. As my grandpa used to say, this is free advice, and like most things, it's probably worth what you paid for it.

 

[relwof]

Take the advice of random people from the internet with a grain of salt. They can't all be right.

dude, whoa, like, did he just prove a negative?

 

[HandsFree]

When I start playing a line with 4th finger it makes sense to also put the other fingers on the string, cause they will be next (otherwise I would not have started with 4).
It helps with muting if needed, it helps avoid flying fingers and in general keep a relaxed hand.

When I start with 1 and then play 2, it doesn't make sense to lift 1. It's moving a finger for nothing and it's easier to press with 2 the if the 1st finger is already there.

There's not a single advantage that I can see for lifting a finger (although I might be caught doing it anyway on occasion).

BTW, that video is a good example of why I always advise AGAINST using one finger per fret.
He is stretching his hand, which is something to avoid when not needed because of strain. And while doing so he is not reaching the fret and is not putting his finger directly behind it.
So this is causing strain without the benefit of getting the best tone.

That is where I disagree that 'economy of motion' is good to aim for.
Moving does not cause strain, stretching does.

 

[Watchootognbout]

If you are playing legato and want the previous note to connect with the next then leave the last finger on the fret as you fret and pluck the next.
If you are playing staccato,then you don't hold the previous note.

 

[Rich Fiscus]

When I start playing a line with 4th finger it makes sense to also put the other fingers on the string, cause they will be next (otherwise I would not have started with 4).
It helps with muting if needed, it helps avoid flying fingers and in general keep a relaxed hand.

When I start with 1 and then play 2, it doesn't make sense to lift 1. It's moving a finger for nothing and it's easier to press with 2 the if the 1st finger is already there.

There's not a single advantage that I can see for lifting a finger (although I might be caught doing it anyway on occasion).

While that may be generally be true, it's entirely context dependent as well. What movement does or does make sense can vary greatly depending on what comes next. If I'm fretting the first note with my index finger and the second note on the next fret with my middle finger, what my index finger is doing during that second note will be highly dependent on what comes next. My index finger may stay where it started, or it may already be moving somewhere for the third note.

Actually, because of some oddities with the proportions of my hands (extra large hands with extra medium fingers), I sometimes have to pivot my whole hand for something as basic as playing 2 consecutive notes which are 2 frets apart. It's not the most economical motion, but it avoids wrenching my wrist around in an unhealthy way.

BTW, that video is a good example of why I always advise AGAINST using one finger per fret.
He is stretching his hand, which is something to avoid when not needed because of strain. And while doing so he is not reaching the fret and is not putting his finger directly behind it.
So this is causing strain without the benefit of getting the best tone.

Always seems awfully extreme. My advice is always to listen to your body. A lot of people can stretch further from index to ring finger than I can from index finger to pinky. I pride myself on being able to make good use of my pinky for fretting, but 1 bout with ulnar tunnel swelling was enough to make me respect my body's limits.

That is where I disagree that 'economy of motion' is good to aim for.

I didn't say it was the only consideration, just that it's important, and I stand by that. I certainly didn't say it means moving your hand as little as possible.

Moving does not cause strain, stretching does.

On the flip side, most people's fingers can stretch further after weeks/months/years of practice and appropriate stretching/exercise. Moving doesn't help with that at all.

It's not that I disagree with you exactly, but there aren't many absolutes when it comes to technique. It all depends on individual physiology. Like I said, listen to your body when it tells you to stop.

 

[bbh]

This is a great beginner question.
Simplified. you press only on the note you are playing. this will maximize your efforts.
if you must rest your fingers elsewhere to get ready for the next note, that is ok but why press if you're not gonna play it.
other techniques are not for you yet. let's keep it some for now.
'rock on garth'

 

[InhumanResource]

I find I have to use less pressure if all the fingers "behind" my fretting finger are down on the string. It keeps my wrist relaxed and keeps all the fingers spaced 1 per fret. My playing improved quite a bit after starting this technique.