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Guitarist gone bass...

bomofiglio

bomofiglio

May 12, 2009
22
0
Dayville, CT
#1
Hey all, I'd like to introduce myself. I am a guitarist that has turned bassist this past month. I've always thought the bass was a simple instrument, some dude just playing along the roots, until I started looking into it, and watching some sick bastid shred picking with four fingers.

So now the only instrument I am in possession of is a shiny new ibanez btb 5 string.

I'll get to the point here as to why I'm in the technique forum; I'm not gonna learn two fingers on a four string bass, and have to re-learn everything a year from now. I'm going straight for the five string with a full hand of picking.
Question is, does anyone know any good techniques to work at getting the ring and pinky fingers up to speed? I can go 1/8th notes with them now, but still can go faster with my first two fingers.
Also, as my fingers are all different lengths, it seems to be quite hard for the pinky to reach. is there some kind of rule, or do i just need to play with it untill all four can move around easily? Any help with this would be appreciated

By the way: I'm finally starting to look at guitars and their strings like they are little toys- its quite weird holding a little thing like that after wrapping my fingers around a b string and a fat-ass neck!
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#3
bomofiglio said:
Hey all, I'd like to introduce myself. I am a guitarist that has turned bassist this past month. I've always thought the bass was a simple instrument, some dude just playing along the roots, until I started looking into it, and watching some sick bastid shred picking with four fingers.

I'll get to the point here as to why I'm in the technique forum; I'm not gonna learn two fingers on a four string bass, and have to re-learn everything a year from now. I'm going straight for the five string with a full hand of picking.
Click to expand...

So what you're saying is you're going to waste a bunch of time trying to learn a pointless technique right from the beginning?

I play a 6-string bass and use 2 fingers and can play more than fast enough. The law of diminishing returns comes into play very quickly here.

It's clear from your first paragraph that you didn't understand what the bass player does. Good luck with that ham-fist technique. Hopefully a lightly used BTB5 bass has a higher resale value.
 
#4
Yeah, I remember when I changed to bass, it felt huge. Then, after not touching guitar in a few months, guitars felt like tiny toys :) And about the amount of fingers you use: just use the ones you feel comfortable with. I have never liked playing with three fingers so I play with two. It's not all about the speed and like you already mentioned, you can play even faster with only the first two, just like me. That might very well stay like that. Playing with 4 fingers seems like a crazy idea to me, it's really hard to play with your pinkie... But like I said, play with 4 fingers if it feels right.
 
#5
onlyclave said:
So what you're saying is you're going to waste a bunch of time trying to learn a pointless technique right from the beginning?

I play a 6-string bass and use 2 fingers and can play more than fast enough. The law of diminishing returns comes into play very quickly here.

It's clear from your first paragraph that you didn't understand what the bass player does. Good luck with that ham-fist technique. Hopefully a lightly used BTB5 bass has a higher resale value.
Click to expand...


Now THATS what I call a welcome!
 
#6
onlyclave said:
So what you're saying is you're going to waste a bunch of time trying to learn a pointless technique right from the beginning?

I play a 6-string bass and use 2 fingers and can play more than fast enough. The law of diminishing returns comes into play very quickly here.

It's clear from your first paragraph that you didn't understand what the bass player does. Good luck with that ham-fist technique. Hopefully a lightly used BTB5 bass has a higher resale value.
Click to expand...

Aaaand breathe. I smell smoke. Flame wars could spark. Let's not get anyone started.
 
#8
I'm confused here. Are you referring to your fretting or your plucking hand? Plucking with 4 fingers does seem crazy to me. I can play with three, but only for special occasions do I use that.
Fretting hand I'd say make sure you warm it up and stretch first, then just go slow and build pace little by little. I practice tunes where mostly fret with the last three fingers rather than the index to build strength.

And onlyclave, how come we're not allowed to bash your extended range preferences, but you can go all out on the new guys tastes in playing? :confused:
 
#9
onlyclave said:
So what you're saying is you're going to waste a bunch of time trying to learn a pointless technique right from the beginning?
I play a 6-string bass and use 2 fingers and can play more than fast enough. The law of diminishing returns comes into play very quickly here.
It's clear from your first paragraph that you didn't understand what the bass player does. Good luck with that ham-fist technique. Hopefully a lightly used BTB5 bass has a higher resale value.
Click to expand...

Good afternoon to you too.

Cherokee Mike said:
I'm confused here. Are you referring to your fretting or your plucking hand? Plucking with 4 fingers does seem crazy to me. I can play with three, but only for special occasions do I use that.
Fretting hand I'd say make sure you warm it up and stretch first, then just go slow and build pace little by little. I practice tunes where mostly fret with the last three fingers rather than the index to build strength.
Click to expand...

I am talking about the plucking hand, I'm quite proficient with my fretting hand from playing the guitar,and im just about acquainted with the massive fret spacing on the bass.
 
#10
I'd start with 2 fingers and get up to speed and playing. Then start introducing the 3rd, and then the 4th. As far as length goes, it's a matter of hand shape. Notice that when you pick up a tennis ball, all your fingers are the same length. With the proper curve, you should be able to move the pinky to the right place.

It may take years of practice. Good luck, and welcome to the bottom end!
 
#11
Heh... I agree with onlyclave, although I probably would have put it in another way. Yeah, the bass is really not about shredding. If you want to shred, learn 4-finger technique, doublethumping etc, but that is not what will give you gigs. Quite the opposite actually. The last thing people wants in their bands are shredding bassists. They want bassists that provide a solid foundation to build upon. Less is more here, definitely.
 
#13
As to playing with "X" number of fingers, there are schools of thought (and schools of thoughtlessness, for that matter).

The Electric Bass was the first instrument I ever learned, and the "two-finger technique" was it. It evolved quite naturally from the method of playing pizzicato double bass.

Not long after I began to learn classical guitar, wherein you typically use the three "long" fingers plus the thumb. I have found over the years that there are *some* instances where using that third (ring) finger comes in very handy in playing bass, but it's not a fast-and-hard rule.

I know there are some fancy techniques that many like to indulge in, particularly "sweeping," where you want to bring as many fingers into play as possible, but the prime function of the bass is to hold up the bottom end.

Most of the time, a zen-like "less is more" philosophy is the best one.
 
#14
Deacon_Blues said:
Heh... I agree with onlyclave, although I probably would have put it in another way. Yeah, the bass is really not about shredding. If you want to shred, learn 4-finger technique, doublethumping etc, but that is not what will give you gigs. Quite the opposite actually. The last thing people wants in their bands are shredding bassists. They want bassists that provide a solid foundation to build upon. Less is more here, definitely.
Click to expand...
not really looking for gigs, just looking to have fun with my friends and get to know the instrument

Stingray_EB said:
You dont shred a bass. Not quite made the transition I see.
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i got a long way to go im sure
 
#17
Welcome to Bassland Graceland...

In all honesty, I would rather encourage you to learn both guitar and bass.. in any band, once you are proficient with both instruments you will see (and hear) the advantages of doing this. It will not only help you harmonize both instruments if you decide to songwrite, it will also help you hear things differently in any band you play. Primarily, I am a bass player, but it most certainly didn't hurt me learning guitar. You don't have to do both, just a suggestion from someone who has jumped from one instrument to the other a few times in my life (from a learning point of view and not from a dedication point of view). Enjoy.
 
#18
(I'll resist the urge to seriously say "Why not just drop-tune your guitar into a bass like lots of other guitarists seem to be into?")

Bass, rhythm guitar, & lead guitar traditionally have different functions in popular music. Looking into those differences will get you more on track for "what has gone before" in bass, & I also feel it likely it will make you a better guitarist in a band situation.

Warm up, & keep an eye on your technique. You are now playing on an instrument who's scale is 40% longer. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is not uncommon on bass.
 
#19
Sometimes I feel like Ive slipped into the twilight zone...How can using all 4 fingers (and thumb) NOT be beneficial ? When I started playing bass 20 years ago, I used only my index and middle finger to pluck but I saw so many amazing bassists using all five that I had to start working on incorporating the ring, pinky, and thumb into my playing...works best for me
 
#20
Thundar said:
Sometimes I feel like Ive slipped into the twilight zone...How can using all 4 fingers (and thumb) NOT be beneficial ? When I started playing bass 20 years ago, I used only my index and middle finger to pluck but I saw so many amazing bassists using all five that I had to start working on incorporating the ring, pinky, and thumb into my playing...works best for me
Click to expand...

the entire reason why i want to learn this first is so that down the road i dont have to do what you said you had to do.just seems logical to me that more is better, and even if it takes me months longer to get started, it should be worth it in the end.
 

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