Help With Bass Technique for a Newbie

[Hardbassjunkie]

Hi everyone,

I have recently rekindled my love for playing bass but been out of the game for 8 years. I noticed I habit I got into that I would like people's input on.

So, when I press a fret the rest of my fingers seem to want to rise up instead of staying close to the fret board. I can keep my fingers down when I'm pressing with my index finger (with a fair amount of effort) but it is almost impossible for me to keep the rest of my fingers down when I am fretting with my pinky.

I am just wondering if this is normal for a beginner and are there any excersizes I can do to help with that.

Thank you!

 

[Mushroo]

Welcome back to the bass game!

Yes, that is a very common phenomenon, and we call it "flying fingers."

In my experience flying fingers is usually caused by one of three possible things: 1) pressing down too hard, using too much force; 2) spreading the fingers out too far apart; or 3) uncomfortable thumb position.

A fourth factor might be, 4) your bass should be "set up" with a comfortable "action" that is easy to play.

I recommend to let your hand relax into a comfortable and natural shape. Then try to fret the string with the bare minimum of pressure to get a clear sound. It doesn't actually take much finger strength, about the same as to press a key typing on a computer keyboard.

A final thought, just to play "devil's advocate," is that your unused fingers don't actually matter, musically speaking. The only finger the audience can "hear" is the finger that is currently fretting the note; they can't hear whether your unused fingers are near or far from the fretboard. So from a musical/sonic perspective, it is perfectly okay for your unused fingers to go wherever they feel most comfortable. Don't be too hard on yourself!

 

[Hardbassjunkie]

Welcome back to the bass game!

Yes, that is a very common phenomenon, and we call it "flying fingers."

In my experience flying fingers is usually caused by one of three possible things: 1) pressing down too hard, using too much force; 2) spreading the fingers out too far apart; or 3) uncomfortable thumb position.

A fourth factor might be, 4) your bass should be "set up" with a comfortable "action" that is easy to play.

I recommend to let your hand relax into a comfortable and natural shape. Then try to fret the string with the bare minimum of pressure to get a clear sound. It doesn't actually take much finger strength, about the same as to press a key typing on a computer keyboard.

A final thought, just to play "devil's advocate," is that your unused fingers don't actually matter, musically speaking. The only finger the audience can "hear" is the finger that is currently fretting the note; they can't hear whether your unused fingers are near or far from the fretboard. So from a musical/sonic perspective, it is perfectly okay for your unused fingers to go wherever they feel most comfortable. Don't be too hard on yourself!

Thanks for the reply.

1) I'm definately pressing to hard. I'll try to loosen up a bit.

2. I have small hands and they get very far apart until the 12th feet.

3) my thump is adjacent to my thumb

4) my action is very low

 

[Mushroo]

Thanks for the reply.

1) I'm definately pressing to hard. I'll try to loosen up a bit.

2. I have small hands and they get very far apart until the 12th feet.

3) my thump is adjacent to my thumb

4) my action is very low

1) Good plan!

2) So if you have small hands... maybe don't spread your fingers so far apart? Try bring them closer together?

3) I don't know what that means, but it sounds funky!

4) Great! Having a comfortable bass with low action will inspire you to practice more.

 

[Hardbassjunkie]

Thumb is adjacent to index finger

 

[MonetBass]

Fixing this takes some practice. Work on keeping the fingers not fretting notes just above the string while playing some simple lines (scales work well here) SLOWLY. Watch your hands if needed. As you get more comfortable, speed up, all while maintaining your finger positions. This is all about economy of motion, and the less your fretting fingers need to move, the easier it will be for you to play.

 

[Mushroo]

Thumb is adjacent to index finger

If that's not comfortable for you, then you are "allowed" to try a different thumb position. Keep experimenting to find what works best for you. You can learn a lot of technique tips by watching YouTube videos of your favorite players.

 

[Hardbassjunkie]

Fixing this takes some practice. Work on keeping the fingers not fretting notes just above the string while playing some simple lines (scales work well here) SLOWLY. Watch your hands if needed. As you get more comfortable, speed up, all while maintaining your finger positions. This is all about economy of motion, and the less your fretting fingers need to move, the easier it will be for you to play.

Thanks for this tip. I just tried it. It's very hard and will take A LOT of practice haha. But I'm willing to do it.

 

[Hardbassjunkie]

Welcome back to the bass game!

Yes, that is a very common phenomenon, and we call it "flying fingers."

In my experience flying fingers is usually caused by one of three possible things: 1) pressing down too hard, using too much force; 2) spreading the fingers out too far apart; or 3) uncomfortable thumb position.

A fourth factor might be, 4) your bass should be "set up" with a comfortable "action" that is easy to play.

I recommend to let your hand relax into a comfortable and natural shape. Then try to fret the string with the bare minimum of pressure to get a clear sound. It doesn't actually take much finger strength, about the same as to press a key typing on a computer keyboard.

A final thought, just to play "devil's advocate," is that your unused fingers don't actually matter, musically speaking. The only finger the audience can "hear" is the finger that is currently fretting the note; they can't hear whether your unused fingers are near or far from the fretboard. So from a musical/sonic perspective, it is perfectly okay for your unused fingers to go wherever they feel most comfortable. Don't be too hard on yourself!

Also, does it really not change or compromise the sound? I thought maybe it did.

 

[Reedt2000]

Fixing this takes some practice. Work on keeping the fingers not fretting notes just above the string while playing some simple lines (scales work well here) SLOWLY. Watch your hands if needed. As you get more comfortable, speed up, all while maintaining your finger positions. This is all about economy of motion, and the less your fretting fingers need to move, the easier it will be for you to play.

Yup, this is solid advice ^

Focus on not pressing too hard. Not only does it contribute to the issue you're having, it can pull notes sharp and slow you down. Deliberate, consistent practice is the answer. After repetition it will start to be engrained in your playing, happen automatically, and leave you free to think about other aspects of what you're learning. Just stay the course, it doesn't happen overnight

 

[Mushroo]

Also, does it really not change or compromise the sound? I thought maybe it did.

Yes! Technique shapes our sound.
Study the technique of players who sound good.
Experiment with different techniques to find what works best for you.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Hi everyone,

I have recently rekindled my love for playing bass but been out of the game for 8 years. I noticed I habit I got into that I would like people's input on.

So, when I press a fret the rest of my fingers seem to want to rise up instead of staying close to the fret board. I can keep my fingers down when I'm pressing with my index finger (with a fair amount of effort) but it is almost impossible for me to keep the rest of my fingers down when I am fretting with my pinky.

I am just wondering if this is normal for a beginner and are there any excersizes I can do to help with that.

Thank you!

Mushroo offered some excellent points. I also think that a factor here is concentrating on relaxing your fretting wrist, hand and fingers. Thumb position plays a big role in this. I have really small hands and fingers (you know what that means...) and I had similar issues. Set the bass up where the action is comfortable and you will discover that it really doesn't take a whole lot of effort to fret a note. My action is actually a tad high on one of my basses (I can't stand fret buzz) and it still plays quite nicely. Heed the advice your fellow TBers are offering... lots of experienced and well-educated people in this community. Good luck.

 

[Hardbassjunkie]

Mushroo offered some excellent points. I also think that a factor here is concentrating on relaxing your fretting wrist, hand and fingers. Thumb position plays a big role in this. I have really small hands and fingers (you know what that means...) and I had similar issues. Set the bass up where the action is comfortable and you will discover that it really doesn't take a whole lot of effort to fret a note. My action is actually a tad high on one of my basses (I can't stand fret buzz) and it still plays quite nicely. Heed the advice your fellow TBers are offering... lots of experienced and well-educated people in this community. Good luck.

Thank you, I have already started some of the exercises suggested this morning and I'm already seeing a difference. Thanks all. And I'm glad I'm not the only one haha

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Thank you, I have already started some of the exercises suggested this morning and I'm already seeing a difference. Thanks all. And I'm glad I'm not the only one haha

That's great news! Keep on top of the exercises. One day it will be noticeably less effort to fret those strings.

 

[lz4005]

A final thought, just to play "devil's advocate," is that your unused fingers don't actually matter, musically speaking. The only finger the audience can "hear" is the finger that is currently fretting the note; they can't hear whether your unused fingers are near or far from the fretboard. So from a musical/sonic perspective, it is perfectly okay for your unused fingers to go wherever they feel most comfortable.

Wrong. Because left hand muting.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Wrong. Because left hand muting.

True. I also mute strings with my plucking hand/fingers.

 

[Doc Blue]

Flying fingers? That was me when I first started, with lifting the pinky. Practice lifting your fingers up just enough to not compromise what you are doing (fretting or muting). It will get better.

 

[HardNHeavy]

good points.........keep practicing, soon your loose fingers will realize "gee we need to be closer to the fretboard for this next note"....they will settle down in time

 

[Orion1985]

I too had this problem for quite a while. Solid advice from everyone here. For me I tackled the issue by 1) reducing the amount of pressure used to fret the note. As an exercise, fret a note how you normally would then pluck the string. Gradually reduce the amount of pressure you are using until the string just starts to buzz then add back a small amount of pressure. This is about how much pressure you should use, for me it was way less than I was using before. 2) Don’t worry about using the one-finger-per-fret system. Go ahead and play an octave using your index for the root and your pinky/ring finger for the octave. Figure out the most comfortable way to play your bass line that allows you to relax your hand and play it that way. 3) I think I found the exercise in a Scott’s Bass Lessons vídeo about “flying fingers.” Play an ascending chromatic scale (using the one-finger-per-fret system that I just told you not to worry about) and keep your fingers in contact with the string as you add each finger playing through the scale.

I’m glad to hear you are already making progress. You’re not alone!

 

[The Deep]

Here’s a finger exercise that can help break you of the habit. It worked very well for me when I was starting out.

Number the fingers 1-4 (index to pinky).

Chose any four consecutive frets to begin with (one finger per fret). Start on the E string with all four fingers pressing down on the string.

Now, move only finger number one from the E string down to the same fret on the A string, while leaving all the other fingers in place pressing on the E string. Next, move only finger number two from the E string to the A string while leaving the other fingers pressing in the same positions (finger one on the A string, fingers three and four still on the E string). You now have fingers one and two pressing the A string and three and four pressing the E string.

Next move only finger three from the E string to the A string while keeping the other three fingers pressing in their current positions. Continue doing this until all four fingers have moved to the G string one by one then reverse course back up to the E string.

The key is to move only the one finger to the next position while keeping all the remaining fingers stationary and pressing on the frets in their respective positions. You can add variety by changing the order in which you move your fingers (1234,1423,1324, etc).

This will condition your brain to keep your fingers close to the fretboard over time. A few weeks practicing this technique should break you of the flying fingers for good!