Double Bass How do you finger your 10th double stops? (DB forum thread)

[Chris Fitzgerald]

From the 4th string to the 1st, I've always fingered them 1-->3 for major 10ths and 2-->3 for minor 10ths. Recently, I've been getting some pretty serious pain in the last joint of my 3rd finger because of these, and I'm trying to decide whether to use 1-->4/2--4 or 2-->4/2-->4.

What fingerings do you folks use for these?

 

[Sam Sherry]

1 & 3 and 2 & 4 for major

1 & 2 and 2 & 4 for minor

Good luck, Chris, feel better!

 

[Adam Gittins]

Hey, that's weird - I don't know - but I reckon my fingers do (picks up small toy cricket bat and makes 10ths shape)

Yep, that's it - always 2-->4 for major and minor. Generally I use the 3rd finger to support the 4th for the major, but not the minor. On the major, I generally use the first finger to have the 6th available and sometimes move the 3rd down to give me the dominant 7th (although this causes a bit more stress on the unsupported 4th finger)

The only exception for me is where the root is a low F - then I use 1-->2 - if you're getting finger pain in the 3rd you could try the 1-->2. This is also useful where I want a 4th / sus / Plagal cadence sound as I can use the supported 4th finger to sound the 11th.

Where I want a double stop on 7th / 10th I then use Root (1), 7th (2) and 10th (supported 4th finger)

I think that I picked this up at least some of this from the Ray Brown book in ages past.

It's more complex than you first think! Look forward to seeing how this thread develops

 

[bassnutj]

2-4 major

2-3 minor

 

[mattfong]

For major I've always found 1-4 for major very comfortable, with 3 supporting 4. For minor, 2-4 seems to work well. 3 also supporting 4.

 

[Massenburg]

gotta use 2-4 for major and minor. I hardly ever use my 3rd finger ever, unless im playing really high up on the fingerboard (thumb position). It's usually just for support for the 4th finger.

 

[Michael Glynn]

I do 2-4 for major and 2-3 for minor.

I have tried 2-4 for minor, but I feel like I have to twist my wrist around to get 2 lined up under 4 and my whole hand ends up in a weird position.

I've also tried the 1-3 major, 2-3 minor combo. Personally, I had a couple of problems with this fingering:

First, I think that the more fingers you have down on double stops, the better. They are kind of physically demanding anyway, so having 2 fingers down on the E-string and 2 on the G-string for major 10ths gives a little added strength.

Second, I like the way this fingering sets me up for other useful and related double/triple stops without shifting or changing hand position much. For example, If I am playing a Bb-D (2-4) double stop, I could also play Bb-Db (2-3), Eb-Db(2-3), Eb-D(2-4), Eb-G-Db(2-1-3), Eb-G-D(2-1-4), or Bb-Ab-D(2-3-4) all without moving my hand.

 

[John Goldsby]

I would usually use:
1-3 for a major 10th
2 -4 for a major 10th
1 - 3 for a minor 10th
2 - 4 for a minor 10th

I just turn the left wrist slightly outwards for the minor tenths to make 1 - 3 or 2 - 4 parallel.

The other "trick" that I use most often is 1 - 1 for a minor tenth. I finger the note on the E string, and then press the note on the G with the knuckle part of the left hand. It's not as painful as it sounds.

Chris, maybe you should just sing that top note instead of trying to play it

Hope the hand feels better.

 

[Eric Swanson]

Hi Chris,

Sorry your finger hurts.

M10th:

1,2 or 2,4 (1,3 in TP)

m10th:
1,1, or 2,4 (with hand rotated a little), (1,2 or 2,3 in TP, again, with hand rotated a little)

I am 6'-6" with big hands, so the 1,1 m10th works for me but might not work for more normally-sized folk.

 

[rdwhit]

Chris, have You tried this? Start with 2-4 for M10 using 1 to support 2 & 3 to support 4. Stay in that position and rotate Your wrist so that Your fingers go to a 45degree angle the the neck, start the rotation by raising You left elbow or forearm a little .The wrist doesn't have to move much. 2 & 3 fall right in place for m10 for me this way and 3 feels fine. Try collapsing the last digit of 3. Maybe the key is finding a comfortable rotation which allows a more relaxed grip using forearm pressure more than 3rd finger pressure.

 

[rdwhit]

Ok, just got the bass out, I don't collapse 3rd finger like I just told You to. Sorry, hey try it anyway, maybe it will work for You.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. I can do 2/3 for both Ma and mi 10ths, but I'm going to experiment first with finding ways to put less pressure on my collapsed 3rd finger, or perhaps unbend it. One of my "problems" with these is I love the way a good, serious LH stop sounds. Sometimes, though, I'm learning that I go way overboard with the armweight and waste energy...and now, it seems, stress a joint or two in the process. Heh.

 

[damonsmith]

I use 1 & 2 together for the root, and 3 & 4 for the 10, for both major and minor, in the low end and tp, unless the line before or after demands a different fingering then I use whatever that fingering is.

 

[JJBluegrasser]

Wow. I'd give anything just to be good enough to join in this conversation. You guys are incredible.

Jason

 

[Paul Warburton]

And right hand?
Like most players i've heard and seen, I use my thumb on the E string and middle finger on the G string, kinda squeezing into the FB.
Any other ideas?

 

[LarryR]

1-3 Maj 10
2-4 Min 10
Paul, the thumb thing is interesting. Very comfy.

 

[Lesfunk]

2-4 for both major and minor

 

[j.a.e.r.i.p]

1-4 maj
1-3 min

 

[Joebone]

2-4 on major and minor. This permits 1 and 3 to be available in between, for triple stops or full chords, including 11th and diminished chords. It also facilitates major 7 with 2 on root and barred 3 on major 7 and 10, or Dom 7 with 2 on root, 3 on 7th and 4 on the 10th. And you can easily skip 2 from E string to A string in a I-IV or ii-V progression.

Moral to story - give the finger to the root! For me, 2 is the strongest finger, and using that for the root just seems to get the fullest sound from the instrument. And thinking about the ergonomics, this also seems to reduce the need for wrist twist.

Caveat - I have medium-large hands -- really small or really large hands might do better with different strategies, but 2-4 seems to work well for me.

 

[Joel D]

who the hell wrote a song that required 10th's ?-thats stepping on the third aint it ?-sorry to joke-- point being - playing a 10th in double triple stop is cool alone --but in a song maybe not so