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Is there a "wrong" way??

#21
Most every thing can be played multiple ways correctly. In a symphony everybody in a section could be playing a passage with different fingerings and bow directions- a mess with bows stabbing each other and people shifting all over the place differently. The 1st chair makes those decisions for all so the section is uniform. Because, there are multiple ways to play it.

F 3rd fret on the d string can also be played on the A or E string. 3 options
F can be played with 1 of 4 fingers. 4 options
Using my highly developed math skills, Thats 12 options for playing an F.

Fingerings suck on stringed instruments.

GC bass police guy sucks.

Ps SteveCS is correct on the timbre of the note. In addition to fingering choices add timbre choices. Urghhh
 
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#22
Maybe jealousy rears it's ugly head ha ha ha. All kidding aside,
I would have handed him the bass and said show me.
If you are playing the correct notes and timing than it's right, Surely his approach of the subject deemed on rude, but maybe be he was suggesting playing closer to the bridge or something like that?
Playing for as many years as I have, I am still open to listening with an open mind, I learn something new everyday. Maybe he was just a know it all bs artist or maybe he was a talkbass member just trying to share his knowledge you never know? Good luck with your low end journey RTS
 
#24
If I were in a band with the cat in I'd probably listen and adjust, particularly if we were making coin and having fun.

Maybe I would pay attention to the groomer at a GC, maybe not. I would probably hang around and listen if he grabbed a bass and started playing.
 
#25
It's a very context-dependent question. If you're in music school or other serious instrument study, then you want to always be practicing with optimal technique - because that's the whole point, you're literally wasting your time doing anything else. On the other hand, you always see great, famous, Profesional musicians playing their hits with collapsed finger shapes, bent wrists, and inefficient fingerings - and, you know, in that context if it sounds right it is right.

Also, it's art, so even if there is a "right" and "wrong" - doing it wrong can be a valid and onteresting artistic choice. I mean, nobody listens to the Sex Pistols out of reverence for Sid Vicious's technical mastery of the bass.
 
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#26
flomaster said:
I visited one of the local guitar centers up in Englewood, and one of the other customers there started playing a rif from a song (Chain of Thorns) on a guitar he was testing out that I happened to know. Having had a bass in my hand at the moment, I decided to play along.
While it was fun, one of the other customers there told me that I was playing it wrong--not that the notes were wrong, but my left hand placement and where I was playing them. Since I'm generally not that good anyway, I took his advice. Later, though, I started to think about it and wondered whether there is, in fact, a wrong way to play something. If I'm hitting all the required notes at the required time, with the required attacks/releases, and it sounds good, is there really a "wrong" way to play?
Click to expand...

yes and no.

it really does depend on a number of factors. some things will be phrased awkwardly if the fingering is off.

imagine how you would sing (hum) the line. where are the notes flowing/connected? what notes and accented or emphasized? separated? etc. then play it and consider if it's matching what you think it aught to sound like.

by the way, in some cases you may find something that sounds better a different way than whatever fingers the original player was using.

in other cases, it'll sound outright wrong if the fingers are wrong but the notes are all correct.

it's a case by case basis, often subjective, but in some cases very much objective whether something works or does not, which i personally believe is a separate concern from what the original fingering was.
 
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#27
The fast, knowledgeable internet guys all play differently then I do. I can't slap, I can't play as fast either. I have however, been able to play almost every cover song I've been asked to do. I'm a Classic Rock/Hard Rock/metal guy. Never wanted to learn slap, even though I enjoy trying to play drums
I've seen You tube people who used how I play as an example of how not to play. I don't care what they think.
 
#32
Some people like to play an A on the 5th fret of the E string, I prefer to play an open A unless there is "pattern" that needs me to be at the 5th fret. I am just the opposite with a D. I try not to play the open string (not counting tuning down). Which one is right and which is wrong? Why do I treat an A and D differently? Don't think there is an easy answer for either question.
 
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#33
Arm, hand and finger positioning is always optional but there are some tried and true techniques that, when mastered, definitely make playing easier. There are some sloppy techniques that are easy to start out with but inthr long term can lead to sloppy playing and overuse injury. I tend to be one of the sloppy players but I'm trying to be better.
 
#36
Bobby Vega says something like "play it how it works for you". Watch video clips of Duck Dunn. He frequently chokes the neck to death. They are both legends, so, y'know. One thing I personally try to pay attention to is whether adjacent notes should be played on the same string. A "B" on the "E" string 7th fret sounds different than on the "A" string 2nd fret. Playing notes on the same string can add a sort of consistency and smoothness to a particular section of a song. For example: The chromatic walk-up from "G" to "A#" on "Tush" can be played first 2 notes on the "E" string and last 2 on the "A" string but to me it sounds more integral when it's played all on the "E". But that's just one factor. Whatever gets you through the gig. Criticism has value if it it helps me improve, regardless of the critics' intent.
 
#37
flomaster said:
I visited one of the local guitar centers up in Englewood, and one of the other customers there started playing a rif from a song (Chain of Thorns) on a guitar he was testing out that I happened to know. Having had a bass in my hand at the moment, I decided to play along.
While it was fun, one of the other customers there told me that I was playing it wrong--not that the notes were wrong, but my left hand placement and where I was playing them. Since I'm generally not that good anyway, I took his advice. Later, though, I started to think about it and wondered whether there is, in fact, a wrong way to play something. If I'm hitting all the required notes at the required time, with the required attacks/releases, and it sounds good, is there really a "wrong" way to play?
Click to expand...

So yes and no. You can play a C on the 3rd fret of the A string, or you can play the same C on the 8th fret of the E string. They sound different but they're the same note.

The other customer was either making a misguided attempt to bond with you ("hey I know this song too!") or was trying to flex on you. Pretty lame. I've never felt the need to correct somebody's playing in a freaking guitar store.
 
#38
I occasionally play with a particular singer/songwriter/guitarist. During one set, we play an original tune I learned from a studio recording. This singer/songwriter had played the bass part on this recording.

After the set, this guy told me that he would rather I play this one sequence of notes higher up the neck, rather than in 1st position because the notes sounded fatter.

I could really feel the petulant teenager in me fighting to come out. I took the time to learn that bass part and put care and respect into that song as if it were my own. He did have a valid point about notes sounding fatter when played on fatter strings, but man oh man. I thought he was reaching new heights with regards to splitting hairs and micromanagement.
 
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#39
SteveCS said:
I'm going to go against most of the replies here. I doubt very much if this was a question of technique, more of timbre or tone. I suggest you sit down and work out all of the possible ways of playing whatever it is in the various possible positions on the bass, then give then a good critical listening. Try to quantify the differences and evaluate which may or may not be a better fit for the music and why. There may be no single 'right' or 'wrong' answer, and each may have something going for it that the others don't have. But there will be differences that you should try to understand. HINT : Your open G string, D string at the 5th fret, A string at the 10th fret and E string at the 15th fret all sound the same basic pitch, but the tones/timbres and possibilities for 'shaping' the notes are radically different.
Click to expand...

I agree from this perspective...the timbre and shape of the notes could be what the critic was getting at. Reminds me of my cousin coming over to visit. She had gotten into playing bass and had a Squier 4 string at home. She had learned a few songs and wanted to show me. She proceeded to play a few iconic bass lines, but all on one string, fretting with just her index finger. She was in time, in tune, and hitting all the notes, but I would say it is the wrong way to play bass if you want to become a really good player.

Personally, I like to learn new ways to do things, so I would possibly have heard them out (i.e. how is it "wrong"?) to see if they could teach me something. You never know.
 
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