I have just recently started playing bass (2 months). and I find that my whole index finger (well, on the outside towards the thumb and to the center) is calloused. quite different than when I used to just play guitar.
The question is: Is this normal or does it indicate a flaw in my technique? I play both pick and fingerstyle, and often sing at the same time. So maybe my singing means that I'm not as precise as I could be - I'm usually just trying to lock with the drummer, and then start singing, which means my fills aren't quite as good as they would be if I wasn't singing (which I don't do every song) but so what. My reasoning was that as long as I can groove with the drummer it will sound good even with fairly simple bass lines (which I'ver reverted to while singing... either that or I play rock chords on the d and g strings, and sometimes on the a and d strings, mixed in with root notes and their pentatonics), and I think it does.... but do the callouses indicate that I need work on my technique? When I "first" started playing the bass (which was just a little bit longer than not very long ago lol) I never sang, but still had a bit more callous on my index finger of the left hand, but nothing like it is now...
and is it normal to play more simple lines if you are singing at the same time? Obviously I should play the bass line I want to play while still singing, but it will take some practice I guess. I find it more difficult than just playing guitar and singing as I find it so much more important to lock with the drummer and be groovy... wheras while playing guitar I could just push or pull at my leasure and it wouldn't matter as I could always find it again. But it's catastrophic to the song If I lose it while playing bass...
any thoughts?
cheers,
meta
The question is: Is this normal or does it indicate a flaw in my technique? I play both pick and fingerstyle, and often sing at the same time. So maybe my singing means that I'm not as precise as I could be - I'm usually just trying to lock with the drummer, and then start singing, which means my fills aren't quite as good as they would be if I wasn't singing (which I don't do every song) but so what. My reasoning was that as long as I can groove with the drummer it will sound good even with fairly simple bass lines (which I'ver reverted to while singing... either that or I play rock chords on the d and g strings, and sometimes on the a and d strings, mixed in with root notes and their pentatonics), and I think it does.... but do the callouses indicate that I need work on my technique? When I "first" started playing the bass (which was just a little bit longer than not very long ago lol) I never sang, but still had a bit more callous on my index finger of the left hand, but nothing like it is now...
and is it normal to play more simple lines if you are singing at the same time? Obviously I should play the bass line I want to play while still singing, but it will take some practice I guess. I find it more difficult than just playing guitar and singing as I find it so much more important to lock with the drummer and be groovy... wheras while playing guitar I could just push or pull at my leasure and it wouldn't matter as I could always find it again. But it's catastrophic to the song If I lose it while playing bass...
any thoughts?
cheers,
meta
