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Moving down strings without raking?

T

Tupac

May 5, 2011
2,644
366
#1
For me, raking is very good at a lot of things, but in slower tempo songs, I think it ruins the feel. But since I follow through to the lower string after each pluck, that finer is always there to deaden the note. This means I have to "bounce" it off the string before my other finger can pluck, which severely limits my speed, and it's a little awkward. How can players like Flea do those high speed twiddling lines without raking?
 
#2
I practiced ( and still do it ) arpeggios across all string.
G|------------------7--10--7--------------------
D|---------------9------------9------------------
A|-------7--10------------------10---7----------
E|---8-------------------------------------8------

and moving it up and down the neck, slow at first and increase speed making sure you don't rake.
 
#3
Or I also like to do is a 4 note arpeggios ( root, 3, 5, b7 )start at the 8th fret E string :
C7, F7, Bb7, Eb7, Ab7, Db7, Gb7, B7
then you start at the 7th fret E string
B7, E7, A7, D7, G7, C7, F7, B7
 
#5
ugly_bassplayer said:
Raking is so overated.
Click to expand...

It's the fundamental basis for my style, which has evolved over the past 32 years. Sure, I can play strictly alternating, especially on a single string, but when string-crossing, I rely on the precussiveness of the finger-drop to the lower string. I also make extensive use of deadened strings which is best realized by me through a raking process.

You can have your opinion about raking, but I get accolades from the crowd for almost every gig I do.

I realize that noone gives a rat's ass about the accolades I get or don't get, but I've spent years developing a percussive style that I feel is relatively unique to myself, and it relies heavily on raking. You can't play much of what I play without it. So, maybe my playing (which none of you have ever heard) is overrated?
 
#6
Practice. At first, not raking feels awkward, but you get used to it. It's like correcting a golf swing. You may lose a few strokes until you get it down, but in the end, it pays off. Won't go into the "morality" of raking, but I've pretty much dropped raking from my repertoire and I'm much better for it. YMMV.
 
#8
It's using the same finger to skip to lower strings that you used on the higher strings. I guess you could it struimming in a sense. But it's not used to play chords, but single string lines. Jamerson did a lot of it because he only used one finger.
 
#9
JimmyM said:
It's using the same finger to skip to lower strings that you used on the higher strings. I guess you could it struimming in a sense. But it's not used to play chords, but single string lines. Jamerson did a lot of it because he only used one finger.
Click to expand...

Ah, ok now I understand, thanks. I use that myself from time to time, when I play with a single finger. I was more imagining strumming downwards with the fingernail side, something like flamenco players will use.
 
#13
Darth Handsome said:
I do either, based on what I feel like doing at the moment. Both techniques are good.
Click to expand...
Not if you're playing a fast riff with a lot of fast 16th notes bunched up together and string skipping. Maybe in an old Motown song it would work, but try playing something like the intro to "Blu Bop" by the Flecktones with raking. I could never do it precisely when I raked. I nailed it with strict alternation.
 
#14
JimmyM said:
Not if you're playing a fast riff with a lot of fast 16th notes bunched up together and string skipping. Maybe in an old Motown song it would work, but try playing something like the intro to "Blu Bop" by the Flecktones with raking. I could never do it precisely when I raked. I nailed it with strict alternation.
Click to expand...

Agreed. If I'm not looking for absolute precision I'll rake. If I want the notes much more defined, I'll alternate fingers.
 
#15
I scratch my head over this a bit lately, I try to rake the strings when going down, but only one step, if i need to move all the way down to the E i switch rake finger.
The reason i believe its good technique is economy of motion since my finger is allready moving towards the other (in pitch) lower string i feel its a waste of motion to stop the finger and move in with the other finger.
strangely enough i cant seem to get a grip on rake when im playing pickstyle
 
#16
roden said:
I scratch my head over this a bit lately, I try to rake the strings when going down, but only one step, if i need to move all the way down to the E i switch rake finger.
The reason i believe its good technique is economy of motion since my finger is allready moving towards the other (in pitch) lower string i feel its a waste of motion to stop the finger and move in with the other finger.
Click to expand...
That's fine for a quick one note rake, but I find it much more economical when I'm playing something fast to keep my fingers going in a back and forth motion rather than stop and rake. Then you have to re-establish the rhythm of the two fingers, which is what always was the holdup for me when playing fast stuff.

I'm not as militant against raking as I used to be, but I am a huge proponent of strict alternation when string skipping down.
 
#17
I'm a little confused about reference to "moving down". I have always heard, in music pedagogical terms, the G string on a bass referred to as the bottom string, and the E as the top. So I took "moving down" to mean going in a direction from the E string side towards the G string side of the bass. But it sounds like you guys are talking about moving in the other direction, is that right?
 
#19
JimmyM said:
I'm going by pitch, low to high. So up is higher in pitch, and down lower. Either way is correct as long as everyone you talk to agrees.
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Of course, I'm just trying to understand the technique being described here.

Now that I think it's clear, I don't think it's something that I've ever used when playing. Going the other way, yes, but not in the direction of the E string.
 
#20
Tupac said:
For me, raking is very good at a lot of things, but in slower tempo songs, I think it ruins the feel. But since I follow through to the lower string after each pluck, that finer is always there to deaden the note. This means I have to "bounce" it off the string before my other finger can pluck, which severely limits my speed, and it's a little awkward. How can players like Flea do those high speed twiddling lines without raking?
Click to expand...

Get flatwounds, that will solve your problem. I have an old Jazz w/ flats and it's quiet as the night...no raking...
 

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