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My fingers come in at an angle

S

soundgardenis

Oct 4, 2010
66
8
#1
When I play bass fingerstyle I rest my thumb on top of the pick up(not on the face) and my fingers are not straight. I have massive hands and my fingers come in at an angle. There not parralel with the strings but their not straight down. I can't help it. Is this improper technique. Its comfortable to me. I have healthy hands-knock on wood.

So they come in at a slant like / instead of like l you know what I mean?
 
#5
It's OK as long as you ...

  1. do not rest the arm on that thumb. Use your shoulder muscles to carry the arm.
  2. do not rest your forearm on the rim of the bass' body. Move the elbow away from your side
  3. do not move your hand sideways (at the wrist) too far. Put your hand flat on a table, palm down, move the fingertips to the left (thumb side) and right (pinky side). Try to stay in the middle of that angle (with most people this means the hand will be angled to the pinky side just a little bit.

...all of this under the assumption that you get the sound, control etc. you like.

Take care
 
#6
I don't keep my forearm on the thing. Thats not even physically possible for me. I see that a lot of guys keep their thumb on top of the pick up too, but their thumb is like this where I lay mine out

I don't feel any pain and its comfortable for me to play like this.

I can't move my fingers that fast anyway. I'm not a fast player. When I play fingerstyle my style is very bluesy. So its kind of a mellow bluesy style when I play.


If I feel any pain I'll just play with my thumb. So far its comfortable and it works for me. I know everybody has their own style.
 
#8
This is the style I play. I'm a robert johnson fan and I don't do this intentionally. Imagine where he's resting his thumb is where I rest my thumb on the pick up.


Is this the wrong way to play a bass.
 

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#11
AH, I think I see what you're saying. That's a little more unusual. If I had to speculate wildly, I'd say that it might make fast playing a bit more difficult, but if speed isn't an issue for you (e.g., you're not planning on playing a ton of fingerstyle prog rock ... ), then it's probably ok.
 
#13
Puddin tame made an important general statement. RSI builds up slowly, so it's good to be careful.
I understand now you rest the outside of that thumb on the pickup, not the tip as is frequently seen.
This position MAY lead to moving the hand sideways too far (see nr. 3 of my points), but since you said your fingers aren't perpendicular with the strings, it's no problem. It will only inhibit speed.

If you allow me to make a few suggestions:
A good technique for blues pretty close to yours and pretty effective too is to rest the side of the hand on the bridge saddles (muting the strings when needed) and playing with thumb and index finger. A number of blues and soul bass players use it to get kind of a muffled sound.

A second option would be:



But also with these techniques: carry the arm with the shoulder muscles.
 
#14
soundgardenis said:
What do you mean? Do you think my style will injure me?




It does slow me down a bit but I don't play fast really.
Click to expand...
I don't know, i'm not a medical expert. I think as long as you're not feeling pain you're good to go. Uploading a picture of your hand in playing position couldn't hurt.

I know I used to play at an angle for years, and coincidentally my right index finger is really crooked (noticably moreso than my left). I've been playing straight since I noticed that 0_0. You say you're comfortable now because muscle memory takes something that would otherwise be awkward and makes it feel comfortable because you're used to it - that's why a teacher is good to stop bad habits early. And I suppose if you're 100% sure that you will never ever need to play fast notes to musically express yourself don't bother but it only takes a little persistence to reform your technique
 
#15
soundgardenis said:
When I play bass fingerstyle I rest my thumb on top of the pick up(not on the face) and my fingers are not straight. I have massive hands and my fingers come in at an angle. There not parralel with the strings but their not straight down. I can't help it. Is this improper technique. Its comfortable to me. I have healthy hands-knock on wood.

So they come in at a slant like / instead of like l you know what I mean?
Click to expand...

Do you like your sound? Do you have a good definition with your attack? Do you have strings ringing when you play? If so, you might consider changing your position if not, it is probably like an upright player would play the electric bass.

The main thing to check is the quality of your attack. It should not be too muddy.
 
#16
I've only been playing fingerstyle for about 3 weeks. Sometimes I just play with my thumb. I normally play with a pick. I saw a video last night where John Paul Jones shows all the songs he plays with a pick. He really enjoys it. So knowing that he does it I don't feel like such a goofball for playign with one. I've talked to several bassist too who said they have a hard time playing with a pick, but its always come real easy to me.

Also when I was reaching for the milk this morning I noticed a slight pain in my wrist, when I picked up the milk it hurt real bad so I think I'm not going to play like that anymore. I don't want to get carpal tunnel. I enjoy playing with a pick. I enjoy the attack and tone so I'm going to just continue playing with a pick and my thumb.

Thanks again for the input. Take care and good luck with your musical journey. I'll see you around on the forums.
 

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