Not sure if technique is bad or setup is bad or both

[pcake]

@micguy -- That makes a lot of sense. I don't think the clanking is "bad," but to your point, I want to be able to control it. Right now, it just feels accidental.
@Reedt2000 -- Thank you for the tip on the thumb position. I'll try that. The compressor is definitely a double edged sword!
@pcake -- Yeah, I can see it being useful in a number of settings, especially depending on the bassline and drums.
@Les Fret -- Thanks for the arm positioning advice; I'll try that. I'm definitely over-indexing on care right now for sure. Partially because I'm trying to figure out some mechanics, but also, my natural tendency is to Hulk smash the strings, and I'm working to overcome it. I will work on the balance.
@SteveCS -- That's a really insightful observation about the liftoff and rebound of the string. I watched again in slo-mo and see what you're saying. Thank you for pointing that out.

I think I have a pretty clear path forward now, so thank you all again. I want to be able to play rapid two-finger plucking patterns in the clankiest positions smoothly if I try, so I'm going to focus practice time over the next few days into getting my plucking from the bottom of the string up to my chin to be a second-nature feeling and habit, then try to loosen up and make it a little more musical. Definitely also going to work the arm position / biomechanics angle to maximize the natural likelihood of just "accidentally" getting the right striking angle down.

It's so funny to me how many people who are starting bass as their first instrument say that finger style feels so natural to them. It feels so alien to me after so many years of picking a guitar that not only is my right hand bad at it, but also my left hand stops working well because of how much concentration I'm putting into the right hand!

i started with classical and fingerstyle guitar over 50 years ago, and happily moved to fingerstyle bass when i started playing bass in 1993 - i tried various picks, but they weren't for me. my husband, who's been a pick player on guitar for several decades, plays bass fingerstyle even though he dislikes playing fingerstyle guitar.

 

[Dirk Rockbottom]

Thanks, y'all. This has all been super helpful. I'm something like 99% certain it's technique at this point. The diagram was especially helpful, @SteveCS -- thank you.

@Polfuste -- I don't think I'm attacking too hard, but I guess I could be. Thanks for the link to that guide. I'll check it out.
@pcake -- Yeah, I think I'm just mashing the string into the fret.
@mambo4 -- This makes sense. Trying to do this intentionally is yielding better results.
@Lobster11 -- I always play plugged in.
@Reedt2000 -- I don't think I'm hitting the poles, but I will try lowering the pickup height a bit and see how that goes.
@JKos -- I am a pretty aggressive guitar player, and I think that habit is hurting me a lot here. I have a compressor pedal and an amp with good controls. I need to focus on letting those do the work, I think.

Here's a video; hope this is useful. In this, I'm trying to be a little more parallel to the body (vs. pressing down), but also, not overthinking it so that some of the clacking comes through so it's for sure audible.[This invalid link has been removed]

Really appreciate everyone's willingness to offer help. Have a great night.

I'm a little late to this discussion, but you're technique looks fine. But your action looks low. Try doing a setup following John Carruthers (Mr. High Action LOL) recommendations. If the clack is happening up and down the board it's more likely the truss rod needs more relief. I have the same problem. I tend to pluck the A string too hard.

 

[Shenron]

Hi all--I've been playing guitar for almost 30 years and play at a pretty high skill level. I also do work on my own guitars, and have done for ages. Sharing both of these because either one could be screwing me up.

About a year or so, I decided I wanted to learn the bass, and I'm playing on a Fender American Performer P/J 4-string. I started out playing with a pick, and I got to a pretty ok capability level with it and decided that I should learn to play with my fingers. And that's when everything fell all to pieces.

When I use my index and middle finger, I have to be ridiculously careful to avoid clanking the strings. The clanking seems to be coming from the strings being depressed onto the fret wire and making a truly unpleasant thwacking noise. I try not to press the strings down with my right hand when I'm plucking them, but pull them gently parallel to the body of the guitar.

This doesn't happen with the pick at all. I set the bass up a month or so ago, and I could recheck the truss rod, make sure my nut's filed correctly, reset the bridge saddle height, etc., but I'm wondering if this is likely a technique issue first and foremost. To be honest, my action feels kind of high. I don't get fret buzz, and the measurements were all dead on when I did the setup.

But again, I'm used to doing this on a guitar, so I'm wondering if there are setup nuances I'm fully missing on the bass or if this is primarily likely to be a technique issue.

Any advice is welcome, and if anything is unclear, please let me know. Thanks so much!

My thoughts as someone who also started bass recently after almost 30 yrs on guitar.

I am not sure what are the standards but I think my bass setup is fairly high: I just measured it and the distance between the top of the fret and the center-width of the E string is 2 millimeters at the 1st fret, and 5 millimeters at the 22nd fret. I have no buzz whatsoever, and when playing with fingers (other than slap/popping) my strings never seem to hit back onto the frets, so I guess my regular picking motion is quite sideways wrt the strings, not into/away from the bass body.

But I do get some "clanking" sound all the time... however I think my clanking is due to my nails hitting the strings at the very end of the fingerpicking movement i.e. when the finger releases the string. My nails are attached to the flesh of my fingers quite up to the end of the fingertip, no matter how short I cut my nails: if I look at my fingers from their side, the nail's end is vertically aligned with the fingertip's end (or even more outwards on the pinky). I have no way around it unless i decided to extirpate my nails completely, which I am not going to do. So it is quite difficult for me not to get a bit of a clanking sound when playing with fingers, and if I want to minimize the clanking I have to try a mix of playing more softly and actually not picking sideways but rather "brush" outwards a bit with the fleshy part of my fingertips.

See if maybe this is somewhat familiar to you or another case completely.

 

[SteveCS]

but I think my bass setup is fairly high: I just measured it and the distance between the top of the fret and the center-width of the E string is 2 millimeters at the 1st fret, and 5 millimeters at the 22nd fret. I have no buzz whatsoever,

5mm is very high and the difference from 12 to 22 suggests that the neck relief isn't set right. It is little wonder you have no buzz!

 

[Shenron]

5mm is very high and the difference from 12 to 22 suggests that the neck relief isn't set right. It is little wonder you have no buzz!

Yes, as I mentioned, I think my setup is quite high, but please let's not derail the thread. I was merely pointing it out to say that my own clanking does not come from the strings hitting on the frets but from my nails, in case the OP would want to check whether it might be the same for him.

 

[JKos]

E string is 2 millimeters at the 1st fret

That’s way too high.

 

[Dirk Rockbottom]

In my experience, hex core strings are much less prone to clacking. My favorites are D'addario EXL170.

 

[SteveCS]

...
That’s way too high.
...

FFS - I hadn't even noticed 1st (first) fret, simply because 2mm at 1st fret is so far beyond any reasonable boundary condition that skim-reading resulted in my mind rejecting the 1 and replaced it with 12. With 2mm at 1st I don't see how it can even play in tune!!

...
top of the fret and the center-width of the E string is 2 millimeters at the 1st fret,
...

Is it possible that you are using a non-standard measuring method? What do you mean by 'center-width'?

 

[Shenron]

Is it possible that you are using a non-standard measuring method? What do you mean by 'center-width'?

Can't take a decent picture of it, but anyway the fret itself is about 1mm high, from the top of the fret to the string there is another 1mm, and the E string is maybe 2mm thick, and by "center-width" I meant the middle of those 2mm of thickness.

 

[JKos]

@Shenron,
That’s definitely not the standard way to measure the string height. From the top of the fret to the bottom of the string is standard.

Fret at the first fret. Note the string height over the second fret. You need no more than that over the first fret when the string is open.

 

[SteveCS]

Can't take a decent picture of it, but anyway the fret itself is about 1mm high, from the top of the fret to the string there is another 1mm, and the E string is maybe 2mm thick, and by "center-width" I meant the middle of those 2mm of thickness.

yeah that's not the standard procedure. Action and relief are measured between the green lines, not the red ones:

 

[chris_b]

Raise the string height to the point where there is no buzz, clack etc.

Is that too high?

If it is then you have a technique problem. Turn your amp up, reduce the action a little and play softer. Go around that loop until you are happy.