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One finger
- Thread starter green3101
- Start date
Just had surgery on my middle finger, so I will be joining the one finger club for the foreseeable future.
Me too but I couldn't think what else you'd mean by reset your finger. I probably could've phrased it better.
I played with one finger for a couple decades. Then, after a decade layoff due to a wrist injury, I came back, and my index finger isn't as fast as it needs to be on it's own, so...I learned to play with two fingers, which works.
That said, the transition was painful - it took a lot of time to "unlearn" my one finger habit. I would encourage beginners to start with and stick with two fingers. There are techniques (I play simultaneous octaves and such) where one finger simply doesn't work, and fast stuff is much easier to play well with two fingers. It's a big advantage - don't throw it away.
James Jamerson died at age 47. If he'd lived long enough to be my age, he probably would have benefitted from being able to play with two fingers. Sadly, not to be...
That said, the transition was painful - it took a lot of time to "unlearn" my one finger habit. I would encourage beginners to start with and stick with two fingers. There are techniques (I play simultaneous octaves and such) where one finger simply doesn't work, and fast stuff is much easier to play well with two fingers. It's a big advantage - don't throw it away.
James Jamerson died at age 47. If he'd lived long enough to be my age, he probably would have benefitted from being able to play with two fingers. Sadly, not to be...
For slow and medium pace songs I use only one finger but when things get faster, I use two otherwise it wouldn’t work.
It seems to me my notes are more regular with 1 finger playing technique but it’s my feeling on stage, not in the audience.
I'm not a professional musician so it’s worth what it’s worth.
It seems to me my notes are more regular with 1 finger playing technique but it’s my feeling on stage, not in the audience.
I'm not a professional musician so it’s worth what it’s worth.
My distinction is that a rake, at whatever speed to suit tempo, is one continuous movement of one fingertip across two adjecent strings along a single, almost straight, path. By 'reset' I meant a pause combined with a lift and/or a short reverse before moving on.
Whatever gets the job done is ideal! Saying that, I was always conscious that as I age I wanted to have options and spread out the stress so I could continue playing for as long as I want. That stress is probably worse(for the last 30+ years) as I work on a computer all day.
- Apr 6, 2007
- 777
- 538
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Fishman Transducers, Aguilar Amplifiers, Ear Trumpet Labs
I prefer use just my index finger whenever possible because I think it sounds better. When you play busier parts with just one finger, like Jamerson, you get a different feel that I happen to really like. It’s like the difference between playing 16th notes on a hi-hat with 2 hands (smooth) or 1 (a little grittier, more intensity).
I think of it in terms of tapping out a rhythm with my fingers.
If you were tapping out a rhythm with your hands (like playing bongo's), would you only use one hand? Probably not.
If you were tapping out a rhythm using two hands, would you always strictly alternate between the two? probably not.
It is more like a dance to the rhythm. Let your fingers dance.
If you were tapping out a rhythm with your hands (like playing bongo's), would you only use one hand? Probably not.
If you were tapping out a rhythm using two hands, would you always strictly alternate between the two? probably not.
It is more like a dance to the rhythm. Let your fingers dance.
You still have your thumb, your index finger, your ring finger, and (even) your pinky.
I like Favorite Child - it sounds very professional.
I think I mostly play with one finger.
To me it's all a rhythm thing. Mostly just the index finger, but the middle finger slips in sometimes if I want that little someting.
Sometimes I play with the index and middle together - like they are taped together to make one big fat finger.
Sometimes (rare), I play with my thumb.
Just depends... on faster 16th note stuff, I use two fingers. If the whole song is just 16th notes, I will sometimes reach for a pick.
To me it's all a rhythm thing. Mostly just the index finger, but the middle finger slips in sometimes if I want that little someting.
Sometimes I play with the index and middle together - like they are taped together to make one big fat finger.
Sometimes (rare), I play with my thumb.
Just depends... on faster 16th note stuff, I use two fingers. If the whole song is just 16th notes, I will sometimes reach for a pick.
I'm an index and thumb player exclusively. I can use my middle finger if I needed to in a pinch but I end up messing up with it if I try to rely on it. I guess I just prefer the index and thumb the most, my other fingers do not have the same dexterity.
When I started playing, I did not have any electric bass instruction books, but I did have a copy of the Noad classical guitar method kicking around. He makes a distinction between a “free stroke”, where the finger only makes contact with the string being plucked and comes to rest above them, and a “rest stroke” where the finger comes to rest on the adjacent string. Whether or not a rest stroke is considered a partial rake seems kind of academic. It seems to me that most traditional two finger electric playing is largely rest strokes. In a purely theoretical sense, yes- any two rest strokes in same direction could be considered a rake, even if not in quick succession.
Why limit yourself to only two fingers?
Why not three? Billy Sheehan uses three.
It only takes a little practice to get it down.
I sometimes use three fingers. You are right, it only takes a little practice and comes in handy (no pun intended). I like using three fingers to pluck three note chords so all the notes happen at the same time.
On the other hand (no pun) Gary Willis uses three plucking fingers. So there's that.
There's the misunderstanding, right there. I almost never play notes for their written duration unless I'm practising scales. So I tend to pluck with a finger that's already resting on the string. Could be why I don't find a lot of use for raking.
It's a good exercise to see how far you can go with one finger. Faster finger-muted style work won't be possible though, and string skipping / moving back and forth across adjacent strings will be a challenge.
I suppose it really depends on what style you're doing. Country / blues one finger does the job.
I suppose it really depends on what style you're doing. Country / blues one finger does the job.
My middle finger on my right (plucking hand) was shortened by an accident.
I can sort of use it, but have begun experimenting with using the third finger instead.
To answer the question outright: I use (almost) only my first finger. When the song proves too fast, I reach for a pick.
[EDIT]: I was Shanghai(ed) into playing the bass. I was a guitar player. I got my equipment three weeks from our first gig.
I didn't learn to use my fingers until about six months in.
I can sort of use it, but have begun experimenting with using the third finger instead.
To answer the question outright: I use (almost) only my first finger. When the song proves too fast, I reach for a pick.
[EDIT]: I was Shanghai(ed) into playing the bass. I was a guitar player. I got my equipment three weeks from our first gig.
I didn't learn to use my fingers until about six months in.
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