Picked the wrong bass or my hands need more training?

Prolly just need some "stretch training" as u called it but also be sure to only stretch as much is comfortable. It shouldn't be uncomfortable, and FWIW I'm 3 inches taller than u and I'll still typically kinda move my hand up from moving from 1st to 4th

 

Generally, when my index is on the 1st fret, my pinky is on the 3rd fret. If I want to play a note on the 4th fret, I move my entire hand. Some of the names for this technique include "1-2-4 fingering," "upright bass technique," "Simandl method," or "shift; don't stretch!"

That said, there certainly are players who stretch all the way from the 1st to the 4th fret. I'm not saying they are "wrong" by any means, but if you can't make that stretch comfortably, my advice is, don't force it or hurt yourself.

 

I'm a woman who plays a 36" scale 5 string. All you need to do is practice. You're allowed to move your hand, even playing 'one finger per fret' (which is not a rule, by any means)

 

Best thing would be to find a good teacher to get some of the basics down. Bad habits are hard to break.

1-2-4 vs. one-finger-per-fret is somewhat of a religious battle. I use both techniques depending on where I am on the neck and what I'm trying to accomplish.

 

Never stretch. . . . . ever!

Move your hand to place your fingers over the note you want to play, every time.

 

Like others have said, just keep working on it and it'll get more comfortable to stretch. A big factor is how you hold the bass though.... try adjusting your strap up or down... when sitting try placing it on your other thigh (classical style). It tends to make for a more natural hand position.

 

I still shift (thumb pivot?) on medium/short scale basses Moving my whole hand >>>>> pinky injury.

 

No, but you could do skype lessons with Ant Wellington. He's awesome. Bassology - Anthony Wellington

 

agreed. I have a bass player friend that never played with a finger per fret... said he didnt see the point when you can just move your arm. Yea, that was like 20 years ago and he's still stuck on it. Makes larger necks and erb's almost unplayable for him, not to mention any complicated runs or chords. all he had to do was work on it for like 15 minutes each night and he's have corrected it in like a month.

 

Rocco Prestia didn’t stretch. He just moved his hand up and down the fretboard, and he played some pretty busy bass lines.

Sometimes top achievers have unconventional methods.

Try to find and develop a style that works for you. Just don’t disregard advice or instruction that may help you avoid discomfort or injury.

 

another piece of advice is to start at frets 8-12. I do that running a few scales/patterns up and down the strings... after I get back down to the B string, I move the whole deal down a fret... then repeat till Im at frets 1-4.
Sometimes its easier to learn it on the smaller frets, then adjust to the bigger ones rather than trying the biggest stretch right away.