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Playing High

lowphatbass

lowphatbass

****
Feb 25, 2005
5,995
5,629
west coast
#1
Probably not what you think, but I could write a book on that too.
I find that when I work my way-up above the 12th fret during a solo I instinctively move my right hand back toward the bridge. It almost certainly comes from playing a J and an UB for so many years. It's a good thing otherwise it wouldn't have happened, but I'm not sure it's working so well with my P, it can get thin back there.

Anybody find it necessary to use very different right hand techniques with different basses? I'm sure with some time I'd be able to work another trick in the bag, but there's going to be work involved.
 
#2
I don't use different right hand techniques when playing higher up on the fretboard as opposed to lower down. I'm not sure why you're doing that. the only thing I do maybe is shift the entire bass a little to the left so that my hands are right in front of me when playing up there - more comfortable that way. if your tone is thin in the higher notes, maybe adjust the amp so the treble cuts through better
 
#5
It kind of makes sense, if you say you're plucking 2/3 down the string when playing an open note by plucking at the neck, plucking closer to the bridge when fretting a high note might maintain that 2/3 for an equivalent timbre. But that's ignoring pickup placement I guess, just thinking about the physics of the string.
 
#6
lowphatbass said:
Anybody find it necessary to use very different right hand techniques with different basses? I'm sure with some time I'd be able to work another trick in the bag, but there's going to be work involved.
Click to expand...

I don't know about very different right hand techniques, but I've definitely found that different basses have different sweet spots and will respond at least a little differently to the same technique. A longer scale instrument will have a little more playing area around the pickups and bridge and may give you a few more tonal options (subtle as they may be), a bass with higher action will sound a bit different than one with low action, especially if you are slapping, and you won't be able to "dig in" quite as much without the strings clacking on the frets. I definitely play different basses, especially ones with different scale lengths, in different spots. I don't adjust my actual technique much beyond very slight variations...but I am also a bass builder so I set up my instruments in a similar ways.
 
#8
XylemBassGuitar said:
I don't know about very different right hand techniques, but I've definitely found that different basses have different sweet spots and will respond at least a little differently to the same technique. A longer scale instrument will have a little more playing area around the pickups and bridge and may give you a few more tonal options (subtle as they may be), a bass with higher action will sound a bit different than one with low action, especially if you are slapping, and you won't be able to "dig in" quite as much without the strings clacking on the frets. I definitely play different basses, especially ones with different scale lengths, in different spots. I don't adjust my actual technique much beyond very slight variations...but I am also a bass builder so I set up my instruments in a similar ways.
Click to expand...
Yea,

I think what I'm finding with the P is there's a lack of additional mids to be found by plucking further back toward the bridge. It makes some sense do to the lack of a bridge pick-up. There just isn't a "sweet spot" back there like there has been on all my other basses. I'm fooling around with different strings, different touch with the right hand, all that kind of stuff. So far I've been able to find a good ensemble tone but it's just not poking through much for solo's. It's a limitation that I'm accepting of, ultimately I think it's going to take a variation in my rig to get much further with though. As it is I've been happy playing it here and there, mostly blues type gigs and what not, learning to play a Four on the gig has
really "herded" my playing and simplified things in a lot of respects. It's keeping me "simple and honest", just laying it down and passing-up more solos.
 
#11
I've noticed some slight variations, but I suspect it has more to do with slightly compensating the bass' position.

I normally play right over the bridge pickup, but when running through that descending piece (around the ~2:00, I think) of Dream Theater's "A Change of Seasons," I noticed that my plucking hand was nearly over the neck pickup, as if it was imitating the direction of my fretting hand.
 
#12
I probably need to become more aware of my RH placement, as I've noticed when playing harmonics, they seem to sound better near the bridge, however, if I'm using a pick, and I play too near the bridge, I get hideous screeches. Usually though, I have my hand over my neck pickup.
 
#13
When you fret a note you are shortening the vibrating length on that string. As you shorten the length of the string you shorten all the characteristics of the vibration. This includes the optimum place to pluck the string. The difference is, IMO, generally unnoticable on bass guitar or playing pizz on DB. When playing with a bow on the other hand, the placement of the bow almost has to move closer to the bridge to compensate. Otherwise the note will be more difficult to produce.
 

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