Plucking Tone/Technique

[freekymayne]

Yet another right hand thread. I've been playing for about seven years, and for almost all of that time I've been playing fingerstyle. I can play sixteenth notes at 90BPM fine, but nothing faster. For the stuff that I play often/enjoy, this is perfectly adequate, but I wanted to play faster just to be able to. I read some of the threads here and ended up at studybass, where I learned that I'm "doing it wrong."

I pluck the strings "out" instead of rolling my fingers over top. I've tried the proper technique, and I like it to an extent. I can play faster, sixteenth notes at 100BPM instead, like this but I can't cross strings nearly half as well as I can when I pluck out. Should I try to become just as proficient with the proper way of playing fingerstyle? If so, can I get some suggestions to better my string crossing this way?

 

[Liv3rman]

There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to play my man. If you are competent, and even with your attack with your current method, stick with it. Anyone that says 'you are doing it wrong' is an a55hole.

 

[Koji_Sunioj]

When skipping strings, do you anchor down on the pickup or use floating thumb?

 

[winegamd]

When skipping strings, do you anchor down on the pickup or use floating thumb?

This will make a difference on the ease of string skipping with the "proper" technique you mentioned. If you anchor your thumb keeping your fingers straight or only slightly bent will be more natural.

When using floating thumb, plucking in a more vertical motion, or a free stroke, becomes more natural due to your hand being more closed than the "C" shape of anchoring.There are fast players that use both techniques.

The biggest key to speed is lightening your attack and turning up your amp. When you play hard your muscles are under constant tension and this puts resistance to your movement. When you loosen up and relax that tention disappears and you have freedom of movement.

This goes for both hands.

 

[freekymayne]

This will make a difference on the ease of string skipping with the "proper" technique you mentioned. If you anchor your thumb keeping your fingers straight or only slightly bent will be more natural.

When using floating thumb, plucking in a more vertical motion, or a free stroke, becomes more natural due to your hand being more closed than the "C" shape of anchoring.There are fast players that use both techniques.

The biggest key to speed is lightening your attack and turning up your amp. When you play hard your muscles are under constant tension and this puts resistance to your movement. When you loosen up and relax that tention disappears and you have freedom of movement.

This goes for both hands.

I usually anchor, though I tend to switch between using my fifth string and pickup as the anchor point depending upon what I'm playing.
I think that the second point, lightening the attack, is the main thing. It seems like I acquired the plucking-out technique because for the first year or two of playing I didn't have an amp. Thanks for the advice. I'm sure this will be very helpful. I'll post again in a while (hopefully) with results!

 

[Jbassrockboy]

Learning elementary right hand classical guitar technique will provide improvement in your bass playing if you are prepared to put effort into learning and practicing basic exercises under guidance of a properly trained teacher.

This includes releasing the thumb from the bondage of a fixed anchor.

At which point the thumb and fingers can learn full and sequential planting techniques.

These techniques provide dexterity
In the hands.

String crossing and leaps become effortless. Fast triplets and 16ths become the norm. Thumb and finger chords plucking becomes standard and string muting in any combination of fingers just falls into place..

It takes time to acquire it if you decide to go that way but something for you to think about..

 

[Fergie Fulton]

Yet another right hand thread. I've been playing for about seven years, and for almost all of that time I've been playing fingerstyle. I can play sixteenth notes at 90BPM fine, but nothing faster. For the stuff that I play often/enjoy, this is perfectly adequate, but I wanted to play faster just to be able to. I read some of the threads here and ended up at studybass, where I learned that I'm "doing it wrong."

I pluck the strings "out" instead of rolling my fingers over top. I've tried the proper technique, and I like it to an extent. I can play faster, sixteenth notes at 100BPM instead, like this but I can't cross strings nearly half as well as I can when I pluck out. Should I try to become just as proficient with the proper way of playing fingerstyle? If so, can I get some suggestions to better my string crossing this way?

Plucking techniques are more about how you feel amd relate to the beat, the function of any technique has to be its application or it is usless.
Check out the links, the framework is simple as it teaches you a basic count to work to, then feel, then adapt. It also allows you to stop amd judge where you should be at any given time. So you can correct where you have gone wrong.

Bass Trilogy

Pt.1

 

[thewildest]

Hi there, below are a few things that I have proved to myself about my right hand technique, beyond the generous feedback you have already gotten above.

1) Economy of motion/energy saves you great amounts or resources/time; maintain your fingers close to the strings, and make sure they travel as little as possible. I use a ramp on all my basses,and this definitively helps stopping your fingers to travel unnecessarily further down after hitting a note.

2) Given that you want to spend the time working on it, more fingers in action definitively adds speed to your plucking hand. I use mostly 3 (i, m, r) and the thumb when needed. I can see now that I have trained all 4 to sound uniformly that I can reach way faster speeds with 4 than I would do with 2.

3) Tone: travelling along the strings over the pickups to select the right tone is quite important, I mostly play as close to the bridge as possible, like this "trombone" sound out of the bass. In any case, make sure you use (on both hands) the tip of your fingers and reduce the interaction between string and finger to the minimum when playing.

4) What strings you use also changes things. I changed not long ago to DR Black Beauties, which at first "stick" to your fingers, way more than steel strings. When at first I believe this was a show stopper, ended being a great feature to me, as it gives me a micro-grip into the strings that helps me play way more dynamically than before, change attack withing the same fast lick... I would work on trying different strings

5) Bass size: for some people, shortest the scale and distance between strings, the fastest.You may want to check other instruments and see if you feel more comfortable.

6 and last) if you want to go faster, play slower. Make your brain connect your axons in the correct order so your muscle memory is formed correctly. Play at 0 speed, perfect pitch, perfect tone and build your speed from there.

I hope some of this helps. Peace,