Plucking with index and ring fingers

[monsterthompson]

hmmm. discovered it is harder to do this when playing while standing, despite being easier when sitting.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

I'm working on that index, mid, ring combination too (taking baby steps). I will add the thumb later for that Hadrien/Garrison technique. If you guys heard of NHOP, he does that technique on upright



you can see it around 0:15. Now, doing that on upright, that is the real challenge haha.

Nils is one of the greatest players ever....some of the younger players that think Jaco started the idea of extended playing with superb technical skills in the 70s, should check out what Nils was doing in the 50s early 60s.

 

[Jazzkuma]

yeah for sure, Niels is the first one with that technique but I gotta say that the guy that influenced NHOP was Scott Lafaro which was way before NHOP. So it does go way way before Jaco, Jaco is popular because he did it in electric bass, and that is what is the instrument that is more popular nowadays.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

i just started doing this today (plucking ring and index) and found it very comfortable.

if you've seen some of my previous posts in the amp and bass sub-forums you may know that i'm recovering from a spinal cord injury. two years ago, i broke my neck at the C3/4 vertebrae. i was paralyzed from the neck down instantly, and i've been fighting to recover since.

obviously, i've recovered enough to be playing bass again, but i still have quite a bit of nerve damage that restricts my playing. i found that my right hand picking was feeling awkward and my timing was inconsistent. i've been powering away with a metronome and hoping to just build my skills with drills.

today i noticed that my left hand (which is the most impaired region of my body, currently) had issues with coordinating the index and middle and that i was compensating by using my ring finger for fretting notes that i would have used my middle for, previous to my injury.

at first i thought that this might be a coordination predisposition in humans, along the lines of the test where you try to pat your head while you rub your belly. the right side and the left side often try to follow each other, so i thought i'd try going with that flow while picking. it also triggered a thought to look up the nerve pathways i'd learned about through my recovery, called dermatomes, which tell you what part of the body is controlled by which vertebrae level of the spinal cord.

notice on the chart above that there is a break in fingers, splitting them into groups of the index & middle (controlled by
C7), and ring & pinky (controlled by C8). it has me wondering if, for some people, that creates an effect on coordination of finger movement. think of it as having a dual processor computer, where one processor controls one group and a second processor controls the other. it may be more taxing on the processor to try to run the "alternate picking program instruction" for two fingers through a single processor than to run two paralel "picking program instructions" with each finger being handled by a separate processor.

i just put this here as food for thought. obviously, whatever works for you is what works for you. clearly there hasn't been an overwhelming number of players that use the ring/index technique.

I have been through similar, check out the links for some usefull info on recovery and feel free to ask any questions either by posting or PM me.

http://youtu.be/npti40xgb84

http://youtu.be/Mm5r8Tu6KJ4

 

[mntngrown]

A little late to this thread, but when I started playing bass in the sixties, I watched Entwhistle, Cassady, and others play with fingers and tossed my guitar playing pick method out in short order.
I quickly found I was faster with index and ring, (which happened to be similar in length) and went that route. Did a mean "My Generation" solo while still in high school with those.
Quit playing after college, but back in now.
I play two finger style but alternate mostly as an endurance method. The index is a super athlete but I switch back and forth using ring or middle as the 2nd finger so those wimpier fingers get a break. Looks like I am a 3 finger plucker, but really only two at a time. When I am using the middle I cock the wrist to compensate for the extra length.

 

[mntngrown]

A little late to this thread, but when I started playing bass in the sixties, I watched Entwhistle, Cassady, and others play with fingers and tossed my guitar playing pick method out in short order.
I quickly found I was faster with index and ring, (which happened to be similar in length) and went that route. Did a mean "My Generation" solo while still in high school with those.
Quit playing after college, but back in now.
I play two finger style but alternate mostly as an endurance method. The index is a super athlete but I switch back and forth using ring or middle as the 2nd finger so those wimpier fingers get a break. Looks like I am a 3 finger plucker, but really only two at a time. When I am using the middle I cock the wrist to compensate for the extra length.

 

[amerbs38]

I use different combinations of all five fingers. For real speed I use thumb and the first 3 fingers to get as fast as playing with a pick on guitar. On descending runs sometimes I use four fingers (no thumb) but the little finger is too weak to use for ascending runs (I`ve found).