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[Poll] How do YOU play the bass?
- Thread starter AxxGrey
- Start date
Mostly finger style using index and middle. How I first learned on DB in grade school orchestra.
Got an electric bass guitar in jr high started playing with index and ring, because the fingers were about the same length. Dropped DB, unfortunately [biggest regret of my life].
Forward to college, tried [unsuccessfully] picking up DB again and went back to index and middle. Sometimes use all three, but in a random way - not i-m-r, r-m-i, nor galloping - more like i-m-i-r - but more random. If playing with one finger, like pumping roots, usually use the ring finger.
Sometimes use floating thumb, sometimes anchor - depending where I'm picking for tone will anchor to the top of a pup, the pick guard, even the bridge. I mostly like plucking right behind the bridge pup between the bridge - lots of stiff attack. Or right in front of the bridge pup - a little more boomy and strings are a little looser. If I want to simulate a DB will anchor to side of neck and play over front of fretboard - does give the sound the woody slap and string "bloom".
Thumb, index, and middle for slap and pop.
Started using a pick. Alternate between all downstrokes, but use a lot of alternating up/down on fast songs and passages.
Got an electric bass guitar in jr high started playing with index and ring, because the fingers were about the same length. Dropped DB, unfortunately [biggest regret of my life].
Forward to college, tried [unsuccessfully] picking up DB again and went back to index and middle. Sometimes use all three, but in a random way - not i-m-r, r-m-i, nor galloping - more like i-m-i-r - but more random. If playing with one finger, like pumping roots, usually use the ring finger.
Sometimes use floating thumb, sometimes anchor - depending where I'm picking for tone will anchor to the top of a pup, the pick guard, even the bridge. I mostly like plucking right behind the bridge pup between the bridge - lots of stiff attack. Or right in front of the bridge pup - a little more boomy and strings are a little looser. If I want to simulate a DB will anchor to side of neck and play over front of fretboard - does give the sound the woody slap and string "bloom".
Thumb, index, and middle for slap and pop.
Started using a pick. Alternate between all downstrokes, but use a lot of alternating up/down on fast songs and passages.
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Two fingers, slap and pop, and tapping only if I'm playing a Primus tune.
Floating thumb, too. Playing a six-string gets you into that habit pretty quickly.
Floating thumb, too. Playing a six-string gets you into that habit pretty quickly.
For "Other" you forgot to include the "flamenco" Geddy Lee thing.
Also, I saw Stu Hamm up close and personal Saturday night. For more than a few chording parts, he basically used his right hand pointing finger as a large, fast, brush-across-the-strings hammer pick similar to Geddy but much different. There were also 2-handed, multi-finger tapping(noting) methods used, and the very unique slide in opposite directions fingered notes thing. I guess for "How" Stu would say "Every-which-way".
Also, I saw Stu Hamm up close and personal Saturday night. For more than a few chording parts, he basically used his right hand pointing finger as a large, fast, brush-across-the-strings hammer pick similar to Geddy but much different. There were also 2-handed, multi-finger tapping(noting) methods used, and the very unique slide in opposite directions fingered notes thing. I guess for "How" Stu would say "Every-which-way".
I use three but also do a reasonably amount of tapping, and will occasionally use thumb and first finger for certain things. As well as silly slide stuff if I find myself with a mic stand...
I play fingerstyle with two or three fingers, use a pick when the song calls for it, and slap if a song calls for it. I voted "other".
I do something a bit different, I use a thumb pick, so that I can change from Picking (up and down), slapping (the thumb pick doesn't get in the way), fingerstyle (but more like guitar fingerstyle where you use all of youre fingers and thumb, since the pick does get in the way when I use floating thumb, but when doing regular fingertyle I use 3 fingers.), and tapping.
I often do all of these in one song.
I often do all of these in one song.
