"Same fret" technique

[Malcolm35]

Just in case...….. Adding the word "The" may clear up the problems some had with the following..

5th fret rule
The A at the 5th fret is the same as the open A string.
The D at the 5th fret is the same as the open D string.
The G at the 5th fret is the same as the open G string.

7th fret rule
The E at the 7th fret is the same as the E open string.
The A at the 7th fret is the same as the A open string.
The D at the 7th fret is the same as the D open string.

Sorry about that.

 

[chadface]

7th fret rule
The E at the 7th fret is the same as the E open string.

... But it's not the same - it is an octive higher.

 

[chadface]

What exactly do you mean by "rake", and why is it considered a bad thing? (Just curious.)

By raking I mean when descending from higher strings to lower ones, I keep using the same finger on the right hand. I honestly don't know why some say it's bad technique, something about always alternating fingers?

 

[red_rhino]

By raking I mean when descending from higher strings to lower ones, I keep using the same finger on the right hand. I honestly don't know why some say it's bad technique, something about always alternating fingers?

Nothing wrong with that at all. I do that all the time when it's the right thing to do. Sometimes I will alternate fingers while raking if it helps to set up the next thing I'm going to do. But I don't think about it consciously one way or the other.

Always let comfort, and good ergonomics be your guide.

 

[JacoLifeson]

A crazy same fret song is Tarkus by ELP if you guys are looking for some same fret practice

 

[Bassndrums73]

A crazy same fret song is Tarkus by ELP if you guys are looking for some same fret practice

Now you’re talking my language. My all time favorite band.

 

[Les Fret]

Rolling 4ths on the same finger offer muting possibilities. Rarely do I split the fingers unless necessary, especially on a fretless. Jaco, Rocco... to play a lot of their lines it's absolutely necessary. Rocco especially makes use of the muting.

It's not an easy technique to get fluid, it takes a while to get used to that touch and shifting it between strings.

Yes it is a basic technique to be able to play a barre with 3 or 4 or 1. Lets say you play a power chord. AEA' on three strings. You could play 134, 144 or 133. The first two are the most common.

I don't know the exact phrase the OP is trying to play since his number system of E3 and A5 is very confusing. So no idea what the phrase is exactly.

 

[SteveCS]

Yes it a basic technique to be able to play a barree with 3 and 4. Lets say you play a power chord. AEA' on three strings. You could play 134, 144 or 133. The first two are the most common.

I don't the exact same phrase the OP is trying to play since his number system of E3 and A5 is confusing. So no idea what phrase is exactly.

I was confused until I realised it is TAB in text format...

 

[Les Fret]

I was confused until I realised it is TAB in text format...

View attachment 3804129

Ok thanks. Now I understand. Not something I would use.

 

[vindibona1]

Do whatever it takes to play it correctly. Use your own judgment.

I'll take that a step further. First, do whatever you think is the most efficient. Then, if you have the ears, do what sounds the best. They may be two different things. I'm working on a single lick now that I'm using as a "speed developer". The lick involves 16th notes where one portion alternates between two strings in succession, the first two notes are on the different frets/different strings and the second two notes are same fret/different strings (same strings as the first two notes). From a fingering standpoint it is easier to keep my 3rd finger on one string and keep my fourth finger in reserve for the third note....

...HOWEVER, using the 3rd and 4th fingers adjacent to each other on different strings isn't necessarily the best option. While using two fingers on two strings might make accessing all the notes in time, there is a difference musically in terms of STOPPING the notes. Using the same finger on both notes allows the first note to stop ringing in a stylistically pleasing way, while using both the 3rd and 4th finger requires a different set of mechanics, possibly in both hands to make sure the note lengths are long enough, but not too long to make it unmusical.

In the case of the OP with "stubby" fingers, it would seem to me that using just one finger might be the easier way to go. But one thing that also needs to be addressed is basic hand and wrist positioning so the fingers can curl up and around and down on the strings and less "across" the strings. In other words, finger attack angle might need to be addressed as well as these other issues.

 

[vindibona1]

You bet . Putting the barre down is one thing. Getting it out of the way is another thing altogether...
View attachment 3796158

I really liked this exercise and have printed it out. It is on my music stand right now. This little gem has so many nuggets for a developing bass player. 1st, tactically I had to figure out how I wanted to play all the triplet figures so they'd connect. It's one of those things that is helping meld the concepts of fingerboard note placement and finger fluidity. It's going to help me going forward to know how to sight read these groupings should I come across them in the future having dissected them now. Next, though the notes are the same in each portion of the exercise, it provides musical nuance from 6/8 to 3/4, introducing a hemiola into the same music pattern where 1-2-3 4-5-6 becomes 1-2 3-4 5-6, OR one could ignore the note groupings and play the duplets as if they were triplets.

Thanks for sharing this, Steve.

 

[SteveCS]

I really liked this exercise and have printed it out. It is on my music stand right now. This little gem has so many nuggets for a developing bass player. 1st, tactically I had to figure out how I wanted to play all the triplet figures so they'd connect. It's one of those things that is helping meld the concepts of fingerboard note placement and finger fluidity. It's going to help me going forward to know how to sight read these groupings should I come across them in the future having dissected them now. Next, though the notes are the same in each portion of the exercise, it provides musical nuance from 6/8 to 3/4, introducing a hemiola into the same music pattern where 1-2-3 4-5-6 becomes 1-2 3-4 5-6, OR one could ignore the note groupings and play the duplets as if they were triplets.

Thanks for sharing this, Steve.

@vindibona1
You are welcome, and I'm pleased that you found it useful. I've stacks of this type of illustrative mini-study thing that I've put together over the years. Be sure to play the quavers in measures 7-10 straight, no swing, and with well defined accents.

 

[vindibona1]

@vindibona1
You are welcome, and I'm pleased that you found it useful. I've stacks of this type of illustrative mini-study thing that I've put together over the years. Be sure to play the quavers in measures 7-10 straight, no swing, and with well defined accents.

For me, the exercise is largely learning fingerboard tactics as it's way different than trumpet which only has 7 finger combinations (how hard could it possibly be ?)and never changes position. There are usually two and sometimes three ways you can play something, and sometimes how you play something is determined by what comes next.

If I may say one thing to the OP who claims to be a beginner. Since you are at the beginning of your journey, while you're learning the basics ON the instrument, I'm going to encourage you to, at the same time, start learning to read music as you learn the notes on the bass. It looks daunting. But in reality it is nothing more than a graph, with the Y axis telling you which notes to play and the X axis telling you when to play them. While tablature can help get started by telling you where to place your fingers, standard notation can better help you know what you should expect to hear. In the learning process it can guide you far better than tablature can. And further down the line, standard notation will be able to provide you with the ability to play songs and understand exercises (like the one that SteveCS posted) that you've never heard before. JMO

 

[Stevej66]

Sorry everyone for the confusion. I don't have the facility to produce a stave on here, so it just seemed the easiest and quickest way to write down the example.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and advice. I don't get on as regularly as I'd like, so apologies for the time to catch up.

Vindibona - take your point about the music. I've been playing just over 4 months now, I do have some musical background, from years ago though! Played a bit of piano and violin as a kid, and sang a bit but I always found it easier to read the treble clef than the bass one - I probably should have chosen to learn lead/rhythm rather than bass.

So I've got the basics, like the example itself starting on a G and going up an octave with a fifth on a D in between. E3 A5 D5 just seemed an easier way to write it, but if I'm in a minority of one thinking that then I'll try to stop!

The upload above with the triplets, that's above my level of musical understanding though, so it'll take me a long time to work out what's happening and why it's a good exercise. Seems a good challenge to take on though, so I'll give it a try.

Thanks again everyone

Steve

 

[SteveCS]

For me, the exercise is largely learning fingerboard tactics ...

In that case, here's another one you might find useful (attached pdf). Starts at fret 15, goes all the way down to low F then back up again. The keys to this one is are 1) on the descent, combining 1-4-3 left hand fingering with a shift

on the ascent, in the first beats of bars 20, 21 and 22 - play each note of the first (descending) beat on a different string with fingers 1, 2 & 3 - moving down in pitch but moving up the neck.

 

[Les Fret]

I quickly wrote down a simple but great 4ths exercise in TAB for the non readers. Actually not that simple if you want to play it fluently and clear without any noise from lifting up the fingers. With this you can practice playing the same finger on two adjacent strings. Don't play barre but a sort of rolling motion from one string to another. Very useful exercise. Fingering is below the tab. Hope this helps.

 

[vindibona1]

In that case, here's another one you might find useful (attached pdf). Starts at fret 15, goes all the way down to low F then back up again. The keys to this one is are 1) on the descent, combining 1-4-3 left hand fingering with a shift
View attachment 3805702
on the ascent, in the first beats of bars 20, 21 and 22 - play each note of the first (descending) beat on a different string with fingers 1, 2 & 3 - moving down in pitch but moving up the neck.
View attachment 3805709

Thanks. I'll start working on those. The PDF should be very helpful. I'm not used to reading ledger lines in bass clef and will also give me an opportunity to work on it on 4/5/6 string basses. I haven't done much with my 6er yet.

 

[Stevej66]

Thanks for the uploads Steve, I had a go at them last night. The big one on Page 2 of this, if you start at the very top left (and let's face it that's the traditional approach) then the first note is a C, yes? So CDE, then down a fourth to BCD and so on.

Because it starts above the stave, I took that to mean that I should use the high C (either G string 5th fret or D string 10th - I didn't fancy the 17th on G). Once I got OK with that I knocked it down a octave and played from A string 3rd fret.

I tried to build in my interpretation of the 4 different time signatures, not really sure how close I am to it, but at least it got me playing 4 different versions. Fingering was a bit variable, and I hope to keep working at a more consistent use of the same fingers. Would it be a good approach to use index middle little if there's a two fret gap, or index then middle or ring depending on where the half tone is?

I actually really enjoyed the exercise, and it's another big step forward in learning the board. Anything else you could recommend I use in it?

Thanks again

Steve

 

[vindibona1]

Thanks for the uploads Steve, I had a go at them last night. The big one on Page 2 of this, if you start at the very top left (and let's face it that's the traditional approach) then the first note is a C, yes? So CDE, then down a fourth to BCD and so on.

Because it starts above the stave, I took that to mean that I should use the high C (either G string 5th fret or D string 10th - I didn't fancy the 17th on G). Once I got OK with that I knocked it down a octave and played from A string 3rd fret.

I tried to build in my interpretation of the 4 different time signatures, not really sure how close I am to it, but at least it got me playing 4 different versions. Fingering was a bit variable, and I hope to keep working at a more consistent use of the same fingers. Would it be a good approach to use index middle little if there's a two fret gap, or index then middle or ring depending on where the half tone is?

I actually really enjoyed the exercise, and it's another big step forward in learning the board. Anything else you could recommend I use in it?

Thanks again

Steve

These are great exercises for learning the fingerboard.

If we're looking at the same exercise (the first one @SteveCS posted), please note that the notes are C# D# E B C# D# etc. If you start with the 4th finger on the C# (Dstring/11) the first two figures can be played in that position, then shift for the third triplet (beginning on A) so the 2nd finger is on the A (D-7) and the rest can be played in that position.

Did you see the PDF from his SteveCS second posting of the dominant arpeggios in fourths? Another great exercise.

 

[SteveCS]

then the first note is a C, yes? So CDE, then down a fourth to BCD and so on.

If you look to the key signature, it is E major, so...

please note that the notes are C# D# E B C# D# etc.