Speed exercises

[matius88]

hi, im trying to workout this two sections of my playing:

the first one: more speed in quarter notes, for example i need exercises to gain speed for playing songs like what is hip (tower of power), do you have some?, im messing with scales but i dont know if there is another way to gain speed.

the second one: Speed when playing octaves for example TT 88(river people of jaco is a example) the same as above if there is some kind of excercise to achieve more speed it will be great!

 

[BassChuck]

A lot of times with technical stuff doing the opposite is what builds the technique. For instance, for speed get it right very, very slow and then build up to the performance speed. Metronomes will help, but only in that they keep you from speeding up and let you know when you have to go slower.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

hi, im trying to workout this two sections of my playing:

the first one: more speed in quarter notes, for example i need exercises to gain speed for playing songs like what is hip (tower of power), do you have some?, im messing with scales but i dont know if there is another way to gain speed.

the second one: Speed when playing octaves for example TT 88(river people of jaco is a example) the same as above if there is some kind of excercise to achieve more speed it will be great!

Speed is a by product of many thing of dexterity, technique, familiarity of technique, familiarity with the material, your string tensions etc... But dexterity and stamina can be improved fast and that will allow you to play faster for longer.
Check out the link, this should help you develop even playing across strings, develop stamina, and help you feel time as well.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Check out the link, this should help you develop even playing across strings, develop stamina, and help you feel time as well.

I've never paid too much attention to my right hand fingers – it came naturally to me, but your video made me realize that I'm doing something wrong.
You start playing with the index finger (1) first.
Usually I start with my middle - 2 (or even ring – 3) finger, unless there is some immediate movement down, going from one string to a neighboring one, or jumping one or more strings(string crossing).


I would start the 16th note bassline “Come on with it” with my middle finger (2) or the groove from “Soul with the capital S” with my ring finger (3) – it's stronger.
See attached.
If I'm playing Bach's Prelude in C minor or “trying” Teen Town – Weather Report, then I'd start with my index finger (1).

 

[Fergie Fulton]

I've never paid too much attention to my right hand fingers – it came naturally to me, but your video made me realize that I'm doing something wrong.
You start playing with the index finger (1) first.
Usually I start with my middle - 2 (or even ring – 3) finger, unless there is some immediate movement down, going from one string to a neighboring one, or jumping one or more strings(string crossing).


I would start the 16th note bassline “Come on with it” with my middle finger (2) or the groove from “Soul with the capital S” with my ring finger (3) – it's stronger.
See attached.
If I'm playing Bach's Prelude in C minor or “trying” Teen Town – Weather Report, then I'd start with my index finger (1).

You are not doing anything wrong, i never stated a finger to lead with, lead with what ever finger suits you.
Its about how you sub-divide, not what fingers you lead with or use......you are missing the one of the points of the exercises, which is to stop players from assigning preferred fingers from a technique and use fingers that service the music.

 

[SR300DX]

My instructor suggested an exercise to walk up the fret board using whole note (1st fret) 2 half notes (2nd fret) 4 quarter notes (3rd fret) and 8 eight notes (4th fret) and so on, all the way up and then the same approach on the way down. Another good exercise is to play quarter notes or eight notes on each fret, but change the count per measure, such as 4 beats (1st fret) 2 beats (2nd fret) 1 beat (3rd fret) and a half beat (4th fret). I have found it really helps to coordinated both hands together. Another variation would be to apply the same approach to triads and arpeggios.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Its about how you sub-divide, not what fingers you lead with or use......you are missing the one of the points of the exercises, which is to stop players from assigning preferred fingers from a technique and use fingers that service the music.

I've noticed that there are almost no books for bass guitar players showing right hand fingering.

I would like to ask you about right hand fingers while playing cross-string triplets.
See attached.

My right hand (1) automatically (without any thinking) plays those triplets with the Middle Finger (or the Ring Finger), just sliding up.

I've decided to change it.
With my planning, I use the middle finger for the first note on the G string, the index finger for the second note on the string D, and the thumb plays the last triplet note on the string A.
How would you play those triplets?

 

[Tomkat8]

Check out some of billy sheehans educational material... You could use a raking technique. In which you slide one finger across all three strings g d a . And can combine that alternating fingers.. Economy of motion, but sounds like your doing a lot more... Btw sounds like you were raking in the first place

 

[jordan2]

There are a couple of exercises that I have done at different times and they have helped my speed a surprising amount.

Here are some

1 Chromatic Scale
-Set Metronome to quarter notes and count/play 16ths (start maybe around 70bpm)
-Play chromatics starting on the 5th fret of the e string playing 5 notes a string and ending on the 9th fret of the g string then come back down the same way.
-Start playing 4 strokes per note, do that once. Then do 2 strokes per note and finally 1 stroke per note (you might have to slow down the tempo a bit for this.

2 Spider Walk-(this is done in a similar way to chromatic scale but with more complicated left hand and string crossing)
-Same thing goes for setting up metronome and counting and stokes.
-The spiderwalk is a shape or pattern that uses tritones and thirds, to get an idea here is some of it tabbed out.

----4-2-------6-4
---3---3-----5---5
--2-----4---4-----6
-1-------5-3-------7 continuing up the neck and then coming back down.


3 For working on octaves and stuff like that Jaco grooves work really well (I believe you might already be doing this). Just listen to some of the lines he uses frequently and play them to a click (or not).

Those are a couple ideas hope some of it is useful

 

[jd_watt]

Any more info on raking or economy fingering? I'm interested to see if it will help with fast passages rather than strict alternating plucking. I'm looking to pull off some Flea action such as:

Maybe that's alternating though... or a combination of both.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

I've noticed that there are almost no books for bass guitar players showing right hand fingering.

I would like to ask you about right hand fingers while playing cross-string triplets.
See attached.

My right hand (1) automatically (without any thinking) plays those triplets with the Middle Finger (or the Ring Finger), just sliding up.

I've decided to change it.
With my planning, I use the middle finger for the first note on the G string, the index finger for the second note on the string D, and the thumb plays the last triplet note on the string A.
How would you play those triplets?

Without the information of the bars before or after (so i know where i have come from and where i am doing) i would for your example change from my two finger technique to a three finger one for the trips.
I would play them as you would by assigning a finger per string, so each one one of the notes can be played similar to a "banjo roll".

Because they are minor 7ths traids the fretting hand can cord them and let the plucking hand arpegiate them from the little finger side to the thumb (ulnar side to radial).
If i was playing them from there root positions i would reverse my action...but still hold the cord position (or pre-shape it ), so i again could play them with the same action but leading from the thumb side (radial side).

As for books with fingering numbers, that is really a non-issue, part of being a player is playing what is best for you, not what others can do.....fingerings fall into the category of experience.
Experience will teach use to use what works best for us, so a player will learn to "fret map" their fretting use, and meld it with there plucking hand use to make a piece flow with ease, while sounding as smooth as possible.

Un-like bowing, there are no direction marks for finger plucking, but you could using bowing notation to assign a two finger, or pick use, because it would show two separate motions to apply.
Tab uses specific finger use for fretting......which can be a benefit or a hinderance.
Its a hinderance in playing music, but a benefit to practice it with strict control over the fingers used.
I set out many exercises or studies using a highlight marker to show what fingers i want to see being used.
Each colour is a finger so to speak, and if need be i will mark the players fingernail with the colour, so the player can have a visual representation, to help reinforce the use.

It means exercises and studies can show what fingers can be used and make sure practice does not see sloppy fingering being used....practice sloppy means playing sloppy.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Without the information of the bars before or after (so i know where i have come from and where i am doing) i would for your example change from my two finger technique to a three finger one for the trips.

Because they are minor 7ths traids the fretting hand can cord them and let the plucking hand arpegiate them from the little finger side to the thumb (ulnar side to radial).
If i was playing them from there root positions i would reverse my action...but still hold the cord position (or pre-shape it ), so i again could play them with the same action but leading from the thumb side (radial side).

Thank you for your answer.
I've had no time to carefully read through it, just a few questions.

1. How much do you need to know about the notes in the previous and after bars? How much would it change your fingering?
2. Would you change your fingering if they were Major 7th triads?
3. How would you finger the attached bassline from Garry Willis?

 

[Tomkat8]

Check out some u tubes of billy sheehan bass secrets. Schooled bassists may not approve, but he's got some great tricks, to play fast.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Any more info on raking or economy fingering? I'm interested to see if it will help with fast passages rather than strict alternating plucking. I'm looking to pull off some Flea action such as:

Maybe that's alternating though... or a combination of both.

Don't worry, Flea is not perfect with his playing. You can hear it, and see it on his face.
So far, I know only one way to play it. It takes a lot of time to perform it without glitches.

Or maybe, there is a way...
See attached.

Or play the slap bass:

The thumb down and up for two C's on the A string, next,
the index pop and the middle pop two C's on the G string,
the thumb down and up for two G's on the D string, and
the index pop and the middle pop two Bflat's on the G string.

 

[jd_watt]

Very cool. Thank you. Yeah, he's not the virtuoso type, but there are things about his feel that I really like. Thanks for the pointers - much appreciated!

 

[Fergie Fulton]

Thank you for your answer.
I've had no time to carefully read through it, just a few questions.

1. How much do you need to know about the notes in the previous and after bars? How much would it change your fingering?
2. Would you change your fingering if they were Major 7th triads?
3. How would you finger the attached bassline from Garry Willis?

Well point 1. Seems a strange question, because i would assume i would have the whole score to relate to, and as such my own fret mapping ideas and preferences would relate what i see to suit my playing best.

Point 2. I would still finger in the same way, as all i am doing is raising a 3rd and a 7th, then little needs to change in respect of use.

Point 3. Two finger use, with occasion three finger use when needed, so that would be for the trips in the first and last bars, or where the playing requires a bit more dexterity, like string skipping or certain string crossings as in bar five.

I would, as a rule, have more issues about my fretting hands fingerings than i would ever do about my plucking hands fingerings if the situation arises.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

I would, as a rule, have more issues about my fretting hands fingerings than i would ever do about my plucking hands fingerings if the situation arises.

What kind of right-hand/plucking-hand finger combination did you use for the bassline from the soundtrack of 'Way of the World, released on GrooveDoctors 3rd album?
Just alternating your Index and Middle fingers?

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Any more info on raking or economy fingering? I'm interested to see if it will help with fast passages rather than strict alternating plucking. I'm looking to pull off some Flea action such as:

 

[Fergie Fulton]

What kind of right-hand/plucking-hand finger combination did you use for the bassline from the soundtrack of 'Way of the World, released on GrooveDoctors 3rd album?
Just alternating your Index and Middle fingers?

LOL, that's a old question as that track raised a lot of interest when the album was released because of it's intense use of the 16ths and the use of 32nd notes for a Blues band.

The song is predominantly played with the index and middle.
The intro/hook line, and the chromatic steps within the verses all use a blend of three finger (index, middle, and ring) in some way or another.
The end of the solo has the pushed 32nd notes using the same two finger use as the verse...but just played faster to give the feel of 32nd notes pushed.

The use of three fingers for the chromatics in the song verses changes feel, it changes the dynamics of the attack and gives those 'fills' more modulation than is actually happening because the attack changes the tone.

I used the technique again not so long ago for a song called, Aeroplane, by British Nu-Blues Band, Hokie Joint, the dynamics are the same in that it is fast 16ths with an alternating attack on a single note....lots of footage of them on Youtube to check out the similarities if interested in seeing the use in action.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

LOL, that's a old question as that track raised a lot of interest when the album was released because of it's intense use of the 16ths and the use of 32nd notes for a Blues band.

I have a question.
When I used to be just a bass player (with a limited voice), IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLAY "the 16ths and the use of 32nd notes for a Blues band."

How were you able to persuade/insist on playing 32nd notes as a groove not as a fill-in in the BLUES BAND?

The use of three fingers for the chromatics in the song verses changes feel, it changes the dynamics of the attack and gives those 'fills' more modulation than is actually happening because the attack changes the tone.

That is a big reason that I like hammer-ons while practicing and afraid of using in the studio.
For me, the ring finger is the strongest, the middle finger is in the middle, and the index finger is the weakest.

Also, I've just watched one of your band's, "Groove Doctors" video.


I really wanted to add/subdivide some rhythmical notes (not harmonic) during the guitar solo in order to keep that "pulse" going.
Have you ever thought about the rhythmical texture in a small band - bass/guitar/drums - while the guitar player is soloing.
I think your answer would help some beginner bass players.
Thanks.