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Technical Metal Practice Tips?

Progfan44

Progfan44

Aug 4, 2012
104
36
29
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
#1
I currently play bass in a very technical and progressive metal band and I've recently been encountering some problems. I have difficulty "keeping up" with my fingers and will not be caught dead using a pick (no offence pick players, I just don't like the feel/sound). Does anyone with experience in this genre have any advice for developing fast 3 finger chops crossing multiple strings? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
#2
Be concious of how hard you're playing. Only a light touch is necessary, even for an agressive sound, plucking hard will tire you out and slow you down. For 3/4 finger styles there's a bunch of different options, and everyone seems to have their own aproach.
 
#3
If you're going to go at it fingerstyle, be aware of the time commitment for not only developing, but also sustaining the technique. After 4 years of University, I have lost most of my tech. metal chops (yet still improved as a musician). Just something to consider. :)
 
#4
Progfan44 said:
I currently play bass in a very technical and progressive metal band and I've recently been encountering some problems. I have difficulty "keeping up" with my fingers and will not be caught dead using a pick (no offence pick players, I just don't like the feel/sound). Does anyone with experience in this genre have any advice for developing fast 3 finger chops crossing multiple strings? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

I'm not alone! :D

I can't offer any advice though. Just to keep practicing. At slow tempos, then speeding them up. Implementing your ring finger where applicable.

+1 to light touch. easy in a practice environment, yet at a show I die. One song in and I'm feeling the burn from a heavy hand.
 
#8
I think you'll find 2 finger technique is easier across strings, but to each his own.

Diminished, whole tone, and other such scales are great. Focus on playing consistently and with a fairly light touch. I find that somewhere between a rest and free stroke is great. A light touch like a free stroke but come to rest on the next string.

Also, try doing permutations of scales. 5 1 2 3 7 4 6 8 instead of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. That sort of thing
 
#9
For crossing strings I will still use 2 fingers, but I'm sure there is a way to do it with 3 or 4 fingers.

Also their is a lot of different kind of technical metal that may or may not help to keep up... I mean using sweep, slap, or a fretless ... or even not always following the guitar may help a lot !!!

Finger style
 

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