Three-finger pick technique

[XtreO]

Until recently I've been a firm believer of picking only with my index/middle finger. This was pre to seeing a video of Billy Sheehan, and his amazing picking skills. I thought he was a bit of a bass-wanker, but his picking speed and accuracy, just wow.
Now I've been fiddeling around with it for some hours, and I cant figure what's the most efficent pattern to pick in.
Now how to do it?

Index = I, middle = M and ring finger = R

I-M-R-I-M-R-I-M-R ... which is I-M-R repeatedly
or
I-M-R-M-I-M-R-M-I-M-R-M ... which basically is a repeat of I-M-R-M

I'm at the moment very slow at using all three fingers, and therefore I ask what to focus on doing (after training my ringfinger up to index/middle standard) of the two ways listed. It's kinda hard to get an impression when I suck equally at both ways

Thanks for answers, in advance.

 

[Wootsticks]

FYI, the natural muscle motion for a hand is outside to in, like pinky ring middle pointer. I personally do RMIRMIRMIRMI.

 

[peaveyuser]

FYI, the natural muscle motion for a hand is outside to in, like pinky ring middle pointer. I personally do RMIRMIRMIRMI.

+1 R-M-I is best, thats what I do when I play triplets.

 

[Wootsticks]

The idea, though, is to make it not sound like triplets when you're not playing them. If you were to pick up the three finger technique, practice with a metronome accenting the down beat.

[b]1[/b]-2-3-4-[b]1[/b]-2-3-4-[b]1[/b]-2-3-4-[b]1[/b]-2-3-4-[b]1[/b]-2-3-4-[b]1[/b]-2-3-4-[b]1[/b]-2-3-4-[b]1[/b]-2-3-4-[b]1[/b]-2-3-4
[b]r[/b]-m-i-r-[b]m[/b]-i-r-m-[b]i[/b]-r-m-i-[b]r[/b]-m-i-r-[b]m[/b]-i-r-m-[b]i[/b]-r-m-i-[b]r[/b]-m-i-r-[b]m[/b]-i-r-m-[b]i[/b]-r-m-i

 

[El-Bob]

check out the demystifying death metal styles thread stickied at the top of this forum. even if death metal isn't your thing, it should be very helpful for 3 finger technique. i personally use the I-M-R pattern, but most people find that their fingers naturally go the opposite way (R-M-I).

here's that thread, read up. http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=378173

 

[Insanity^2]

As far as speed goes, you're better off going R-M-I-R-M-I as, and this is pure logic as im lame at bass, your ring has time to travel back to the string while you play the other two, whereas with R-M-I-M-R, your middle finger is working it's ass off. I like R-M-I-M-R though, and I'm starting to work on it to get it up to speed. If you can get the R-M-I-R-M-I to sound smooth, that's your best bet....

 

[jschwalls]

Here is what Billy told me at a clinic in Atlanta years ago...

play patterns of 4 ..
concentrate on right hand only for a while before adding in left hand patterns...

R..M..I..R..
M..I..R..M..
I..R..M..I..

Remember to put accents on the 1 of each pattern..

After his advice it helped me ALOT... before all my 3 finger work sounded like triplets and galloping..lol

 

[NickBSR5J]

R..M..I felt more natural than I..M..R. A tricky obstacle was to teach myself not to do triplets when playing at faster speeds.
http://www.divinity.ca
Link Removed

 

[rumbler]

I use both techniques.

For triplets I use RMI and for Sixteenths I use IMRM and keep going through it. I read that on a Steve Digiorgio column, but everyone says that it is more work for the middle finger, which I can understand but I find it much easier to play sixteenths like this. Even Steve Bailey advocates this same technique with the same finger order. Although I have been practicing the Digiorgio way for quite longer, the RMI way which most use is alot easier for me to go fast. So now I am thinking I should dump the DIgiorgio way and try the RMI way, but its just so damn hard to play sixteenths like that!!!

Sorry for hijacking this thread

Andrew

 

[XtreO]

Thanks for replies. All of you advice RMI for quick picking, and not RMIM-repeat. However I'm going to go for IMR, this seems more sensible to me after trying both for an hour or two.

I'm gonna ask one more question though; how quick is a good threefingerpicker compared to a guitarist using plecter (dont know if its spelled that way in English, anyway I mean the little plastic triangle they hold between thumb and index )?

 

[Erick Lam]

And of course, you can use three fingers and not follow any pattern at all.

 

[El-Bob]

Thanks for replies. All of you advice RMI for quick picking, and not RMIM-repeat. However I'm going to go for IMR, this seems more sensible to me after trying both for an hour or two.

I'm gonna ask one more question though; how quick is a good threefingerpicker compared to a guitarist using plecter (dont know if its spelled that way in English, anyway I mean the little plastic triangle they hold between thumb and index )?

well, you should be able to achieve 16th's at tempos of 200bpm+ with practice (did you read the death metal thread?) although I've been slacking of lately and i'm at about 140-150 bpm for 16ths after a good warm up. also it's called a plectrum or pick.

 

[El-Bob]

And of course, you can use three fingers and not follow any pattern at all.

 

[phektus]

I'm also starting with the three finger technique, about a week now. Most of the time I start with the middle finger, because it's the longest and has the immediate access, though I can start with index or ring. I'm still on the quarter notes in 40-60bpm realm, though. Dead slow.

 

[El-Bob]

I'm also starting with the three finger technique, about a week now. Most of the time I start with the middle finger, because it's the longest and has the immediate access, though I can start with index or ring. I'm still on the quarter notes in 40-60bpm realm, though. Dead slow.

keep at it, speed comes with practice

 

[afireinside]

i use it, just natural I go pointer, middle ring myself, helps with the Steve Harris runs!

 

[Erick Lam]

Because if the goal is speed, one should be able to play 16th at 200bpm with two fingers. I prefer using my third finger to add something to my playing (muting and string crossings) than just play continuous notes faster.

 

[Illbay]

...I cant figure what's the most efficent pattern to pick in.

I used to study classical guitar. I was taught to practice every conceivable pattern, because the "appropriate" pattern will depend on the piece you're playing at the moment.

You might try this exercise I used to do, given me by my college instructor, for playing scales:

[NOTE: The classical guitar symbology is "PIMA" where P = Thumb (SPAN. "pulgar"), I = Index (SPAN. "índice"), M = Middle (SPAN. "medio"), and A = Ring (SPAN. "anular")]

i-m-i-m-i-m....
m-i-m-i-m-i...
i-a-i-a-i-a...
a-i-a-i-a-i...
m-a-m-a-m-a...
a-m-a-m-a-m...
i-m-a-i-m-a-i-m-a...
a-m-i-a-m-i-a-m-i...

These were to be practiced as quarter-notes, half-notes, triplets, sixteenths, and quintuplets for each scale.

If you do this studiously enough you should gain some facility with using whatever finger is convenient depending on the string you're plucking.

HTH, anyway.

 

[rstansfield64]

i also try and practice all conceiveable patterns. i actually use the three finger technique more as a boost for certain runs or complicated unison parts. it also seems to allow me to play more accuratly with my first two fingers when my ring is used say every other cycle if that makes sense. the biggest thing that the ring finger has added to my playing is that my endurance has gone up across the board. its almost as if my ring gives my other two fingers a break from time to time.