I'm not so sure: unless i'm mistaken he's using a different fingering. I'm trying the Billy Sheehan approach for the same reason as he (3-1-2-1 puts more work on one finger than 3-2-1). Don't want to get into bad habits.
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Three Finger Picking
- Thread starter wishface
- Start date
I'm not so sure: unless i'm mistaken he's using a different fingering. I'm trying the Billy Sheehan approach for the same reason as he (3-1-2-1 puts more work on one finger than 3-2-1). Don't want to get into bad habits.
Thanks, it's a good video.
Thing with Cliff Burton, parrticularly, he's pretty sloppy. He also, i'm given to believe, does the flicking thing using his fingers to strum the really fast stuff.
Steve Harris is just Steve Harris
A lot of his stuff is played with that gallop feel. His songwriting is entirely determined by his style of playing, which is great (and fortunate he's the main writer in the band), but he's not a rounded player by any means.
the Alex Webster book is awesome, wish it came out 20 years ago. Check out some Bryan beller/dethclock stuff, I haven't been able to use the "flicking" technique for anything, but he does mention the Rocco prestia left hand muting thing, very useful IME!! In case you didn't know, there is a very awesome thread about metal techniques here too!
One problem with 3 finger technique is when playing 16ths its hard to get rid of the accent on every 3rd note, this is where muting can be useful.
another way that I find very easy and useful is a combination of 3 finger "galloping" with the chuck Rainey technique of double hitting with your index(middle,index down, index up), add ring finger and your set, just have to do the Steve Harris"gallop" with 3rd finger, you have to put more of your hand into it, almost a circular motion with your index, if that makes sense.
or a painful at first technique, pinky, ring, middle, index etc, that can get some good speed
One problem with 3 finger technique is when playing 16ths its hard to get rid of the accent on every 3rd note, this is where muting can be useful.
another way that I find very easy and useful is a combination of 3 finger "galloping" with the chuck Rainey technique of double hitting with your index(middle,index down, index up), add ring finger and your set, just have to do the Steve Harris"gallop" with 3rd finger, you have to put more of your hand into it, almost a circular motion with your index, if that makes sense.
or a painful at first technique, pinky, ring, middle, index etc, that can get some good speed
Thanks, it's a good video.
Thing with Cliff Burton, parrticularly, he's pretty sloppy. He also, i'm given to believe, does the flicking thing using his fingers to strum the really fast stuff.
Steve Harris is just Steve Harris
I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed when I heard cliffs tracks soloed, turns out I was really hearing lots of guitar tracks I mistook for bass. After hearing it, I'm convinced Steve Harris is the better bassist!! Both kinda sloppy, but Steve was/is tighter
I love cliff, don't get me wrong!! I use to do Metallica marathons with their first 4 albums everyday, but I'd 
warm up with iron maiden
warm up with iron maidenNot sure about the 3 finger technique; when it comes to string crossing between the 3rd and 2nd finger there is a weakness. Perhaps it's in havinmg a weaker 3rd finger that neds development, or just that the 1st 2 fingers are naturally stronger and more independent I don't know.
Do the song Barracuda and practice 3-2-1, then 2-1-3, then 1-3-2, etc. till you're out of combinations. Builds dexterity and you learn a song!
I find it easier to do descending string crossing than ascending, so I have to maintain regular 2 finger techniques as well for certain things. I recently went on Steve digorgio's site, very cool exercises there, I got to hang out with him once after a sadus gig 10 years ago outside minneapolis,very cool, modest guy.
normally, I just do 321 technique and I will say sitting with a metronome and playing open strings as light as you can is a great way to achieve eveness, I don't buy into the Bryan beller "strike force" method(plopping thru strings, or finger slap), it slows me way down, I can get a similar sound with a low setup playing on pup closer to the neck
anyways, I think the "extreme metal bass" book is fantastic, start to finish. Another guy Giorgio terrenziani has "extreme hard rock bass" and he's phenomenal, I can't figure out if I can order his DVD, the site is a foreign language, but anyone interested should check out samples on YouTube, he's a beast
I am trying to adapt to 3 finger as the technique in all situations (like Billy Sheehan), not just playing fast pedal tones (like 'arry). But I fear it will be a while to get my third finger strong enough. It feels somewhat unnatural crossing strings between 2nd and 3rd fingers and I'm wondering if pursuing that is worthwhile.
What is the strike force method?
What is the strike force method?
3-2-1 player here, some exercises I have done and continue to do to help with it.
-play anything you know how to play with 2 fingers strictly with fingers 21, then 32, then 31.
The weird combos help get the ring finger stronger
-learn a new easier song entirely 321, that way old muscle memory is easy to break since its a new song.
-A more recent exercise for me in controlling emphasis. Play the following patterns of strong and weak beats
Start with: ONE two ONE two ONE two(32,13,21 repeat), playing with three fingers will cause the emphasis point to shift around.
Next up play: ONE two three ONE two three( 321, 321, 321) play this pattern multiple times, changing which finger you start it on (as in also play 213,213 and 132,132)
You will find on any pattern multiple of three you will need to repeat with different starting points
Continue with ONE two three four, ONE two three four (3213,2132,1321 repeat)
I continue this pattern until I am emphasizing every 8 or 9 notes only. Real mind buster
-play anything you know how to play with 2 fingers strictly with fingers 21, then 32, then 31.
The weird combos help get the ring finger stronger
-learn a new easier song entirely 321, that way old muscle memory is easy to break since its a new song.
-A more recent exercise for me in controlling emphasis. Play the following patterns of strong and weak beats
Start with: ONE two ONE two ONE two(32,13,21 repeat), playing with three fingers will cause the emphasis point to shift around.
Next up play: ONE two three ONE two three( 321, 321, 321) play this pattern multiple times, changing which finger you start it on (as in also play 213,213 and 132,132)
You will find on any pattern multiple of three you will need to repeat with different starting points
Continue with ONE two three four, ONE two three four (3213,2132,1321 repeat)
I continue this pattern until I am emphasizing every 8 or 9 notes only. Real mind buster
I find that evenness of tone is about striking the strings accurately. If I get too much pad under the string the note is too loud and it can throw my timing off. Not enough pad and the note is too soft or missed altogether and I get garbage noise as I accidentally brush the wrong string(s).
To help with accuracy I am using a 7-string 28" scale regular guitar strung BEADGBE with very heavy strings so the tension is more like a bass. Practicing 3-finger right hand technique on that is like shooting at a small target. It improves your grouping when you're shooting at a regular size target later.
Even at that it's taking a bugger long time to get good evenness in the timing and dynamics. I can see progress and I believe it will be worth it in the long run. Just have to sit there and do exercises for hours on end. I just put the TV on and do these for a few hours a day. They make my hand feel good though, so I really don't mind.
When my hand feels tight after doing a bunch of these I stop and focus on it, opening and closing it slowly, stretching the muscles and noticing new sensations inside the hand. Then I let it go limp and shake it out. I think this helps the brain-muscle coordination in some way. That's just personal experience. I'm not aware of any science about it.
The goal is to develop an "instinct" for automatic RMI strict alternation in everything.
I noticed string crossing is where my hand wants to cheat, usually by raking, or breaking strict alternation to favor one finger. I think favoring one finger will lead to uneven playing and will limit my top speed. I made up these exercises to try to equally target all the permutations of strict RMI during string crossing ascending and descending. I start on any finger because the pattern forces you to shift starting fingers each time around, so by the time you have done 3 iterations each finger has had a turn at being first. I want to get where I don't even have to think about which finger I'm using, they should just automatically go RMI (or MIR or IRM) no matter what.
All with a metronone:
(pick a string and ride in 4/4):
RMIRMIRMIRMI ...
This next one lets you practice the the combinations (IRM, RMI, MIR) equally as they each feel very different in string crossing. Using a 7-string gives you a fair amount of repetition before moving into the next combination.
3 string crossing cluster, singlets (all open strings, BEADGBE):
B-E-A (I-R-M)
E-A-D (I-R-M)
A-D-G (I-R-M)
D-G-B (I-R-M)
(the last one ascending goes right into the first one descending smoothly)
G-B-E-B-G (I-R-M-I-R)
B-G-D (M-I-R)
G-D-A (M-I-R)
D-A-E (M-I-R)
(again coming off the low B right into the ascending pattern smoothly)
A-E-B-E-A (M-I-R-M-I)
E-A-D (R-M-I) ...
3 string crossing clusters, doublets:
BB-EE-AA (MI-RM-IR)
EE-AA-DD (MI-RM-IR)
AA-DD-GG (MI-RM-IR)
DD-GG-BB (MI-RM-IR)
GG-BB-EE-BB-GG (MI-RM-IR-MI-RM)
BB-GG-DD (IR-MI-RM)
GG-DD-AA (IR-MI-RM)
DD-AA-EE (IR-MI-RM)
AA-EE-BB-EE-AA (IR-MI-RM-IR-MI)
EE-AA-DD (RM-IR-MI) ...
3 string crossing cluster, quads:
BBBB-EEEE-AAAA (MIRM-IRMI-RMIR)
...
double string crossing; haven't spent much time on these but I foresee they are the next stage when I'm ready:
(strict RMI while playing open strings)
B-A
E-D
A-G
D-B
G-E
B-D
G-A
D-E
A-B
...
Just sharing that in case anyone else may find it helpful and also I'm open to advice from more experienced players about any pitfalls or inefficiencies in this approach.
To help with accuracy I am using a 7-string 28" scale regular guitar strung BEADGBE with very heavy strings so the tension is more like a bass. Practicing 3-finger right hand technique on that is like shooting at a small target. It improves your grouping when you're shooting at a regular size target later.
Even at that it's taking a bugger long time to get good evenness in the timing and dynamics. I can see progress and I believe it will be worth it in the long run. Just have to sit there and do exercises for hours on end. I just put the TV on and do these for a few hours a day. They make my hand feel good though, so I really don't mind.
When my hand feels tight after doing a bunch of these I stop and focus on it, opening and closing it slowly, stretching the muscles and noticing new sensations inside the hand. Then I let it go limp and shake it out. I think this helps the brain-muscle coordination in some way. That's just personal experience. I'm not aware of any science about it.
The goal is to develop an "instinct" for automatic RMI strict alternation in everything.
I noticed string crossing is where my hand wants to cheat, usually by raking, or breaking strict alternation to favor one finger. I think favoring one finger will lead to uneven playing and will limit my top speed. I made up these exercises to try to equally target all the permutations of strict RMI during string crossing ascending and descending. I start on any finger because the pattern forces you to shift starting fingers each time around, so by the time you have done 3 iterations each finger has had a turn at being first. I want to get where I don't even have to think about which finger I'm using, they should just automatically go RMI (or MIR or IRM) no matter what.
All with a metronone:
(pick a string and ride in 4/4):
RMIRMIRMIRMI ...
This next one lets you practice the the combinations (IRM, RMI, MIR) equally as they each feel very different in string crossing. Using a 7-string gives you a fair amount of repetition before moving into the next combination.
3 string crossing cluster, singlets (all open strings, BEADGBE):
B-E-A (I-R-M)
E-A-D (I-R-M)
A-D-G (I-R-M)
D-G-B (I-R-M)
(the last one ascending goes right into the first one descending smoothly)
G-B-E-B-G (I-R-M-I-R)
B-G-D (M-I-R)
G-D-A (M-I-R)
D-A-E (M-I-R)
(again coming off the low B right into the ascending pattern smoothly)
A-E-B-E-A (M-I-R-M-I)
E-A-D (R-M-I) ...
3 string crossing clusters, doublets:
BB-EE-AA (MI-RM-IR)
EE-AA-DD (MI-RM-IR)
AA-DD-GG (MI-RM-IR)
DD-GG-BB (MI-RM-IR)
GG-BB-EE-BB-GG (MI-RM-IR-MI-RM)
BB-GG-DD (IR-MI-RM)
GG-DD-AA (IR-MI-RM)
DD-AA-EE (IR-MI-RM)
AA-EE-BB-EE-AA (IR-MI-RM-IR-MI)
EE-AA-DD (RM-IR-MI) ...
3 string crossing cluster, quads:
BBBB-EEEE-AAAA (MIRM-IRMI-RMIR)
...
double string crossing; haven't spent much time on these but I foresee they are the next stage when I'm ready:
(strict RMI while playing open strings)
B-A
E-D
A-G
D-B
G-E
B-D
G-A
D-E
A-B
...
Just sharing that in case anyone else may find it helpful and also I'm open to advice from more experienced players about any pitfalls or inefficiencies in this approach.
Last edited:
