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Three-Finger Technique: How did you get into this technique?

COLDGLU

COLDGLU

Guest
Aug 29, 2016
65
134
#1
After 9 years of playing with two fingers, I'm deciding to incorporate the three-finger technique into my playing.
I just feel as if I would get more out of it, as it suits the fast style of music my band plays.

I've been trying to get into this technique for a while, but I just can't seem to "get" it.
Obviously it takes a while to switch your entire right-hand technique, so I did expect it would take a bit to learn properly.
But, I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong, because my brain just can't seem to click with it...

I understand how the technique works/I know many different finger patterns for the technique, that's not where I'm stuck and I've watched many, many videos about it too.

My question is: When do you feel that this technique suddenly "clicked" with you?
Also: What did you do to naturally incorporate this technique into your playing?
 
#2
Go back to absolute basics to train that third finger. You probably already have a good enough technique, but the index finger shares a tendon with the pinky and so it is both weak and difficult to control independently. Pull out your metronome and play along with it until that third finger feels natural pulling the string and raking in different combinations.

Get that index finger strength up first and the rest will fall easily in to place.
 
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#3
not sure if i'm on the same page as your post, but:

i play with three (rarely four) on occasion when the particular lick makes it difficult for two fingers (usually speed issues) or when i've had finger hand issues (cuts/soreness/yada yada) served to me in life. i don't think much about it (anymore) so i can't really say when anything 'clicked' --- i just do it. i do remember 'playing with the idea' years ago (might have had an injury). but i'm usually using three fingers for speed in a tricky (for me) passage. i also sometimes use three for triplet repititions --- that's a no-brainer. but i don't play that way 'all night long' if that's what you're looking for.

i have had occasion to play with fingers other than just the index and middle: injuries.
 
#4
Being and Bass said:
Go back to absolute basics to train that third finger. You probably already have a good enough technique, but the index finger shares a tendon with the pinky and so it is both weak and difficult to control independently. Pull out your metronome and play along with it until that third finger feels natural pulling the string and raking in different combinations.

Get that index finger strength up first and the rest will fall easily in to place.
Click to expand...

You're confusing the index finger with the ring finger. The index does not share a tendon with the pinky.
 
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#5
I've gotten to the point where i exclusively use three fingers on even slow parts.. i mean its my name after all... I think the hardest part is getting the rhythm of 4 notes onto the three fingers. When i decided to add the third finger I began by just practicing that pattern. Whether on the actual bass, or just tapping fingers along to music i was listening to 3213 2132 1321 etc etc, as you can see each group of four ends up starting withe a different finger if you are keeping a consistent pattern, it helped me to try to emphasize the first beat by playing (or tapping) harder on that note.
Once you are comfortable with that, its a matter of getting comfortable with string switching on whichever finger happens to be free at the time, so simply practicing the 4 note groups but changing strings means each change will involve starting on a different finger.
 
#7
I've started with a song by Primus called "The Toys Go Winding Down" which is all two 16th and onw 8th note and so 3 fingers is very usefull in this scenario.

After that I wanted to learn some Dream Theater, many songs are impossible for me without 3 fingers so I did it very slowy.

I tried many variation for moving my fingers like : RMI then RMIM and IMRM to make 4 notes more natural
 
#8
First off you have to decide that any finger can play the '1' or the strong beat and are you using a following style or an alternating style.
following style is index, middle, ring, index middle, ring, or ring, middle, index, ring, middle index.
regardless of direction the "1" or the strong beat will move from finger to finger.
In an alternating one the fingers play index, middle, ring, middle, or ring, middle, index, middle....it makes not difference and here is why.

This info applies to 4/4 as quarter notes

So start with that, allocate the strong beat to the Index finger and count 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-
Notice that the '1' is on the index finger, "2' is on the middle finger, "3' is on the ring finger, and "4" is on the middle finger, '5' is on the index finger, '6 is on the middle finger, "7" is on the ring finger, and "8" is on the middle finger....putting the "1' back on the index finger.

So the odd numbers are on the index and ring and the even numbers on the middle finger.....so even if you start with the ring finger it is still do numbers on the index and ring and even numbers on the middle.

If you start on the middle finger, regardless of direction, the odd numbers are on the middle, and the even numbers on the index and middle, but the one thing you should be aware of is that the fingers alternate regardless of style.
No mater what finger you start on they will alternate...the big difference is where you count the "1".....not what finger you start on.


On at the following style the "1' will move across the three fingers from left to right or right to left depending on the starting finger, but this time it will matter in which direction you go...most people favour ring, middle, index, as it starts from the strongest side of the hand (the Ulnar side)

Once you can count your fingers off you should realise you can keep time with them by working out where the '1' falls, once you learn this you will stop counting and feel time pass on your fingers. Do it with simple scales first to feel how the count works, count to eight when working scales, so 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8- etc.

Take it slow and work on internalising the count to the fingers, this is the first task, get this right and all else will fall into place.
 
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#9
I moved my fingers :p

Now, seriously, though I do actually move my fingers....

Started out on guitar and only got to bass after a couple of years of guitar playing, but found out relatively quickly I liked playing bass much better.

I thought I liked playing guitar, but bass really spoke to me, just didn't realize how much until I actually picked one up and felt it myself.

I still play guitar though on the sideline, but bass has come my main and favorite instrument to express myself musically through.

Naturally as coming from guitar I used pick exclusively when playing bass as well for years.

Then came a period where I was more occupied by playing classical acoustic guitar, mostly because I had this solo project which were fairly folk music oriented and the sound of that specific instrument suited that type of songs well.

There I learned how to use and coordinate my fingers properly, and when I went back to playing bass it just felt naturally for me to use my fingers instead of pick on it.

I played like this for years, classical guitar style, thump and index finger together emulating a pick with nail attacks, 2 finger technique, 3 finger technique, whatever fitted what I felt or needed to play.

Then recently I went back to pick, and was surprised that even with all the years almost exclusively using my fingers for all instruments, that my picking technique with an actual pick was still just slightly better.

So pared with the fact that I actually like the sound you get out of using pick, with more emphasis on the attack, and that it fits the band's sound I am in currently, I went back to almost exclusively using pick, though I still mostly use fingers when practicing alone and sometimes for home recordings as well.

I know I went way beyond the topic and what OP asked, but anyway that was my story of how I picked my picking technique and why through time.
 
#10
The day I decided to pick up my first bass (coming from a lifetime of guitar playing) I first thought of what technique I wanted to use. I learned about the floating thumb and the use of I, M and R to play and have been using all 4 since. I can definitively play chords, two melodies at once and do pretty fast runs that I could have not done without using all the available resources in my plucking hand

One thing that did not work for me was to structure my playing TIMR-TIMR (or whatever sequence) as some suggest. When soloing or phrasing, very rarely you play the notes of the scale in sequence, but you go through several patterns. My fingers move instinctively and don't follow a specific order.

All of this to suggest you to stick to it, it will be worth your while, and to try playing patterns and songs to exercise that 3rd finger. There will be no "click" as you suggest, but a slow and steady transition that will require some work.
 

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