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Trying to play lighter after a long sabbatical

lionsdenblog

lionsdenblog

May 28, 2011
74
95
Fenton, MI
#1
Hello, folks!
I'm getting back into playing bass after a few decades off doing acoustic guitar/singing both solo and in a trio. Planning on jazz/blues gigs in a small group. Actually going to invest in a new Stambaugh 5 string and probably a Genzler rig (Magellan 800/NC212T on Reverb). Should be plenty of sound (I'm thinking). My question gets to my "technique" (or lack thereof). In the past, I've had a tendency to play heavy handed. It's probably part of the reason I was never particularly fast. I'm going to be trying to play much lighter. I've thought about adding a ramp, but I'm totally unfamiliar with using one. I'm also unsure if lessons would be helpful in that area or if it is something that I can accomplish on my own. Thoughts? Questions? I'm sure I'm overthinking this, but that's what I tend to do...

Thanks in advance.
 
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#4
I forced myself to learn "floating thumb" technique when I started playing 6-string, and a major side benefit was/is reduced tension in my right hand, which seems to facilitate lighter playing.

And I think that this is a mechanical issue, not a "music" issue -- a teacher's guidance could be helpful, but I don't think it is necessary for addressing the problem.
 
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#7
Wen I started exploring a lighter touch I realized building my awareness of how hard I am playing right now was key.
Standard notation has ~8 different levels of dynamics from fff (forte , or loud, x3 ) to ppp (piano, or soft, x3)
8 gradients of dynamics is rough for a beginner to track

I imagined 3 level dynamic scheme: loud, medium, soft
And While rehearsing and practicing I tried to build a habit of mentally checking in with myself:
what level am I at right now? 1 , 2, or 3 ?
what level does the song truly require right now? 1,2, or 3?

That's really more about dynamics in general than a lighter touch specifically
But to lighten up you need to first know where you are at

Changing up exactly where your right hand plucks can also build awareness
Closer to the bridge for a high-mids forward tone requires a harder pluck
Closer to the neck (or on the neck) for a low-mids forward tone requires a softer pluck

a third thing to build awareness in incorporating open strings but trying to make them sound the same as fretted noted.
You have to be very conscious of plucking dynamics to even out those two choices.

as with most things musical it boils down to awareness/listening to what you are doing
 
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#10
This is easy.

Once you get your bass and amp, practice at home with all that turned up WAY too loud, but set the appropriate loudness with your hands, not the amp. Believe me, you'll lighten up PDQ.

You must learn to play with dynamics and control your hands and touch., and when you come to music that needs to be really loud, well that's what those GAIN knobs on your bass and amp are for, instead of frammin' the hell out of your strings/bass.

I learned this the hard way. YOU be smarter than ME.
 
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#11
Playing lighter just requires a bit of concentration, and also a good bit of amplifier power. You’ll be using the amp to make up the volume you used to get from playing harder. You’ll also find you have a much wider range of dynamics, so when you really want to emphasize a note or passage, you can because your hands aren’t maxed out.
 
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#12
Try playing as light as you can with BOTH hands, while still making a sound.

Even on acoustic instruments most people use way too muh force for no result (except lack of facility). Nice soft hands if you want to think of it that way. Same rule when working a shovel. Technique beats force.
 
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#13
You are thinking about some good gear. I like it.

I have never seen anyone use a ramp on a gig. The best players of the last 50 years didn't use one. IMO playing with a light touch is the best technique. You'll have more accuracy and speed with the best tone.

If you just do one thing, take lessons from a good player. That will be the solid foundation to build everything else on.
 
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#14
I went through something similar, in my younger years I had a heavy right hand, and always dug in a lot when I played. I took about 7-8 years off to focus on a young family and career, but started playing again about 2012-ish. I naturally started off with a much lighter touch and I’ve tried to keep it that way. I think I play better now than I did when I was younger:)
 
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#15
I went through this when I started playing again after 20 years. What helped me was #1 set action lower than you like with relief also.set minimally. You won't have much choice but to play with a lighter hand. #2 turn your amp up louder than you would. Lighten your touch to bring down the volume. #3 maybe debatable, but don't use straight plucking fingers where you hit the strings toward the body. Curl your plucking fingers so the action is parallel to the body. #4 record yourself. You'll hear the noises you don't want and it will be easier to identify where those problems are and be more aware of them while you're playing.
 
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#16
I haven’t had a bass student in years. But I do remember that the single thing that caused virtually all of them to play heavier than they intended was being unsure of themselves when it came to where they were on the fretboard. That caused them to tense up and pay less attention - or in some cases no attention - to what their non-fretting hand was doing.

So I’d suggest first getting yourself comfortable and confident on the neck. Learn the notes.

Get your scale fingering, chord triads, and position shifting down cold. And learn precisely what each note on each string at each fret is. Or at least for the first five positions since that’s where you’ll probably be doing the bulk of your playing. Practice until you don’t need to think, and ideally not even have to look to know what note you’re playing and where the next notes you want to play to are.

Get a handle on that, and learn enough basic music theory (so you can figure out why something you’re playing isn’t working) and everything else: speed, agility, dynamics, etc. becomes a lot easier to address and improve.

Just my 2¢.
 
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#17
lionsdenblog said:
Hello, folks!
I'm getting back into playing bass after a few decades off doing acoustic guitar/singing both solo and in a trio. Planning on jazz/blues gigs in a small group. Actually going to invest in a new Stambaugh 5 string and probably a Genzler rig (Magellan 800/NC212T on Reverb). Should be plenty of sound (I'm thinking). My question gets to my "technique" (or lack thereof). In the past, I've had a tendency to play heavy handed. It's probably part of the reason I was never particularly fast. I'm going to be trying to play much lighter. I've thought about adding a ramp, but I'm totally unfamiliar with using one. I'm also unsure if lessons would be helpful in that area or if it is something that I can accomplish on my own. Thoughts? Questions? I'm sure I'm overthinking this, but that's what I tend to do...

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Lessons are the best thing you can do!

Do you play amplified? There is Definitely a learned skill around playing at the “right” volume where you are letting the amp do the heavy lifting vs turning way down and playing harder. Make it so it’s almost too loud if you play hard and that should help you adjust your right hand technique.
 
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#18
Good call on the Stambaugh (I'm a fan). I play with a light touch, except when something different is called for. Here are a few things to look for that may help you along your way.
  • Find some old Gary Willis instructional videos where he talks about finger pressure and a light touch.
  • Adam Nitti floating thumb technique. He's the first once I heard about it from.
  • Gail Dorsey interviews talking about her style of playing with and without Lenny Kravitz.
 
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#19
lionsdenblog said:
Hello, folks!
I'm getting back into playing bass after a few decades off doing acoustic guitar/singing both solo and in a trio. Planning on jazz/blues gigs in a small group. Actually going to invest in a new Stambaugh 5 string and probably a Genzler rig (Magellan 800/NC212T on Reverb). Should be plenty of sound (I'm thinking). My question gets to my "technique" (or lack thereof). In the past, I've had a tendency to play heavy handed. It's probably part of the reason I was never particularly fast. I'm going to be trying to play much lighter. I've thought about adding a ramp, but I'm totally unfamiliar with using one. I'm also unsure if lessons would be helpful in that area or if it is something that I can accomplish on my own. Thoughts? Questions? I'm sure I'm overthinking this, but that's what I tend to do...

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
In-person lessons are always helpful with the right instructor. Not necessary, but probably won't hurt if you're inclined to take them.

I used to play very heavy handed. I pay incredibly light-touch these days. One of the biggest things to practice when playing with a light touch is to relax, and make sure your amp is turned up enough that playing light is loud enough (whatever that volume might be for the situation.)

If you find yourself digging in for volume, stop and turn the amp up. Don't dig in for volume; dig in for tone. And even then, you don't have to dig in by going incredibly heavy handed. You can dig it by using a minutia more strength. Even better, you can get more aggressive tones by changing the pluck technique without digging in stronger. ie: using more pointed fingers instead of the fatty part of your finger tips; moving closer to the bridge; etc.

And i find playing light touch helps play faster lines too. You train yourself to relax more for the fast part, not tense up for the fast part, and your fingers just start flowing better and don't get fatigued as fast.

As for ramps, they feel exactly like playing with your fingers directly above the pickups.
If you want the flexibility of playing with that feel in different positions, give ramps a go. If you're fine with playing with your fingers directly above the pickups when you want that feel and having the rest of the space open, you don't need them.

Don't overthink it too much and just practice playing lightly, and avoid playing Rush tunes. 😄 But seriously, it's a relatively easy technique to train yourself into with a little consistent deliberate practice.
 
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