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Weird 3 finger approach to plucking??? What do you think?

vindibona1

vindibona1

Apr 18, 2015
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#1
In terms of plucking speed, with 2 fingers I max out pretty early, somewhere around 110 BPM on a good day. I see guys like Billy Sheehan that use 3 fingers, obviously for a reason and to pretty well. But when I try fingering with a what would think would be an obvious "1-2-3" pattern, the sound just isn't even, especially when playing 16th notes. My fingers/brain just don't work well making 3 fingers work into quadruplets. And so I thought, "WHAT IF I CHANGED UP THE PATTERN INTO TWO DUPLETS" fingered 1-3-2-3???
Obviously this could take some practice to become comfortable, automatic and up to the speeds I'd like to have. I dunno...
So what do y'all think?

 
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#5
onda'bass said:
Sheehan uses 3 2 1 3 2 1 ect
Click to expand...
3-2-1 or 1-2-3, it's still trying to make a triplet sound like a quadruplet. I've tried both of those, and no matter how I practice, as slow as I can, I cannot play 16ths evenly. While the video example above is far from perfectly even, at least it is foundational as the uneven quality is due to a newness and hesitance and cerebral actiivity. There are so many things I want to play but until I can break the 110 bpm mark there is little hope of ever. Joe Dart plays Beantown between 116 and 120 bmp. The other aspect of this is that with 2 finger pluck at speed I don't think I have endurance to play consistenty at this speed. I'm surprised that "What is Hip" runs "oonly" at about 100bpm... but goes on forever. And Vincen Garcia's stuff??? OMG... that's going to take something else entirely.

I have to think it's worth exploring, but know it will take some time to adopt. It was SIX MONTHS before I was perfectly comfortable going to a 5 string from 4 and a year until it was natural. Why should this be any different?
 
#7
vindibona1 said:
3-2-1 or 1-2-3, it's still trying to make a triplet sound like a quadruplet. I've tried both of those, and no matter how I practice, as slow as I can, I cannot play 16ths evenly. While the video example above is far from perfectly even, at least it is foundational as the uneven quality is due to a newness and hesitance and cerebral actiivity. There are so many things I want to play but until I can break the 110 bpm mark there is little hope of ever. Joe Dart plays Beantown between 116 and 120 bmp. The other aspect of this is that with 2 finger pluck at speed I don't think I have endurance to play consistenty at this speed. I'm surprised that "What is Hip" runs "oonly" at about 100bpm... but goes on forever. And Vincen Garcia's stuff??? OMG... that's going to take something else entirely.

I have to think it's worth exploring, but know it will take some time to adopt. It was SIX MONTHS before I was perfectly comfortable going to a 5 string from 4 and a year until it was natural. Why should this be any different?
Click to expand...
Building up that kind of speed can require a lot of factors beyond just adding fingers. Looking at where you pluck the string can be a good start, as many people play faster lines closer to the bridge where the string has more tension. In your video it looks like you're plucking pretty lightly but it's unclear if your plucking finger is actually landing on the string below it. Using that string to catch your finger can also improve speed because it gives a natural backstop rather than having to use force to stop your finger mid-stroke.
 
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#9
It seems like a great exercise but maybe not the best technique to use in an actual song? Practicing it will definitely build dexterity and mental acuity for your plucking fingers. Whether or not you ever build it to a speed that's faster than other techniques is to be seen. Whether or not you find a songs where this technique shines is to be seen. But who knows. If you practice it enough for it to be second nature anything is possible and i wouldn't suggest not practicing it. If you benefit from the exercise at all, then it's been worth practicing. 🤷‍♂️ 🤘
 
#10
Lotta CCM music was straight 8ths with little variation (at least with the tunes they were picking to play). I used it to get my 3-finger technique smoother, with pretty decent results after a while. I focused more on when to stop, and not what finger I was on, when I started using it on more complicated basslines.

Gave me a LOT more stamina once I got my coordination improved, I tell you whut :thumbsup:
 
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#12
Interestingly, a friend of mine has always played really fast and even 8th and 16th notes by using his index and ring fingers. Several people have commented on how perfectly even his strokes are, which makes some sense, since the Index and ring fingers much closer to being the same length than the index and middle fingers, so in theory it should make the notes smoother sounding.

Not for everybody and the trick, of course, is to build up the strength in your ring finger. Without that, it's pointless. But, if you can do it...a fairly big touring band's bassist paid a nice compliment to my buddy, saying that he played the most precise and even 16th notes he had ever heard.
 
#13
On thing that helped me was realizing that using the metronome and increasing speed won't get you there. I watched some YouTube guy say it's the difference between running and walking. Walking really fast doesn't work to get you sprinting. At some point you have to work you're muscles differently to get speed.

I'm not at Billy Sheehan speed. But spending some time just flaying away even it's really sloppy has helped a lot at increasing speed. Metronome too though. Only worked at 3-2-1.
 
#14
vindibona1 said:
In terms of plucking speed, with 2 fingers I max out pretty early, somewhere around 110 BPM on a good day. I see guys like Billy Sheehan that use 3 fingers, obviously for a reason and to pretty well. But when I try fingering with a what would think would be an obvious "1-2-3" pattern, the sound just isn't even, especially when playing 16th notes. My fingers/brain just don't work well making 3 fingers work into quadruplets. And so I thought, "WHAT IF I CHANGED UP THE PATTERN INTO TWO DUPLETS" fingered 1-3-2-3???
Obviously this could take some practice to become comfortable, automatic and up to the speeds I'd like to have. I dunno...
So what do y'all think?

Click to expand...

Too much emphasis on 3, which is not a super strong finger.

It takes about a week to get used to the 3-2-1 plucking pattern. It helps to, instead of just practicing 3 fingers over groups of 4, practice different groupings of notes and notice how it affects where the 1 falls: 3, 4, 5, 7. Try mixing them up too. It'll become second nature before you know it.

As a musical dynamic, speed isn't all-important. That said, 3-2-1 should get you to a ceiling of 16ths around 160bpm, which ought to serve most musical uses.
 
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#15
I inadvertanty end up doing a 321up 321down 321321 321321 more organic gallop like a horse has more weight on the rear hooves than front so there is dynamics rather than perfect consistent 16ths
 
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#16
I dedicate some time to experimenting with 123 123, 321 321, and 1232 1232.

They can all be useful for short bursts of speed in conjunction with my normal 2121 or 1212.

Although I can do faster short bursts with a 3-finger approach, so far I am able to play a higher sustained tempo with 2 fingers. After a few cycles my hand simply slows down and develop a bit of tension. Additionally, I find it easier to produce even tone with 2 fingers. Perhaps these limitations are because I haven't practiced enough with 3 fingers, or perhaps there is a physiological reason.


My suspicion: We are all different, so what works for some famous bass player may not be the best choice for you.
 
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#18
vindibona1 said:
In terms of plucking speed, with 2 fingers I max out pretty early, somewhere around 110 BPM on a good day. I see guys like Billy Sheehan that use 3 fingers, obviously for a reason and to pretty well. But when I try fingering with a what would think would be an obvious "1-2-3" pattern, the sound just isn't even, especially when playing 16th notes. My fingers/brain just don't work well making 3 fingers work into quadruplets. And so I thought, "WHAT IF I CHANGED UP THE PATTERN INTO TWO DUPLETS" fingered 1-3-2-3???
Obviously this could take some practice to become comfortable, automatic and up to the speeds I'd like to have. I dunno...
So what do y'all think?

Click to expand...

Honestly, if it works for you and you can transition in and out of that seamlessly as-needed and the note values and volumes are even, then awesome! I seem to find (and depending on tempo) doing triplets with 1-2-1, 2-1-2, 1-2-1, etc... works for me. And at some very fast tempos where it's more than just triplets and instead is really a kind of "gallop", I do 3-2-1, 3-2-1, 3-2-1, etc... which may be "backwards", and that seems perfectly ergonomic and acceptable to me.
 

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