Pinky When Fretting a Bass...

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JohnDeacon

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I'm finding it very difficult to go anything useful with my pinky when fretting the bass, i mean i can go from index to pinky but if i wanted to go index to middle to 'whatever the one after thats called' to pinky its impossible.

Im still relativley new to bass, so does anyone ahve any tips or exercises to wake my pinky up? Has anyone else had this problem?
 
try doing root-root chords, in a slapping sort of style...just hit the lower octave with your index finger, and the higher octave with the pinky.

then work on hammer-ons and hammer-offs with the pinky in the same manner. then you will be able to work your pinky in nicely.
 
Yup - play scales.

Sorry if you know this, but for anybody else starting out who doesn't.

What you called the middle finger (the long one!) on 4 th string, 5th fret. You do not move your hand from this position. Play an A major scale.

4th string frets 5, 7 (middle, pinky)
3rd string 4,5,7 (first finger, middle, pinky)
2 nd string 4,6,7 (first, ring finger, pinky)

and back down again. Keep your hand perfectly still.

Move up to starting on the 3 rd string for a D major scale. Drop the 4th fret on the next string up to the 3rd fret for a minor scale. Drop the 6th fret on the top string to the fifth for a bluesy (i.e. with a flattened 7th) scale.

Move it up and down the fretboard.

Also pentatonic scales - buy a book or Google will find you the positions. The whole point for these exercises is keeping your hand still and making all your fingers work.

Have fun and I'm sorry if that was more basic than you were looking for, but I like to play fast runs and find this exercise invaluable.
 
i thought i was the only bass player that didnt use his pinky, i watch guys on tv and they are using all fingers on both hands...i just use thumb, pointer, and the bird...but now i think im going to try to start using the pinkster....


freak
 
imo bass technique is a lot like classical guitar technique: use all fingers, try to get your thumb at the middle of the back of your neck, when fretting with a finger, make sure all fingers below the one you're fretting with stay down (eg. when playing a D on the A string with your third finger, leave the index and middle finger down).
Kinda difficult when playing with your bass on your ankles, but for the rest of us it should go :p

and errr.. 90% plays with only two fingers of their right hand.


Herwig
 
Thanks for everyone's advice; and Garry thats exactly what I was after, so thanks!
 
Well said, Deadpoet. It's exactly what defines a good bass playing technique to me and it's what I work at constantly.
And for the record. My right hand uses all but the pinky.
 
Everyone Use your pinkies! Don't build a a bad habit of using only 2 fingers Try this one:



Do a major triad lets say starting with low "G"

finger low g ("e" string 3rd frett) with your pointer

finger d ("a" string 5th frett) with your middle finger

finger b ( "e" string 7th frett) with YOUR PINKY

finger d again ("a" string 5th frett) using your middle finger again


so it goes like this: G D B D G D B D ETC.


play the notes in that exact order. this is a great stretching exercise. Try it on other parts of the frett board

Also try fingering a "9 chord" (root, 5th, 9th)

like this again in G

pointer finger on G (e string 3rd frett)

middle finger on D (a string 5th frett)

Pinky on high a ( d string 7th frett)

press all three at once and strum as a chord.


hope this helps

clif
 
christiaan said:
Well said, Deadpoet. It's exactly what defines a good bass playing technique to me and it's what I work at constantly.
And for the record. My right hand uses all but the pinky.
Click to expand...

I would love to hear more about right hand three finger technique. I can do a gallop real well with 3 fingers but I cannot do a straight 16th notes with 3 fingers very well. Anyone else use this technique? I know Billy SHeehan and John Myoung form Dream Theater is a master at these. Did Cliff Burton use more than two fingers (pinky?) I mean how did he play "disposable heroes" that fast with fingers?

clif
 
clifchamb said:
I would love to hear more about right hand three finger technique. I can do a gallop real well with 3 fingers but I cannot do a straight 16th notes with 3 fingers very well.
Click to expand...

i can make some wierd noise when i use more than two to move fast. i cant do straight 16ths with 3, i can with 2, but they are sloppy, i gotta work on that

freak
 
Don't get fooled that you can only play fast with +2 fingers .. check out the SWR website -> MP3's -> Skitzo by Adam Nitti.
Not a particular beautiful song, but it shows what you can do on a bass. Actually I made a transcription of it and played it for my technical exam last june (execpt the sweeps in the beginning and end, Adam explained me how to, but couldn't do it). It's all two fingers and some slapping - now that I think about it, for slapping I use all fingers except pinky :)

btw: I'm not saying you can't play with three or four fingers, I'm just saying I don't, and I don't need more than two :cool:

btw2: I'm a bass player and they are lazy by nature, I think I do a lot more hammer-on and pull-of than actually plucking notes :D
:D


Herwig
 
it's all about shortcuts! My probelm is that I play too hard with my 2 fingers. If I can just learn to lighten my touch and relax them, ultra fast 16th notes would come more naturally. Tony Franklin wrote a great article is Bass Player a few years ago about how his playing improved drastically after attempting to play softer.


I must "unlearn what I have learned"

clif
 
yup. Relaxing is 80% of the job.

'Unlearning' is *very* hard to do. I know my acoustical bowing is never gonna be up to par with some of the classical players I know, just because I have a RH thumb problem.

An electrical bass doesn't require too much pressure in the left hand, and an important thing is a kind of indepence between the two hands: fretting a note with the left hand should go without tensing any muscle in the right hand.

Relaxing the body and mind are a big deal of playing in a controlled way.


Herwig
 
clifchamb said:
I would love to hear more about right hand three finger technique. I can do a gallop real well with 3 fingers but I cannot do a straight 16th notes with 3 fingers very well. Anyone else use this technique? I know Billy SHeehan and John Myoung form Dream Theater is a master at these. Did Cliff Burton use more than two fingers (pinky?) I mean how did he play "disposable heroes" that fast with fingers?

clif
Click to expand...

I started using 3 fingers pretty early in my bass playing days. When I started to suffer (mildly) from carpal tunnel syndrome/rsi/whatever like symptoms in hands and arms, I thought it may be a way to relieve the strain on the index and middle finger of the right hand.
I adopted it very quickly. I don't have problems with playing the 16th notes rhythm straight with three fingers. I guess I've been lucky (some might say blessed) because it came fairly naturally.
I don't use all three fingers equally as much. I do mostly use the index and middle finger but whenever it feels needed, I just let the third join in.
 
clifchamb said:
I would love to hear more about right hand three finger technique. I can do a gallop real well with 3 fingers but I cannot do a straight 16th notes with 3 fingers very well. Anyone else use this technique? I know Billy SHeehan and John Myoung form Dream Theater is a master at these. Did Cliff Burton use more than two fingers (pinky?) I mean how did he play "disposable heroes" that fast with fingers?

clif
Click to expand...

You can teach yourself by modifying the "gallop". The gallop is simply three beats with a rest. Remove the rest, and the accent will fall on a different finger each time.

Try putting an accent on the fourth note, for example...starting with the ring finger as the accent, then the middle finger, then the index finger, back to the ring finger, then accent the middle finger, etc. so that each one plays an accented note.

The ring finger is a good one to teach your right hand. Once you are well-versed with it, you'll find yourself using it quite a bit.... without even thinking about it. It's all in how you train yourself.
 
Garry Sharp said:
Yup - play scales.

Sorry if you know this, but for anybody else starting out who doesn't.

What you called the middle finger (the long one!) on 4 th string, 5th fret. You do not move your hand from this position. Play an A major scale.

4th string frets 5, 7 (middle, pinky)
3rd string 4,5,7 (first finger, middle, pinky)
2 nd string 4,6,7 (first, ring finger, pinky)

and back down again. Keep your hand perfectly still.

Move up to starting on the 3 rd string for a D major scale. Drop the 4th fret on the next string up to the 3rd fret for a minor scale. Drop the 6th fret on the top string to the fifth for a bluesy (i.e. with a flattened 7th) scale.

Move it up and down the fretboard.

Also pentatonic scales - buy a book or Google will find you the positions. The whole point for these exercises is keeping your hand still and making all your fingers work.

Have fun and I'm sorry if that was more basic than you were looking for, but I like to play fast runs and find this exercise invaluable.
Click to expand...

:) amen
 
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