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Techniques you struggle with


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Reggae is easy; play less and never go above the fourth fret.

What is interesting is that almost all of the above posts reference difficulties with techniques that are practically useless :lol:

Fopr instance, I don't slap particularly well and double thumbing is weak. The reason for this is primarily that, whilst the techniques in question undoubtedly turn heads, I DON'T LIKE THE MUSIC THAT IS PLAYED USING THEM AND NEVER PLAY THE MUSIC THAT IS PLAYED USING THEM. So, in short, the techniques are of no real use to me. Hence, I do not practice them, hence, I am not very good at them.

When I was a fledgling bass player, I learned lots of the required party pieces that use odd techniques (5G by Jeff Berlin, Schooldays by Stanley Clarke, Motherlode by Berlin, Country Music by Stu Hamm etc). I also learned to play Pat Metheny's 'Are You Going With Me' as a two-handed extravaganza. As I moved on, however, I realised that these techniques are pretty much peripheral to the world of music making. I suspect the above list of 'difficulties' reflects that fact that most of the things we have 'difficulties' with are not bass playing but party tricks.

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Rapid alternation of first and second fingers - someone broke my hand several decades ago and so my right forefinger is a little shorter and lower than it should be, and I've never been able to compensate properly for that. I don't have any problems playing classical guitar style though.

Slap bass - I've got as far as hitting strings with my thumb (mostly accurately) and haven't progressed any further in the last 25 years.

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[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1432195527' post='2778989']
What is interesting is that almost all of the above posts reference difficulties with techniques that are practically useless :lol:

Fopr instance, I don't slap particularly well and double thumbing is weak. The reason for this is primarily that, whilst the techniques in question undoubtedly turn heads, I DON'T LIKE THE MUSIC THAT IS PLAYED USING THEM AND NEVER PLAY THE MUSIC THAT IS PLAYED USING THEM. So, in short, the techniques are of no real use to me. Hence, I do not practice them, hence, I am not very good at them.
[/quote]

But for those guys that do like playing music that features slap, double thumbing and hammering on, the practice and learning of these technicques is essential. I struggle to see anything bad in someone who is trying to create music - this music may not be for me, but that's a different issue. :)

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I,m not too bad with laid back reggae but I struggle with Ska. I had to learn Too Much Too Young and Nite Klub and couldnt nail those quick runs smoothly.
Also slap. I am with Bilbo on that, I have no interest with playing that type of music, so dont bother.

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[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1432195527' post='2778989']
Fopr instance, I don't slap particularly well and double thumbing is weak. The reason for this is primarily that, whilst the techniques in question undoubtedly turn heads, I DON'T LIKE THE MUSIC THAT IS PLAYED USING THEM AND NEVER PLAY THE MUSIC THAT IS PLAYED USING THEM. So, in short, the techniques are of no real use to me. Hence, I do not practice them, hence, I am not very good at them.
[/quote]

Very much in agreement with this Mr. B.

Edited by ahpook
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Anything with consistent 8ths that's faster than 220bpm, and anything faster than that. Which is quite a lot of stuff I want to play :P
I think technique wise I'm slowly building up my chops, just taking it really slow with a metronome (working on thumb+pop triplets, they're a real b*stard for me at the moment)

But mainly playing with a pick is what i struggle with, I just can't get the articulation I'd like to be consistent. Gonna be practicing though cos I'm filling in for my mates in a week or so and need to use a pick for that to get that skatepunk rattle/clank

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[quote name='samBolshy' timestamp='1432199956' post='2779039']
...and need to use a pick for that to get that skatepunk rattle/clank
[/quote]

I had an involuntary shudder when I read this...

I understand if your filling in and that's what they are going for :) But why on earth anyone would want rattle and clank in their bass sound is beyond me...

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Classical bowing teqhniques.
I mainly used the upright for Jazz, and some pop, country and some shows
that required minimal bowing.
But I am happy with how it is coming along,
and for a double whammy, it's helped my teqhnique no end for
sawing down trees and branches in the garden.

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I play with a pick. For the past 18 months or so I have been trying to get my fingerstyle playing to the same standard but I am struggling. Just don't get the same control or speed using my fingers. I am ok for some bass lines but nowhere near as good as I want to be. Better than I was, so guess keep plugging on!

Double thumbing? I can't even play single thumbing. :)

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[quote name='anaxcrosswords' timestamp='1432127347' post='2778383']
(if I’m wrong in the terminology, what I mean is moving to the same fret position but one string down, eg C on the A string to G on the E string).
[/quote]
[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1432127540' post='2778390']
That's actually a 5th.
[/quote]

Nope, it's a fourth.

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1432158424' post='2778810']
Playing with a pick.
[/quote]

Yep. I started off playing with a pick, moved to fingerstyle, and now I can't play with a pick any more!

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OK, a 4th but that's my final offer :)
The technique I've been trying to use - and it's the only one that brings any semblance of success, though still not great - is having middle and index finger in parallel, my hand pointing almost directly up the fretboard. It's not as uncomfortable as it sounds, but still a touch unnatural, especially if I have to move quickly to a more conventional position.

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[quote name='anaxcrosswords' timestamp='1432204573' post='2779090']
OK, a 4th but that's my final offer :)
The technique I've been trying to use - and it's the only one that brings any semblance of success, though still not great - is having middle and index finger in parallel, my hand pointing almost directly up the fretboard. It's not as uncomfortable as it sounds, but still a touch unnatural, especially if I have to move quickly to a more conventional position.
[/quote]

What about using your middle finger to fret the notes and laying your forefinger across the strings to damp any open ones?

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That’s a technique I have used, and is probably still the default. For some reason it just sounds a bit messy – I’m particularly prone to the forefinger ringing out harmonics instead of damping. Doesn’t help that I prefer 40s string sets; heavier gauge would be less lively but I’ve never liked them.

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I have a decent grasp of most things (weirdly I find myself using double thumb as a standard picking technique quite often). But I struggle with any form of walking bassline and I can't say I'm great at reggae style laid back lines. With practice I'm sure I could manage though.

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Depends on the key of the section being played. If playing in 'C', the 'G' is the fifth (whether or not it's the octave above or below matters not...). If playing in 'G', 'C' is the fourth, again, independent of the octave being played.

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