Bass Playing Hints and Tips

[bassbloke]

I thought it would be a really good idea to have a thread in which we explain one big problem we have with our playing and see if other people can offer advice.

Everyone that contributes needs to have a problem fo their own.

My biggest problem is string crossing at speed when I'm paying a part that covers 4 or even 5 srings.

I can't decide what feels most comfortable to me

T123T123 ascending and 321T321T descending
12121212 ascending and 12121212 descending
12121212 ascending and raking when descending
13131313 ascending and raking when descending

I'll spend hours working on the one technique then come back to it a few days later and it won;t feel natural.

[mcgraham]

Good idea! Though this perhaps would be better suited to the technique part of the forum.

[quote]I can't decide what feels most comfortable to me

T123T123 ascending and 321T321T descending
12121212 ascending and 12121212 descending
12121212 ascending and raking when descending
13131313 ascending and raking when descending[/quote]

I've used the T123 technique for a few years now, a few others have done likewise. Made quite popular by guys like Matt Garrison. I worked on it and used it exclusively for a year. The most important thing to do is to keep the same order of fingers, doesn't matter what you start on, but it's important to always go T123, or 123T, or 23T1 or 3T12, otherwise you negate the speed benefits and give yourself more undue work.

My advice for that one is to 1) keep working on it, particularly by running scales 2) always 'alternate' i.e. never break the pattern when you practice. Additionally use free strokes (i.e. your finger comes up off the string towards your palm and not into the next lower string.

Your next question seems to be regarding strict alternation vs. raking. In all honesty I think that if you work hard enough on either, the difficulties that each have will be overcome. I've used both, strict alternation gives your plucked notes great timing from the very beginning, but feels very unnatural when descending and can cause you trip up. Raking is the opposite, feels much more natural but can cause you to have poor timing.

Personally I prefer raking over strict adherence to a pattern (the T123/Matt Garrison technique) felt 'too' rigid in its timing despite it's 'perfectness', whilst raking (I feel) is more natural, hard work means timing isn't an issue, and I feel I get a much better tone and general feel with it. Again, that is my opinion, you need to try both and make up your mind.

The last one seems to relate to using fingers 1 & 2 or fingers 1 & 3. I honestly think that if several hundred years of technique have developed on guitar and bass (acoustic, upright etc) and they stuck with fingers 1 & 2, then it's probably worth learning from that. I agree that finger 3 is of a more similar length, but then you have this useless hunk of meat and bone sitting between your plucking fingers (i.e. your middle finger). Just my opinion though.

In short, I think: 1) practice the matt garrison technique as above. get yourself a ramp, it'll help, think of it as a separate technique you can use.
2) try both strict alternation and raking and see what you think, bear in mind what I've mentioned above about pros and cons.
3) IMO you should stick with fingers 1 & 2 for the above reasons.

Mark

Edited March 19, 2008 by mcgraham

[bassbloke]

Thanks for your reply, although forgot to post your own playing problems

My problem simply relates to string crossing at speed. For example, I used to play in a covers band and we played Dance of Eternity by Dream Theater, off scenes from a memory. There's a fast part before the bridge that has you alternating between a fast root - octave riff with fills that cross all 4 strings.

I managed to pull it off, but it always felt like a bit too much of an effort, I think because I wasn't 100% happy with the way I crossed the strings. In the end I played it 1321 ascending and raked descending.

It's a major annoyance for me because I don't have a problem with speed or accuracy of notes when playing more linear patterns. I know practicing it constantly is one approach, but it seems a little counter-productive when I'm not actually 100% of the way I'm tackling it in the first place.

What probably makes things harder is that I play near the bridge and really concentrate on pulling the strings rather than just hammering them to get as consistent and pure a tone as possible. It's much easier to play right up bythe neck but IMHO, sounds awful.

[mcgraham]

[quote]My problem simply relates to string crossing at speed[/quote]

Try using Hanon. If you browse the technique forum there's a thread that someone started that I posted in discussing Hanon. Will really help you nail string crossing at speed.

And I didn't forget

Mark