Want to improve your fretting hand strength?

[urb]

... play guitar!

... OK so no miracle cure here but I have discovered something inadvertanly by playing a lot of acoustic (steel string) guitar this week and fretting some tricky chords - for several hours - that coming back to the bass my 'core strength' of my fretting hand seems to have improved, especially the little/pinky finger - by holding chords, with all four fingers and having to exert unified amounts of pressure - as opposed to widdling away playing lots of scales - has really helped. I've read elsewhere about playing long notes slowly as being a better warm up routine than playing fast scales - and yes that is kind of good - but I've found this far more effective.

Anyway hardly reinventing the wheel I know, but I really noticed it - so thought I'd share... as you were

Cheers

Mike

[Cat Burrito]

It might just be that you are playing more? I found playing upright bass really made me appreciate the bass guitar

[discreet]

[quote name='urb' timestamp='1382033458' post='2247050']
...hardly reinventing the wheel I know, but I really noticed it - so thought I'd share...
[/quote]

Yes, you're right - I play guitar (not publicly!) and I find that it definitely improves my bass playing. I think it may be due to using different muscles, or rather the same muscles in a different way, that builds up general hand strength, for sure.

[EBS_freak]

Good technique Mike. I also have a bass with a really high action which does a similar job. Practoce on that and then I switch to my normal bass... and pow. Similar principal to Bill Dickens Buddah Rope I guess.

[Dave_the_bass]

As an addition to this... for increasing both strength and speed play lots of guitar hero or similar.