3 finger technique

[MacDaddy]

I just wanted to share with the collective:

I've recently joined a new band, and one of the songs calls for demi-semi quavers throughout a lot of it. I'm a finger player and TBH was struggling with it a bit and consequently didn't like or enjoy playing it. I had been using just index and middle, but I started to involve the ring finger too, and after a lot of practice I've nailed it.
The 8 notes per beat are played r-m-i-r-m-i-r-m and the following note -i-
The most difficult part was avoiding the accents from the ring finger, when playing the 4th and 7th demi-semi quavers.
Anyway now I'm comfortable with it, I actually quite like playing it now

If anyone is interested pm me an email and I'll send you the demo I had to learn, so you can hear what I mean.

[velvetkevorkian]

Once you go three fingered you'll never go back. Well, I won't anyway. Two just seems so inefficient.

[wildman]

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='24759' date='Jun 29 2007, 10:46 AM']Once you go three fingered you'll never go back. Well, I won't anyway. Two just seems so inefficient.[/quote]

Recommend Progressive Bassics by Gary Willis, he shows how to work the three finger technique complete with string muting.......

[Mikey D]

I have recently been reworking my 3/4 finger technique to play fast lines and bebop heads...it is going quite well. I started playing like this when I actually picked up the bass when I saw a Billy Sheehan article, in Total Guitar I think!?, but most things I played didn't call for it, but now I am playing some seriously burning jazz, the effortless of playing with 3/4 fingers really does help. Still along way to go practice wise, however I prefer using P-I-M-(with the occasional A depending on line I am playing) as I can get alot more consistancy and speed than playing I-M-R or R-M-I.

I am thinking of filming how I play donna lee, as supposedly it's a little different to most!?

[velvetkevorkian]

I use it all the time, even for slow things. For me there's no real disadvantage, but I get so much more agility from it. I play ring-middle-index all the time.

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='24759' date='Jun 29 2007, 10:46 AM']Once you go three fingered you'll never go back. Well, I won't anyway. Two just seems so inefficient.[/quote]
[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='25164' date='Jun 29 2007, 10:39 PM']I use it all the time, even for slow things. For me there's no real disadvantage, but I get so much more agility from it. I play ring-middle-index all the time.[/quote]

yeah me too now. Once you've managed to get even fingering going on (or a decent compressor ) the ring finger becomes more involved.
When I first started bass I was a classical guitarist and was using all fingers to pick with, but because I had to have long nails I had to use a pick for bass. 20 years later and I'm relearning the same techniques, minus the guitar.

[urb]

Hey chaps

I've been doing the ol' 4 finger picking for a couple of years now - well 3 fingers plus thumb - and I've got it fairly tight now - I can comfortably lay down a steady 16th note pattern at some medium to high tempos - as well as work it through some single note lines. Matt Garrison and Dominique Dpiazza are the true masters of this so I'm always checking out the new stuff they do - but some of you might want to have a look at a couple of things I stuck on Youtube:

Funky bass jam - with some 4-finger breaks in it:

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCHMqajchDM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCHMqajchDM[/url]

This is a demo of the right hand stuff I did a while ago as well - I have it much more in control now and yes this defiinitely goes out a bit in places, but it shows the whole action of thumb, index, middle, ring - 1,2,3,4 quite clearly.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1_P9jnFC2U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1_P9jnFC2U[/url]

While I can play lines with this stuff I normally use just two fingers for 99% of everything else I play - but this is definitely a cool thing to have in the bag and is actually a lot more versatile than just for speed, playing chords and string crossing are just two of the benefits.

Any thoughts or tips gratefully received - hope some of this helps.

Cheers

Mike

[pip]

Yea I agree with Urb, I've just started incorporating thumb, index, middle, ring into my own playing and just trying to get comfortable with it, plus like urb mentioned its handy for chords etc. The only thing i don't use on either of my basses is a ramp like Gary willis for example, quite a challenge never the less but I think I'm getting the hang of it without a ramp which is quite odd or although it doesn't feel it.

Phil

[Russ]

I dabbled with the three-finger playing thing for quite a few years, and still use it on occasion for playing triplets, but I worked out a new technique that works better for me, while providing the agility of three-finger picking and allowing me to mostly do away with using a pick for the tunes I do that needed that sound.

It's pretty much a rock-optimised version of the Garrison fingers-plus-thumb technique, except using only two fingers in addition to my thumb, and incorporating the edge of my thumbnail for a pick-like sound. Basically, I nail the "one" using the thumb/thumbnail (depending on the sound I'm going for), then the 2,3,4 (or 2,3 or whatever) with the fingers in alternating fashion, and using the thumb to lead when crossing strings. It's not dissimilar to classical guitar technique, in a lot of ways. Makes for quite a powerful technique that has a lot of versatility as far as speed, tones and muting are concerned. I'm still working on it, but I can see it almost replacing all my other finger techniques once I'm comfortable with it for everything, as it's much more efficient.

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='Russ' post='32334' date='Jul 16 2007, 02:28 AM']I dabbled with the three-finger playing thing for quite a few years, and still use it on occasion for playing triplets, but I worked out a new technique that works better for me, while providing the agility of three-finger picking and allowing me to mostly do away with using a pick for the tunes I do that needed that sound.

It's pretty much a rock-optimised version of the Garrison fingers-plus-thumb technique, except using only two fingers in addition to my thumb, and incorporating the edge of my thumbnail for a pick-like sound. Basically, I nail the "one" using the thumb/thumbnail (depending on the sound I'm going for), then the 2,3,4 (or 2,3 or whatever) with the fingers in alternating fashion, and using the thumb to lead when crossing strings. It's not dissimilar to classical guitar technique, in a lot of ways. Makes for quite a powerful technique that has a lot of versatility as far as speed, tones and muting are concerned. I'm still working on it, but I can see it almost replacing all my other finger techniques once I'm comfortable with it for everything, as it's much more efficient.[/quote]

sounds interesting. Is it similar to 'chicken picking'?

[Russ]

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='32730' date='Jul 16 2007, 09:18 PM']sounds interesting. Is it similar to 'chicken picking'?[/quote]

In a way, yes (in the banjo sense of "chicken pickin'" anyway). The trick is getting it so you can do it all on one string in semiquavers (16ths), and using it to simulate the sound of up-and-down picking using a plectrum (since the thumb and fingers produce different tones, analogous to pick upstrokes and downstrokes). Crossing strings all of a sudden becomes really easy using the technique. I'll have to knock up a vid or something.

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='Russ' post='33327' date='Jul 17 2007, 10:41 PM']Crossing strings all of a sudden becomes really easy using the technique. I'll have to knock up a vid or something.[/quote]

yep a vid would be cool. Keep us informed.

[Sibob]

Isn't that the technique that Ryan Martinie uses?
He said he picked it up after watching his dad play classical guitar

Si

[Russ]

[quote name='Sibob' post='33337' date='Jul 17 2007, 10:56 PM']Isn't that the technique that Ryan Martinie uses?
He said he picked it up after watching his dad play classical guitar

Si[/quote]

Could be, although I didn't see him do it on the live Mudvayne DVD I've got. The bastard nicked some of my other moves though.... I was doing tapped harmonics the same way he does years before I ever saw him!

[Sibob]

But then he was probably doing it before you were born
lol

I think i saw it in his Bass Player mag interview a couple of years ago

Si

[Russ]

[quote name='Sibob' post='33365' date='Jul 17 2007, 11:27 PM']But then he was probably doing it before you were born
lol

I think i saw it in his Bass Player mag interview a couple of years ago

Si[/quote]

I'm older than him!

I missed that issue, couldn't find it anywhere.... (that was the one with him painted blue, wasn't it?)

[Sibob]

I beg your pardon! My bad
I'm sure i saw a post that you made saying you were a teenager lol, i should have my facts straight next time! :-D

Yeah, it was that issue alright.
Maybe i can scan it and send you the article

Si

[Lfalex v1.1]

I can't accomodate 3 finger playing, although I've dabbled with it. (I've dabbled with plectrums, too, but that usually lasts about 2 notes before they get chucked across the room!)

My technique uses the usual i-m alternating pattern, but the ring finger moves to damp the string immediately above the one being plucked. The plucking finger then "follows-through" to such a degree that it strikes the string above (damped).

It's a kind of "perpetually right-hand damped rake" motion.

It's probably really inefficient in absolute speed terms, and it's likely that I'm playing far too hard (!) It just gives such an excellent tone, large and smooth.
If I deviate this technique, it all goes a bit "thin" and "reedy" sounding"

Any solutions?

(Don't even [i]ask[/i] about my fretting hand!)

[guitarnbass]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='35995' date='Jul 23 2007, 04:31 PM']I can't accomodate 3 finger playing, although I've dabbled with it. (I've dabbled with plectrums, too, but that usually lasts about 2 notes before they get chucked across the room!)

My technique uses the usual i-m alternating pattern, but the ring finger moves to damp the string immediately above the one being plucked. The plucking finger then "follows-through" to such a degree that it strikes the string above (damped).

It's a kind of "perpetually right-hand damped rake" motion.

It's probably really inefficient in absolute speed terms, and it's likely that I'm playing far too hard (!) It just gives such an excellent tone, large and smooth.
If I deviate this technique, it all goes a bit "thin" and "reedy" sounding"

Any solutions?

(Don't even [i]ask[/i] about my fretting hand!)[/quote]

I think I see what you mean, I started playing like that at first but started using the floating thumb technique after a lesson with a guy. What happens then is that the thumb rests on the string above the one you're playing, and the back of the thumb is dampening the strings, so there's no hum. It's something that's got to be shown really, but I'm sure you understand what I mean.. Anyway, it means you don't have to worry about using the 3rd as a dampening tool too. Still, the 3rd on its own is pretty tough to get dexterous, when you start using it at first, you can get a different tone to the other 2, but that seems to go away. 3 fingers at first is not fun, but after a while it becomes just as easy as 2. Took me at least 8 months to get good with it, and it's still not perfect.

[Dood]

Just a quick chime in.. the biggest help to a fluid 3 finger technique was designing a ramp and having it added to my bass. When I play my other basses I miss it, big style! I think I'll have to have some more made!!!

[The Funk]

[quote name='guitarnbass' post='36050' date='Jul 23 2007, 06:40 PM']I think I see what you mean, I started playing like that at first but started using the floating thumb technique after a lesson with a guy.[/quote]

I'm still slightly annoyed 'cos that's how I used to play until I started having lessons a long while ago where the teacher advocated an anchored thumb. I'm sure it wouldn't take much practice to switch back again though.

[guitarnbass]

you don't lose anything by using it, eventually the thumb just slides, you aren't even aware of it, although there are plenty of passages where you'll want to keep the thumb anchored, like quick string skipping stuff etc.

[metalmaniac]

IMO i-m-r-i-m-r... is very good for triplets but accents too much to keep a balanced 4 notes.. so im learning the method predominantly used by steve di giorgio which is i-m-r-m-i-m-r-m-i and so on...

[url="http://stevedigiorgio.com/bin/column.pdf"]http://stevedigiorgio.com/bin/column.pdf[/url]

[Burg]

I've used four fingers on my right hand for a number of years now, believe it or not, because i'm too lazy to play with two fingers. It just seems to take a lot less effort to me. But I can actually play faster if I use fewer fingers.

[Sibob]

I usually use two fingers alternating for the majority of my playing. I utilise a 3 finger r-m-i-r-m-i etc technique for fast triplets, i find that playing the fingers in that order as opposed to i-m-r gives me a bit more bounce on the string for whatever reason. I've also begun working on it a lot harder to smooth it out so i can play fast 4ths with no accents.

Often i also play 3 finger + thumb plucking technique, but that tends to be for more chilled out passages because you (I) don't get as much attack compared to standard finger style

Si