Some thoughts on technique

[Alun]

Hi all. As some of you may ( or may not ) know, I have been working on some writing some tuition material over the last few months which will eventually ( day to day life is playing havoc with my deadlines!!!) be available at [url="http://www.bassbook.co.uk"]www.bassbook.co.uk[/url].

Out of curiousity, I thought I'd post the introduction to the first book, which deals with basic picking and fretting techniques, and get some feedback ......


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[b]Why have technique?[/b]

Go on any internet musicians forum and you'll find the discussion of “technique” being discussed for many pages. It's often seen as a dirty word,as if having a lot of technique turns you into a robot that just plays millions of mechanical notes with no emotion or sense of melody, and there is an almost romantic notion that the non-technical will produce better, more honest music.
But technique is simply that – something that allows you to get things done.

At the moment I'm sitting here with my laptop typing this. Using what? Yes, my typing technique. A technique which is, if I'm honest, not that great. As a result I make mistakes and have to correct things, and can't express the ideas in my head as fluidly as I'd like. If my typing technique was more precise I would be able to express my ideas more quickly and more accurately. Whether I decide to write a love poem or a technical manual full of long words, my typing will be up to the job.

And that is exactly how I see bass technique development – a way of allowing us to express the ideas in our heads easily and effortlessly. If we then decide to play a slow ballad or a non stop flurry of notes at 400 beats per minute is down to our own sense of musicality, it has NOTHING to do with the ability in your hands. Our technical prowess is simply a way of realising the sounds in our heads,Just remember that, no matter how much technique we have, we are trying to create music, not win the Bass Olympics.

[b]Getting comfortable[/b]

Before we start, let's get the bass in a comfortable playing position. Now, before I start, I have to be honest and say there is not one Holy Grail of bass position. We all have different body shapes and, more than likely, we all have different shape basses which may or may not suit certain positions. However, there are some general principles we can use to get our instrument into a playing position which will:
a, be comfortable
b, allow us full access to the instrument
c, minimise the likelihood of injury
d, be consistent when performing and practicing

OK, the first thing I will say might sound obvious but is missed by a lot of players, both beginners and more experienced bassists, and that is that you should practice with the bass in the same position as you have it when you play live. I have often seen players ( and I've been guilty of this too!) who practice sitting down, hunched over the bass and then play live standing up with the bass at waist level. They then wonder why all that clever stuff they practiced is so hard to play live.

Think about it - if you're sitting hunched over the bass, the top of the bass is probably against your chestbone so both your arms are likely to be bent at the elbow, your picking arm may well be out at a right angle to your shoulder. Then you stand up with the bass lower down. The top of the bass is now where? Ribcage or maybe lower? Both arms are considerably straighter as you're reaching further. The chances are that, if you were practicing with the bass balanced on your leg it was further off to the side and when you stand up it's more central. Yes, you've just changed every angle of your body in relation to the bass. Imagine if you learned to drive and then, when you bought a car, the steering wheel was in the middle of the dashboard and how difficult it would be to drive. That is effectively what you're doing to your bass playing by not having a consistent approach to position.
So, keep the position consistent. Either have your bass at such a height that it will sit on your body in the same way whether you're sitting or standing or, if you can't resist the low slung rock look, practice standing up. It's a really simple way to improve the consistency between your practicing and performing.

The next thing we need to think about is whether our playing position allows us full access to the neck. Sitting down is generally not too bad, but make sure your arm can reach the 1st fret comfortably without stretching full length and that you can reach the top frets easily. Pay particular attention to making sure your arm doesn't collide with your torso.

Standing up can be a bit more of an issue as the height of your bass can affect how accessible the fretboard is. If you have your bass slung quite low the lower frets will normally be pretty easy to play but the top end of the neck may be quite tricky to get to without bending your wrist quite sharply or changing your posture. Conversely, having the bass too high may make the upper frets easier to get to, but you could find yourself stretching for those low notes, especially if you use a 35” or 36” scale bass.

So try and get the bass at such a height that you can comfortably slide your finger from the 1st fret to the top end of the neck without having to stretch or change your posture.

Also consider the position of your picking hand. You need to be able to comfortably play every string It's unlikely that the bass will be low that you can't reach all the strings but I have seen some people come close! Very high positions can be worse as the picking hand can end up at a very sharp angle to your forearm. Now, many players play perfectly well like this but I try to discourage having bent wrists wherever possible.

Every tendon that you use to wiggle your fingers about has to travel through a very small passageway – your wrist. Imagine your drinking through a straight straw – the liquid flows quite easily. Now, bend the straw in the middle and try again – still getting some liquid through but you have to try harder. That's effectively what's physically happening with your wrists, so I strongly recommend keeping your wrists as straight as possible.

I should probably add at this point that this isn't just the opinion of a writer/teacher – I have suffered in the past with pain and problems in both wrists so am offering this advise to hopefully avoid you having the same. Either way, “no pain no gain” does NOT work when it comes to bass playing. If you start to feel pain, take a break for a few minutes.
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All comments/opinions gratefully received

Cheers
Alun

[velvetkevorkian]

Excellent introduction I reckon- well detailed but not overdone, and well written too. I also came across a couple of your lessons on the Chops From Hell site and was very impressed at them also

[ped]

Very good mate but [i]Any[/i] internet musicians forum?? ;0)

[Cernael]

[quote name='Alun' post='249150' date='Jul 27 2008, 10:35 PM']Every tendon that you use to wiggle your fingers about has to travel through a very small passageway – your wrist. Imagine your drinking through a straight straw – the liquid flows quite easily. Now, bend the straw in the middle and try again – still getting some liquid through but you have to try harder. That's effectively what's physically happening with your wrists, so I strongly recommend keeping your wrists as straight as possible.[/quote]
This, while part of good advice, is a false analogy. Tendons are housed in sheaths with next to zero friction; bending the wrist doesn't really make it harder to move the them.

What it actually does is make the distance between the elbow, where the relevant muscles are attached, and the fingers ever so slightly longer (or shorter, in the case of the flexor muscles), meaning that the muscles must work at the extreme end of their range, where they're generally weaker. Also, since you're at the extreme range, you have less...ehh...wiggle room.

Try this; make a tight fist. Now, bend your wrist in the direction of the palm, and try to hold the fist tight. Does it open up a bit anyway?

[Alun]

[quote name='Cernael' post='251777' date='Jul 31 2008, 12:17 AM']This, while part of good advice, is a false analogy. Tendons are housed in sheaths with next to zero friction; bending the wrist doesn't really make it harder to move the them.

What it actually does is make the distance between the elbow, where the relevant muscles are attached, and the fingers ever so slightly longer (or shorter, in the case of the flexor muscles), meaning that the muscles must work at the extreme end of their range, where they're generally weaker. Also, since you're at the extreme range, you have less...ehh...wiggle room.

Try this; make a tight fist. Now, bend your wrist in the direction of the palm, and try to hold the fist tight. Does it open up a bit anyway?[/quote]

Thanks Cernael. Will amend accordingly


Cheers
Alun

[ZMech]

If you directly copied and pasted this, which I'm guessing you did, then you might want to correct the punctuation in this section, as it doesn't seem quite right:
"You need to be able to comfortably play every string It's unlikely that the bass will be low that you can't reach all the strings but I have seen some people come close!"

Edited August 5, 2008 by Zach

[Alun]

Thanks Zach - that is a bit crap Still in progress, so all feedback is welcome.

Cheers
Alun

[MuseMatt]

For positioning I'd recommend you taking some pictures that will help people correct themselves.
Other than that, you might add (for those dummies out there) that playing through pain might get you tendonitis which will keep on coming back throughout your life.

Great idea btw! If you're really serious about this I think your site could become a big hit!

[chris_b]

You should really have run this piece through a spell checker before presenting it to the world!

[redfish]

Great idea Alun

[quote name='MuseMatt' post='273593' date='Aug 31 2008, 11:07 AM']For positioning I'd recommend you taking some pictures that will help people correct themselves.
Other than that, you might add (for those dummies out there) that playing through pain might get you tendonitis which will keep on coming back throughout your life.[/quote]

That's what my teacher has told me, and he warned me that this kind of injury / damage [i]could [/i]mean that you couldn't play again....

Pictures would be very helpful, for a newbie like me it helps us correct the playing grip etc.

Edited August 31, 2008 by redfish

[MuseMatt]

I know people who suffer from it, it's as annoying as carpal tunnel syndrome, but then without operation possibilities. Technique is really important when it comes down to the basics like positioning!

[Alun]

[quote name='chris_b' post='273613' date='Aug 31 2008, 11:37 AM']You should really have run this piece through a spell checker before presenting it to the world![/quote]

Thanks Chris, can you give me some clues please? Have run it through the software's checker and an online one and not picked up anything other than US/UK English variations

Thanks
Alun

[Alun]

[quote name='MuseMatt' post='273593' date='Aug 31 2008, 11:07 AM']For positioning I'd recommend you taking some pictures that will help people correct themselves.
Other than that, you might add (for those dummies out there) that playing through pain might get you tendonitis which will keep on coming back throughout your life.

Great idea btw! If you're really serious about this I think your site could become a big hit![/quote]


Thanks Matt, pics are definitely a good idea so will be adding them in

Thansk for the encouraging words.

Cheers
Alun

[chris_b]

[quote name='Alun' post='273679' date='Aug 31 2008, 01:35 PM']....Thanks Chris, can you give me some clues please? Have run it through the software's checker and an online one and not picked up anything other than US/UK English variations....[/quote]
Hi Alun, Did you write this in Word? You could spell check there. I just copied your text into an email and ran the MS spell checker..... it did highlight mostly fragments and grammar. Sorry to be picky. Cheers.

[Alun]

Ah I see. Yes the grammar may well not be 100% but I'll be quadruple checking it all if/when I ever finish the damn thing

Cheers
Alun

[MuseMatt]

Gimme a word when you're posting. I'm studying to become a teacher of English

[Kevin_Savo]

I don't know about this. I think teqnique should be unique to everyones playing. More than anything the way you hit the string is where you sound comes from. I think when you said "It's often seen as a dirty word,as if having a lot of technique turns you into a robot that just plays millions of mechanical notes with no emotion or sense of melody, and there is an almost romantic notion that the non-technical will produce better, more honest music." you misunderstood what that person is saying. What he might be saying is that he wants to figure out his own way to hitting the strings and is expressing that there is not only one way to tap, one way to slap, one way to pick, one way to use your fingers. All these "broad teqniques" have infinite way to approach them. For example when I started to play I was told not to bend my wrist and hit the string from overtop of the string. Instead I explored how hitting the string in different way produced different sounds. This doesn't mean not to have the ability to play fast or the ability to use different tequniques but that he is play fast with his own plethera of tequniqes he discovered and It doesn't mean your tequnique is going to give you pain in your tendins or carpol tunnel it just means its different. What if James Jamerson had trained him self to the perscribed tequnique? Motown woudn't be Motown. And if Larry Graham had not discovered slap? That would suck

Edited August 31, 2008 by Kevin_Savo

[MuseMatt]

what they're saying is that you migh really hurt yourself while learning the wrong technique, which is more important than being unique imho

[Kevin_Savo]

It is not "learning the wrong technique" Its discovering new ones. If it hurts then stop. If not and you like it then keep doing it. Maybe even check it with a Physical therapist (Ive done it). See how to use the technique safely by doing different stretches. Many non textbook techniques can be practiced safely. Unfortunately some can not. I think a new sound is worth a visit to a physical therapist.

[Alun]

[quote name='Kevin_Savo' post='274014' date='Aug 31 2008, 08:24 PM']I don't know about this. I think teqnique should be unique to everyones playing. More than anything the way you hit the string is where you sound comes from. I think when you said "It's often seen as a dirty word,as if having a lot of technique turns you into a robot that just plays millions of mechanical notes with no emotion or sense of melody, and there is an almost romantic notion that the non-technical will produce better, more honest music." you misunderstood what that person is saying. What he might be saying is that he wants to figure out his own way to hitting the strings and is expressing that there is not only one way to tap, one way to slap, one way to pick, one way to use your fingers. All these "broad teqniques" have infinite way to approach them. For example when I started to play I was told not to bend my wrist and hit the string from overtop of the string. Instead I explored how hitting the string in different way produced different sounds. This doesn't mean not to have the ability to play fast or the ability to use different tequniques but that he is play fast with his own plethera of tequniqes he discovered and It doesn't mean your tequnique is going to give you pain in your tendins or carpol tunnel it just means its different. What if James Jamerson had trained him self to the perscribed tequnique? Motown woudn't be Motown. And if Larry Graham had not discovered slap? That would suck[/quote]

Hi Kevin, I think we're at crossed purposes here. The article doesn't say there is one correct way, in fact I purposely avoided going down that road. The purpose of that section is to point out that having decent technique, whatever that may be, is a good thing and not going to stop you playing heartfelt music. Throughout my playing career I've encountered countless people who feel that anyone with technique can't play "from the heart" or that learning will inhibit their ability to be musical.

I agree that we do need innovators who try different things, and it isn't my intention to say that shouldn't happen. The idea here is to give a player a good place to start.

Cheers
Alun