Advice on left hand technique

[Basilpea]

    I started playing bass guitar just over 3 years ago after a break of 50 years, although whatever I had learned as a teenager was self-taught and had disappeared into the mist of time anyway.  I started on bass guitar, using the one-finger-per- fret method and after about 18 months started also playing double bass, using 1-2-4 fingering on that.  Just to make things even more complicated, after another 6 months I injured the 3rd finger on my left hand (don't ask - it involved a Table Saw).  So I then had to use 1-2-4 on the bass guitar, which seemed to work fine.  After a year my injured finger was again usable, but by then I found it really difficult to start using that 3rd finger again on BG, and now my left hand on BG tends to be a random mixture of both methods, which is not good for consistency of intonation on a fretless Bass.  As I am now learning to sight read on BG I realise I have to decide on, and practice, one left hand method only on BG, so which to choose?  Just to add another variable I have recently noted that some upright players use fingers 1-2-3-4!  And lastly I find it really difficult to keep all the upper spare fingers pressed down on DB.  

    So I need to sort out this muddle with a definite strategy to practice on BG and on upright and would welcome some advice from you expert bassists - should I use the same fingering on both BG and upright?  If so, which one, plus any other guidelines based on your years of experience.

   With the band I play 50's 60's 70's pop/Americana, C & W, Jazz, Folk

Rob Allen MB2 (4), Rick Turner Renaissance (5), Shuker Artist (5), Fender Aerodyne (4).  All fretless.

Hungarian Double Bass, Eminence EUB.

[itu]

I am not flashy, I play fretless and double bass a bit too little, but a finger per fret is my choice for all instruments. For me it is easier to use the same technique with all instruments, otherwise I would be in trouble. An old cat like me hardly learns even old tricks.

I do try to keep my electric instruments in the same height, as I have a few hand issues. Road biking in cold weather did the trick for my joints years back. I try to find as neutral position as possible to my left hand.

[TKenrick]

15 hours ago, Basilpea said:

 As I am now learning to sight read on BG I realise I have to decide on, and practice, one left hand method only on BG, so which to choose?

I started out on one finger per fret and later got introduced to the 1-2-4 system, for me it's now a case of always having both concepts in my head when I'm playing and 'dipping in' to each one depending on what I'm playing (a sort of left hand 'doublethink', if you will). I don't think you can survive with just one approach, both have their advantages and limitations. My default setting is now 1-2-4, even in higher positions, as my hand feels more relaxed and secure than rigidly adhering to one finger per fret.

The problem stems from trying to decide if the bass guitar is a big guitar or a small double bass. It's both, depending on what you're playing and which part of the neck you happen to be in. Regardless of which system you use, the important thing is that you're able to hold your notes to their maximum duration without holding any excess tension in your fretting hand; the left hand thumb is a vital part of this that often gets overlooked.

15 hours ago, Basilpea said:

should I use the same fingering on both BG and upright?

I would say no - I play lots of upright, but I am by no means a double bass player. I think it's important to still view them as separate instruments to some extent, especially given considering how much more physically demanding the upright is compared to the electric bass.

[Baxlin]

I wish I had the choice, osteoarthritis in my ring finger means I can’t bend it enough to be reliable enough to use.

Playing six-string is interesting, most root position chords and playing much more than half a song are but a memory....

Edited July 31, 2020 by Baxlin

[NickA]

Double bass and electric bass = quite different instruments for me.

124 on the double bass with the occasional "Rabat" extension.

1234 "OFPF" on the electrics.

It would be quite nice to use double bass technique on the electric bass but it just feels "wrong" somehow; it's a waste of a finger, my 3rd finger is stronger than my 4th and the scale is a bit short to "lose" the 3rd finger anyway.  I can see the advantage when playing near the nut, but then, at what position would you change to 1234?

Bunches of bananas and bass-ball bat grip strictly forbidden ... pure snobbery probably.