Technique

[basss]

Hi everyone,
I've been playing for a couple of years and feel I want to try and step it up a bit by playing some faster, harder stuff. Can anyone point me in the direction of some exercises and the like to build up my speed and accuracy, technique and whatnot as I think I want to get my technique to a higher level. I mainly play fingerstyle, little pick work, but I'm open to new things so whatever info you have, lets hear it!

Cheers.

[YouMa]

Anything thats fast with 16th notes will help you a lot,try hit me with your rythm stick,i always find after i have attempted to play this a few times i can make 16th note patterns easily,it frees your fingers up.

Edited September 25, 2009 by YouMa

[basss]

Thanks for the tip. The thing I'm really looking for is something to boost my playing because i feel that i'm not learning anything anymore, my playing's not getting faster no matter what I try (and it's not very fast to begin with), and i don't find myself improving no matter how long i spend on the instruments.I practice a lot but it seems to have no effect. Any help?!

[sdgrsr400]

Er, no offence but getting a teacher (even for a couple of lessons) might be a good move.

[OutToPlayJazz]

[quote name='basss' post='609422' date='Sep 26 2009, 06:04 PM']Thanks for the tip. The thing I'm really looking for is something to boost my playing because i feel that i'm not learning anything anymore, my playing's not getting faster no matter what I try (and it's not very fast to begin with), and i don't find myself improving no matter how long i spend on the instruments.I practice a lot but it seems to have no effect. Any help?![/quote]

Faster playing needs to cone from economy and stable technique in the left or fingering hand. Start by making sure the thumb stays behind the neck, opposite the middle finger. Said thumb should never hook over the top edge of the neck. This for a start will give you more freedom of movement in the left hand, as by employing this method, the neck is not physically sitting in the palm of the hand.

Secondly, play 1-2-4 fingering below the 7th fret. (The hand only covering one tone or three frets.) If you avoid using the third finger in the lower reaches if the neck, you're making sure the hand is more compact and thusly more lithe. Stretching the hand to one finger per fret only slows you down. By all means play one finger per fret higher up the neck, where the positions get physically narrower.

When you're changing string, try and leave a finger, or fingers, in reserve on the previous string. This way you never waste energy taking all the fingers off the strings, only to have to rebuild the hand on a new string.

Lastly, try and work across the strings as much as you can. Use open strings as opposed to moving for no apparent reason. The less you move around, the faster you'll become.

Rich.

[basss]

thanks that was very helpful. more help in a couple of sentences than i've ever gotten in lessons, which is part of the reason why i stopped doing them. It seems to me that a teacher who wants to share information is very rare. my previous ones' response to any questions i had was simply "do whatever feels comfortable".

[XB26354]

That's unfortunately all too common.
As a lot of musicians need all the income they can generate, many turn to teaching. They may be able to play really well (or even famous). However if they can't communicate, don't have the experience, time and patience to pass on their knowledge then they shouldn't be teaching full stop.
Rich's advice above is excellent Personally I use one finger per fret right down to the first fret and in 15 years+ on a 6-string it's not slowed me down, but I look at how each student plays before making a judgement. It certainly suits Motown stuff as James Jamerson used this fingering almost exclusively. In any case an experienced teacher would be able to pass on the right information and monitor your progress. Perhaps you can check on here for a local teacher? Teaching yourself is fun and rewarding, but only when you've got the technical (and theory) sides up to scratch. Unless you're Jaco you may find years of frustration and learning/unlearning bad habits or crutches... be whatever, be persistent!

[The Funk]

[quote name='basss' post='609422' date='Sep 26 2009, 06:04 PM']Thanks for the tip. The thing I'm really looking for is something to boost my playing because i feel that i'm not learning anything anymore, my playing's not getting faster no matter what I try (and it's not very fast to begin with), and i don't find myself improving no matter how long i spend on the instruments.I practice a lot but it seems to have no effect. Any help?![/quote]

The best way to play faster is to play slower and accurately, repeating whatever it is you're playing until you think it's bang on. Then up the tempo by 20 bpm (beats per minute) and do the same again, getting it bang on. Then keep doing the same thing, upping it by 20 bpm at a time until you get to a point where your fingers can't keep up and you can't nail it accurately.

To do all of this you will need a metronome. Start off at 60 bpm but if you can't get it right at that tempo drop down to 40.

Of course, speed isn't everything. If what you're playing is boring or uninspired, playing it faster won't make it sound much better.

Are you playing in a band? If not, no wonder you're bored. Get in a band ASAP! You are good enough already.

[Doddy]

I'd totally advise going for lessons. If you didn't learn much before you were with the
wrong teacher. Look for another one.
Speed is best achieved by practising slowly and,most importantly,correctly. It is better to learn things
slowly and correct than fast and wrong.Eventually your speed will begin to improve.

Obviously I haven't seen your technique,thats where a good teacher will help.They will point
out things that you won't notice that could greatly help you progress on a technical level.