my fingers are to slow

[sascha2495]

im a bass player and i have been playing bass for 1 and a half year.

i think im pretty good for the time i play, but i think im not improving anymore for some reason.

im really frustrated right now because i have been practising a song for a half year and there is a section i still cant play.

and im not getting better at it, my fingers are still to slow.

im practising it over and over but it doesnt help

anyone help me please..

[Wally Malone]

Do you have a teacher? If not, maybe the time to start taking lessons. There may be something in your technique that is keeping you from progressing. A teacher would be able to help you get to where you want to go.

 

Wally

[slowfinger]

Slowfinger by handle, slow fingers by nature. I can't for the life of me maintain 8s at more than about 120bpm (eg can do ZZ Top 'Sharp Dressed Man' but not Tom Petty? 'Runnin Down a Dream'), the best I can manage is bursts of 2-3 bars before I get out of sync. I can finger faster with one finger than 2. I can tap the desk faster with alternating 2 fingers of my left (fretting) hand than with the right. So I'm interested in advice on this matter too.

[Bob Gollihur]

Which fingers, left or right hand? In any case, Wally is giving you the best advice because lack of progress is probably a technique issue. Get together with a good teacher for some one on one tips and exercises to enhance your performance.

[Richard W]

Join the club. There is sound advice above for learning to play faster, but if it turns out you just can't place fast, embrace it. There are plenty of musicians who are really good within the limits of their technical ability. Speed by itself means nothing, and is no substitute for groove.

[picker]

Take that one part of the song that you can't seem to play at the correct speed, and play it through at whatever tempo you can without messing it up. Play it over and over, many times a day at that slower tempo until you have it down cold. Then start increasing the tempo. It's best if you can do it with a metronome, but do it even if you don't have one. You'll be surprised how quickly you can get it up to speed that way.

[b5pilot]

Do you have a teacher? If not, maybe the time to start taking lessons. There may be something in your technique that is keeping you from progressing. A teacher would be able to help you get to where you want to go.

 

Wally

 

I agree. A teacher may spot problems in your technique.

[b5pilot]

Slowfinger by handle, slow fingers by nature. I can't for the life of me maintain 8s at more than about 120bpm (eg can do ZZ Top 'Sharp Dressed Man' but not Tom Petty? 'Runnin Down a Dream'), the best I can manage is bursts of 2-3 bars before I get out of sync. I can finger faster with one finger than 2. I can tap the desk faster with alternating 2 fingers of my left (fretting) hand than with the right. So I'm interested in advice on this matter too.

 

Have you thought of using a pick? There are a few songs where my stamina is too low so I use a pick. Hey, Bobby Vega used a pick when he subbed for Rocco because no one less than super human can play like Rocco so why not!

[sascha2495]

yes, well i play both, sometimes with pick sometimes with fingers.

but well thats not the problem, my left hand, with which i press the strings, is too slow.

but thanks anyway

[sascha2495]

i had a bass teacher for a half year but not anymore now.

i think you gave me all advice you could give me.

so either i have to practise more or my fingers are just slow.

well i will keep playing bass anyway, maybe i just need more time to improve.

i thank you guys alot, thank you!

[jeremy c]

Hey, Sascha, you'll get there eventually, maybe the song you're trying to learn is a little over your head.

Don't get frustrated, just keep on rockin'!

[b5pilot]

yes, well i play both, sometimes with pick sometimes with fingers.

but well thats not the problem, my left hand, with which i press the strings, is too slow.

but thanks anyway

 

I see. What slows me down alot when I play is that I tend to squeeze down on the fingerboard tighter than I need to. Some of it is not having the finger strength and finger independence and over compensating on the fingerboard. Most of that can be cured by just playing regularly and running through fingering exercises like the ones in this months BP. For me though especially, and maybe for you is just relaxing and easing up on the fingerboard. I tend to tense up on the fingerboard which slows me down but I play much more fluid and faster if I just relax and ease up on my touch. I don't need to press so hard to get my note out. Perhaps you are doing the same thing.

[Russkull]

What slows me down alot when I play is that I tend to squeeze down on the fingerboard tighter than I need to.... I tend to tense up on the fingerboard which slows me down but I play much more fluid and faster if I just relax and ease up on my touch. I don't need to press so hard to get my note out. Perhaps you are doing the same thing.

 

Agree with this 100%. I have also found that keeping my action relatively low helps me feel that I don't have to press down as hard. I'm still a member of the Fretting Hand Slowfinger Club (the chorus section of Rush's "Lessons" is my current struggle), but at least I don't have as much of a death grip on my fingerboard.

[Michele C.]

First, if practicing over and over does not bring you forward, ask yourself if you are practicing the solution or the problem.

Change something and solve one little problem at the time. For example, try moving your hand down or up, change the angle at which the fingers work. For me the best sound and attack is when my knuckles are almost over the string I play and my fingers are perpendicular to the string. Change something, hear the sound and feel the difference in your position.

You might experiment also with the position of your thumb. For me, resting on the string above the one I play is the most natural feeling and the best attack.

Lastly, one easy solution for speed is alternating three fingers instead of two. It is like driving a V6 instead of a four cylinder.

My teacher insists on alternating 1-2-3-2 1-2-3-2. If feels unnatural at first, but gives much better quadruplets than 3-2-1 3-2-1, that is much more pleasant for our finger autopilot (and is the way Billy Sheehan suggests).

I have done a lot of scales alternating three fingers, and now it just feels right.

When you practice a new thing, do it slowly and focus on motion until it is perfect. Otherwise you are engraving the wrong movements in muscle memory. You can go faster when you have taught you hand to do it right.

My piano teacher insists on planning what you will do with your hand before touching the keys and then doing it right the first time. Somehow it works: you can't rely on autopilot so much, especially before you train it.

He also teaches me to take note of mistakes and solve one at the time.

 

[Bob Gollihur]

yes, well i play both, sometimes with pick sometimes with fingers.

but well thats not the problem, my left hand, with which i press the strings, is too slow.

but thanks anyway

 

I see. What slows me down alot when I play is that I tend to squeeze down on the fingerboard tighter than I need to. Some of it is not having the finger strength and finger independence and over compensating on the fingerboard. Most of that can be cured by just playing regularly and running through fingering exercises like the ones in this months BP. For me though especially, and maybe for you is just relaxing and easing up on the fingerboard. I tend to tense up on the fingerboard which slows me down but I play much more fluid and faster if I just relax and ease up on my touch. I don't need to press so hard to get my note out. Perhaps you are doing the same thing.

 

Which may also point to a bass issue-- has it been set up properly, are the strings too high, which echos what has been said regarding needing to press down too hard? Some strings are less taut than others, although a reasonable tension is necessary if you want really low action. Truss rod and bridge tweaks (a proper set-up) might be needed. There are resources on the web if you care to try adjusting your bass yourself. It's not brain surgery but does require patience and some expertise or precise guidance.

[Michele C.]

I see. What slows me down alot when I play is that I tend to squeeze down on the fingerboard tighter than I need to.

 

You may practice just that: try to play with a lighter and lighter touch, until it buzzes or sounds stopped.

If you find that strings are hard to press, it is almost certainly something that can be cured with setup. Mine are 45-105 roundwounds, 3mm high at seventeenth fret without noise. With proper action, strings will be easy on your left hand, even 50-110.