Triplets on upright bass

[EddiePlaysBass]

Question for you doublers / upright players: I was playing a bit of upright today, working through the "Lost Art Of Country Bass" book (which I love and find perfect for upright) and there was a triplet passage that I simply could not play with the "traditional" upright right hand pluck. You know, like this:

 

Click for a pic - it's too darn big to link in the thread

 

So I grabbed my Squier, played through the part and noticed that a two-finger pluck would do the trick.

 

Now, this may sound like a silly question (because in my book the answer is: "whatever works and feels most comfortable to you") but is it considered "proper" to switch plucking technique mid-song just to get the triplet down, or should I work on plucking it like Shelley Brown in the picture, until I can get it done that way? Or ... both?

[Bob Gollihur]

Rule #1 with performing pieces, deciding on fingerings, etc., is that there are no rules. I have used three fingers on occasion, if I felt the need. One and three are ideal for playing quick octaves across three strings.

[EddiePlaysBass]

I'll say one thing, as soon as I alternated to a two-finger pluck, it was a lot less stress and a much more enjoyable experience!

 

Went to see Matt Schofield in concert live tonight, and he's got a bass player now (as opposed to the keys player handling keyboard bass). That guy switched from index/ring to thumb/index mid-song and quite effortlessly. The EUR 12,- admission was worth it just for watching this guy play! I stood front row so it was like a 2 hour bass lesson Oh and Matt played some wicked guitar, too