Describe your RH fingerstyle technique

[Alan Dalton]

Thanks Bumpcity! I've printed that out and I'll be dusting off the metronome!

[BoldRuler]

Great question!

I first read this post at work, and had to come home, grab an axe to discover...

Mostly two fingers, generally leading with the middle. I'll use three for those flight of the bumble bee endings. Also some part seem to come off better for me with... (thinking of Carol Kaye) a pick, almost always a heavy.

Dave

[Jim T.]

Hey Dan,

Just got back to peeking at this thread again.

What you described, basically just amounts to getting used to string crossing /different hand angle-like you had to back in the beginning days with 2 finger. It just feels weird having to use that shorter ring finger to cross with sometimes. It really does come through simple repetition and lots of it.

 

I paid more attention to what I do and noticed that even if I don't complete an I, M, R finger pattern,

I'll usually start each new phrase or even grouping, with my Index.

It helps me to keep track and it just feels more natural at this point. I'm forcing myself to keep going through the correct pattern no matter what but I'm not there yet.

 

Having the ring AND pinky available for high string (pitch wise) muting is also nice.

My BIGGEST problem switching over was with simple groove patterns like for a twelve bar blues arrpegiated part. Patterns that were so ingrained that they seemed impossible to change over to 3 finger, at first. Now it's so natural that I can't make myself do it the old way. Your speed does improve with 3 finger if that's part of what you're after.

Let me know how it all shapes up! Jim T.

 

It takes about a month to three to get where it seems pretty natural. Practice slowly so that you can keep track of the pattern (mostly) but don't get really retentive about maintaining the pattern totally. (the world DOESN'T end.)

I use Paul Chambers solos like "Blue Spring" or "Trane's Blues".

A jazz bass written solo feels more natural and fun than running scales or modes. Plus it forces you to use that ring finger when your brain is screaming for your index to go down to that next lower sounding string.

 

Now when I try to use two finger style I find I have trouble making myself do that. I do use 2 fingers for some repetitive figures and even the Jamerson single finger thang. Whatever feels right at the time. Including the raking which I still don't understand why that's so bad.