Off Topic Technique question

[spencer]

Sure it does. Think Bar Chords for guitar..

1st uses 1st finger A
5th uses 3rd finger E
Octave of 1st uses 4th finger A
3rd uses 2nd Finger Db

This one has the fingering at the top.
Look at the first maj

 

[spencer]

No.. Remember one finger per fret.

1ST FINGER ON ROOT
2ND FINGER ON 3RD [4th string above root]
3RD FINGER ON 5th
4TH FINGER ON OCTAVE

I what I meant by 4TH string above the root was so you didn't confuse it with the lower octave of it. 1 string up and 1 fret lower.

 

[five7]

Playing an upright bass when I was younger really helped teach proper technique. Before then I didn't use my pinky much. Give it a try. But then I wish I could play like Django.

 

[Powman]

Playing an upright bass when I was younger really helped teach proper technique. Before then I didn't use my pinky much. Give it a try. But then I wish I could play like Django.

Yeah, that would make sense. Thats where you really need to use 1-2-4 method.

I do use my pinky a lot, since I started learning bass using Ed Friedland's books and he advocates the 1-2-4 method. Unless you have hands the size of Shaq O'Neill, there is no way you can use one finger per fret without shifting your hand. After the 5th fret I start to use one-finger-per-fret since the frets are closer together

The 1-2-4 method results in a much more comfortable hand position and probably will help reduce hand injuries/problems in the long run.

So I completely buy into this. But the my problem was with the very important root-5th-octave and only when the root was on the E string. I had trouble with getting a good tone.

Ed's suggestion of rolling my pinky seems to be helping. I was trying to make a barre with my pinky on the A and D string and that was the problem.

I still am having a little trouble going in the opposite direction. That is, starting on the octave on the D string, then going to the 5th below on the A string, then the root on the E string. The 5th on the A string is not getting a good tone, sometimes sounds like a dead note.

I will keep working on rolling in the opposite direction, nice and slow. trying to get a better tone. Unless someone wants to post a video clip of how to do it!

 

[adouglas]

I use my pinky all the time. But as I've gained more experience I've found that I also shift my hand a bit at the same time.

So my thumb may be in one spot, but as I reach with my little finger I'll move my hand to give it a bit more leverage. That often means that I wind up pulling my forefinger off its fret.

When I was a beginner I tried to stretch my fingers more. Now I move my hand much more than I used to.

Maybe not by-the-book technique, but it works for me. I have small hands.

 

[Powman]

I think I am in the same situation as you Mr. Douglas. I wear a medium-large glove, not large so I also do not have big hands. I do need to shift but I find this is easier on the hand than trying to do an impossible stretch

 

[kylierider]

1-2-4 is the way to go for me.

My 3rd and fourth finger are a unit and unless playing a quick run always stay together.

 

[tkarter]

I play it using 2 and 4. I seldom play using the 3rd finger at all.

tk