Monthly Archives: September 2011

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3 Finger Technique – Galloping

A less popular method of playing bass is to use three fingers, most often the index, middle, and ring finger. There are a few reasons why you would want to do this-
1. Play faster
2. Access to more strings at all times
3. The galloping technique
4. If you injure a finger, you can just switch to 2 finger technique

It’s exactly the same style as an earlier post, how to play bass with your fingers. Just add the third finger into the mix, starting slowly and building up speed.

Play the tab below to practice:

3 finger bass tab

Next, try the galloping technique. It’s difficult to describe, you can listen for the technique in this video. Rhythmically play three notes quickly, take a tiny break, and repeat. Try out this tab:

3 finger gallop technique

Keep practicing and try to work it into any fast songs you are learning. Don’t get frustrated! Leave any questions or technique tips below.

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Dealing With Callouses and Setbacks

bass play problemsIt can be frustrating when you can’t seem to nail that technique, learn the right part of a song, or have physical problems while playing bass. But here are some ways to deal with it.

Take a step away

Don’t touch your bass for the rest of the day, get some good rest, and come back tomorrow. This is only an option if you’ve got time, unfortunately.

Try something else

Can’t seem to nail the triplet slap technique? Try a different lesson or technique so you can switch it up and come back to the earlier problem even better.

Listen to new stuff

Try listening to a different genre or band if you can’t seem to master a song. I’ve learned many lessons for rock from playing jazz, and vice versa.

If you broke your hand/finger/arm

Find a way to keep you muscles in that area active, and avoid atrophy. The key is to stay positive, and come back to the bass with even more passion.

Let the callouses heal

When you start playing bass, it’s tempting to play all day long. This will lead to you getting callouses pretty quickly (a callous is dead skin on your fingertips, adding padding so you can play longer and harder over time). Like I stated earlier, take a step away from the bass and don’t hurt yourself!

Massage the strains and aches

This is more muscle related. Every once in a while when I play bass I get a pain in my forearm, what it’s from exactly, I’m not sure (probably bad technique!). Use your other hand to massage the aches and pain away. It’s not fun to play with sore muscles.

Don’t “for real” quit

Do not stop playing bass forever just because you are reaching these setbacks. They are something every bass player has gone through, seriously ask anyone. If you put in the hard work and determination you will see the benefits.

If you have any problems, or solutions, please leave a comment below.

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Alternate Picking for Bass Guitar

Alternate picking is the first basic technique of picking you learn. It’s a combination of upstrokes and downstrokes, and made for ultimate speed.

A downstroke is when you push away from you, down onto the string. An upstroke is when you take the pick and brush it up against the string. Hold the pick firmly, but not so tight, otherwise your picking will be very uncontrollable.

Start by playing a downstroke on open E (the thickest string) and then pull the pick back up across the string with an upstroke. It’s really that simple.

Here is a tab taken from my how to play bass guitar with a pick article.

alternate picking tab

Now try on this riff- and focus on technique before speed!

alternative picking for bass guitar

Also look at some tabs or videos of your favorite band- I’m sure they use alternative picking some way.

If you have any questions, comments, or tips for other bass players to benefit from, leave that below!

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4 String or 5 String?

5 string bass guitarThere seems to be a lot of arguments around which is “better,” a 4 string bass guitar or a 5 string bass guitar. In reality it just comes down to preference, but I’ll show you some pros and cons.

5 String has, well, an extra string

Most 5 strings possess a lower string below E, tuned to B. This allows you to become more bass-y and you have access to “extra” notes (you can always play those notes on a higher string).

5 String bass is heavier

Just by adding a 5th string on, the whole bass has to go through some structural changes that usually make the bass heavier than the average 4 string bass. Keep this in mind, as fatigue can set in early if you’ve got 15 pounds hanging from your shoulders.

5 strings cost more than 4 strings

Not the bass itself, but the strings you should be replacing about once a month. Buying 5 strings, especially since the thickest string is usually what’s added onto a 5 string, can get expensive fast.

Bystanders

I wasn’t originally going to write this, but here it goes. Most people can identify a 4 string bass begin different from a 6 string guitar. When you add 5 strings to it expect people to say “What’s wrong with your guitar” or anything along the lines of “why did you take a string off”. Dealing with these questions may turn you off to the 5 string.

It really comes down to Preference…

It’s your bass, you picked it. After weighing the pros and cons all that matters is that it feels right in your hands.

For the record, I play a 4 string and I love it. Wouldn’t trade it for a more expensive fiver.

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How To Find The Right Bass Instructor

bass guitar teacher or instructorOne of the better ways to get better at bass are to take 1 on 1 lessons with a skilled bassist from your area. That’s how I got started!

There are a lot of different things to look for or judge, so here are just a few that I recommend you think about, before you shell out big bucks for lessons that you don’t want.

Are They Skilled?

Just because someone has been playing bass longer than you does not mean they are necessarily better. Listen to them play, and you should get a “wow!” feeling, not a “I can do that!” feeling. Another great way to research this is to see if they perform in a local band, you can either buy a cd or go to one of their shows.

Are They Knowledgeable?

Do they know what their talking about? I wanted to learn more about music theory with my instructor, so I picked someone that had great experience and knowledge in bass music theory.

Do You Get Along?

Don’t settle for a teacher you don’t like, simply put. If they irritate or annoy you, they are not the right fit and you need to move on to the next one.

Will They Challenge You To Become A Better Musician?

This is really what hiring a teacher is all about. Will they teach you skills and give you knowledge that you wouldn’t  have learned without them? Do they keep you working hard and practicing?

Can You Afford Them?

I don’t like to raise this question, but paying for 1-0n-1 bass lessons can be expensive. Usually, the best bass instructor has higher rates. Are you willing to trade money for some of the characteristics listed above? It might pay to work out a special deal where you only see them twice a month instead of every week.

Good luck in your quest for finding the right bass teacher for you, I did, and it paid off tremendously.