cleaning up right.doc

7/29/2019 CLEANING UP RIGHT.doc

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CLEANING UP RIGHT & LEFT HAND TECHNIQUE

Okay, bass-warriors... time for spring cleaning! Technique cleaning, that is. How many of you out therefeel like your hand technique is imposing limitations on your musicality? If so, you'll want to take acloser look at the way your hands are working together.

In my opinion, you should do everything in your power to eliminate any possible technical limitationsyou may have. The reason for this is simple: If you've got some ingenious ideas coming from yourheart and mind, but don't have the ability in your hands to communicate these ideas, there will be no

way for others to experience the music inside of you. Instead, your playing will be hindered by yourhands, and that's not good.

So, what are some of the symptoms? Here are a few:

1. Sloppiness in your sound exhibited by excessive noise from string vibration

2. Lack of speed (CLEAN speed, that is)

3. Experiencing improvisational ruts that have you playing the same simple licks overand over

again

4. Fear of arpeggios or other string-crossing forms

5. Choppy sounding lines (staccato) when you mean for them to soundsmooth (legato)

All of these problems and many more can be fixed by diligently spending time practicing goodtechnique. Most of us who have been playing for a while have picked up some bad habits which cancause problems forever unless we work to reverse them. Although it is challenging to try and addressthese issues in print, I will do my best to share with you some of the concepts that helped me to

eliminate technical obstacles.

Disclaimer:

The following principles of right and left hand technique were developed based on a combination ofyears of experimentation, the techniques of the masters, and common sense. Although the use ofthese methods is strongly recommended, they are by no means the only way to become a successfultechnician. Different players are built differently, and not all methods can work for all people.Therefore, it is recommended you approach the mastery of these techniques with sincere effort and anopen mind; if you find they don't work for you, settle on a compromise that is both comfortable andeffective in your development as a player.

P.S. Left-handers, swap the following hands in each instruction!

RIGHT HAND TECHNIQUE

1. 1-2 / 2-1 alternation (1=index finger, 2=middle finger)

This may seem obvious to some of you, but the most efficient use of your picking fingers is by meansof proper finger alternation. Practice this RELIGIOUSLY!!! I find that most players fall short ofconsistency here when they are playing descending lines (i.e. from highest-pitched strings to lowest).They will have a tendency to rake, or brush across the strings with a single finger while moving in adescending fashion from string to string. Work hard to avoid this tendency, because it will allow youto play the most challenging string-skipping or combination lines without any sloppiness, no matterwhat direction you are moving in.

2. Thumb trailing/muting


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Thumb trailing is a technique I stumbled across when I was suffering from the illness known as "Bstring stinkitis." All kidding aside, the worst technical obstacle I ever had to overcome was theaddition of the B string when I switched from 4 string bass to 5 and 6 string. Because we fingerstyleplayers tend to anchor off of the lower pitched strings on the bass, it only makes sense that shovingan extra .130-sized string in there is going to clog up the works! Most people have a problem withkeeping the strings quiet when they switch to 5 or 6 string bass. The way I overcame this was byadopting a "thumb trailing" method which is universal to all basses, regardless of the number ofstrings. Here is a conceptual example of how it works on a 5 string:

When playing the B (lowest) string, use your thumb to anchor on either the pickup or the body ofthe bass. When playing the E string, use the thumb to anchor on the B string. When playing the Astring, anchor on the E. When playing the D string, anchor on the A. When playing the G string,anchor on the D. This way you are quieting each string as you move away from it.

3. Hand placement and tone

Keep in mind that where you actually play on the strings will affect your overall tone. Generally, youwill get a deeper, rounder tone if you play closer to the neck. You will get a sharper, more cuttingtone if you play closer to the bridge. Of course, you can achieve a variety of tones by varying yourhand placement. Don't get too locked into only being able to play in a single area. There will be timeswhen you are on a gig, and the leader might look to you and ask for something other than what you

are providing tonally. It saves a whole lot of time and headache if you can quickly adjust your handsinstead of your amp!

LEFT HAND TECHNIQUE

1. Play using tips of fingers

A problem I see often, especially with beginning players, is the use of a flat-fingered approach whenfretting notes. This is most often due to a lack of strength in the fingers of the left hand. Your handshould essentially be curved and relaxed, emulating the technique of a pianist or classical guitarist inits appearance. Playing using the fingertips ensures proper and accurate intonation, or "in-tune-ness"of what you play. This principle is best exemplified through the playing of fretless bass. Those of you

who have played fretless know that it is much easier to play in tune if you minimize the amount ofcontact area on your fingertips when "fretting" notes. This should ultimately carry over into frettedplaying, as well.

2. Keeping fingers perpendicular to the neck

This is really more of a general rule than a strict guideline... Generally, your fingers should cross theneck at close to a 90 degree angle. This is actually more a concern with proper wrist positioning thananything else. It is best for comfort and avoidance of tension if you maintain some degree of spacebetween the palm of your left hand and the neck. Once again, we are borrowing from the principles ofclassical guitar technique. One simple way to make sure you are in the ballpark is to make sure thatyour thumb doesn't ever come over the neck, onto the fingerboard. You may find that it is morecomfortable for you to modify this approach a little when playing on the lowest or highest frets of the

bass. By all means, avoid sharp wrist angles. These can cause problems, such as carpal tunnelsyndrome and tendinitis.

3. Keeping thumb midway at back of neck

Following up from the previous example, it is best to keep the left hand thumb somewhere in themiddle of the back of the neck. You say you've got that down? Great! Now, here's where you need togo the extra mile: While you're playing, try literally picking your thumb up off of the back of the neckwithout interrupting your line... Does everything fall apart??? If the answer is yes, then you probablyare guilty of the crime of TENSION. That's right. Too much tension is a no-no. So many players harbortension in the thumb of the left hand. This will cause you much pain and suffering in the future if youdon't take care of it now. What I have found is that tension usually begins in the shoulder and then

trickles down the arm from there. Perform this test on yourself constantly: Play for a while, and thenstop. Relax. Does your shoulder drop at all? If so, then you are introducing tension into the shoulder.Force yourself to stop playing the moment you feel it introduced. Then relax, and start playing again.You can avoid all sorts of long-term injuries if you take the proper steps to reverse bad habits now.


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Try to work each of these principles into your practice routine. Some of them may seem awkward atfirst, but I promise they will become second nature if you focus on them for a short time.

Oh yeah... One more thing: PRACTICE TECHNIQUE FOR TECHNIQUE'S SAKE. That is the technical"golden rule." In other words, don't think about technique on the gig or in any performance. Play fromyour heart and with confidence. Work on technique in the privacy and focused environment of yourpractice room. Technique will work itself into your playing on its own. Don't let yourself be distractedby it!

EXERCISES

In order to develop strong right/left hand coordination, it is important to exercise these principles ofhand technique using a variety of different exercises. It is common practice to utilize a one finger perfret approach for the left hand when working at developing efficient technique.

When practicing technique, as with any other exercise involving precision and accuracy, it is importantto always use a metronome or drum machine as an external clock source. Practicing with a metronomereinforces good timing and solid feel by forcing you to play within the boundaries of a beat or rhythmwhich is non-wavering. It is only natural that your progress with a metronome will likewise positivelyinfluence your ability to interact with solid drummers in any live performance or ensemble situation.

Permutation Exercises

Practice these left hand fingering combinations up and down the neck using a one finger per fretapproach across all strings making sure to use proper right hand 1-2 alternation and thumb trailing.

Exercise 1 (numbers represent left hand fingerings)

1 2 3 4 2 1 3 4 3 1 2 4 4 1 2 3

1 2 4 3 2 1 4 3 3 1 4 2 4 1 3 2

1 3 2 4 2 3 1 4 3 2 1 4 4 2 1 3

1 3 4 2 2 3 4 1 3 2 4 1 4 2 3 1

1 4 2 3 2 4 1 3 3 4 1 2 4 3 1 2

1 4 3 2 2 4 3 1 3 4 2 1 4 3 2 1

Exercise 2

Practice the 24 left hand fingerings presented in Exercise 1 simultaneously using a one fingerper fret and one finger per string approach. Your fingerings will take on a diagonal shape, as

shown below:


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Alternatively, you can use a reversed diagonal fingering when practicing permutations to

further develop your right/left hand coordination:

That's all for now! Keep it bassy!!!

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