Part 1: Four and Three Finger Plucking Exercises For Bass

[kyle892]

yo usaid low e, do you playin standard guitar tuning or just do a drop e? and quick question, when using a drop tuning, when you play a scale, is it played the same way, or do you have to adjust? just askin because im not 100% sure

[bryanrtyler]

@kyle892 E is the standard tuning- you don't drop to it. The only way a scale wouldn't change when playing in a dropped tuning was if all of the strings were dropped to the same degree (ie all strings dropped a full step, etc.).

[kyle892]

@bryanrtyler thanks man, video really helped. and i was thinkin you dropped your B to E for some reason lol. i realized when i read the comment you meant your actual E string

[bryanrtyler]

@kyle892 Ah- dropping a B to an E would certainly sound....unique :D

[gvickerschtick]

Gorgeous bass!

[RCPJAP]

Thank you for your very thoughtful, articulate description of how to pluck with more than two fingers. I will incorporate this into my playing, however I know it will be difficult at first. I learned a lot from you-I appreciate it!

[uselessxdave]

This helped me alot man, I knew how to play bass before, but not technical like, thanks man

[jenkist08]

Good vid, but your finger board looks wierd... was that a four srting before?

[bryanrtyler]

Nope- it's just a wenge fretboard that has some natural blonde coloring on one side. I loved the way it looked.

[ZenGuy12]

did u make ur bass?

[bryanrtyler]

No- it's an Elrick singlecut bass.

[tsup77]

Great vid! Ive been working on this and floating thumb cause my wrist is starting to hurt more. Its great to see how others approach this technique! Thanks!

[dipsetallday75]

your bass is huge man!.!..what kind is it??

[bryanrtyler]

It's mostly the angle that makes it look big. It's an Elrick e-volution singlecut five-string. I've sold it and use Elrick six-strings now.

[ithinkthatifiwritegg]

I have a little question:

you're going: Tumb Pointer Middle Ring

most classical guitar player I saw using this technique (if I remember right, that was years ago^^) were doing it T-R-M-P

R-M-P is, for most people, more a "natural" way to do it (for 3 finger plucking too)

now my question: are you doing it that way because it was more natural to you, or because it gives some advantages to do it that way when you're playing with the tumb? (such as more controle on the sound, or more "flexibility"

[bryanrtyler]

Plucking ring, middle, index gives me a natural triplet sound that I like to avoid whenever possible- going the opposite way counteracts that and gives me a little more control. It also fits in with the way I pluck and skip strings better (it also means my ring, which is the least flexible, is the one used least as I usually start with a thumb stroke). You should do whichever way feels more comfortable for you though.

[incubated]

very nice video. you actually say meaningful information, explain. not just right hand, left hand. and this is how its done.

i am having a difficulty understanding how to start off playing properly. i just position four fingers over the four strings, assigning each finger to a string, but i see people mostly using two fingers and moving those up and down. the four finger technique seems to be either advanced or flashy.

do you have a video for newbs, or can point me in the right direction?

[bryanrtyler]

If you mean "starting out" as in never playing bass before, then I don't have a reference to post for you. I will say that if you'd like to use four fingers to pluck with in the future, then that's what you should start out with- learning to pluck a different way will just make transitioning to four later more difficult. Continued below....

[bryanrtyler]

As a bassist, you'll be plucking the same string more than once most of the time, so I'd suggest either keeping all four fingers on one string at a time or keeping two or three on a string and keeping the other fingers on a string above. If you know you'll be skipping strings a lot, then using an open position (so that each finger is on a different string or at least having four fingers spread across three strings) will work fine.

[jakeiouy]

is that a wish bass

[bryanrtyler]

Uh.....no :D The one Wishbass I've tried was the worst bass I've ever played. I'm using an Elrick singlecut in this.

[markacola]

thumbs aren't fingers :P lol

[bryanrtyler]

Actually they are. What would you call your middle finger if thumbs weren't fingers? ;)

[Reidybassist]

This is life changing, so true. iv lost my sense of reality

[beastmaster112]

great video. finally a tutorial where the person can articulate their thoughts.

[unoriginalson]

Hi Bryan, great playing! Where can I find a radiused ramp?

[bryanrtyler]

You'll have to have one made custom to the specs of your bass- any number of luthiers could make one for you, as they're a fairly simple project. Jon Maghini of M Basses is a good option to look at.

[hungryhippos41]

you should learn to use thumb and ring though because they produce a heavier and lighter sound

[kafros1313]

btw i just remembered to tell you that it worked on me. Like 3 months ago haha.... i used your tips and now i pluck 3-2-1 very efficiently and its great for triplets like in trooper, melancholy e.t.c. I am also think of a 4-3-2-1, i mean pluck with the little finger then 3-2-1 triplet but havent implemented it yet on my technique for fast paced songs. What do you think, and thanks btw

[bryanrtyler]

If you can effectively implement your pinky, then go for it. It'll take work though- just keep at it slowly using some of the exercises I mentioned.

[techfreak713]

PLUCK YOU!

hahahaha

nice vid.

[Funkyb4ssist]

I disagree that the ring finger is weak for playing. I use it all the time for fast triplets or just 8th notes by doing 1-2-3-2 and back to 1 starting the next 8th note.  I've gotten real fast at it and its become a part of my style. I use my thumb all the time for slap and also my own technique but I can't understand what the heck ur doing here. I've tried using this and its not efficient for me. But anyway, u don't want to "pluck" the string rather pass through it.

[bryanrtyler]

The ring finger being weak is not opinion but rather an anatomical fact. However, it is still strong enough to pluck with with some work. The entire idea of using freestrokes, which is what this technique entails, is to pluck the string without passing through it to the string below it (known as reststrokes). The is the same manner of plucking many of the top jazz/fusion players use, including Matt Garrison, Tony Grey, etc. Using reststrokes will not give you the same speed with this technique

[blacjazzz]

still trying to adapt this to my 6 and still getting some ring out... the muting is still an issue - more so I guess cuz of that extra string and mass on the neck. I understand you got a 6 now. have you had to adapt your technique to mute more? Ive noticed that I've not seen anyone using that technique above a 5 string... help!!!

[bryanrtyler]

Will do some vids on my six in the next couple of weeks for you.

[sth209]

What about four FINGER technique? Don't leave me alone again!!!!

[bryanrtyler]

What the heck are you talking about? :D

[sth209]

I use four fingers-index, middle, ring and pinky. I seem to be uncommon though, so I feel all alone.

[bryanrtyler]

Ah, I see- my pinky is too short to be of any real use for plucking.

[TAYGUNOV]

can you please tell me how you built or have your ramp, i want to build one so my fingers wont dig in

[dime0for0me]

hey ty for the lesson when i first learnt how to play the bass i was taught to use a pick but im getting good at finger plucking now, just wondering if its normal to get blistered fingers cause its happened a few times and is getting annoying

[bryanrtyler]

Blisters very early on is a fairly normal occurrence. If they persist after a while, then it is probably a sign that you are plucking too hard. Some players learn to pluck hard and develop callouses to counteract this, but learning to pluck with a lighter touch helps avoid both blisters and callouses.

[dime0for0me]

ty for the tips i'll try plucking with a ligher touch since i got another show coming up soon and aiming to finger pluck by then

[kafros1313]

Can u tell me what notes u are playing (or what parts of what songs so I can search them) when u are practicing in 60bpm. If they are random then ok :P, but in that case I want u to suggest me some stuff to play while doing it

[bryanrtyler]

I'm just running up and down a natural minor scale. The best way to get it under your fingers is to practice all of your scales/modes with it as well as slowly playing all of the parts/songs you'd normally play with two fingers.

[kafros1313]

Ok thx... I am learning bass by myself for 10 months now and I have no music knowledge at all except that I can tell what notes are in what frets...

[xultimoxsamusxX]

cheers m8, its just i play in a thrash metal band and all i wanna do is learn to play with my index, middle, ring, and pinky so i dont have to go red in the face play with two fingers. have you got msn so if i need any other pointers i can ask ya. cheers m8.

[xultimoxsamusxX]

do you need to do any finger strengthening exercise for your third and fourth fingers before you start playing to a metronome???

[bryanrtyler]

Your third finger (your middle) should already be plenty used to plucking. Your ring finger has more that enough strength in it already for plucking, even though it's weaker than the other fingers. What it needs most is stamina training. If you don't have your bass with you, do your plucking on something else- a table edge, a finger on your fretting hand, etc., to work up its stamina. Don't overdue it- give it a rest when it needs it.

[tommyjeet]

what bass is that and where can I get a ramp from? Are they easy to fit?

I have a jazz bass but am thinking of making the move to a 5 string.

[bryanrtyler]

My bass is an Elrick singlecut 5-string. If you take the measurements properly for your luthier, it should fit snugly between your pickups without pushing them. You adjust their height by using different kinds of tape- there's the thicker foam-style doublestick tape and there are thinner kinds. You only need tape under the left and right edges of the ramp. Don't use screws or glue. Using doublestick tape with some of the tack removed won't mar your bass.

[bryanrtyler]

Oh, and I mention in this or the other video where you can get them made. Most luthiers or woodworkers can do it- Rob Elrick, Pete Skjold, and the guy at THG Knobs have been known to do them for people.

[mutter879]

Ive only seen players use the thumb for plucking in jazzy sort of music. Do you know of any players that use the thumb in the death metal community?

[bryanrtyler]

I'm really not a death metal fan, so I can't tell you about who uses their thumb. I've seen a few players use at least three fingers though.

[blacjazzz]

THIS IS EXCELLENTT!!!!!!!!!!! this is the kind of break it down into real chunks for a newbie" that I'm talking about. A million thanks Bryan.. this is part of my official practice regimine from now on!

[UK2AK]

My only complaint is that you didn't do this YEARS ago! I've taught myself this on my own, but would have learned it in 1/10th the time if I would have had this instruction.

You are a GREAT teacher, Bryan. You explain things very well, and you have a great feel for how much information is enough and how much is overkill.

Thanks.