Four finger picking techniques for bass guitar

[walruzz099]

@mixolydian671 do you have any tips for me? My fingers are a little big, and I have a hard time playing my bass without accidentally hitting other strings.

[nicwoodhouse]

dude i just bought my first bass today but have played guitar for years and your an awesome player is that a warwick corvette?

[YourRoadToHell]

@nicwoodhouse lol I just got a bass too and I have no clue to finger pick it, being a guitar player. this didnt help much at all. I can only play it with a pick like a guitar...

[mixolydian671]

@YourRoadToHell Look up some techniques called PIMA on the guitar. Once you start getting better at playing chords with that technique try playing any song with it. I started using PIMA on songs like stairway to heaven and call of ktulu. Switch back and forth on the bass and the guitar and it will help alot more.

[mixolydian671]

@YourRoadToHell Try looking up some techniques on PIMA for the guitar. Play regular chords with it and start playing any songs that you know with it. I started using PIMA on songs like Stairway and Call of Ktulu.

[tomaspepino]

i have to do my homework with this stuff now :s

[maztercheese18]

where do i get the thumb???

[Muppio]

Just when i think i got a hold on 3 fingers....damn you :-P

[DJOnesNzeroS]

Killer bass guitar!

[vadertuber]

f me, i've been picking forever as 2/3 finger just felt so unnatural, a few hours using your hand poisiton for 4 finger and i feel like a pro already, it suits me perfectly, except for my hand gfeeling like ive been jerking off for a whole day.

[TheZombieXecutioner]

whats that tuning?

sounds magical!

[tastetherainbow32109]

dude im having problems figerpicking, whenever i do it there is always a click sound like the string is hitting it plz help

[mrflajs]

@tastetherainbow32109

cut your nails, or pick more lightly

[Bornr0bb0]

@tastetherainbow32109 You might be hitting the pickup if you're playing over the top of one, try playing between or away from a pickup(s)

[SimplePatternz]

your fucking sick >> ill get that good someday =)

[Nescaferambo]

Does that ramp make this technique easier ?

[bananafingerrrs]

Great video! This is very advanced stuff, (well for me it is!). You're a fantastically gifted player.

May I also say you have a supremely curly thumb...it must be perfect for double thumbing!! Count yourself lucky.

Peace

[subexpression]

Nice technique - very developed and accurate!

I mostly use my thumb as a pickup/string anchor. I move my thumb for two reasons...to feel where I'm at and to quiet lower strings from ringing out when I play on higher ones.

I also use my thumb in situations like acoustic guitar fingerstyle patterns...sort of like 0:56 (string crossing/chords).

As for the ramp...cool idea...but I naturally pluck very shallow since I'm a guitarist...it translates to bass just the same. I naturally do it.

[laylanobrega]

you play pretty good but not good as a teacher, you should show it slowly, hope you understand my constructive critic

[killcab]

Is that 26 frets?..

[Wergrun]

Holy crap your a robot!!!!!...amazing

[parkkway]

wow. almost sounds like a violin at some points.

[MushroomDisorder]

am i blind or i see some big ass pickup?

[ijazzmunki]

@MushroomDisorder no it's two jazz pickups with a ramp between them, it's made of ebony

[MushroomDisorder]

@ijazzmunki oh...from how i saw that it certainly looked like a very big pickup lol

[korndogg524]

@ijazzmunki is that perhaps a carl thompson bass?

[derrav]

@MushroomDisorder u blind ~ ('-')

[MushroomDisorder]

@derrav No,I'm not blind.

I believe that I could understand what was the ramp between the pickups,if I knew that it was a ramp.

That was my first time ever,that I saw such thing.

So..Don't call me blind.

[4444marxon4444]

very consistent!

Thanks for sharing this man...

Really digging your style and feel

Not many dudes have feel in their speed....

Peace.

[rockaholic42]

Im reall gonna have to practice

[sth209]

Can you use your pinky too? But this is awesome, I would like to see all those tech death players play stuff like this!

[xS0Nny]

beautiful bass

[PeaceSells102]

I play guitar now and i am getting a bass guitar because i think it will be cool.

I have been playing guitar for about 5 years so i know i will be good at the bass. I'm getting it in like a week so I am practicing Finger PIcking so i can be fast and good

[NapoleanXV]

its strange how subjective and preference based bass guitar is regarding technique. I cant think of another instrument that has so many different techniques.

I personally wouldnt be able to play like this as I need to have my thumb anchored for a good pull

[sweetnssssssssssss]

the claw

[123456gree]

I couldnt even look at the techniques man, I got too distracted listening to the jams:)

[lucas1wj]

my biggest regret in life as a bassist is not having a hitch hiker's thumb #jealous

[i3adlad]

What was that arpeggio at 0:56? It sounded so cool.

[trazer911]

woooow how long did it take u to get ur speed on using thats one string?....i use two finger . and ur pretty loss dude... amazing im a hardcoregrinde bass player 9 yrs on my belt but when i practice i i listen to jazzz like im doing now ... ty for this video

[lucas1wj]

@trazer911 start with 3 fingers first then move up, theres a few videos that teach that, but it's all a matter of practice once u figure it out youll wonder why you didnt learn it before

[pocketsx2]

OMG insane!

[PotSmokingOX]

Hey, I was wondering how long you have been working on this technique, or rather, how long it took you to be able to use it fluently. Also, do you need a brake if you position your fingers over the pick ups in the first place? Thanks in advance for the quick reply.

[aceofbass131]

do you have some sort of foam piece in between your two pickups? or did you put in a wood brake to stop digging?

[Marlowann]

Wood brake, definitely. I never noticed how much that would help this kind of technique until I started playing over the pickup on my P-Bass.

[polishpirate123]

Its just a ramp

[ChronicFunk223]

Please tell me what the tune is at the very beginning, and who the band is? It was great!

TIA

[guglio1290]

it sounds to me like a variation on "The Chicken", Jaco Pastorius.

[ijazzmunki]

It's a tune I have recorded for a solo EP/album that I am going to release soon for download, I'll be adding a link to my youtube channell when it's ready, this an old version the new one sounds really kick ass, I'm glad you like this one though... it's called 'Flip Out The Funk'.

[ChronicFunk223]

ijazzunki,

Thanks for the quick reply. Yeah, liked it alot. Fell in love with the Envelope Filter the first time I heard Martino's Joyous Lake LP. Sounds like you and I both enjoy the same genre (FUSION). A sax player turned me onto Weather Report when I first started Music School, still love his compositions AND his awesome playing.

I wish you much success with your LP project!!!

Best,

CF

[unoriginalson]

Wasn't this technique first made by Gary Willis?

[duffmasterofpuppets]

wow u make it look so easy... i've got to try that, you get a real creepy kind of sound with that

[holaadios12345]

is this the same as the technnique used in classical guitar?

[armygreen314]

@holaadios12345 No, but similar in many ways.

[Yontar]

in a month or so i might post a video with some other excersises i feel are necessary to practice when learning this technique.

[Jonsawesome]

is this for mostly jazz? can it be used for metal?

[Yontar]

you could theoretically use this technique for anything. i play everything i can think of and it works for all of it, metal and punk included. if you can get a good even sound while doing it then it is far easier to use than 3 finger technique ala digiorgio or sheehan and it's just flat out more ergonomic. i would suggest either buying or building a ramp if you are interested in this technique though. i practiced on my back pickup for a while and then built a ramp and now it feels very natural.

[Prof3ssrBrando]

Heck yeah it can. I mean, I've never tried, but why couldn't you apply to metal or any other genre?

[polishpirate123]

You can.

Look at Alan Goldstein of Aghora Formless

[WolfLikeLamb]

nobody ever uses the pinky?

[idosports24]

is this a 26 fret bass?

[ijazzmunki]

Yes it is - made in 1990 one of the lovely original Warwick Thumbs - I sold it about a year ago... a great bass but it was sooooo heavy it was killing my back!

[neonbl]

nice one idea

and nive thamb bass)))))))

[cyanideandhappiness7]

Do you use this technique for metal? like BFMV,ATR, Trivium etc?

[Warlord313]

Hmmm...well most metalcore bands use picks, same with metal.

Some REALLY good bassist use fingers like Alex Webster from Cannibal Corpse.

It really depends on your sound. It doesn't really matter, but meh.

[cyanideandhappiness7]

cool, thnx.

[03Dmartin]

how long did it take you to get your thumb into that plucking style? It seems really hard to do with no base for your hand :S

[erix0699]

Seems to me this technique has been first developped by Dominique Di Piazza. Then Matthew Garrison and others (Hadrien Feraud) started to use it.

[Bartholomule01]

Matt Garrison!!!

[luxmita]

man how long did you spend to dominate that technique?

[jvmc08]

so if you play one a five string bass you can use you pinky too huh

[polishcomedy]

yo, what's the music that's playing between segments? sounds awesome.

[zekon550]

And here I was thinking that 3 fingers were enough. This video made me think again! Thanks for sharing this amazing technique!

[feverhood]

you can do everything with 3 fingers. lets say you start with the index finger and you and with the ring finger. so, when you almost finished with you ring finger, you must begin to pick again with the index one. it sounds as same as this tech, just its a bit more comfy

[Btroisi13]

The bassist from Iron Maiden, Steve Harris, only uses two fingers!

[fangtschui]

i think steve plays chords (fast or slow) mostly with is thumb

[Btroisi13]

Yeah. That's how I play chords on bass too

[daehkcarc]

Wrong he uses his index and middle finger. Look it up before you go around misinforming people. IRON MAIDEN RULZ!!!!

[FlyingFawnications]

steve harris uses three fingers im pretty sure for his triplets

[GodRebelion]

no, on songs like run to the hills it's all two fingers.

[realhewdshug]

You are going to be sick when you get those down smoother.

[Joetime90]

When playing across multiple strings do you assign certain fingers to certain strings?

[takmat70]

Thanks 4 the Help! I'm tryin it out.

[bobulibobium]

awesome

[iBiomega]

This technique is like for playing arpeggios

[gunlak]

Very nice precision..

wish i could learn that...

3 finger was a challenge..

[bassgsr200]

Is that a thumb bass?

[UK2AK]

VERY much enjoyed the video.

BTW, according to Matt Garrison, in his interview with Bass Player magazine called "The Shape of Things to Com", Matt says he got the technique from Gary Willis.

[sangsaratrip]

so how are you anchoring your hand?

[yorkeranger]

you don't HAVE to anchor your hand, it's suggested for ease of play.

not saying I'm the best cause i know I'm not but i don't anchor my hand much, it's what feels comfortable when you play

[zekon550]

Not much of a technique for long playing I think. Anchoring your hand eases the tension on your hand thus making it to work longer. I use 3 fingers instead of 4. I need my thumb to support my hand. It works fine. xD I'm used to anchoring, I don't feel comfortable when I'm not. Well, personal preferences I guess.

[ibonyun]

I'd love to see what you could do on a classical guitar. Considering the hand strength required for the bass, you'd probably rip the strings right off! Why doesn't my bassist play like that?

[bluebassC5]

I started as a clasical guitarist so i was thinking of bringing some of these tecniques accross thanks for showing me it can be done on the bass

[jeevespreston]

Damn! And I just got to the point where I can use my index and middle fingers together. I have SOOOOO much to learn... :) Nice technique...

[wcr4]

Can't Victor Wooten do sixteenth-note triplets by using double-thumbing and pinkie?

[peaveyboy]

ahhhh just watching ur risk agravates my RSI.

well hooked up non the tech. mate.

peace out.

[djEmk0]

easy to practice yet so hard to master, god I wish someone like you could teach me.

[dstavley]

Thats so cool!

[lighwave]

That's Fast!

[wedge90]

nice warwick, and nice mattew garrison technique

[isoscelespopsicle]

nice bass

[tsup77]

jesus, how long have you been playing?

[ijazzmunki]

@tsup77 25 years

[forrestfire101CLUB]

@ijazzmunki 25 Years? Jeeeeeez, i only started playing 2 months ago, how long does it take to get use to using your fingers? i can only use a pick

[aaaaaaaaaajgvgjyc]

@forrestfire101CLUB I'll just supply you with an answer.... dexterity is a function of the brain, when you try to move certain fingers, the signals from your brain can get lost, or go to the wrong fingers, the more you practice, the more efficient they become. It takes a couple of hundred tries but if you practice a lot you could do it in less than one day (if you haven't already by now). It's like learning to to the Spock hand sign.

[Gwaziiscorner]

@ijazzmunki it shows

[mahbrocigarettes]

im ashamed of my pinky. i wish they made bass player pinky 'roids. id eat em

[Jpkrao]

Let's just more curious when practicing our instruments. All those techniques were created just out of that curiosity.

[krustenhund]

wow very nice. the playing on two strings

gives nice possibilities.

i'm the other four finger type 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4

[thelightbetrays]

thanks for the free lesson bro, this will help me out a lot!

[UkeboyPat]

is there tabs i could print out of this anywhere?

[gammypage]

listen

[Zander4724]

this is so awesome. i gotta start practicing!!!

[thepapax]

it seems like we are looking for the same vids, LOL... this technique is interesting, i'll try it too....

[muyi]

I think its wrong to conclude that Matt Garrison came up with this technique first...Abraham laboriel has been using this technique for a long time now and that old man has been playing for ages...im not concluding he came up with it either but their are more chances of that...if you don't know Abraham pls look him up...amazing player

[ManelRuivo]

thats right. and wooten dint create the double thump technique. cmon, all we know that stanley clark used that tech years ago, but who turned it "teachable"? who took all that mess, developed to the limit and then simplified? and who aplyed so musically, showing infinite possibilities, so its turned not just some couple of licks, but a brand new manner to play da bass?

thats it. no one used to play whith that tech. most of all was jaco cover. today everybody wants to play like mr. garrison. :^D

[mirzamarco]

Would be useful to see your left hand as well. Great technique.

[projspill]

Ramps allow for an smoother, quicker, more even finger technique. By positioning the ramp close up under the strings it allows for the fingers to rest on it after plucking a note, eliminating any extra motion the finger would normally take. Billy Sheehan has an excellent video explaining this in his DVD program "Advanced Technique". Hope this helps.

[thebyeandbye]

This is the same as the tremelo technique on classical guitar. Cool idea to use it for the bass. It sounds great!

[thebyeandbye]

Well... almost the same. I didn't look to hard when the vid began. I was taught to go from thumb to ring finger when doing what you did at the beginning. Well, whatever works.. I guess.

[nonamenitwit]

Yeah, I play bas but I use a pick/plectrum. everyone I know doesnt but im not great at using fingers. Is it possible to strum fast using a pick rather then having to start from scratch with fingers?

[OmniTron1000]

just put the pick away and use yer fingers like a man

[nonamenitwit]

Ive already said that I cant, one finger will sound differnet cause it would be quiter or the notes would be more spaced out unevenly

[Nicg08]

i started playing bass about 5 years ago and for about the first 2 weeks all i could play was smoke on the water, picking with 2 finger and using my middle finger on my left hand to play the notes. but believe me its worth it in the long run to use your fingers.

[Marlowann]

It is worth it to know how to use your fingers, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use a pick.

[tattoedsoul]

you should check som vids of Carlos Benavent on youtube... he plays with Chic Corea... and he uses a Pick...

[Liist]

Simple, pick with as little movement as possible and move up and down the string.

[Chainedorlo]

What do ramps exactly do? I'm just curious.

[Feesharp9er]

co-signing this question..

[Feesharp9er]

good one ,.Co-signing this question !

[thumbass42]

what music r u using in this clip?

[ijazzmunki]

it's my own music - it's the first tune on my myspace page: myspace . com / flynnbass - go and have a listen.

[Feesharp9er]

Does Thumb,Ring,middle,index,(in that order)..sound the same?? is the thumb followed by index more comfty for you?

[ijazzmunki]

you can play it either way - when I play in 3/4 I start by going thumb, index, middle - 123 - then switch to ring, middle, index for the next group of 3 - all plucks should sound the same. Hope that helps.

[Feesharp9er]

Ahh ...helps alot

[jamesattard]

i guess the ramp helps a lot in this technique? what do you think? i'm having a ramp done on my status

[ijazzmunki]

yes they do - ramps work reat

[grasscob]

thats a great technique youve just demonstrated

very useful

thank you

[xiz90]

Its so cool when you go "Ra ta ta ta" on the muted G string.

Your a member of TB right?

[ijazzmunki]

yes - Mike Flynn is my user name on TB - cheers

[xiz90]

Aight- Im Linkert on TB.. So how long have you been practicing this technique? I really love it.

[ijazzmunki]

I started tring this out about two years ago - but it's really the last 6 months that I've actually got it under control and working properly - it just takes some time and practice.

[fryBASS]

thats probably one of my favorite things to do with this style :P

[prasiddha]

The action on that thing looks really high...

[ijazzmunki]

it's actually really low - it's just the camera angle

[ZackBellman]

your video wont load past 6 seconds and it sounds so cool lol :(

[ijazzmunki]

check your internet connection dude - it works fine!

[Bassman1026]

I can't tell, but are you going down, AND UP, with your thumb.

Using the double thumbing, you can play even faster, just advice.

[ijazzmunki]

just down

[Bassman1026]

Can you go up and down?

[ijazzmunki]

you can do what you want - I just find I don't need to - it's harder to keep it in time if you do but if you practice it I guess you can you like

[Bassman1026]

I use the double thumbing technique a lot, it seems to work fine.

You seem to be doing just fine without it though.

[ijazzmunki]

The chord sequence you are talking about is pretty simple actually - it's C minor, E flat major, D Minor, Fmajor, G minor - I throw in a couple of other things too - maybe I'll make a break down of that vid soon.

[eyemran]

Thanks for the response!  That actually does help out, but you should still break it down in another vid if you're still considering it. Keep rock'n - I love your vids!

eyemran

[eyemran]

I really enjoy your vids and I learn a lot from them! Before I summoned up the courage to ask you this, I watch your vids to see if I can learn from the visual stimuli (specifically, the "Bass Jam - Four Finger Groove"). Looks like I'm having problems. As such, could you post a vid on some of your chord progressions and go throught it bit slower and use your human voice? I've got the technique, but I'm struggling with smooth chord progressions.

[basssisst]

why dont you try to get your pinky in their too?

[ijazzmunki]

4 digits is enough for now - plus you use 4 to keep it even - the stuff you can do with it is limitless.

[KurtSandford]

I seem to have very little control of my ring finger. Normal?

[ijazzmunki]

it'll take a while to get it to behave - just do it slowly with a metronome and it'll start to get more even

M

[fryBASS]

don't forget about Abe Laboriel.

[ijazzmunki]

Abe is very cool - but his style is a lot more aggressive - this is subtler - and if I want to get loud I just go into some Wooten stuff!

[fryBASS]

true. just throwing that out there for people to look into :)

[ijazzmunki]

Mos def - he's a cat everyone should check out - Larry Graham too - and a million others. Cheers dude.

[elimk]

very well done !

I don't even try to

[gotbongy]

like your playing man! I have been workin on this style for a little while now. Does that ebony piece in between your pickups make it easier? I have a p-bass and I sort of feel more comfortable playing above the bridge pickups where my fingertips can sort of rebound off of them. is that what the connecting piece is for? does it help?

[C33Four]

Excellent lesson and excellent playing.

[behncked]

is that an ibanez sr500?

nice sound!

[ijazzmunki]

It's my Thumb NT 1990 original - through my Epiphani 502 head and EBS Proline cab - it's a nice combination - just glad you can hear it OK

M

[funkbeastbasslover]

what kinda pickups? those dnt come wit the warwicks

[gre107]

Really nice Mike! I've been working on this alot lately and almost there!

Peace!

[cancerslug101]

niceeeeeeeeee a new video :D awesome thx that helps alot haha