Critique of One-finger-per-fret technique

[FlorinXBS]

I like your "neutral position" video. But I don't agree with this one. Sure, it is a valid technique. You keep the bass a little bit too high, so for upper positions you don't have neutral position. You can play with a proper technique by moving your elbow a little bit, in the way you would do on upright, not keeping near your body. Just my two cents. Somehow you opened my eyes, that there is not only one proper way of playing with the left hand. Cheers, Flo

[jvhyd]

guitar players use that 2. wrist postion all the time so dont be a pussy

[xsquLLx]

Heey! HELLO NEO! :D

[lancerandy]

Exellent video! I also use 124 simandl fingering up until around the 7th fret or so. I figured this out on my own after suffering for years with tendon problems. The 'one finger per fret' rule is just plain bad advise, I don't care what anybody says. If I have to play something quick, I will open my hand and use one finger per fret, but only when I absolutely have to, and I NEVER hold that position. I have had zero tendon trouble since I changed my technique:)

[grogfisher]

do you have any advice of strap length...and how you'd suggest finding a comfortable height to wear the instrument

[Hobble]

Hey, can you explain why you think that using the pads of the fingers work better than the tips?

When I started out I learned to use the tips from a Patitucci book, and I've found it to work, I find it awkward to use the pads, so I'm wondering what your view on it is.

[sliverhandsonbasses]

I strongly believe that everyone should play bass the way he feels.I make just a couple of comments:you may try to take your L.H. thumb more perpendicular to tne neck,instead of parallel,and on the space between 2nd e 3rd finger, to allows your hand to strech more.And also notice that Gary Willis palys OFPF with that kind of "extreme shape",apparently without difficulties (and on a 5 strings!)

Again,mine is just suggestion not a lesson or open criticism .Deepest respect for you and your music

[havic5]

@sliverhandsonbasses Since I made this video, I've amended my ideas, and summed them up in my video "developing safe left hand technique." I got my ideas from Gary Willis, and he DEFINITELY does not have a perpendicular thumb on his left hand. It produces a dangerous angle. I've gotten hurt doing that, and I've seen a lot of my students and others get hurt playing with that angle. They might have been playing for years with no problem, but it always catches up. There IS a wrong way to play bass.

[sliverhandsonbasses]

@havic5 Ahahahahaha! What a sad boy!

[1969fenderjazz]

wijze lul

[neothomist1275]

"I would say 95 percent of the people I see are struggling with guitar fingerings on the bass and have no idea that there are other fingerings that are easier" -- Herb Mickman

[guitarheroaddict2]

how come you have six strings for your bass guitar?

[colljo560]

@guitarheroaddict2 I count 5

[guitarheroaddict2]

arent bass guitars supposed to only have 4?(still learning)

[colljo560]

@guitarheroaddict2 Haha yes they are, but sometimes we get bored and add strings ^_^

There isn't a law yet on how many strings a bass can have, but most commonly it's 4, and usually goes up to 6.

[guitarheroaddict2]

@colljo560 ok imma learn seven LOL

and then try to put an extra string across the neck horizontally (there's no laws rightLOL)

[jbarbri]

Good old Simandl.  Never fails.

[funkalunatic]

Good vid. I didn't start electric till after playing upright for a while and I didn't understand why so many electric bass players insisted on unnecessarily contorting their hands in the low positions. I think the guitarists are probably to blame.

[b0ttomzone]

this whole critique of 'one foot per fret' was made by franz simandl over a hundred years ago. tried tested and true

[marcosjoy]

ok, that doesn't work in the lower positions just because you haven't practiced enough; that's perfectly normal.

[havic5]

No offense, but I think I've spent enough hours in the shed to know what works and what doesn't.

[Albigatnz]

@havic5 and man, if you can fit a foot between each fret thats just not playing bass anymore!

[JMillerbigass]

If you'll notice, Havic is planting his fingers in one place to demonstrate how "dangerous" it is. That makes his whole demonstration null and void IMHO. Nobody plants their fingers and holds them in one spot, and you can easily manipulate your hands and wrists into any position you want to prove any point you want. I could just as easily manipulate a bass to make it look safe. If it wasn't safe, the big music schools wouldn't teach it. Sorry bro, you're well-intentioned, but wrong.

[JederLacht1]

Of course he's planting his fingers. One tends to do that when pressing down a note. You have to commit to pressing down a note for it to sound.

Beyond that, suppose you're right that he's exaggerating, look at how many one finger per fret players' wrists twist at a horrible angle.

Geddy Lee is one example. He makes fun of it in the very last interview with Bass Guitar magazine (the August issue in '07 I think). He commented on how he gets carpal tunnel at the end of a tour.

[havic5]

Again, I've said this before in other forums (literally), but I'm not exaggerating when I do this - its very easy to point to youtube videos of people playing this way and that is the way I am discouraging. More power to you if you do it with pivots (which I do all the time down there), but I completely disavow what I showed and I stick by what I'm saying in this video.

I I think we can both agree what I what I did in this video wasn't safe. Whether or not that's "OFPF" is semantics.

[fingerboy18]

I noticed that if you are doing the one finger per fret deal, planting fingers is not a good idea. Also, how you wear your bass has a lot to do with your wrist straightness. I encourage all bass payers to work their forearms at the gym regularly to counter the flexor muscle overpowering the extensor. The extensor muscle needs to be exercised to maintain a healthy balance and reduce injury.

[bleaker84]

this is a great point.

im going from a 4 string to a 5 string and i use the 1 finger per fret. but when i play my 5 string it feels like my strings are to close, its harder to play and change notes fast. im going to have to bring my fingers closer or change my technique.

[bassmickeyd]

Good points, but realize the one finger per was created for a four string bass electric bass. And not much was mentioned about it until Jaco hit in the mid-70's. Stanley C. used upright fingering on electric. Jaco played a 1 1/2" early 60's Jazz bass your 5-string looks a good 1 3/4" maybe more.

With more younger players choosing 5 & 6-stringers finger technic is very important to cut down on bad habits that can lead to player injury in the future.

[CarlosMacMartin]

Good Critique! I use 1-1-2-4 or 1-2-4-4 for frets

1,2,3,& 4 rather than try to do one finger per fret.

I suppose people with long ass finger can do one

finger per fret,but it's difficult when your hands are

small to begin with.

[Yontar]

i don't know, for me i believe utilization of each finger as much as possible has always seemed very practical and normal (for me bear in mind). I made it a priority when i started playing, and now it's completely integrated into my playing. For me playing with 1 per fret with 3 fingers on my right hand seems to be the most effective use of both hands without strain. But for people with smaller hands than me (i have very large palms) i could easily see why it wouldn't work.

[neothomist1275]

Nice explanation young man.

[Flemmingdoerken]

Dave Marks also has a video on this topic.

I did the one-finger-per-fret when I started playing and kinda grew out of it without thinking about it until I heard Dave Marks talk about it.

[Chipsonfire]

Good stuff. I practiced long and hard to get the one finger per fret with my small hands and found the same results: having either bad angle in the wrist or bad efficiency. I've been trying to get into the simandl style, but old habits die hard.