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Forums > Music: Bass

Fingers

MistaJive	Date: May 21, 2005 @ 10:12 PM I'm going to buy myself a bass this summer. If I do finger style, what will it do to my fingers?
BlackMage	Date: May 22, 2005 @ 3:47 PM It will chop them clean off. Seriously... What do you mean, what does it do to your fingers? You'll get blisters for sure to the tips of your fingers, but they'll harden. Your coordination will get better on your fingers.
dobrazil	Date: May 27, 2005 @ 10:05 AM Most bassists play with two fingers, index and major. To me there is no good reason for this, it's just the usual way you know, everyone doing the same thing. But if you take a closer look, you can understand there is just no reason to it, and many reasons to use all fingers. See Gary Willis (three, i, m, a), Matthew Garrison (four, t, i, m, a) for example. I've begun to learn using all five fingers, it makes a lot of unlearning bad habits, but the more I work on it, the more I sense it is far more natural.
dobrazil	Date: May 27, 2005 @ 11:37 AM Use all five fingers and you won't have any problem !
dobrazil	Date: May 27, 2005 @ 3:31 PM I've made a little track with a short groove to show where I am in my work on right hand fingers. It lacks precision but I'm sure you'll see the point. See ya.
zique	Date: May 28, 2005 @ 8:31 AM Cool track and dobrazil and it sounds good to me as does your advice...All I can do,MistaJive, is tell you about my experience when I first started.first i have to say...that my technique then and now,in fact were and are pretty bad.I have always played to hard.Well, i played or practiced, at least 4 hours a day...i was seriosly obsessed or possessed,sometimes i would be in my room from the time i woke up till well after mid playing,my fingers would get raw and then the little blisters...i would keep playing until a raw red hole developed(it was better to keep on playing because if you stopped and tried to start again it would be too tender...usually for a day or so,but i couldnt wait that long...so i started using which ever fingers(thumb) didnt hurt.like dobrazil said helped me develop the use of all 5...another cool point dobrazil mentioned or should i say player is gary willis ,he is smooth,doesnt play real hard but gets good hard string attack sounds,he uses a modification on his bass called a ramp,it set under his strings to cut distance between them and body.keeps you from digging in and playing to hard while still giving a more aggressive sounding tone.and probably less wear and tear on fingertips. http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/theramp.html Good luck and dont let this affect you...as lunita said they will soon callus up...and then you will get blisters under the hard callus'...naaah youll be just fine.
zique	Date: May 28, 2005 @ 2:33 PM Sorry Lunitari,for making a mess of your name,above.
Intergalacti...	Date: May 28, 2005 @ 8:28 PM Theres no problem with using your first two fingers but when stayin out of that habit yuo become a better bassist. Many jazz bassists use five digits and jazz bassist are arguabley the best bassists to become they have the most talented. Inall honesty and a personal opinion don't get in to using a plectrum on bass. It makes you look ess talentedc and I hate the sound it gives off. Butn thats just my opinion.
zique	Date: May 28, 2005 @ 10:18 PM I tend to agree with you.
dobrazil	Date: May 30, 2005 @ 5:53 AM As zique says, gary willis is someone to look at, he has a very interesting point of view at music. Bassistically speaking, he has gone somewhere else by not acknowledging the usual way of playing. If you can take a look at it, see his video method, the first 10 minutes are of awesome value for anyone who wants to play bass.