Hanging Ten On Bass

September 21, 1998

Do you use all your fingers when you're playing your bass? Now, I'm not talking about your fretting hand mind you, I'm talking about your picking hand. Let's say that you're a pretty good bass player. You know your way up and down the neck real well. However, you see those hot shots on TV cracking off 64th notes like it's no problem and you wonder how they do it. These monsters of the heavy strings play that way because they can use all five fingers on their picking hand. The annoying thing about it is they make it look so-o-o-o-o easy. If this sounds like where your at, then this article is for you.

Sometime ago I spent about a year learning this valuable skill. I decided it was something I needed in my weapons arsenal after seeing a local bass god at a concert. I can't remember his name now, but wow could he wail. Later I had a chance to talk with him and he told me the secrets of learning the full-hand pick. After using these techniques for only three months, my pick speed doubled. Not only was I faster, but it was actually easier to do than the walking bass method I was using. He helped me, now I want to pass these secrets onto you.

Let's start by discussing the different methods of picking for bass. The first method is to use a pick, like a guitar player. Although this gives the instrument a unique and hard sound, it is a relatively slow method of picking. If you play with a pick and you are really fast, don't email me, I believe you. However, most players never develop any real pick speed due to the physical nature of bass strings. Really fast pick users have to practice very hard to develop this skill. The second problem with playing with a pick is that slapping and popping while holding the pick is difficult. However, pick use is really good to develop as a second style of picking due to the cool sound it can add to your sonic palette.

The second common method for bass picking is the one finger method. It is probably the worst of all the picking methods. It is very difficult to get any real speed up and your hand becomes tired quickly in comparison to any other methods. If you are a one fingered bass picker, please keep reading.

The third method is known as walking bass. This is the practice of using the first two fingers in a system that makes it look as if your fingers are walking across the strings (see photos to the right). While one finger is picking, the other finger is moving forward for the next pick or the next string. The position of the finger while it is waiting to pick is called the pre-pick position. Conversely, once your finger has picked the string that finger position is known as the post-pick position. This method is as fast as using a pick, but is easier on the hand and keeps the thumb free for popping and slapping. This is probably the favorite system for most bass players. This system is fairly easy to learn, sounds good, and has a lot of advantages over other methods.

The last method (I know there are a few more, don't email about this - I only have space to talk about these four) is known as full-hand. Using all five fingers gains speed, increases your sonic palette, and extends the amount of time you can play without tiring. Jazz and Funk bass players use this style the most, but it can have great benefits in rock, country, or any other types of music you play. By adding speed and style to your bass playing you can play leads (yes, bass players can lead and it sounds good), you can syncopate or add expression to the sound, and you can play what I like to call the invisible bass part. The invisible bass part is the name I use to describe runs and fills, that to the average listener, are almost unnoticeable. However, if you remove the invisible bass part, EVERYBODY notices.

I'm not going to cover popping and slapping in this article. Instead, I'm going to focus on using your first four fingers in a conventional picking action. This is something like the walking bass, but I like to call it the spider walking bass since it makes your hand look like a spider running across the ceiling. The basic principle of the spider walk is while one finger is picking the other three are in various stages of returning to the pre-pick position. The picking finger has three notes before it has to be at the pre-pick position again. This method also has the added advantage of cutting down the amount of picking each finger has to do in half.

Since spider picking is based on the walking bass method, I would suggest that you learn the walking bass first before attempting to learn the spider walk. Most good bass books cover the walking bass pick in detail, therefore I'm not going to cover it here.

The most important skill that you need in order to do the spider walk, is finger independence. Finger independence is the ability to move each finger in your hand without the other fingers moving or being stressed. If this sounds easy, it isn't. Many keyboard players have this ability due to the nature of their instrument, but this is usually not stressed for bass players. Here are a few exercises that you can do in order to help with finger independence.

Bending a single finger as in exercise 3

1. Press your hand palm down on a table. Raise each finger, one at a time, off the table about an inch or as far as you can. Concentrate on making sure that all of your other fingers stay firmly on the table. Continue to practice this until it is not a strain on any of the fingers still on the table. When it becomes easy, do it faster.

2. Expanding on the above exercise, this time lift two fingers up at the same time. Alternate the fingers that are being used (e.g. 1-3, 2-4, 1-4, and so on). Remember if it's too easy, do it faster.

3. Hold your hand vertical in the air. Bend each finger, one at a time, at the first joint to the full range of that joint. Once again, your other fingers should not move or be stressed.

4. The advanced version of exercise 3 is to use two fingers similar to how you did exercise 2.

Once your fingers are nice and nimble, you are ready for the second step in the process. For this step you will need some supplies, mainly tape. Now I'm not talking about audio tape or video tape, I'm talking about good old fashion duct tape or electrical tape (as used in photograph below). If you're not familiar with duct tape or if it is called by a different name in your country, duct tape is that really sticky silver tape that is used on heating systems. OK . . . OK . . . I hear ya - "Cliff has lost his mind this time, he wants us to use duct tape!" I'm telling you, this technique worked for me and it can work for you. So, rip off a piece of duct tape and put the first piece over your mouth and listen.

What we are going to do is tape our fingers together. By taping weaker fingers to stronger ones we can strengthen the picking abilities of all our fingers. Start by taping the second and third fingers together as shown below. Now, play a walking bass style to any music you like using the first finger and the taped pair. Play this way until it feels comfortable. This method will be a lot easier if you plant your thumb on the body of the bass above the strings. Your thumb will act as an anchor from which to gain pick strength. If you plan to slap your strings with your thumb, you will eventually have to keep your thumb off the bass, but this is a good way to start.

Next, tape your first and second fingers together. Use the tape pair as you would your first finger and the third finger as the normal walking bass second finger. After alternating between the first and second position, you should be ready to start playing with three fingers.

Position 1: Tape the second the third fingers together (shown for a right-handed picker)	Position 2: Tape the first and second fingers together.

Don't get frustrated. I know that I made this all sound easy and quick, but we are probably into a months worth of practice at this point. Once you have mastered taping positions one and two, you should start to practice the three fingered walk. Like the two fingered walk, each finger should start to return to the pre-pick position after it has picked a string. A good practice for this is to play quick triplets over and over again. If you don't know what triplets are, get a music theory book and study up. A bass player has more need for music theory than any one else in a standard rock or pop band, so it would be good for you to own a music theory book anyway.

Now, you're ready to start getting that forth finger into the picture. Start my taping your second and third fingers together as you did before. This time however, when your first finger picks I want you to pick with your forth or little finger at the same time. This is a tough one if you play with any speed or you switch strings a lot.

The last taping position I like to call the Vulcan position (if you're a Star Trek fan you understand this one). I'm sure you know what to do by now, use the two taped finger pairs in a walking bass.

Position 3: The same as position 1, but use the fourth finger when playing.	Position 4: The "Vulcan" position.

By now you are probably at three months of practice. Without any tape, do a four fingered walk similar to tapping your fingers on the table. At this point you have to use your ears. Listen to see if some fingers are picking louder than others. If you have this problem, and you probably will, you will need to strengthen the weaker fingers with exercises. Many music stores sell finger strengthening devices that you can use. You may also have to practice playing softer with the other fingers so they all match. The final objective is to make all your picks so similar that without looking even you can't tell which finger you plucked the string with. Once you think it sounds good, let another bass player listen to see if he/she can hear louder notes.

Lastly, you need to quickly change your hand angle in order to correct for your different finger lengths. What this means, is that the difference in length between your second finger and your forth or little finger causes the reach for higher strings to be longer or shorter. Changing your hand angle by rotating your hand toward the bridge about 15 degrees allows the reach to the G string to be the same for all fingers. You can practice this skill by picking 16th notes on the E string and every half a measure use whatever finger is next in the stepping sequence to pluck one note on the G string. In more musical terms, you will play seven E 16th notes followed by one G 16th note. If you're walking spider is being sequenced correctly (1 - 2 - 3 - 4 and back to 1 over and over) this should allow you to play the G string with each finger every two measures.

So there it is. If you work hard at it, you should be able to master this skill in about six months. Many bass players I know have tried to learn this and have given up too early. As I said before, don't get frustrated. This isn't easy, but the results in your playing will be well worth it. Using the full hand technique will make your playing smoother, faster, and easier. Plus, it is really a cool thing to show off to your friends.

I would love to hear any success stories you may encounter using this process. Also if you have any other exercises or practice techniques or you would just like to comment on this article please email me. You can contact me at cliffnotes@harmony-central.com. I look forward to hearing from all my bass friends out there.

As always, Keep Jamming,

Cliff

Cliff Suttle (cliffnotes@harmony-central.com) has been studying music for over twenty years including studies at the University of Michigan. Fluent on keyboards, guitar, and bass, Cliff is currently playing in an all original rock band Middle Earth. Cliff's motto: Understand the theory and you can play anything.