This is the kind of workout that I didn't realise I needed until I followed it through, this is all going straight to into regular practise! I was caught off guard with the string skipping as I didn't realise how much I naturally rake to lower strings, which is fine in some circumstances but so restrictive for playing lines that rock back and forth like that!! Looking forward to breaking that habit. As always a nice, straight forward video with effective exercises. I'm also currently working through your BLOTF course at the moment, it's great so far :)
Wow, looks like my sight reading is improving. I had the vid paused at 12:59 and looking at the first eight notes, can see it's broken chord tones of the E chord and one passing note on the 4. Then it's easy to guess the 2nd bar follows the same pattern in B, which it does, and you've kind of read all 4 bars at a glance, now. Feels good. The cool part is that going up one space from a space or one line from a line is always a third, so the pattern kinda sticks out that way.
Must say that even if it seemed simple, when i tried, was a great exercise and required some focusing, helped a ton with those double notes on the octaves
🐶 Good boy! He is so focused on your bass playing. Thank you for another great lesson, this is exactly what I needed right now. String crossing is my nemesis but this exercise really helps. Thanks!
I spotted Arnie at 10:55! Luke, wow, what a great lesson. My right hand technique is something I need to continue to work on. I started playing bass with a pick, so that comes easy for me. Steady finger plucking is a continual challenge. The slowed down tracks are great to work with. Thanks for making all this free, and keep at it. And I love how you keep your mistakes in the videos. It shows how humble you are. Cheers!
For sure @Thomas Fiorglio - I'm still working on a bunch of this stuff as well. I'd definitely need to shed for a day or two to get the doubled octaves on every note on that last bass line. And yes - Arnie was being a very good boy supervising this video. Haha!
Luke this is what I been looking for. needing a good practice for my plucking hand .Like you said ,got to keep it slow. Thanks so much! keep up the great work!
This is interesting.I'm giving these exercises a workout but it isn't as easy as one might think if alternate fingering has been drilled into you from day one.I'm always willing to give something that'll improve technique a try .
Hi Luke, Thanks a lot for your teaching. On question: wouldn’t it be possible tu use the Thumb for the first string and middle for the other. Is it a mistake ? Is it impossible to play fast this way ? Thank’s again
Thanks, Luke! There is a unison riff in Dave Grusin's Mountain Dance landing on C that goes across three strings in a blistering pace, and being conscious about my plucking fingers is so helpful (and essential) there!
Awsome lesson man thanks again,I never really thought about the count or my plucking I just jammed,for me it's a fresh new perspective,love it! I appreciate your time to give such cool as you say no BS bass lessons so cool 😎
Great lesson as always. A quick question about the final octave bass line. When you are playing 16th notes on both strings I can see you have to use alternate picking, but I came to bass via guitar and when you are playing an 8th note then 16ths an octave higher i find it really natural to use my thumb for the 8th then alternate picking for the 16ths. I'm sure not using the thumb in these instances is better for overall technique etc. and every bass player plays a line like this using alternate fingers, but is there a specific reason to avoid playing an octave bass line like this one using thumb for 8ths and fingers for 16ths an octave higher even when not using a slap technique for the lower note? Thanks
Great question @Robert Hooworth. The main reason I can think of why people wouldn't do that would be consistency of sound. For most bass players who use their index and middle fingers most of the time (aside from slapping of course), the tone they get from playing with their thumbs is going to be a lot different. It's usually 'woolier' and doesn't have quite the same attack. There are plenty of exceptions to that 'rule' though. Basically anyone who uses a 4-finger 'Matt Garrison-type' of right hand technique usually work really hard on getting all their plucking fingers to sound as consistent and even as possible. It's definitely possible to use your thumb for these kinds of things - it's ultimately just a matter of practice. If you don't use your thumb that much, then it'll probably just mean practicing with it until the point where the sound *is* as consistent as possible between the thumb and all the other fingers.
Man I have a hard enough time coordinating singing with bass! To then have to remember a periodicity pattern seems like brain overload. I am going to practice enough to get it to muscle memory.
It's funny. As I've started recording myself more, I've switched back to one-finger plucking. It doesn't work for every part. Some are too fast for one finger. But if I'm playing a steady 8th note groove, I find that using only one finger gets a much more even tone. You don't have the subtle differences between fingers. It's kind of like the difference between using all downstrokes versus alternate picking on guitar.
I had no idea I would find that difficult. I will have found something that has been hampering my playing of real world patterns. Awkward though I feel, I must say thanks Luke.
Definitely @Chris Cantor - it'll feel strange until it doesn't, if that makes sense. But once you have that control, it'll be much easier to play those *actual* songs that have a bit more going on in the right hand.
Not necessarily @ibrahimozkan9303 - what will work for one person may not work for another since every body is different. If you can find something that works for you that is nice and relaxed and pain-free, then that's going to be what works best for you, regardless of whether it's different than what I do or someone else does.
YES I LOST MY PLUCKING POWER IN MY MIDDLE FINGER SO I PLAY WITH MY INDEX FINGER AND THUMB I ALSO USE THE BACK OF MY FINGERNAILS TO PLAY, I HAD TO ADJUST
Thanks to genetic variation, I struggle with alternating fingers, my middle finger is so much longer than my first, it's almost impossible to play the same string with both. In the end, I use the side of my index finger for all strokes.
No fast technique. Playing two notes on the same string with one finger is slow and weak. But it depends of the tempo of the song.. sometimes it works until medium tempo, but not on fast tempo, for sure.
Why would anyone ever practice plucking twice with the same finger? What is the purpose of this paradiddle excercise? Stop missleading begginer bassists.
It's just a drill @stefanpavlovic7296; it's purpose is to help you gain _conscious control_ of each of your fingers individually. Although I'm curious - what do you believe is 'misleading' about this lesson?
11:21 which fingers you use dont matter... true... to most sane people. but they might be a college professor at one of the juries before your senior recital. or so i hear lol. I do not have nightmares about that at all
