Right Hand Technique For Bass

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Start point 02:30

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C Major scale played with alternating fingering.

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Scott Devine

Right Hand Technique for Bass (L#37)

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"When assending, it's got to be alternate""When assending, it's got to be alternate"

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Exercise played assending with alternating fingers

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"Say it when you play it""Say it when you play it"

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Exercise played dessending with raking

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Copyright © 2013 Scott's Bass Lessons

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C Major scale exercise played with alternating fingering.

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"If you want to play fast lines, do your self a favour and get these in your practice routine""If you want to play fast lines, do your self a favour and get these in your practice routine"

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Copyright © 2013 Scott’s Bass Lessons

Right Hand Technique for bass (L#37)

Your Action Plan

1. I want you to change your psychological view of yourplucking hand. From now on you must view yourplucking hand as 'the engine'. This is what 'drives'your bass lines and gives them motion. The frettinghand simply takes you in whichever direction youfeel like going. But without 'the engine' you're goingnowhere.

That is how important your plucking hand is!

From now on whenever you're practising, jamming or playing a gig, keep checking back to view what your plucking hand is doing. Is it moving efficiently? Is it muting correctly? Where on the string is the contact being made? How much flesh is hitting the string?

To play with speed and efficiency you must make a study of you plucking hand technique. And when you do, your bass playing will benefit in a big, big way.

2. First thing's first. You must master alternate pluckingwhen ascending through any bass line. Whenascending through a line this is the only way youshould approach it. Unfortunately my guess would bethat only 10% of students (and I'm being generous)when they first come to me are doing this.

Copyright © 2013 Scott’s Bass Lessons

The other 90% really don't know what their plucking hand is doing as they've been solely focused on there fretting hand.

3. Once you get to grips with the alternate ascendingexercises you should make a decision aboutdescending. But don't panic! This isn't forever. If youfeel that descending using alternate fingers isn'treally working, that's fine, just switch to the rakingmethod and see if that feels more comfortable. Buthere's the gag. You've got to work on each techniquefor around 4 weeks before deciding it's not workingfor you. Otherwise you just won't be giving it achance.

4. So. Choose one of the two techniques. Stick with itfor around 4 weeks, and if it's working for you, great!If not, switch and try the other technique out. Iswapped back and forth a few times until I decidedto concentrate on the raking technique, but when Idid I made sure I put 110% effort into using it anddidn't switch between the two when playing basslines which can be a big mistake and end up holdingyour technique back.

Scott Devine