HEVYDEVY FORUMS

I've been playing bass for almost three years now, and I've just run into a bit of a problem: I find that I have to learn to play quicker. Do any of you know any excercises to make the right hand faster?

Nope. It just came to me. I dunno how though.
But it is a good question.

simen_88 wrote:I've been playing bass for almost three years now, and I've just run into a bit of a problem: I find that I have to learn to play quicker. Do any of you know any excercises to make the right hand faster?

Get a metronome, and keep hammering away. Otherwise do what I do and just cramp up on stage and do nothing and hope that the rhythm guitar is covering for you.

I still can't play one particular song of ours all the way through, I ALWAYS cramp up but I use 3 fingers. The crazy part is that we're actually supposed to play it faster. I'm struggling now!

mo wrote:

simen_88 wrote:I've been playing bass for almost three years now, and I've just run into a bit of a problem: I find that I have to learn to play quicker. Do any of you know any excercises to make the right hand faster?

Get a metronome, and keep hammering away. Otherwise do what I do and just cramp up on stage and do nothing and hope that the rhythm guitar is covering for you.

I still can't play one particular song of ours all the way through, I ALWAYS cramp up but I use 3 fingers. The crazy part is that we're actually supposed to play it faster. I'm struggling now!

Have you tried using a pick for that? I have found that they help me play very fast on one string, but that I suck at switching strings.

-remember your breathing, stay relaxed
-put as less pressure on your shoulders as possible
-if you play with a pick, play from your wrist, and not your arm.

These are three tips which helped increase my own speed

Yeah, do you play with a pick or with fingers? Very different exercises to speed up each. If fingers, I recommend playing with three fingers. I can pretty much keep up with anything the guitarists play with three - then I start chucking in a fourth finger so I can go faster than them

Bassist's job = piss off guitarists

Fingerplay.

the metronome is a good way to improve speed i've found.

yeah, use a metronome and also, whats good is the ol' 3 times method, where you try and get it right 3 tmies in a row, then if you nail it, increase the speed.

Scoon_man wrote:yeah, use a metronome and also, whats good is the ol' 3 times method, where you try and get it right 3 tmies in a row, then if you nail it, increase the speed.

Yes, I use that a lot. Unfortunately, since I'm currently practising on the vocal part of Blackbird, that only helps my left hand.

fuk pics. I use my fingers too. I've been playing 15 years, so the best advice I can give you is to just practice every day with a metronome. It will come. No one just picks it up and plays fast and in time without work and practice. Just remeber to take little steps. If you try to tackle something too difficult you will get discouraged. Try stuff that is hard to do and get beter at it. Don't pick something that is way beyond what you can do right now.

Since you are a finger player you have the advantage of naturally playing varied rythms in time with everyone else. They are playing straight 16ths, you can play a series of triplets connected by short burts of 16th's. Things like that sound good and a pick player would most likely never come up with those rythms. AND a good drummer will pick up pm your varied rythms and build upon them, making the whole damn song better.

Keep at it. finger style is the shiznit.

I don't know why you would say picks. I played with fingers for years and now I use a pick as of latley. I like the sound. I think to be versitile you should be familiar with both. It's not an issue of playing faster or slower, it's a sound and feel issue. You are right though, I tend to come up with slightly different rythmic patterns when playing with finger or a pick, but you know what really dictates your pattern? The drums. You must be one with the drummer and funcion as a team.

Sometimes I think bass player get high and mighty becuase they feel the need to be "more schooled and proper" than a guitar player, I just want to make the song sound good.

7lights wrote:I don't know why you would say picks. I played with fingers for years and now I use a pick as of latley. I like the sound. I think to be versitile you should be familiar with both. It's not an issue of playing faster or slower, it's a sound and feel issue. You are right though, I tend to come up with slightly different rythmic patterns when playing with finger or a pick, but you know what really dictates your pattern? The drums. You must be one with the drummer and funcion as a team.

Sometimes I think bass player get high and mighty becuase they feel the need to be "more schooled and proper" than a guitar player, I just want to make the song sound good.

Hmm.....I didn't mean to offend anyone. I say fu*c picks simply because I don't like them. I know they have advantages and SOMETIMES I will use them when I HAVE TO, but to me, in my opinion, finger style sounds better and offers more natural and effortless pattern varyations. Of course the bass and drums should work together.....but there is no rule that says the drums should "dictate" what the bass should do, or anything at all. Working as a team means feeding off each other as equal but different contributors to the same idea. As soon as anyone tries to "dictate" anything, it's time to have the "you are not as indispensible as you think you are" talk. Unless you are the creator of the project and the others know that they are simply there to do your will.

I'm not trying to be high and mighty. Quite the opposite. I think someone that is "schooled and proper" will have a more difficult time letting his soul and passion get out. He is more likely to be confined by the "rules" imposed on him. Or her. Whichever.

that part wasn't directed to you personally, only the first part The high and mighty bit came from me being sick of bass mags and forums and how we hate guitar players for some reason and we all need to learn jazz even though we all don't listen to jazz ect. No worries bud. Trust me I don't offend that easily.

7lights wrote:that part wasn't directed to you personally, only the first part The high and mighty bit came from me being sick of bass mags and forums and how we hate guitar players for some reason and we all need to learn jazz even though we all don't listen to jazz ect. No worries bud. Trust me I don't offend that easily.

Yeah - I get sick of the jazz snobs too. I can appreciate what they do but I cannot get into it. My brain doesn't work that way. To me, the kind of jazz those people get all high and mighty over exist only because it is difficult to do. There is nothing about it that catches my ear. I could same the same about Fantomas and Mr. Bungle. I admit that it takes brillance to suck that bad, but there is nothing interesting about them besides the pure and obvious difficulty in playing it.

Am I going to be hated to saying that?