The Bass Blog

Hi everyone, I just came back from my Christmas holidays. Look for more content in the coming days.

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There are many ways to produce sounds on a bass guitar. You can pluck the strings, use a pick, slap or even tap. What I’m going to talk about is the proper plucking technique for the right hand.

When playing the bass guitar, the normal way to do it is using two alternating fingers to play. Alternate your index and middle fingers when you play.

Most people only use one finger, which is not correct because it is too slow. Some people like Billy Sheehan are able to use three fingers, some can even use four.

Using two fingers will have the following benefits:

• You produce a smoother sound. Go ahead a try it out. There’s a reason why pianists use all ten fingers you know.
• You can play faster. Try playing sixteenth notes on a single finger.
• You can last longer. Spreading the work means your fingers work only half as hard.
• You look more pro. Yes, it really makes a difference.

Tilt your right hand slightly sideways so both your fingers are almost parallel to the strings. This way your fingers have equal contact with the strings. This will help to balance the volume between your fingers. Otherwise you will play louder if one of your fingers are stronger, or have better leverage.

Place the tips of your fingers slightly under the string, and pull. Repeat with the other finger. You should try to achieve equal volume, with a smooth transition. Start slow, then increase you tempo. Practice with a metronome!

Practice alternating your fingers even when moving to different strings.

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Today I’m going to share some tips on how to hold the bass guitar with your left hand.

I’m surprised that I continue to see people holding the bass guitar wrong on their left hands. Most of the people I see either use a single finger to touch the frets, or they grip the neck like a guitar.

My bass master, Si Fu Vincent taught me on my first lesson that we must hold the neck with our wrists relaxed. The left thumb should be flat on the back of the neck. The other four fingers must curl around the bottom of the neck, and touch the frets using only the fingertips.

I took a photo of myself holding the bass properly. Notice how each finger is playing only a single fret. The wrists should be relaxed so that you can move freely. Only fingertips should have contact with the strings. The advantage of doing that is it allows you to play faster with better control and intonation.

Tune in later for more tips. If you’re really interested to learn bass properly, either get a bass coach or get some training videos to help you get started.

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