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Playing with fingers over a pick...how to adjust??


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Is it wrong that I'm picking it up naturally with songs over learning it with monotonous exercises that I can't play well?

 

 

Not at all. I have never really used boring exercises myself, I just play music I like. If you don't have fun when practicing, what is the point?

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Not at all. I have never really used boring exercises myself, I just play music I like. If you don't have fun when practicing, what is the point?



I think that was part of my problem. Those exercises are just so damn boring. Plus, you rarely, if ever play music that's just like these exercises.

G----------------------------1-2-3-4--
D-------------------1-2-3-4-----------
A----------1-2-3-4--------------------
E-1-2-3-4-----------------------------

When would you ever play like that in a song? Sure, a chromatic line here or there may happen, but you won't play in the same fashion. You also won't be playing it rigidly - it would flow with the song.

I've found that actually playing songs is letting me apply fingerstyle playing how it actually would happen, which has let me catch onto it easier. Plus, it's a lot more fun. :D

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Find another teacher...

Pick or fingers is preference...As you get better, you will play with both depending on the sound and feel needed. I started on fingers, and still play mostly with fingers, but, due to crossing to guitar, use a pick pretty well too. You will find that certain styles, funk in particular, will ONLY work with fingers/thumb. (slap), but at this stage, you need to focus way more on theory and left hand than right hand/pick.

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Find another teacher...


Pick or fingers is preference...As you get better, you will play with both depending on the sound and feel needed. I started on fingers, and still play mostly with fingers, but, due to crossing to guitar, use a pick pretty well too. You will find that certain styles, funk in particular, will ONLY work with fingers/thumb. (slap), but at this stage, you need to focus way more on theory and left hand than right hand/pick.



Is it really so bad that he told me to start playing fingerstyle? :freak: I think he just wanted me to learn it earlier so that I'd be better at it.

Is it really something bad enough to find another teacher?

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Is it really something bad enough to find another teacher?

 

 

No it is not. If he told you that in general no bass player should play with a pick, you'd want a more open minded instructor. I'm guessing his suggestion to you was because you are more advanced with your pick playing than your fingerstyle and he wants you to develop both.

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No it is not. If he told you that in general no bass player should play with a pick, you'd want a more open minded instructor. I'm guessing his suggestion to you was because you are more advanced with your pick playing than your fingerstyle and he wants you to develop both.

 

 

He said that fingers are all-around better than pick. He said that he knows of some players that are good with picks, but all of the bassists he really admires use fingers. He also named off a few bassists that he's modelled his playing after (one being Vic Wooten) and said that none of them use picks.

 

He also told me that he never learned to play with a pick, but he may be able to teach me some techniques that would work for pick playing.

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your teacher should be able to give you some starting advice and exercises
first dont let your thumb rest on the upper body..use the E/B string
use just two fingers to start but aim for all four...at a push..
and go slowly with rythym patterns on one string only...then make the jump to another string etc
i started on finger style and stayed there...tried a pick..but like to use dynamics and ghosted notes..

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^He did all of that. Basic exercises to practice, and he told me to take it slowly with a metronome.

But, is he teaching me the right way focusing on my right hand's technique before theory and my left hand technique? Is the kind of stuff he told me (see my last post) normal?

I hate to be paranoid about it, but I spent longer than I should have with a bad guitar teacher about a year ago. I ended up realizing that I was just throwing money away for worthless "lessons." I want to be sure that this new bass teacher is doing everything the right way before I keep paying him.

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But, is he teaching me the right way focusing on my right hand's technique before theory and my left hand technique? Is the kind of stuff he told me (see my last post) normal?

 

 

That is a well supported method of instruction. Take it slow young grasshopper.

 

Every teacher has a bias. My bias is towards being open to all forms of expression. Your instructor's bias may be towards focusing your energy on what he views as the most important aspects of expression and the ones he has seen take his admired bassists to the highest heights. There is nothing wrong with learning from someone that is biased if you are able to identify their bias and, if it does not align with yours, also find a source of information that will balance out your learning. Every question you ask here gives you a balanced response as it naturally is filled with biases from players of all different styles and philosophies.

 

You only get in trouble in education when you view your instructor as a prophet instead of an experienced guide.

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That is a well supported method of instruction. Take it slow young grasshopper.


Every teacher has a bias. My bias is towards being open to all forms of expression. Your instructor's bias may be towards focusing your energy on what he views as the most important aspects of expression and the ones he has seen take his admired bassists to the highest heights. There is nothing wrong with learning from someone that is biased if you are able to identify their bias and, if it does not align with yours, also find a source of information that will balance out your learning. Every question you ask here gives you a balanced response as it naturally is filled with biases from players of all different styles and philosophies.


You only get in trouble in education when you view your instructor as a prophet instead of an experienced guide.




Thanks a lot - that's great advice and really helps me out. :thu:

I'll keep going to lessons from this guy for a while and see how it goes. I'll also check stuff on here as well. :wave:

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I'll keep going to lessons from this guy for a while and see how it goes. I'll also check stuff on here as well.
:wave:



You ask a lot of questions and often seem to be a little bit impatient, but the more I read your posts the more it seems like the kind of impatience that is rooted in a genuine drive for knowledge. I think you will naturally reach your destination no matter who your instructor may be as long as you keep that inner hunger for understanding and don't lose sight of the importance of multiple sources and paths of learning.

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You ask a lot of questions and often seem to be a little bit impatient, but the more I read your posts the more it seems like the kind of impatience that is rooted in a genuine drive for knowledge. I think you will naturally reach your destination no matter who your instructor may be as long as you keep that inner hunger for understanding and don't lose sight of the importance of multiple sources and paths of learning.



I know, I do ask a lot of questions, and I'm sure it annoys a few people here on HC. But, it's not so much that I post a lot of questions just for the hell of it, I really do want to learn about different things. I don't post a question unless I really want to learn about the subject.

As for being impatient, I know I can be sometimes. But again, it's really just because I want to get more information on something, or even confirm other information that I've heard.

Hopefully I'm not bothering you guys too much, because this is definitely a forum I like checking out. You guys have all been really helpful and seem to really know your stuff.

:wave:

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I know, I do ask a lot of questions, and I'm sure it annoys a few people here on HC. But, it's not so much that I post a lot of questions just for the hell of it, I really do want to learn about different things. I don't post a question unless I really want to learn about the subject.


As for being impatient, I know I can be sometimes. But again, it's really just because I want to get more information on something, or even confirm other information that I've heard.


Hopefully I'm not bothering you guys too much, because this is definitely a forum I like checking out. You guys have all been really helpful and seem to really know your stuff.


:wave:



My point was that I think you have good questions and they are coming from a good place. :wave:

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Is there a way that you've found to still get that smoother fingerstyle tone from a type of pick? I love the sound of fingerstyle, but I really prefer playing with a pick. Plus, I already can play with a pick.


I don't slap, or pop, and I don't plan to. And, I certainly can't afford to put a hand out of comission because of one instrument. I know, something like that probably doesn't happen to most players, but still. I play guitar, drums, and now bass as well. A wrist or hand issue would seriously mess me up. And, if I can avoid one completely by mainly playing with a pick, I'd be fine with that.

 

 

I can't avoid my wrist problems completely through playing with a pick, but it does minimise the movement of the finger tendons and allows me to play a 4 hour covers gig without to much problem. I also use a mouse left handed due to the same wrist problem.

 

If it helps at all, the more common wrist problems for guitarists are in the left hand, not the right hand.

 

As to tone, I have always (even when I was playing finger style) prefered old strings (all the strings on my bass are at least 4-5 years old, the G is 13 years old). A pick gives plenty of treble response and a new set of strings would sound peircing. and since switching I have not broken a string. I do actually have around 6 spare sets of used bass strings (I know how off a new string would sound if I had to replace one).

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