CLEANING UP RIGHT & LEFT HAND TECHNIQUE Okay, bass-warriors... time for spring cleaning!

Technique cleaning, that is. How many of you out there feel like your hand technique is imposing limitations on your musicality? If so, you'll want to take a closer look at the way your hands are working together. In my opinion, you should do everything in your power to eliminate any possible technical limitations you may have. The reason for this is simple: If you've got some ingenious ideas coming from your heart and mind, but don't have the ability in your hands to communicate these ideas, there will be no way for others to experience the music inside of you. Instead, your playing will be hindered by your hands, and that's not good. So, what are some of the symptoms? Here are a few: 1. Sloppiness in your sound exhibited by excessive noise from string vibration 2. Lack of speed (CLEAN speed, that is) 3. Experiencing improvisational ruts that have you playing the same simple licks over and over again 4. Fear of arpeggios or other string-crossing forms

5. Choppy sounding lines (staccato) when you mean for them to sound smooth (legato)
All of these problems and many more can be fixed by diligently spending time practicing good technique. Most of us who have been playing for a while have picked up some bad habits which can cause problems forever unless we work to reverse them. Although it is challenging to try and address these issues in print, I will do my best to share with you some of the concepts that helped me to eliminate technical obstacles. Disclaimer: The following principles of right and left hand technique were developed based on a combination of years of experimentation, the techniques of the masters, and common sense. Although the use of these methods is strongly recommended, they are by no means the only way to become a successful technician. Different players are built differently, and not all methods can work for all people. Therefore, it is recommended you approach the mastery of these techniques with sincere effort and an open mind; if you find they don't work for you, settle on a compromise that is both comfortable and effective in your development as a player. P.S. Left-handers, swap the following hands in each instruction! RIGHT HAND TECHNIQUE 1. 1-2 / 2-1 alternation (1=index finger, 2=middle finger) This may seem obvious to some of you, but the most efficient use of your picking fingers is by means of proper finger alternation. Practice this RELIGIOUSLY!!! I find that most players fall short of consistency here when they are playing descending lines (i.e. from highest-pitched strings to lowest). They will have a tendency to rake, or brush across the strings with a single finger while moving in a descending fashion from string to string. Work hard to avoid this tendency, because it will allow you to play the most challenging string-skipping or combination lines without any sloppiness, no matter what direction you are moving in. 2. Thumb trailing/muting

Thumb trailing is a technique I stumbled across when I was suffering from the illness known as "B string stinkitis." All kidding aside, the worst technical obstacle I ever had to overcome was the addition of the B string when I switched from 4 string bass to 5 and 6 string. Because we fingerstyle players tend to anchor off of the lower pitched strings on the bass, it only makes sense that shoving an extra .130-sized string in there is going to clog up the works! Most people have a problem with keeping the strings quiet when they switch to 5 or 6 string bass. The way I overcame this was by adopting a "thumb trailing" method which is universal to all basses, regardless of the number of strings. Here is a conceptual example of how it works on a 5 string: When playing the B (lowest) string, use your thumb to anchor on either the pickup or the body of the bass. When playing the E string, use the thumb to anchor on the B string. When playing the A string, anchor on the E. When playing the D string, anchor on the A. When playing the G string, anchor on the D. This way you are quieting each string as you move away from it. 3. Hand placement and tone Keep in mind that where you actually play on the strings will affect your overall tone. Generally, you will get a deeper, rounder tone if you play closer to the neck. You will get a sharper, more cutting tone if you play closer to the bridge. Of course, you can achieve a variety of tones by varying your hand placement. Don't get too locked into only being able to play in a single area. There will be times when you are on a gig, and the leader might look to you and ask for something other than what you are providing tonally. It saves a whole lot of time and headache if you can quickly adjust your hands instead of your amp! LEFT HAND TECHNIQUE 1. Play using tips of fingers A problem I see often, especially with beginning players, is the use of a flat-fingered approach when fretting notes. This is most often due to a lack of strength in the fingers of the left hand. Your hand should essentially be curved and relaxed, emulating the technique of a pianist or classical guitarist in its appearance. Playing using the fingertips ensures proper and accurate intonation, or "in-tune-ness" of what you play. This principle is best exemplified through the playing of fretless bass. Those of you who have played fretless know that it is much easier to play in tune if you minimize the amount of contact area on your fingertips when "fretting" notes. This should ultimately carry over into fretted playing, as well. 2. Keeping fingers perpendicular to the neck This is really more of a general rule than a strict guideline... Generally, your fingers should cross the neck at close to a 90 degree angle. This is actually more a concern with proper wrist positioning than anything else. It is best for comfort and avoidance of tension if you maintain some degree of space between the palm of your left hand and the neck. Once again, we are borrowing from the principles of classical guitar technique. One simple way to make sure you are in the ballpark is to make sure that your thumb doesn't ever come over the neck, onto the fingerboard. You may find that it is more comfortable for you to modify this approach a little when playing on the lowest or highest frets of the bass. By all means, avoid sharp wrist angles. These can cause problems, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis. 3. Keeping thumb midway at back of neck Following up from the previous example, it is best to keep the left hand thumb somewhere in the middle of the back of the neck. You say you've got that down? Great! Now, here's where you need to go the extra mile: While you're playing, try literally picking your thumb up off of the back of the neck without interrupting your line... Does everything fall apart??? If the answer is yes, then you probably are guilty of the crime of TENSION. That's right. Too much tension is a no-no. So many players harbor tension in the thumb of the left hand. This will cause you much pain and suffering in the future if you don't take care of it now. What I have found is that tension usually begins in the shoulder and then trickles down the arm from there. Perform this test on yourself constantly: Play for a while, and then stop. Relax. Does your shoulder drop at all? If so, then you are introducing tension into the shoulder. Force yourself to stop playing the moment you feel it introduced. Then relax, and start playing again. You can avoid all sorts of long-term injuries if you take the proper steps to reverse bad habits now.

Try to work each of these principles into your practice routine. Some of them may seem awkward at first, but I promise they will become second nature if you focus on them for a short time. Oh yeah... One more thing: PRACTICE TECHNIQUE FOR TECHNIQUE'S SAKE. That is the technical "golden rule." In other words, don't think about technique on the gig or in any performance. Play from your heart and with confidence. Work on technique in the privacy and focused environment of your practice room. Technique will work itself into your playing on its own. Don't let yourself be distracted by it! EXERCISES In order to develop strong right/left hand coordination, it is important to exercise these principles of hand technique using a variety of different exercises. It is common practice to utilize a one finger per fret approach for the left hand when working at developing efficient technique. When practicing technique, as with any other exercise involving precision and accuracy, it is important to always use a metronome or drum machine as an external clock source. Practicing with a metronome reinforces good timing and solid feel by forcing you to play within the boundaries of a beat or rhythm which is non-wavering. It is only natural that your progress with a metronome will likewise positively influence your ability to interact with solid drummers in any live performance or ensemble situation. Permutation Exercises Practice these left hand fingering combinations up and down the neck using a one finger per fret approach across all strings making sure to use proper right hand 1-2 alternation and thumb trailing.

Exercise 1 (numbers represent left hand fingerings) 1234213431244123 1243214331424132 1324231432144213 1342234132414231 1423241334124312 1432243134214321 Exercise 2 Practice the 24 left hand fingerings presented in Exercise 1 simultaneously using a one finger per fret and one finger per string approach. Your fingerings will take on a diagonal shape, as shown below:

Alternatively, you can use a reversed diagonal fingering when practicing permutations to further develop your right/left hand coordination:

That's all for now! Keep it bassy!!! -