Bloody beginners left hand fingers

[The Hat]

Having started learning the guitar about 5 months ago I thought I'd also start to learn the bass aswell. With the guitar I can manage a finger per fret and play scales etc, but on the bass it's massively difficult to get a finger per fret. Anything from the 6th or so aintoo bad but as for frets 1 to 5 is nigh on impossible to stretch the fingers.
Is this just a right of passage I've got to go through ?

[neepheid]

Pretty much. You'll get there, keep at it.

[charic]

[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1364286959' post='2024224']
Having started learning the guitar about 5 months ago I thought I'd also start to learn the bass aswell. With the guitar I can manage a finger per fret and play scales etc, but on the bass it's massively difficult to get a finger per fret. Anything from the 6th or so aintoo bad but as for frets 1 to 5 is nigh on impossible to stretch the fingers.
Is this just a right of passage I've got to go through ?
[/quote]

Unfortunately so, you could try learning songs which would be near impossible without finger per fret to force it into habit. My song for that was "Angry Again" by Megadeth

[EssentialTension]

Or use Simandl method (1, 2, 3+4 together) on first five frets.

[SpaceChick]

It's all about building strength and flexibility. No easy answer other than practice, you are right it is a rite of passage!

[Coilte]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1364287271' post='2024229']
keep at it.
[/quote]

...and you could do yourself serious injury.

Using OFPF on the lower (1-5) frets can be too much of a reach for some people. As EssentialTension says, use the third and fourth fingers together on these frets, and use the thumb as a pivot to move the fingers to where you want them.

Check out these clips :

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXkxu_7Tn48"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXkxu_7Tn48[/url]


[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y57-2eaTBwc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y57-2eaTBwc[/url]

[Twigman]

I learned bass before guitar

I can't get on with guitar as the frets are too close together [as are the strings] and everything feels cramped!!!!

So I have the exact opposite problem

[Geek99]

Try looking for finger stretching exercises on the net, and warm up with them

It does take time and practice -
How much is up to you

[Dad3353]

Play your exercises (and even songs..!) on the part of the neck you're happy with, and gradually move down (or is that 'up'..?). You'll find it to be easier over time (perhaps one fret down every couple of weeks or so..?). Don't strain yourself to play where it's too uncomfortable (ever..?). Patience; it's the first 40 years or so that are the worst, after which things get (slightly...) better.
Hope this helps; subject to correction and contradiction from others...

Edited March 26, 2013 by Dad3353

[JTUK]

Building left hand strenght is one of the hardest parts.
Unless you have small hands, 1 finger per fret is easily achievable and you should get enough strenght in your littel finger to fret low notes.
You will need to make room for your hand to stretch so you will need to position the thumb on the back of the neck..and adjust the bass height to be able to do this.

But you will just need to put the time in ...

[barkin]

Unles the piece absolutely needs it, I don't stick rigidly to one finger per fret. eg if a passage only needs me to use frets 3/4/5 I'll maybe use fingers 1/2/4.

Yes - I'm a lazy so-and-so...

[EliasMooseblaster]

Remember that painful stretch you had to get used to when you first learned how to play power chords? Yeah, you'll go through it again with the bottom end of a bass neck.

That said, although you're dealing with much thicker strings, you shouldn't have to put all that much effort into fretting. How high is the action on your bass, and would it benefit from a setup?

[Geek99]

Just a thought - try restringing with lighter strings (like 45-95) to reduce string tension- it will be make it easier to fret notes cleanly. Once you've cracked it, you can go back up to "normal" gauges

[chris_b]

[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1364286959' post='2024224']
....for frets 1 to 5 is nigh on impossible to stretch the fingers.... Is this just a right of passage I've got to go through ?....
[/quote]

Don't just anchor your left thumb and stretch from there.

Of course you need to cover the maximum distance with the spread of your left fingers and a lot of practice is needed to achieve that, but you should also be moving your thumb/hand to cover the ground and get your fingers into the right place.

A static left hand is not good. Your left hand should float up and down and across the neck.

Watch Fracis Rocco Prestia and Esperanza Spalding, when she's playing her Jazz. It might not be your style of music but they play fantastic bass parts and don't stretch at all.

[Coilte]

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1364295819' post='2024389']
Unles the piece absolutely needs it, I don't stick rigidly to one finger per fret. eg if a passage only needs me to use frets 3/4/5 I'll maybe use fingers 1/2/4.

Yes - I'm a lazy so-and-so...
[/quote]

No, you are not being lazy IMO, but practical. As was mentioned in the clip I posted earlier, the OFPF is a great technique, but NOT a rule.

Everyone's physical make up is different, so there is not a one-size-fits-all technique.

[uncle psychosis]

It is NOT [b]just [/b]about strength and repeated practice. You can get away (to an extent) with poor left hand technique on a guitar because the frets are closer together. On bass, if your technique isn't right then some of the stretches can be nigh-on impossible. The position of your left hand thumb will really make a difference, for example.

I'm not saying that your technique *isn't* good---it may well be---but it might be worth making sure that it is whilst you are still new enough to the instrument to change it easily (old habits die hard)!

Also, if one finger per fret doesn't work for you then don't sweat it too much. Double bass players typically only use three fingers and they seem to manage ok

[The Hat]

Thanks for all the advice peeps, much appreciated. My Bass Collection is now in for a set up and different strings so will stick with it when she's back

[JTUK]

Open hand or closed grip...never did Will Lee any harm, but generally open is better, IMO.

[Marvin]

The Dave Marks video sums it all up nicely.

[Roland Rock]

I think that when people are learning and concentrating on their fingers, they tend to fret very firmly. This extra muscle use can exacerbate things when you're trying to stretch too. It takes time to get to a point where you can relax those muscles, and fret lightly with minimal fret noise and maximum expressiveness. Once you get to this point, the OFPF should be a lot easier.

Personally, I'm not convinced by DM's theory, as it now seems effortless to me.
Who knows? Maybe in ten years' time all of us OFPF'ers will be forced into retirement through ill health

[tedmanzie]

OFPF just isn't Rock'N'Roll!

[chrismuzz]

One finger per fret is useful, but only do it if it doesn't cause any discomfort. You can slowly introduce it over time with practice, but I've been playing for 9 years and only ever use it if it's impossible to play a line any other way. Whatever makes your playing easier and most comfortable is the main thing you want to go for

[stingrayPete1977]

Before damaging my wrist last year I could stretch between F and A on the E string playing with a sort of flat handed technique, I have since started playing double bass and I feel like a total novice again!

[chris_b]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1364318556' post='2024831']
....I could stretch between F and A on the E string playing with a sort of flat handed technique....
[/quote]

Why would you want to stretch that far?

At that position on the fretboard the furthest I would extend my fingers is 2 frets.

Any more is definitely a movement of the hand.

[fatback]

For OFPF thumb pivoting is the best technique, but you might want to keep it for the higher positions and use 1-2-3+4 where the stretch is a bit much.

If you think you'll ever want to move to fretless, you can make the transition easier by learning the pivot based on a small number of fixed thumb positions, like the Rabbath double bass method. Then if you get used to strictly positioning the thumb in only a few of the possible places (say below the G, A and B on the E string) rather than wandering it up and down the board, you'll develop a lot of accuracy in shifting your hand.