What fingers are You using for fingerstyle plucking?

[Johannes]

It seems to be some kind of consensus among the bass players that You should use only index and middle fingers for fingerstyle. I don`t agree. You use whatever suits for You. I have been using my ring finger as much as index and middle for my entire career (next year  I`ll celebrate my half century playing the bass). I use my thumb a lot too (I’m not talking about slap-style here). I cut my nails short exept my pinky, I use it for some special effects like twangy sounds or artifical harmonics. I claim that I can execute exactly as steady 16:th pulse using figers 1 and 2 or 1 and 3 or 2 and 3. Sometimes I roll it 123123123123 even it’s 4/4 meter. How about You, interested to hear.

[Paolo85]

I was very interested in plucking with three or four fingers right when I started. At the time plucking with more than two fingers, much like playing a six string bass, was seen as really cool among local metalheads. I quickly found that using three fingers was a very easy shortcut for galloping in Iron Maiden songs. Playing straight sixteenth notes with three fingers also seemed a reasonable option. The 1231231 you are describing. But then I found that for all things that involved more than one string, three fingers were creating new problems in terms of coordination. In the end, while I admired Billy Sheehan, I ended up thinking it was not worth the effort to develop the technique for my purposes. Over time, my index and middle got fast enough to play what I needed to play, and I abandoned plucking with three fingers completely. Most of the exercises then were aimed at bringing the left hand up to the speed of the right one - which I never managed, and got injured in the process.

[Thump]

I also play some bluegrass banjo so using index/middle/thumb is second nature to me. For a gallop I drop the thumb and use ring finger instead. I just use whatever works for me 🤷‍♂️

[Fishfacefour]

I occasionally use thumb, index, middle, ring. I find this useful if palm muting. I'm faster with the usual index/middle though. 

[Franticsmurf]

Index and middle fingers are the usual culprits for me but I can 'gallop' using index, middle and ring fingers (we're currently arranging Abba's 'Does Your Mother Know' which requires the gallop). 

 

I also have a pluck technique that uses the very tip of the index finger which is supported by the thumb (think pinching a plectrum, but without the plectrum and with the index finger slightly forward to catch the string) that gives a sound midway between finger style and plectrum.

[Linus27]

Its not something I've ever thought about but recently I watched a few videos of my playing and I noticed that for the E and A string, I primarily use my index finger and then for the D and G string I switch to the middle finger and then go back and forth between fingers as I cross between stringers. Sometimes I'll use both fingers on a single string depending on what I'm playing but most of the time, its index for the E and A and middle for the D and G. I don't even know I'm doing it and has never slowed me down or caused me issues. You can see it a bit in this studio clip,

 

https://www.facebook.com/timshezmusic/videos/766042981206589

[fretmeister]

All of them, one of them, whatever feels comfortable for the passage of notes at any specific time.

 

 

[neepheid]

I have never told anyone how to play the bass.  I'm probably doing it "wrong"...

[MacDaddy]

9 hours ago, Johannes said:

It seems to be some kind of consensus among the bass players that You should use only index and middle fingers for fingerstyle. I don`t agree. You use whatever suits for You. I have been using my ring finger as much as index and middle for my entire career (next year  I`ll celebrate my half century playing the bass). I use my thumb a lot too (I’m not talking about slap-style here). I cut my nails short exept my pinky, I use it for some special effects like twangy sounds or artifical harmonics. I claim that I can execute exactly as steady 16:th pulse using figers 1 and 2 or 1 and 3 or 2 and 3. Sometimes I roll it 123123123123 even it’s 4/4 meter. How about You, interested to hear.

 

 

Where is this 'consensus'?

[ahpook]

I mainly use one, the pointy finger.

[toneknob]

1, 2, 3, thumb (for plucking) and little finger out there in a manner that would give Scott Devine conniptions

[Lozz196]

I`m primarily a pick player, occasionally at home play finger-style, when I do it`s the middle finger that does the most, if I can get away with just using one finger middle it will be as I find I have a steadier attack with that one, whereas I have a tendency to pluck too hard with the index finger. But overall it`s just for enjoyment, I`m very unlikely to ever play finger-style in a band.

[meterman]

I use the side of my thumb, not as in a slapping kind of way, just instead of using fingers to pluck. It’s my preferred way to play but if I have to play anything a bit lively (repeated 16th notes or disco octaves etc) I’ll use a pick for that. 
 

My technique is terrible but it’s ingrained in me now. I’m self taught and had nobody to tell me I was doing it wrong when I started playing (1989) so I always carried on playing like that. Can’t play finger style at all, it feels really weird, I lose all sense of timing and evenness between notes. Thumb or pick, that’s all I can get away with.

[Barking Spiders]

depending on the tune I'll use a combination of all my plucking digits, from just the thumb or index finger on their own to all of them, even the pinky on occasion. Also like to use a hybrid style with a pick, middle and ring fingers.  I nicked that from Tommy Emmanuel.

[Gasman]

Index and middle finger mostly, although I find that I can play 16ths more easily just using the index finger - weird...

[pst62]

Index and middle, when I was young I used to be able to incorporate the ring finger.  During the mid 80's a few of us ended up in a fight with some local skinheads

and I received a kick which somehow went between my middle and ring finger, luckily neither finger got broken, but damage was done

and as a result my ring finger now rests at a slightly off angle towards my pinky.

On the up side though, I found I can do a Mr Spock "Live long and prosper" gesture as easy as giving someone the V's.

[Baloney Balderdash]

I mostly use the traditional index + middle finger 2 finger plucking style, but more so stroking the strings with the outmost edge of my fingers/nails, in a slight inwards slapping motion, rather than really striking or pulling the strings, and I am working on incorporating the ring finger as well, currently the ring finger is almost exclusively used when I have to do the gallop thing, but I also make frequent use of thumb + index + middle finger classical acoustic guitar finger picking style technique, double thumbing, and index and/or middle finger flamenco guitar style finger flicking technique, depending, all techniques with their own advantages and difference in fell and tone.

 

I also occasionally use pick, either a Dunlop Tortex .60mm or a Wedgie Soft 3.1mm rubber pick, depending.  

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[gjones]

As the years have gone on I've become economical with my fingers. I used to use two but I've noticed I'm down to one on most songs. I suppose if it was good enough for James Jamerson it's good enough for me.

[asingardenof]

Index and middle, and then ring when I need to get a gallop on

[Rib13Bass]

for finger style: mostly two, sometimes three, and rarest occasions all four (for raking)

 

slap bass 'popping' is the one that fluctuates for me: both index and middle fingers for double pop but, for single pop - which is most of the time, ill go extended periods - years, even - single popping with the index then ill go another extended period single popping with middle finger and eventually back again to index...i can tell from my YouTube vids Im in the middle-finger single pop phase again 

[Cato]

Index and middle.

 

Being completely self taught I suspect I was copying what people in music videos seemed to be doing.

 

I'm quite envious of people I sometimes see playing bass in a more classical guitar style, with the thumb and all fingers, it seems like a really useful skill to have for phrasing things in a way that I can't really do with just the two.

[Baloney Balderdash]

42 minutes ago, Cato said:

Index and middle.

 

Being completely self taught I suspect I was copying what people in music videos seemed to be doing.

 

I'm quite envious of people I sometimes see playing bass in a more classical guitar style, with the thumb and all fingers, it seems like a really useful skill to have for phrasing things in a way that I can't really do with just the two.

Well, what is preventing you from learning to do so?

 

I started out playing with pick exclusively and did so for years before I taught myself how to also use my fingers in various ways.

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Lord Sausage]

But what fingers are the best for metal?

[Baloney Balderdash]

10 minutes ago, Lord Sausage said:

But what fingers are the best for metal?

Edited September 28, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[meterman]

10 minutes ago, Lord Sausage said:

But what fingers are the best for metal?

Would have to be these, surely: