Right hand technique for Bass (Raking & Alternate plucking) - (L#37)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ย. 2011
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Its like you're walking up the bass and moon walking back down
I know this video is ancient, but two things: 1) I found it very helpful in justifying when to use raking. 2) The hidden gem in the video is Scott's LEFT hand. I was watching it and it looking like a crawling spider. Then I realized that he was moving toward the next note ahead of time which I'm sure accounts for his ability to play at speed. But the one thing that I noticed in my own playing as I practiced doing this was that the note attacks were much smoother because I wasn't racing the press the strings down so quickly or so hard, leaving the sound of the attacks mostly to my right hand. A huge hidden bonus!
I had to stop practicing this technique because my wife says I'm too self centered. All she ever hears from me is "I am, I am, I am, ..."
Minh Pham hahahaha😂😂
🤣
Lmao
Start with the middle finger and it's much more humble
Same here with singing.. memememememem
I’ve been playing for 25 years (self taught) and never bothered with rake picking. Watched this and practiced it for an afternoon - it’s hard, but it’s already improved my tone and phrasing with better control of note lengths, and opened up a new world of possibilities in terms of faster stuff. Thank you!
Cor bass players are spoiled with these videos! As a guitar player ive never been able to find anything as thorough or easy to understand as these, i will be taking up bass soon, and will be watching these a lot...
try justinguitar - This maybe a bit late!
Im already better as a player, sadly, its the higher end stuff that i can never find.
Try Chris Zoupa.
Yeah, Justinguitar is a good option. Anyonecanplayguitaruk isn't bad either.
for some reason i was doing this raking thing while practicing the right hand on my own. good to know its not a bad habit. thanks for your videos
Great video! For anyone still struggling to maintain the I-M alternation, try just removing your left hand entirely or just muting all the strings with your left hand to focus on just the right hand. Once you get comfortable with it, you can kind of just add on the scale with the left hand as a sort of "layer" afterwards.
I've never had bass lessons BUT have been playing for five years. This is awesome material and greatly appreciate what you are doing!
I really love your consistent and consice way of teaching: it really clarifies why my self-taught bad habits keep getting in my way and (more importantly) what to do about it.. Only thing I could wish for: I wish I had known this years earlier!
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼red
🙋🏻♀️self taught with 30 years of bad habits 🙄…I hear you, Canyon!
Invaluable information - thank you so much Scott!!
Your closing remarks really say it all. It's much easier to avoid alternating fingerstyle than to master it, just like it is to avoid practice than to "get to the shed". i have played fingerstyle guitar for > 30 years and still this style is difficult on the bass. However, and as if by magic, i started practicing 1 hour per night (and 3 hours on Tuesdays) strictly on alternating fingerstyle and "pluck, clap, slap" triplets and i am getting better - much better. Thanks for the lessons.
This was something my teacher taught me many years back...it took a long time for me to get comfortable with, but it improves the fluency of your playing by a wide margin. Definitely makes you faster, but so much cleaner as well.
Great job with your videos - you make it very easy for the learner to understand!
I landed on this video as a direct result of watching recent videos you've made. I thought to myself, the smooth descending runs are definitely raked. Your plucking hand appeared so still, and when I play it alternate (which I've always done) doesn't have the same smoothness. So I searched Bass Lesson Rake and here you are, haha.
I was avoiding this video because I thought it would be to advanced for a beginner, but this is exactly what I needed to see. Thanks Scott!
I'm slowly becoming a better bass player. Thank you so much Scott.
I forgot that James McAvoy was giving bass lessons on youtube. :)
I've been playing for 3-4 months now and I learned alternate picking pretty quickly.
Now i'm trying to implement raking which is a bit harder, so thanks for the tips :]]
@roccckkerrr I played guitar before so swapping over is fine. Thanks for checking out the vid! S
Most bass lessons on youtube really insult my intelligence. Your lessons are always extremely informing and substantive. I can't thank you enough.
I started playing bass 6 months ago and you have the best channel out there!!! Easy to follow instruction and GREAT technique!!! Thank you for having a great channel that helps out a lot of people.
Thank you for that! I've been playing years without realizing what I was doing wrong! Love your videos, God bless!
Thank you for this, my "plucking hand" was my biggest problem. I have not found one video of yours that I didn't learn something. You are by far the best bass instructor that I have seen, keep up the good work.
This is really helpful! I'm self taught and i do a mix of alternate plucking with raking and i never noticed that. Many thanks for this lesson Scott!!
You are an excellent teacher, sir. thank you for your lessons!
this was SUPER helpful! Just made a world of a difference for me. You are a great player. Thank you!
This is the best right-hand technique video on the internet.
you're a great teacher!, i'm starting to play bass guitar and this is very usefull to me, thank you!
I'm so glad I found this video early into learning the bass. I just pucked it up a week or two ago and I couldnt stop wondering if you had to structly altetnate your fingers. Glad I found this early!
Hey Scott! Thx so so so much for all the free material. Your explanations are crystal clear! Awesome work there.
Finally someone cover and explain this basic but mystical technique clearly! Thanks a lot!
This is exactly the hsit I need. Never learnt any good technique on guitar or bass. ty for the vids. :)
Scott, I just want to thank you for sharing your knowledge with other people, I have learn a lot from you. God bless you... BRO.. :)
You are amazing! This is really helpful
Best bass teacher on TH-cam. No lie.
Thank u!! Had just begun on bass and this really helps!!
hEY Scott and what do we do when there are rests and even when there is a rest and we have to change strings>?
This is great and concise and has answered my previous question. Thanks
Excellent video Scott. Many thanks.
Great video, helped me to gain speed with accuracy overall different licks and riffs. :)
I love how you talk to yourself. I salute you.
Wow great lesson 👍
Very well explained.
Interesting and useful information I didn't know.
Thanks Scott! ☺️
Hey Scott. Just got a bass again after years. I was mostly self taught last time around, but am retraining myself from the beginning largely with your help. Thanks so much man!
Question: When you "I am I am" while raking, should you keep the "I" and the "am" consistent to the finger while raking on the descent? That way some of the "am's" and the "I's" would be next to each other. It would make sense that way. Just checking.
the glove: a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside the enigma of another great lesson.
He has a neurological condition and the glove allows him to play. www.scottsbasslessons.com/odds-and-sods/the-gloves
Thank you, Scott
;)
Thanks Scott, I owe you another one ;)
Nice tip, dude. I use to rake strings when playing but with no order or control. It's time to clean my plucking technique!! Thanks Scott.
Tthanks for the lessons you're a very good and entertaining teacher. I have played guitar for years but I decided to try and play the bass. I'm having a blast so far and it's only been a week.
Immediately went from this vid to learning One Drop. How fortuitous 🤘
For years I used index and the finger next to it as my two main fingers, as most bass players do. When I needed more speed because I was covering a tune in which the bassist used a pick, I practiced using three fingers for the speed, which became very effective. And when I injured a finger while on the road the third finger came in handy. For the last three years or so I changed my main two fingers to my index and my ring finger, and leaving the middle finger as the backup, as the index and third finger are close to the same length. So I get a more even tone.
It took me a day of consant raking to feel confortable with it...and it works!!! this guy is amazing!
Just started playing base yesterday. Previously had been playing guitar my whole life. The finger picking is very unnatural and awkward. If a deal breaker exists between me and playing base, it is the finger picking. I am trying to slog through the scales slowly doing the I-M-I-M (not even thinking about descending yet). In my impatience though, I found that the 4/4 part of Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’ is a nice way to get into the I-M-I-M rhythm as a breather from the scales. It is easy and fun and their is less coordination between the left and right hands so I can focus on the picking more in between doing scales. These videos are awesome by the way. Thank you.
I rake like crazy when I descend and was recently told that was wrong. Found it hard to believe after 28 years of playing. Feeling validated!
Thank you for this! Im a guitarist but i will be filling in on bass for a band next minth and im trying to sort my technique. This is huge!
I am not giving up guitar by any means but bass is a giving me perspective that I did not get on the guitar for whatever reason. Additionally, its a blast! I'm having a lot of fun and am enjoying your teaching, Thanks so much!
Hi Scott!
I've been playing guitar for some years and now have decided to take on the bass. I don't have much trouble with my fretting hand but I'm kind of going crazy with deciding how, when and where to anchor my thumb. And also with how should I angle my fingers. This is pulling me back and I cannot come up with a clearly defined technique that I feel comfortable with.
While alternate plucking, should I rest my index and middle fingers on the string below?
Should I have them slightly curved or have them straight?
And when should I change the anchoring point on my thumb? I mean, while I am playing on the, let's say, second string should i have my thumb resting on the third or the fourth string?
Thank you very much and I apologize for bombing you with all those questions.
Albert Ventura there really isn't a proper thumb rest, you can place your thumb on any strings as long as you don't play it, and as long you're comfortable with it.
but for me i usually place my thumb on the pick ups, but sometimes i use the 5th string when reaching 2nd and 1st string.
Albert Ventura
Most bassists use the middle pick-up as an anchor, especially when playing on the E string.
On the higher strings it's preferable not to anchor your thumb, because your hand is less flexible when anchored.
Yeah, this is driving me crazy too. And changing anchors in the middle of playing feels really weird and uncomfortable for me.
What do you recommend for those starting to play bass with small hand big thanks
been fumbling for 26 years ... mainly cos of poor rh technique - thanks for sharing - this is your best lesson for me - loving them all!
Thank you Scott keep the videos comeing I really enjoy them
Jeff
The descending raking looks like the moonwalk! ;)
Hi, should you still alternate fingers when string skipping or playing an octave pattern? Feels a bit cumbersome when I do.
Thanks! This was very helpful
What should we do with octaves? When we skip 1 or more strings in ascending?
Example, we play ROOT OCTAVE, ROOT ROOT OCTAVE, is that INDEX MIDDLE, INDEX MIDDLE MIDDLE or is it INDEX MIDDLE, INDEX MIDDLE INDEX? (Root - 1st string, octave - 3rd string)
Just asking should we alternate when ascend from first to third string anyway, or not (because index is shorter than middle and it is not so comfortable to play Octave Root Octave Root with Index Middle Index Middle) ?
Great question! Did You figured it out? :) Same problem here...
Cool vid... the raking thing is new to me. I've added bass to my stable of guitars and from day one knew that alternating fingers was super critical. Especially for that funky Tower of Power or Jaco kind of pulsing drive? But I can seen where this descending raking stuff is really useful. Not easy though... time to get working on it.
Hello, when I plucking (or change a string), which finger should start on? index or middle? thank you very much.
great vid Scott thanks .. just one question ----
Can you point me to a tutorial where you teach the right hand playing like classical guitar, using thumb free strokes on 3 and 4 and finger free strokes on 1 and 2. Volume is much reduced, requiring more gain on the amp but dexterity, relaxation and freedom from tendon pain has a lot to commend.
PS.. you think maybe Jaco used that technique on Teentown?
Merci beaucoup scott pour cette lesson de bass qui vas beaucoup me faire progresser la technique car j'en avais beaucoup besoin pour avancer tu est super .
hey scott, i have a question!
is it important that i practice the index middle progression when i play slower? i to have no problem with exchanging the fingers when i play fast, but sometimes when i play slow i tend not to do it and i don't see any problems.
Loving the raking exercise. I've been playing for 7 years this autumn, and my technique got kinda stuck. I've always been progressing, albeit a bit slowly, and while pushing the tempo, I've repeatedly stumbled across my own fingers. This exercise was slow at first, but it feels much more natural than alternate-picking while descending.
Gonna be practicing this daily.
What about thumb placement for your right hand? I noticed that everytime you ascend one string, you place your thumb on the previous string. Should this be a regular practice or is it more of a preference-type thing?
Not only a muting technique though! It is also a great way to reach and maintain higher speeds. Having your thumb right before the string you are playing is really worth trying out
Love the studio setup.
Very nice. Thanks!
Great bass lesson. What’s hilarious is that I got an advertisement for the bass course randomly during the video!
Hey Scott, first of all.. congratulations for your great tutorials, very useful ones. I need to ask you about this string raking technique. Do you use it for EVERYTHING you play? i mean, scales, runs, arpeggios, grooves... etc.. I've been playing for several years, and now i dediced to switch to this technique cause'it seems is the only way to play fast things like arpeggios...i'm practicing the execersices you propose here and it's going ok.
Question: Can I also play with 3 fingers when playing triplets (so you land always with the index on the 1st note)?
nightmareTomek I play with three fingers all time, It's very handy for triplets and galloping, But can take some to getting used to for normal playing, The way I do it is Index-Middle-Ring-Middle-Index for normal playing. And Index-Middle-Ring-Index-Middle-Ring for triplets and galloping.
TheKungfulol I play triplets Ring-Middle-Index. I guess as kind of a carryover from guitar technique, tremolo.
what material is that glove made from? what are the benefits? Thanks for taking the time to teach this stuff man \m/
I'm 46 and have been playing bass since I was 12 and have never had a lesson. It's cool to have someone explain what I'm doing.
Sott i hope you check older vids like this:
What bass are you using on this one?
Alternating my fingers is what I'm working on now in electric bass. Is this harder with double bass players? I'm mostly upright bass player.
How does this apply to rhythms like a gallop, for example. Do you go: PMP---MPM---PMP---MPM. Or do you go PMP---PMP---PMP---PMP?
thank you! I should have known this a long time ago.
Scott, when you play the G string do you rest your thumb on the D string?, I have a book that applies this, but your technique is solid too. Super informative video bro, thanks!!!
Is it important if one starts alternate picking with middle or index finger as long as the alternating is always consistent?
Hi Scott, same as some others I played guitar before, so the left hand feels almost comfortable at the fret. But I feel like randomly starting with index or middle. Actually I feel more comfortable by starting with middle (tipping from pinkie to index seems to be our nature ;-) So, here are my questions:
a) Should I choose one starting finger and keep it? (if yes - what I think - which one ist better?)
b) Should I alternate each note or - like on guitar up/down stroke - do the 1s,2s.. with one finger and the "ands" with the other one?
Hope I could explain what I mean :-)
Kris, germany
brilliant!
Hey scott. It would be aswome if you make a video talking about the plucknig hand when there are rests. and also i would like to know if its ok to start the beat with the second finger if the alteration demands it.
does someone know the string spacing mm of the scott bass? :) is there these bass specifications on the web?
Hello, Scott!
Your technic is perfect) Your explanation is clear and easy to understand.
But! It's really important to explain people, how you keep your index and middle fingers inflexible in a middle and distal phalanges. I think you get what I mean. It is widespread phenomenon when a bass-player has pain in his/her fingers, especially if it's needed to play fast. Why? Cause technic is incorrect! The cause of pain is the distal phalanx is always bending in a joint when a player picks a string. But your joints don't do so.
Please, explain how keep fingers in a tonus but without tension.
Thank you for reading this :)
I really appreciate this, video however songs like Master of Puppets demand Strict Alternate picking in certain areas.
So now I have to learn bass all over again.
I agree with you that the plucking is got to be alternate. I would remember here the style of James Jamerson: he play only with "the Hook" (index finger). Sometimes, when we need an even sound this is a great way to obtain it.
Filippo (Italy)
I figured out..depending what finger you want to use up or down imagine first finger as a root note and count 1 and 1 and..slowly until become a natural..it's a bit tricky for beginners or bad habits..thanks for video I appreciate it
this is an essential drill to free your fingers from the self-imposed prison of always leading with one finger... which finger you lead with should be determined by what is coming up and how finger choice best preps you for executing it. It shouldn't be arbitrary unless you're truly improvising, in which case being able to switch the finger you lead with will be super helpful as well since you're not sure where you'll end up. The raking down is not really optional IMO, the best players (like Scott D) all do it. This is an excellent drill that I wish I had known in the beginning. Free your mind and your fingers will follow.
really need to just add this to the flying fingers drill and it becomes the most important drill of all, IMO
hi scott! incredible lesson i follow you every time!!:) have you got the name of some bridge for 4 string bass that permise this string spacing? I've the tunnel carpal sindrome so for me it's very important.. Thank you so much and sorry for my horrible english :)
Scott this video is great!, but where can i find more excersices about raking?
Amazing.
A question please Scott, I have discovered this video after playing for 3 months.
I pluck and also include my ring finger, feels quite natural!
Should I stamp out this habit?
Great videos
Steve
great video!
It took me a second to figure out why you were saying "I am, I am, I am"
Thanks mate!
Thats what i was looking for Thank you!
Great lesson. Subscribed.