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Old 11-23-2009, 03:56 AM   #2
TemjinStrife
Power Metal Cellist
 
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Vermont
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TemjinStrife is just really niceTemjinStrife is just really nice
Do a Google search on "floating thumb technique." If you learn that way starting, it will help you LOADS down the line.

Also, it definitely helps to get used to two- and three-finger fingerstyle. Practice with a metronome a little bit each day, making sure the attack on each finger is as homogenous as possible. Practice gallops, stutters, and consistent notes. There are some excellent "spider" string skipping/fingerstyle exercises on Talkbass as well, search for those and play around with them.

Also, for death metal, don't be afraid to use a pick occasionally. I trade off fingerstyle and pick in my indie band between songs, and sometimes during songs depending on what sort of sound/vibe I'm going for. I'm still more accurate at high speeds or with complex rhythms with a pick, but I groove better, skip strings better, and can control note length (and have a deeper tone) with fingers.
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