# Finger style for metal



## groovemasta (Feb 19, 2011)

how would you practice getting into using four fingers for playing, im at three right now but using my pinky just seems weird to get a normal sound from if anyone has advice that would be helpful thanks


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## Winspear (Feb 19, 2011)

All you can do is practice. Because of the natural angle of your fingers and your pinky being shorter, it may feel awkward to use all four fingers on one string. 
I found it easier to practice the pinky on the next string, along with the ring finger.
--i-m--r-p
A------7-7
E-5-5-----

It takes a while to get a solid attack and stop your pinky from floating around aimlessly between notes. Just use a metronome and go slow


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## ArkaneDemon (Feb 19, 2011)

Your pinky is likely going to be your weakest finger because you have used it the least. My advice: practice warmups and finger exercises nonstop. I personally can't use my pinky when I play bass because it's too short to reach the strings comfortably.


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## groovemasta (Feb 19, 2011)

i think im just going to play meshuggah songs slowly until im up to time


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## heilarkyguitar (Feb 19, 2011)

try power chords w/ your pinky . Then hammer ons etc....


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## SirMyghin (Feb 19, 2011)

If you mean strumming hand, you won't find your pinky too useful for much aside from playing across strings, if you are playing on one I am willing to be your index finger gets back there a hell of a lot faster than your pinky.

If you mean fretting hand, play some freaking rush, that will get you into shape. ( sounds like you are saying strumming hand though)


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## josh pelican (Feb 19, 2011)

It might be a difficult challenge. If your pinky is too short, you may have to position your hand differently than usual.

Normally I only throw in the pinky if I am playing a riff that uses one or two higher notes. I rarely use the pinky though because it's easier to just forget about it.


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## Herrseigneur (Feb 19, 2011)

Instead of using the pinky for the faster stuff:

"ONE" being the index finger
I would go ONE-2-3-2-ONE-2-3-2
This way you keep better sense of timing using 3 fingers for the regular 4/4 stuff...

And for triplets
THREE-2-1-THREE-2-1-THREE-2-1-THREE-2-1
^this one is a motion you master very fast (matter of days) 

What I like about this technique is that you can master a do a triple stroke in one hand motion and hitting hard and towards the bass, as if you were slapping, you can achieve a very punishing "bass-drum" like feel. 
Hope it means something...I really gotta get a camera or something in the futur..


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## ArkaneDemon (Feb 19, 2011)

Herrseigneur said:


> Instead of using the pinky for the faster stuff:
> 
> "ONE" being the index finger
> I would go ONE-2-3-2-ONE-2-3-2
> ...



I wholeheartedly agree. When I play bass I do the 1-2-3-2 for fast passages and 3-2-1 for triplets and gallops. It's how a lot of people do it, and isn't hard to do if you practice hard and long enough. Get a metronome and set it to something slow and just practice 1-2-3-2 for as long as you can, making sure all the notes have the same attack and force behind them and make sure they're on time. Then speed it up. Next thing you know you're playing thirty second note triplets at 400bpm .

If you don't have a metronome you should use this website: METRONOME ONLINE FREE - Highly accessible version of metronome

I use it all the time and it is very effective. Cheers!


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## JLBolton (Feb 22, 2011)

I dont use my pinky when I play at higher tempos because my pinky is too short and I find my strings start getting muted because of the lack of space between notes. I stick to my index and middle and use my ring finger for galloping and triplets. This gives a good reset were my notes stay tight but don't run into each other in the process of pulling up. I haven't done a recent speed test, but I can keep up with higher tempos.


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## Bevo (Feb 22, 2011)

I don't use the pinky either, I can keep up with the 3 fingers.
Muting is harder to me especialy when your slaming those strings flat out!


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## Fred (Feb 23, 2011)

To be honest, most acoustic fingerstyle players won't use their pinky for picking. It's predominantly a classical technique, but there are plenty of classical players who don't even use it. That's not to say that you can't or shouldn't, just that I wouldn't get too cut up about trying to make yourself use it! I've been playing fingerstyle for the better part of 10 years and specifically make a habit of trimming my pinky nail to the same length as my fretting hand whilst growing out the other four nails on my right hand. Admittedly my case is slightly different, in that 80% of the time I have the bad habit of anchoring my pinky on the soundboard, but regardless of this look at some acoustic players on YouTube and see how many of them actually use their pinkys.

EDIT: Sorry - having realised what forum this is in and read some of the posts more carefully, I see this is related to bass guitar. Very thick of me! Consider my post irrelevant, haha.


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## Encephalon5 (Feb 23, 2011)

I use my pinky for picking actual classical compositions, and stuff like that but, as far as metal and jazz stuff goes its just three fingers. I use my index and ring a lot. been working on the 3-2-1-2-3-2 thing lately as well. Practice makes perfect. Playing to a metronome will also do wonders for your sense of time. well worth it.  With metal I only use 1-2-and 3. My pinky points away from my hand at almost a 90 degree angle. I need to work on that.


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## vansinn (Feb 23, 2011)

I only resently got started on bass, coming from guitar and in my (way back) teens, classical guitar.
Even on classical, I use the pinky mostly for playing fast quartets, or the flamboyant flamenco style upside-nail sweeping technique, pinky first.

My new 35" 7-string bass dictates having the body fairly low and neck up at a 30-40 deg angle, so using the pinky for picking is pretty much a nogo for me.

For guitar fretting, I've most always used all four fingers, though severe bendings, requiring more force, is mostly done non-pinky.
On this bass, due to the scale and width of the board, I simply have to use the pinky for fretting, especially when doing runs across the fretboard, which require some more fretting force than I like; just no way out of it..

I've managed to recover nicely from a hand enjury a few years ago, so my playing works just fine, but I always warm up my hands, and keep working on alternate playing/fretting styles, varying when ring finger or pinky is used, to avoid getting into fixed patterns, which might easily create renewed problems with the pinky.

Interestingly.. just as well as the 7-stringer creates these reaching-over.the-board issues, it also allows for greatly varying the game, as I can reposition in numerous ways. Fun, isn't it.. 

WRT training, I warm up by repeatedly stretching/fisting fingers, let hang loose and shake the hands, grap the fingers one by one at the end and loosely rotate them to loosen the joints.
I use a soft Thera-Band ball for finger strength training, which gives-in in a linear motion, in contrast to the usual spring loaded thingies, which have increasing tension as being squeezed.
Ohh, and I always wear warm gloves during winter and use thick cotton wrist sweat suckers to help keeping hands a bit warmer.


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## HaMMerHeD (Feb 23, 2011)

I don't use my pinky because I would have to put my hand so far out of alignment to do it that it would make using the other fingers uncomfortable. I use just 3 fingers, in a 1-2-3-2 pattern, as described above.


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## groovemasta (Feb 23, 2011)

i had seen some guys on youtube play death/tech metal with four fingers galloping and thought it was a common thing for fingerstyle because i always used a pick until like four days ago. i can do triplets and the 3-2-1-2-3 pattern fairly fast right now, i just have to deal with blisters now though 

also does anybody know of a metal bassist that uses the victor wooten double thump technique for doing gallops and stuff i think that would be interesting


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## 13point9 (Feb 23, 2011)

I know that Orion of Behemoth and the bassist for Vader (and Vesania I think) both seem to use their thumbs on occasion for fast sections, not sure if its the exact same technique though...


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## Murderface (Feb 24, 2011)

I usually do a 3-2-1 for triplets, or a 3-2-1-2-3 for sixteenth notes. Otherwise, if it's just a fast eighth note thing, I'll use 1 and 2, and sometimes throw in the 3 to keep my fingers from getting tired.


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## deevit (Feb 24, 2011)

What's the advantage of this 1-2-3-2 technique? In my eyes it would't bring extra speed because you are using the middle finger just as much as you would when playing 1-2-1-2, and this motion seems far easier IMO.


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## SirMyghin (Feb 24, 2011)

deevit said:


> What's the advantage of this 1-2-3-2 technique? In my eyes it would't bring extra speed because you are using the middle finger just as much as you would when playing 1-2-1-2, and this motion seems far easier IMO.



Rest your fingers more, better for stamina. I do 3 2 1 3 2 1 or 1 2 3 1 2 3 depending on mood though, I find no advantage in the double up on the middle finger.


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## deevit (Feb 24, 2011)

SirMyghin said:


> Rest your fingers more, better for stamina. I do 3 2 1 3 2 1 or 1 2 3 1 2 3 depending on mood though, I find no advantage in the double up on the middle finger.



That's what I mean exactly. I can see the advantage of 3-2-1 or 1-2-3 but I don't think 1-2-3-2 is going to bring extra speed..
Btw, when I'm playing with 3 vingers I use my thumb, motion T-1-2-T-1-2.


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## TheSixthWheel (Feb 24, 2011)

Even though I'm no bassist, a local mate of mine is a tech death bassist/guitarist. I've seen him use 4 fingers with proficiency before, thought it'd be appropriate to post these:


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## giantchris (Feb 25, 2011)

I tried to integrate the pinky in my picking hand. I found it to be difficult to get consistent articulation especially when compared with the sound from the other fingers. Personally if I'm playing really fast I'll do 3-2-1 for triplets and 3-2-1-2-3-2-1-2-3-2-1-2. I also tend to one finger (usually middle) the slow stuff with my middle finger a lot of the time. I'll also rarely use just my thumb.

Depending on what type of lines you are playing you could add the thumb classical style. I do a lot of chordal stuff and arpeggios with my thumb and 3 fingers.


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## R0ADK1LL (Feb 25, 2011)

I tend do do more 1-2-3-1-2-3, though I can play slightly faster with just 1-2-1-2 depending on which strings I'm playing on & just what the rhythm is, so I pretty much switch between using the 3rd finger & not as I feel like it. Often without really thinking about it.

If you remember learning bass for the first time, or learning to use your 3rd finger, you'll probably remember that it sucked. & you sucked. However over time, practice makes perfect & you will get better. Sometimes though, it's better to admit that your fourth finger isn't quite long enough & it sounds better using 3. Or 2. The main point is practice when you can, but have the judgment to recognise when you're just being a wanker trying to show off skills that aren't really required.


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## ApteraBassist (Mar 3, 2011)

Learn iron maiden songs. If you can make it all the way through "somewhere in time" you will have all the knowledge you need to play as fast as you'd ever want to


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## -42- (Mar 4, 2011)




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## georg_f (Mar 7, 2011)

R0ADK1LL said:


> I tend do do more 1-2-3-1-2-3


this

When you do 1-2-3-2-1-2 etc. you would use your second finger on every second note, with 1-2-3-1-2-3 (or the other way around 3-2-1-3-2-1) you use all fingers equally

There are some bass players who practiced using 4 fingers, but they end up using the pinky just occasionally, for fun.
For playing fast, 3 fingers seems to be the best method.


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## angus (Mar 7, 2011)

I'll never understand why people do the 1-2-3-2 or 3-2-1-2 method- it overuses the middle finger. It's pretty easy to use the three fingers equally in patterns of 2, 4, 5, etc (ie, not 3) if you practice.

Yeah yeah, Steve Bailey does it, but his technique is really not very neat!


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## SirMyghin (Mar 7, 2011)

georg_f said:


> There are some bass players who practiced using 4 fingers, but they end up using the pinky just occasionally, for fun.
> For playing fast, 3 fingers seems to be the best method.



Pretty much, I have used my pinky in the past, it just really isn't any faster. If you need to play that much faster a pick is probably the only option to actually get much for sound out of it. 

The only advantage I can see for 1-2-3-2 is if playing sixteenth notes, you only need to learn to accent with 1 finger.


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## angus (Mar 7, 2011)

SirMyghin said:


> The only advantage I can see for 1-2-3-2 is if playing sixteenth notes, you only need to learn to accent with 1 finger.



But that only makes sense if the accent is ALWAYS on the beat, which it definitely isn't. If there is a syncopated accent, then any of the fingers will have to accent, which is why it is best to make sure that all of the fingers are capable accenting whenever necessary in any grouping of 2,3,4,5,6,7, etc.


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## SirMyghin (Mar 7, 2011)

angus said:


> But that only makes sense if the accent is ALWAYS on the beat, which it definitely isn't. If there is a syncopated accent, then any of the fingers will have to accent, which is why it is best to make sure that all of the fingers are capable accenting whenever necessary in any grouping of 2,3,4,5,6,7, etc.




Typically when I am working on a tune I break it into a meter where the accent is on the beat for simplicity. Part of how I look at meters. So chances are I would break someone playing what I percieve to be 16ths due to accents into a time in base 4.


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## angus (Mar 8, 2011)

I assume you don't play anything outside of straight ahead rock? Because you've effectively ruled out any syncopation (even 8th note syncopation) with that approach. That rules you out of a lotttttttt of music.

Actually wait- why do you do that in the first place? What does that gain you? I'm curious.


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## SirMyghin (Mar 8, 2011)

angus said:


> I assume you don't play anything outside of straight ahead rock? Because you've effectively ruled out any syncopation (even 8th note syncopation) with that approach. That rules you out of a lotttttttt of music.
> 
> Actually wait- why do you do that in the first place? What does that gain you? I'm curious.



I actually play prog and experimental and have a lot of experience in big band with saxophone. Syncopation is a special case, careful where you make your assumptions. Breaking down a meter can be helpful, but I never said it was always possible. 

What does it gain me, well say something is in 12/8 , playing straight 8ths, has a triplet feel. I prefer to slow down the tempo, and play it in 4/4, as I find I respond better to less clicks hitting me. Only the accents come accross that way.


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## angus (Mar 8, 2011)

You explanation makes no sense to me- 12/8 and 4/4 are not nearly the same thing. 

To each their own, I guess. I just don't see how that approach is useful for a wide range of music.


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## SirMyghin (Mar 8, 2011)

12/8, straight 8ths, is identical to 4/4, 8th note triplets, at 66% the speed. What typically makes up times in base 8 is the accents on the beginning of 3 beat groups.


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## TemjinStrife (Mar 8, 2011)

SirMyghin said:


> 12/8, straight 8ths, is identical to 4/4, 8th note triplets, at 66% the speed. What typically makes up times in base 8 is the accents on the beginning of 3 beat groups.



Yes, but that's kind of a really odd way to think about it since that three-note grouping is a big part of the X/8 time signatures.


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## SirMyghin (Mar 8, 2011)

Odd yes ofcourse, but as I said, I like it for practicing, hear less clicks then. Easier to keep track of what is going on. I am not stranger to these time signatures, as I said big band sax, lots of this stuff in classical music, and Les Miserable even (which we played a meddley of, that was a fun one).


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## ApteraBassist (Mar 8, 2011)

anybody here do 3-2-1 instead? i find starting with my ring finger much more comfortable. it also seems to be the way steve harris and billy sheehan do it, though sheehan can do it any directio hanging up side down =p


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## SirMyghin (Mar 8, 2011)

ApteraBassist said:


> anybody here do 3-2-1 instead? i find starting with my ring finger much more comfortable. it also seems to be the way steve harris and billy sheehan do it, though sheehan can do it any directio hanging up side down =p



I was watching closely the other day (never really paid attention to this) , but if I am ascending I play 1-2-3, if I am descending I tend to 3-2-1. Weird eh? After all these years too..


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## ApteraBassist (Mar 8, 2011)

SirMyghin said:


> I was watching closely the other day (never really paid attention to this) , but if I am ascending I play 1-2-3, if I am descending I tend to 3-2-1. Weird eh? After all these years too..



i can understand that


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## ApteraBassist (Mar 10, 2011)




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## SirMyghin (Mar 11, 2011)

^ not only great technical advise, but awesome advise overall.


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## ApteraBassist (Mar 11, 2011)

yeah, definitely one of the better and concise youtube instructionals ive seen


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## 4String (Mar 11, 2011)

Practice slow songs using your ring and your pinky fingers instead of your index and your middle finger. This way, you'll have a chance to depend on your third and fourth finger.

If this seems lie too complex, then just try single bass walking with your pinky.

Side note: Try pinky exercises found online. They're pretty simple.


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## R0ADK1LL (Mar 13, 2011)

I think one important thing to note is that when you're playing with 3 fingers, your pinky still wobbles round a lot, so when you're looking at bassists playing with 3 fingers it kinda looks like they're using 4. It's easy to look at someone playing really fast & think, wow they must be using all 4 fingers, but they might not be.

I occasionally use my pinky for popping, but generally it's a pretty weak finger & it's gonna take ALOT of work to get it up to speed.


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## deevit (Mar 13, 2011)

There are two main reasons for me why I wouldn't try to use my pinky. 
1; It's just too short. Wouldn't work well with the other fingers IMO.
2; The pinky and ringfinger share some muscles/tendons. This means that you can't move them seperately. This will allways be an obstacle for a good worked out technique in my eyes. Try to move your pinky without moving your ringfinger...

If you want to add a fourth finger, add the thumb. Guys like Matt Garrison do this too.


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## ApteraBassist (Mar 14, 2011)

YES. he's got an awesome thumb technique. I find it so much more useful than double thumb


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## groovemasta (Mar 23, 2011)

this makes alot more sense to me actually its just hard playing with three fingers and a thumb all on the same string at a consistent speed


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## deevit (Mar 24, 2011)

Yes, it's very hard to learn and takes a lot of practise. But adding your pinky will be even harder and I don't think the result would be half as good.


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## RichIKE (Apr 14, 2011)

Billy Sheehan has some great lessons on youtube for using all of your fingers. I also mirror the sentiment of learning Iron Maiden songs, thats how I did it.


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## MassNecrophagia (Apr 14, 2011)

I've always done 3-2-1. I picked it up after I played bass for maybe a year, and have been playing that way for 8 years now. Once you have equal dexterity between all three fingers you can play them in any pattern you really want. I still revert back to 1-2-1-2 for string skipping and will usually anchor. My pinky on my ring finger(if that makes sense). Do what you're comfortable with. As log as it sounds correct, you shouldn't worry too much.


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## josh pelican (Apr 14, 2011)

I've said it once and I'll say it again, I'm a 3-2-1-2 guy. Sometimes I can get the pinky in though.


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## groovemasta (Apr 14, 2011)

i've been playing fingerstyle alot lately and i mostly just use three fingers in whichever pattern i think fits best for the rhythm being played, i realised there is barely a need to incorporate a 4th finger/thumb but i practiced it anyway


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## Dexterecus (Apr 15, 2011)

I have the habit of always doing 1-2-1-2, I could pull off high speeds and my light touch was pretty good for my stamina as well. Triplets are a bitch though so I need to practice that more. 

I used to fake it by going 1 - x -2 - 1 -x -2
The x = not playing anything


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