Hi, it's Jeff here from discoverdoublebass.com.
If you haven't seen the website already maybe you'd like to go have a look after this lesson.
Right now I'd like to talk to you about right-hand technique and particularly about the method
of using two fingers whilst playing in more up-tempo situations.
Let's get stuck straight into it and have a look at that now.
Well, in my previous lessons I discussed this two finger technique, as well as the one finger
technique, but when you're playing fills you can actually use two fingers in this kind
of downwards motion.
While typically when you're using one finger you're more in line with the strings than
you are when you're playing with two fingers approaching from this direction.
With one finger it is, in this position, it is possible to use the two fingers and to
play fills.
You could play, a passing note and then the main note.
Well, the main thing that I want you to take away from today is that in both situations,
whether it's facing this way or side on, that ideally the main beat, the strong note that
you're aiming for, lands on the first finger and so you'd probably play the passing note
with your second finger.
Now, let's have a look why.
If I play this passage again, it's very hard for me to do it in the opposite direction.
You see how the fingers struggle to find space, so it makes sense to try and fall on the main
finger.
Perhaps you'd be raking across from another string and you don't always need to alternate
when you're using two fingers.
You can actually use one finger and rake across the strings.
If you were doing that, again, it makes sense actually to do it where you land on the first
finger.
Why not actually use the first finger also to play the preceding note because you're
heading in the right direction then?
From the string below you'd be doing the passing note with your second finger because otherwise,
you'd be doing it like that.
From below it would be.
Now, this is very much like the style that we discussed in the Ghost Notes lesson.
You can see there, these ghost notes were landing on the first finger for the main pitch.
You'd have this little fill of a ghost note first, the passing note if you will, a fill
note if you like, a rhythmic embellishment that would land on the strong beat which would
be on the first finger.
It sounds like quite a straight forward process but just double check that when you're playing
your walking bass lines and your fills, that you're not doing it the other way around because
it is possible.
I think, feel, that you lose some of the drive and the attack that you want in your playing.
Another quick thing I'd like to finish with is actually to do with string crossing when
you're playing with two fingers and this really needs a little bit of attention.
Let me just show you what I mean.
Say you're playing octaves, you would naturally play them with the second finger on the lowest
string in pitch, on the low octave.
Then the root note at the top you would play with your first finger.
Let me show you why, if I switch fingers around, immediately I can't play in this direction.
I have to move onto the side and it's very awkward for me to get underneath the string.
However, as with all of this technique, it serves the music and it might be that you
end up in a situation where you need to play string crossings from using the second finger
to the first.
What I would encourage you to do, is to work on both options and just be really careful
that you're able to handle both situations.
I hope you've enjoyed the lesson and I've given you a few ideas to think about when
you're working on your right-hand technique.
If you have enjoyed it, maybe you'd like to let me know by pressing "like" below this
video, leaving a comment, it would be great to hear from you and I'll see you in the next
Discover Double Bass video lesson.