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Efficient Left Hand Positioning

Technique Beginner 2 min read

Updated

Fast, complex bass playing comes down to efficient left-hand motion. Outside of a few stretches in the lower positions, the hand should move the same way playing fast as it does playing slow. Practice the line slowly out of time, weed out excess movement, then put it in time — and you'll like what you end up with.

Originally published August 25, 2014, lightly edited for clarity.

The quality of your bass guitar playing in executing fast complex material will ultimately come down to efficiency of the way the hands work on the instrument. With the left hand, getting rid of all movement that is not absolutely necessary for the production of the note is a real good idea. Outside of having to stretch the hand some in the lower position of the bass, the way the hand works playing fast should be the same as it works when playing slow. With this way of looking at it, what needs to be done is to practice the line very slowly out of time, weed out all excess movement, get it perfect, then put it in time and speed that up while strictly maintaining the quality of your left hand form. This will take some time and patience, but I think you are going to like what you end up with. The following online bass lesson shows an exercise I call “set, check, and play” that helps prepare your left hand for this way of practicing. Left-hand technique is one of the fundamentals I teach. For personalized guidance on left-hand form, online bass lessons via Zoom are available.

  1. Right-Hand Form for 5-String Bass

    Technique Intermediate 5 min read

    The extra string on a 5-string bass makes string noise your biggest enemy, and clean playing depends almost entirely on your right hand. Here's how to set up your thumb, finger mechanics, and left-hand damping so the strings you aren't playing stay quiet — plus three exercises to drill the form on open strings.

  2. Left Hand Form

    Technique Beginner 2 min read

    I look at technique as simply the process of getting the music you hear in your head out through your hands onto the instrument. You only need enough technique to play what you hear. This post walks through the left-hand default position — the most relaxed place your hand can sit — and how to practice from there.

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