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 Major discovery in left hand technique 
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Post Major discovery in left hand technique
Hi everyone,

In the process of working on some classical pieces, I've had a major breakthrough in how to navigate scale-oriented parts in the 5ths tuning.

When playing an ascending or descending line that uses 4 notes per string, rather than use a fingering of 1-2-3-4, use a fingering of 1-2-1-3 (or going down 3-1-2-1 instead of 4-3-2-1). This is making it exponentially easier to execute these lines cleanly, and at very rapid tempos... very little finger movement is required as the work is done by the hand shifting along the line of the string. Hand movement, once again, is the key, and that pesky transition from 3rd to 4th fingers is completely avoided.

I should be able to post a video on it soon... you read it here first...stay tuned...

Happy Tapping, Greg Howard

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Mon Mar 16, 2015 2:34 pm
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Post Re: Major discovery in left hand technique
Glad you mentioned this! Going through the Stick book recently and practicing those 4 finger scale patterns in the left hand always seemed to me that a jump would be more "3-finger Greg"-esque. Now it has the seal of approval!


Looking forward to the video!

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Mon Mar 16, 2015 2:46 pm
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Post Re: Major discovery in left hand technique
Interesting Greg...I think I can see what you mean. Purely by accident, I've been periodically doing something that may be similar recently. Transitioning from A to D on the 7th string (10 string), my intent is to go first finger 2nd fret (A) to 3rd finger 6th fret (C#) and end with the 4th finger on the 7th fret (D).

However in the moment, when paying attention to the right hand during the transition, I've sometimes found myself hitting the C# with the second finger and then hitting the D with the first finger. I'm pretty sure it's because lately I've been doing long 1st-2nd finger jumps during metronome practice.

Not fighting it.

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Mon Mar 16, 2015 3:07 pm
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Post Re: Major discovery in left hand technique
greg wrote:
...When playing an ascending or descending line that uses 4 notes per string, rather than use a fingering of 1-2-3-4, use a fingering of 1-2-1-3 (or going down 3-1-2-1 instead of 4-3-2-1)...


...thank you, Greg, for this hint...

...although I'm doing this for a long time, because
I wasn't able to play such lines on bass side in the higher regions with fingerings
suggested in the instruction books ...so I was forced to find a way myself, and here...

...on a pair of srings in fifth tunig there are mainly following possibilities

major, ionian ------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---1--/ ---2--/ ------/ ---
------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---1--/ ---2--/ ------/ ---


dorian ------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---
------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---


phrygian ------/ ---1--/ ---2--/ ------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---
------/ ---1--/ ---2--/ ------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---


lydian ------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---1--/ -------/ ---3--/ ---
------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---1--/ ---2--/ ------/ ---


mixolydian ------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---1--/ ---2--/ ------/ ---
------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---

natural Minor, aolean
------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---
------/ ---1--/ ---2--/ ------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---


locrian ------/ ---1--/ ---2--/ ------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---
---1--/ -----/ ---3--/ ------/ ---1--/ ------/ ---3--/ ------/ ---


... have fun and plesure...


Mon Mar 16, 2015 3:26 pm
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Post Re: Major discovery in left hand technique
Dude, I have been doing this while playing Air Stick for months!


Mon Mar 16, 2015 4:32 pm
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Post Re: Major discovery in left hand technique
Great post Greg. This technique is a direct adaptation of common upright bass fingering technique. Although the upright is tuned in 4ths the sheer size of the instrument and the distance between the note makes these shifts necessary. The cool thing about the adaptation of "closed" (no open strings) upright fingerings to the stick is that the shifting is even easier in fifths than fourths. I look forward to exchanging approaches with you at the Northeast seminar.

Brett


Mon Mar 16, 2015 6:52 pm
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Post Re: Major discovery in left hand technique
Lol they are exactly the upright fingerings. I use these all the time since they were memorized years ago.


Mon Mar 16, 2015 6:54 pm
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Post Re: Major discovery in left hand technique
Back in the 90s & ought's I used to use a 1-3-2-4 fingering on a dorian tetrachord, or 1-3-1-2-4 on the first five notes of a major scale. I always found that it sounded strong and consistent, as if I had a compressor running. I was rather dogmatic about it. (We're talking left-hand fingerings here...) This technique involved lots of shifting.

Later, I started using Greg's recommended fingerings of 1-2-3-4 on scalar passages, and found it more difficult to get an even sound, but worth it ultimately. Now that I've tuned down a whole step, it's even easier. I'm going to keep doing the way Greg's books have recommended.

There's a centered feeling about 1 & 3, and another "center" between 2 & 4. I don't know how to describe it.

The cool thing about 1-2-3-4 is that you can roll your hand as you go. The elbow moves a bit too, and it seems possible to incorporate the hand moving from low to high above the fretboard, like pianists do from thumb to pinky.

Greg's new way is cool too, and acknowledges some of the "bigness" of the left hand bass function. It's a big job.

R


Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:06 pm
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Post Re: Major discovery in left hand technique
!!!!
I hope the video doesn't come out too soon - I'm moving into my new house on the 28th and I won't have time to try any of this until after that! Greg, you wouldn't mind delaying everyone else's gratification for my sake, would you?
:lol:

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Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:33 am
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Post Re: Major discovery in left hand technique
Brett Bottomley wrote:
Great post Greg. This technique is a direct adaptation of common upright bass fingering technique. Although the upright is tuned in 4ths the sheer size of the instrument and the distance between the note makes these shifts necessary. The cool thing about the adaptation of "closed" (no open strings) upright fingerings to the stick is that the shifting is even easier in fifths than fourths. I look forward to exchanging approaches with you at the Northeast seminar.

Brett
Hi Brett,

So cool to hear this. Can you point me to any written literature on this as a bass technique? I'd love to read an explanation of it from that perspective.

I am totally convinced by this, sorry it took me so long to come to it!

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Tue Mar 17, 2015 4:41 am
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