I've Got Blisters on My Fingers
In preparation for my first lesson this week, I have been doing some conditioning drills on the bass. These were related to me by the guy who sold me the bass and since he plays himself, I figured they would be worth a shot.
The first drill is pretty rudimentary: Work up the first four of each string with the left hand, one finger per fret. The right hand should alternate between the index and the middle finger on attacking the strings. Then just got up and back through the notes. Not entirely musical, but it does get the hands working on muscle memory as well as strength.
The second is a slight variation on the theme. Work down the fret in an X pattern, basically changing strings and frets with every note. When you finish one pass, you then work your way up or down (depending on the cross pattern) the end string and then do another pass. This gets the both hands working on switching strings in a more fluid action.
The guy also suggested that I do both of these drills without an amp. The idea here is to develop a stronger attack on the strings that will not only strengthen my right hand, but help me find the sweet spot in playing the notes.
Though a bit fumbly, I was working both of these drills pretty well. Believe it or not, both of them reminded a bit of Guitar Hero, only with an extra horizontal element. I ended the session last night because it looked like I was starting to develop callouses on my right hand. Rock. On.
I tried to balance it out a bit by digging out the guitar and try a few chords. Since I was using a pick there, my right hand would be fine and I would keep working the left hand. This idea was not so fruitful as I am having difficulty getting the proper finger placement to produce the correct sound. My fingers seem to... fat... and I don't know if that is something that can be worked through or not.
I am still very happy with my progress so far.
The first drill is pretty rudimentary: Work up the first four of each string with the left hand, one finger per fret. The right hand should alternate between the index and the middle finger on attacking the strings. Then just got up and back through the notes. Not entirely musical, but it does get the hands working on muscle memory as well as strength.
The second is a slight variation on the theme. Work down the fret in an X pattern, basically changing strings and frets with every note. When you finish one pass, you then work your way up or down (depending on the cross pattern) the end string and then do another pass. This gets the both hands working on switching strings in a more fluid action.
The guy also suggested that I do both of these drills without an amp. The idea here is to develop a stronger attack on the strings that will not only strengthen my right hand, but help me find the sweet spot in playing the notes.
Though a bit fumbly, I was working both of these drills pretty well. Believe it or not, both of them reminded a bit of Guitar Hero, only with an extra horizontal element. I ended the session last night because it looked like I was starting to develop callouses on my right hand. Rock. On.
I tried to balance it out a bit by digging out the guitar and try a few chords. Since I was using a pick there, my right hand would be fine and I would keep working the left hand. This idea was not so fruitful as I am having difficulty getting the proper finger placement to produce the correct sound. My fingers seem to... fat... and I don't know if that is something that can be worked through or not.
I am still very happy with my progress so far.