Those of you who have read my past technique columns are already familiar with the concept of plucking-hand alternate fingering. The idea is that you evenly split the workload between plucking fingers 1 and 2. The use of strict 1-2-1-2 alternation using relevant exercises is a great way to build accuracy and speed on the bass. But I’ve found that a lot of the practice material out there is limited to linear patterns that merely work a sequence of notes in ascending and descending fashion. As bass players, we rarely find ourselves grooving in this way. Therefore, a natural evolution of these exercises is the incorporation of alternate fingering approaches as applied to grooves.
In this installment, I thought it would be cool to work on some doubling exercises. Doubling, as it applies here, refers to the fact that we are going to be plucking the same note twice in a row using alternate fingering before moving onto the next. It’s a simple concept, but one that I’ll bet most of you have not worked on extensively. If you are new to the whole alternate fingering thing, you’ll find this to be a real technical challenge, but one that can quickly pay off big.
Example 1 is simply a C major scale using doubling. Note that your pluckinghand fingers 1 and 2 alternate consistently in both ascending and descending directions, as indicated. Watch your plucking hand closely as you play this one—it’s harder than it looks! Although this exercise is very simple, the challenge is in playing with perfect plucking-hand alternation. Use an external clock source set to a very slow tempo first, and then work this up to a speed that pushes your current technical limitations.
Example 2 is the E minor pentatonic scale in four-note sequences using doubling. Once again, pay strict attention to what the plucking hand is doing. As with Ex. 1, play this very slowly and methodically at first, building up speed only as the alternation begins to feel more natural.
The sky’s the limit if you’re looking for exercises to practice this approach. Try every scale, arpeggio, and hybrid you know. Now let’s play some doubling-inspired grooves. Ex. 3 is a bass line based around A that utilizes rests to set off its movement.
Example 4 uses rhythmic displacement to create tension. Watch your alternation in the first three bars!
Example 5 is a straight 16th-note ostinato based around D minor. This one is a big endurance builder.
Be sure to experiment with dynamics and phrasing as you work on the groove exercises. Until next time, keep it bassy!