Three/Four finger bass picking

Do any of you play with three or four fingers?
Any advice on learning to?

Im trying to learn 3 fingers have been thiking that fourth finger too but pinky or thum dosnt feel natural in anyways and pinky lacks reech and power at least for now.

But what comes to 3 fingers i just started to play open e slowly index, midle and ring over and over and over again and then i stated to build bit speed too. Also did ring, midle and index order. And i still do both ways while im watching tv or something and also i dont play always open now i mostly mute with my left hand and try to do all strings.
Basicly just start slow and when you start to get hang of it start to play scales, skip strings, play songs and try building speed.

I dont really have better advise for that maybe dman or someone could add something. Cause i would be happy also to perfect my technique



edit. oh had to add this. One little problem that i notised it bit tricky to play basic 1/4 or 4/4 stuff cause with 3 finger starting finger changes if you know what i meen. But im got this idea that i try to keep this kinda continious not like index, midle and ring... i started doin index, middle, ring and again midle and then start over from index so i get four notes and this kinda constant thing going on. And im trying to reverse it too ring, midle, index, midle and back to start.

I've never used my pinky for plucking, but I do use my third finger occasionally. I tend to only use it for triplets.

I can't say I have much to say on the subject, as I can't play 3 / 4 fingers, but:

1) Use your 3rd/4th finger to start:


If you were to play the same note 4times, start with your pinky, then 3rd finger, 2nd & 1st etc. If you're playing 3 finger, start with your 3rd & end up on the 1st. Your natural hand & finger shape will mean that this way is much easier to play than starting with your 1st.

2) As a way to get your 3rd finger involved: Try playing with your 1st & 3rd finger, or 2nd & 3rd finger only. If you're used to playing with 2 fingers, then you'll know how to use 2 fingers when playing, string skipping etc., so this would be much easier than starting with 3 (or 4) straight away, and give you a chance to build your 3rd finger up.

I've tried learning three but my mind just can't do it. It just doesn't work... don't know why. I guess it's because I can't count 4/4 time with three fingers.

I used my 3rd/2nd fingers when my 1st got a huge callus from overusing of pop.

McSnuggles wrote:I've tried learning three but my mind just can't do it. It just doesn't work... don't know why. I guess it's because I can't count 4/4 time with three fingers.

While I don't use any formal training when I play, I had the same problem when I was learning to keep time with my third finger. I started using 3 fingers very early into my playing, and recently it's been adapted into how I usually play. That probably helped me immensely.

Try playing with your 1st & 3rd finger, or 2nd & 3rd finger only.

This. If you've been playing for a while, your index and middle are light years ahead of your ring/pinky. This causes a very big issue with keeping the groove when learning. Build up dexterity in those fingers before trying to make it your normal way of playing.

After that is done, try playing some easy songs you know using your third and fourth finger wherever it feels natural. Slower songs help for this.

Use your 3rd/4th finger to start

I wish I knew this when I started using my ring finger. I was learning a really quick galloping riff using triplets and I started trying 3 fingers. I started with my first and got this really nice galloping sound... but I couldn't play straight notes using my third finger.


As for the pinky, never really tried.. It just doesn't feel right to me. My hand also isn't that big, so I have to turn my hand in order for it to reach the strings.. just not worth the effort.