Fingerstyle (bass)

• Pluck across the string (flesh + a little nail if you like bite).
• Keep the wrist relaxed; motion is mostly from the finger joints, not a huge forearm swing.
• Fingers approach slightly angled so the string leaves cleanly — avoid “hooking” that snags and slows you down.
• Volume comes from speed of the pluck more than from pressing harder into the string.

Move the plucking hand in one-inch steps while looping open E:

• Toward bridge — tighter, brighter, more definition for dense 16ths.
• Over pickups — balanced “electric bass” center.
• Toward neck — rounder, fatter, less click — useful for ballad roots, not always for gallops.

Pick one contact point for a whole practice block so your ears learn one tone at a time.

Label fingers i (index) and m (middle). Play open E as i m i m … then the same on A, D, G. Never “cheating” with two i’s in a row at speed — gallop and 16ths expose that instantly.

Metal gallops stay on fingers at high tempos — build that stamina slowly with a click. Optional third finger (a) appears later for string jumps; do not add it until i–m is boringly even.

Say the letters out loud for one minute: “i m i m…” while air-plucking, then on the instrument.

Anchored — thumb rests on a pickup or lower string for stability. Floating — thumb moves with the hand for muting and string jumps. Practice both; metal gallops often use a light anchor while the thumb still mutes unused strings.

• Anchor drill: thumb on E pickup (or E string), i–m on A only for 2 minutes.
• Float drill: play E–A–D–G ascending; thumb follows and mutes the string below the one you pluck.

Rest stroke — after the pluck, the finger lands on the next lower string. Heavier attack, natural mute of that neighbor.

Free stroke — finger clears the string and returns in air. Faster for some players; needs more deliberate muting.

Practice the same open-E eighths both ways. Choose rest stroke when you want punch; free stroke when string-crossing feels jammed.

The hard part is not one string — it is changing strings without breaking alternation.

G|----------------
D|----------------
A|-----0-----0----
E|-0-0---0-0---0--|   keep i m i m through the cross

If you always start a new string with i, you will invent same-finger doubles. Let the sequence continue: whatever finger is next, uses the new string.

• Uneven i vs m — one finger louder/quieter. Fix: accent the weak finger for 60 seconds.
• Planted pinky tension — unused fretting pinky locks; shake out between takes.
• Wrist twist — extreme angle; lower the bass or raise the strap.
• Rushing shorts — gallop shorts push ahead of the click; slow down until boring.
• Nail snag — ragged nail edge catches; file smooth or use flesh-only for a week.

Seed A — open E eighths, strict i–m:

G|-----------------
D|-----------------
A|-----------------
E|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|

Seed B — root–fifth outline, still i–m:

G|----------------
D|----------------
A|-----2-----2----
E|-0-0---0-0---0--|

Seed C — three-string crawl (prepare for grooves):

G|----------------
D|---------0------
A|-----0-------0--
E|-0--------------|

1. 60 BPM — open E, i–m, 2 minutes continuous.
2. Same on A, D, G (30–45 seconds each).
3. String-cross seed B at 60, then 72, then 88.
4. Add left-hand mute; neighbors must stay dead.
5. Hand off to gallop cells only when eighths are even on a recording.

Click Play for a slow i–m–i–m on open E (synth). Mute with the left hand lightly so only the pluck speaks. Match the guide; then mute the guide and keep going alone for one more minute. BPM syncs with the bottom practice bar.

BPM Play i–m drill Stop

• i and m are hard to tell apart in a blind recording.
• String crosses do not create a louder “thump” or a missed note.
• Idle strings are silent; the part sounds dry and intentional.
• You finish a 2-minute burst still even — no limp last 20 seconds.

Gallop and dense 16ths fail when the weak finger fades. Build capacity without junk BPM.

• 90 seconds continuous open-E i–m at a tempo where every note is even — then rest 45 seconds.
• Three rounds. If round three is uglier than round one, the tempo is too high.
• Once stable, move the same burst to A, then D. G last (thinner string, easier to rush).

G|-----------------
D|-----------------
A|-----------------
E|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|  mark every 4th note with a slight accent

Play seed B (root–fifth outline) four ways at the same BPM: soft / medium / loud / soft again. The click stays; only attack changes. This trains control you will need when OD is on.

• Alternation labels spoken for 20 seconds?
• One contact point chosen?
• Mute idle strings verified by ear in rests?
• Recorded 20 seconds for evenness?

Muting & ghosts · Gallop · Slap