Posted by GC on November 14, 2002 at 11:16:20:
In Reply to: e-bass technique posted by TC on November 14, 2002 at 10:16:16:
I learned 4-finger from the beginning and rarely had any problem with it. You have to stretch and lift the back of the fretting hand in the lowest positions, but I only have trouble with it if I'm playing in the lowest registers with very active lines for a long time.
Four-finger has the advantage of requiring fewer shifts in position up and down the neck and makes it easier to play non-scale tones and play across the neck. String bass technique is less tiring and requires less stretching, but you are constantly shifting up and down the neck. People with smaller hands and basses with extended scale lengths can benefit from this.
As a 4-finger player, I began with the idea of playing across the neck with fewer shifts in position. Unfortunately, I became too anchored into fixed position playing, and I had to force myself to switch positions more often until it became second nature. Unless I am playing charts with a lot of chromatic alterations or wide-ranging chord progressions, the advantages of the 4-finger method are not that often needed. However, every once in a while I come across a chart that has so much rapid movement that shifting position will get me lost on the fingerboard; the only way that I can read it is to anchor in place, stretch for notes as needed, and use all of my fingers.