This little ditty really sums up a lot of what I have learned over the years about advanced left and right hand technique. Of course there are many other advanced techniques out there to learn which I will cover in future lessons but these are what I tend to use the most. Also remember that when you learn a new technique make sure that you use it in a musical way. This can be very difficult at first because you will want to use the technique more often than you probably should. I use these advanced techniques in this tune because I feel it fits the nature of the piece. Quite simply, it makes the tune even quirkier and since it is the only instrument other than the simple drum line, I don't have to worry about supporting other musicians. I would never play like this for example over a slow tempo jazz piece or when a soloist is performing in any style unless of course I want to be labeled an overplaying bassist. Since I do not want that all too popular negative bassist label, even though it is matter of opinion and most bassists that choose to push the envelope will get called this occasionally, I save these powerful techniques for solos or fills when performing with other musicians. So on with the techniques!

Hammer On and Pull Off

This clip is the ending of the first verse into the first chorus and finally into a long bass fill. The verse is predominantly a series of fingered then hammered or pulled notes. It is quite simple once you become comfortable with the technique. There are numerous books that describe the use of this hammer-on/pull-off technique. To hammer you play a fretted or open note with your picking hand then press (hammer-on) another note with your fretting hand. Usually you will hammer a note on the same string above the first note you played with your picking hand. Check out the example below.

Ex. Sound fret 5 (A) on your E string with your index finger then strike the E string with your picking hand. Next while holding(sustaining) the A (fret 5 E string) press your ring finger into fret 7 (B) on the same string. If you did it correctly you should now hear the B note. It takes practice in order to get the hammered note to sound as loud as the struck note. That will come with practice.

Pull-offs are a little different but use similar principles. I'll just show you an example for this technique.

Ex. Sound fret 5 (A) on your E string with your ring finger while your index finger is pressing down fret 3(G) on the E string. Now strike the E string with your picking hand and quickly lift your ring finger off the A(fret 5 E string) leaving your index finger on the G (fret 3 E string). If you did this correct you should hear the G note. Like the hammer-on technique it takes practice to get the pulled off note to sound equally as loud as the struck note.

Double Thumbing and Double Plucking

The chorus is a combination of many slap/pop and hammer techniques I have picked up over the years. The slap/pop technique is based on what some people call a classical guitar approach to slapping or what others like to call double thumbing/plucking or what bassist Victor Wooten calls "double thumping" with double plucking. I would say that Victor Wooten leads the pack of bassists who use this slap technique so check out his instructional videos to learn how he does it. In fact to my knowledge he was the first bassist to apply this technique to such extremes. I do it a little differently but it allows me to achieve the same speed with a different sort of attack due to the nature of my technique. I like to perform this technique over my neck pickup which has been adjusted in height for the correct amount of rebound for my thumb and depth control for my index, middle, and ring finger. I rarely use my pinky. First I'll discuss the double thumbing. Check out the example for an explanation. You'll need a basic understanding of the standard slap technique to understand this. There are many great books that can teach you the basics. Drop me a line if you want some recommendations.

Ex. Press down over fret 5 (A) on your E string with your index finger. Now with the edge of your thumb slap the E string over the neck pickup following through until your thumb touches the pickup. Quickly pull your thumb back up striking the string from underneath on the way.

You should have created two notes within those two motions(Down and Up). Thus you have fully utilized each motion of your thumb rather than only the down motion which is what is used in a standard slap. This full use of the down and up motion is an application of what many great instructors call the "economy of motion". Once you get this technique really comfortable you'll be able to maintain double the speed with the same ease you had with standard slapping. Also, I have read that many of the other bassists that use this technique like to slap the string in different areas of the lower half of the bass. For example, some like to do it above the neck pickup to dig in more to the strings and others like to do it over the upper frets to dig in less. Experiment and find what is comfortable and sounds best to you. You will quickly see that with whatever approach you use for this technique it will open up a whole new world of possibilities. For example, you can slap insanely fast which is a lot of fun and a real crowd pleaser even though it is not all that tough after you have paid your dues. Also, I often use this technique to double pick like a guitarist. This allows me to play fast parts in unison with a guitarist or to comfortably hold a basic rock 8th or 16th note root groove like a bassist would with a pick. It even gives an edgy pick like sound if you dig in a bit.

Now onto the second half called double plucking or double popping. This is much easier to explain so I'll just give an example.

Ex. After you perform the double thumbing technique from the last example pluck (pop) the octave of the note you double thumbed (fret 7 on your D string) with your index finger on your fretting hand. Quickly pluck (pop) the same note again with your middle finger on your fretting hand. That is it! You have created two notes by plucking (popping) the string.

If you combine these techniques so that you double thumb then double pluck you get four notes. With practice these four notes could be as fast as 16ths or ridiculously fast 32nd notes. Try applying these four notes to octaves as well as other basic chord tones (R, 3, 5, 7 scale degrees) and even all on one note which is probably the most difficult to perform. Also, when I combine the techniques I often leave out the second pluck of the double pluck in order to give a triplet sound which is how I get really fast 16th or 32cnd triplets.

Open Hammer Pluck

The final technique, which may be easier for a lot of you, is the open hammer pluck. This again is best demonstrated from Victor Wooten's instructional videos but many bassists have adapted there own versions of this technique over the years. I use this technique mostly for triplet fills but sometimes for an entire bass groove, though it can get repetitious if you strictly stick to triplets. Check out the example to see how it works.

Ex. Slap the E string with your picking hand thumb without fretting a note. You can standard slap (just strike the string then come back up) or use the double thumb slap to continue through the string until your thumb rests on the pickup. Immediately after the slap, hammer (press) your index finger of your fretting hand onto the 12th fret (oct E) on the E string. Next use your index finger of your picking hand to pluck (pop) the 14th (oct E) fret of the D string. Now you have played 3 notes.

Practice this over and over until you can perform moderate tempo 8th triplets then 16ths and finally 32nds. Also, try experimenting by using different notes for the hammers and plucks. You could hammer the octave then pluck the 5th for example.

Putting it All Together

Finally, you can combine all the techniques into one which is what I do a lot when laying down a funk solo. For example, do the open hammer pluck but add the upstroke thumb after the first hammer and a double pluck instead of the single pluck on the octave or whatever note you choose. Now you have a phrase of 5 notes. If you want 6 notes to keep more of a triplet feel introduce a third pluck by using the ring finger as a pluck. You would have 6 notes.

So hopefully this lesson has helped you understand hammer-ons, pull-offs, double thumbing, double plucking, and open hammer plucks. Feel free to contact me with any questions concerning these techniques or other related techniques. If you are local to Plymouth MA, we can arrange for some lessons to go over these techniques.

Good Luck,

Mike