Left hand

Josh · Tadpole Joined: 27 Sep 2002 Posts: 24

I know that Abe Laboriel, among others, made a movie called Left Hand Techniques and i was wondering how much left hand technique there really is. I don't mean hammering, slides, dead notes, etc., that's basic, and I'm sure good old Abe wouldn't make a 20$ movie about hammering.

leshhead · Newbie Alert Joined: 16 Oct 2002 Posts: 3

Abe, You will hear from everyone that you should keep your fingers closs to the fretboard. But it is normal not to, to let them fly around. I don't have a teacher, but have a long history of learning things on my own. Consequently, I buy a lot of books and videos. There is a video on "Left Hand Techniques" at http://bassbooks.com/shopping/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=43&cat=Videos for twenty bucks. It says a lot about slapping and popping, but it has interviews with a number of good bass players and if you watch them carefully, you will see a difference between what they do, (keep their fingers very close to the fingerboard) and what, at least, felt natural to me (if I'm not holding down a fret, I send my finger to look for UFOs
:-). I feel like I'm learning the bass all over again. I think the video could have been a lot better, but for twenty bucks, it shows guys holding their basses like I want to hold my bass. Hope this helps.