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Triplets

by Stefon Pizzuto

The time has come once again to gather together for an enlightening study of everybody's favorite low-end instrument - the bass guitar. So tune your axe, crank your amp, and get ready to jump into an exciting new musical adventure the whole family will enjoy.

Our last three encounters took us through several theory issues including the modes of harmonic minor, the modes of jazz minor, and inverted intervals. This time, I thought we would change the pace a bit and pursue something that many of my private students really seem to enjoy working on - the elusive art of technique.

Unbeknownst to many bassists, the right hand is just as important in playing the bass as the left hand. In fact, the right hand actually controls your speed, articulation, and sound and can be thought of as the "steam engine" of bass playing. The more you are able to master right-hand technique, the easier bass playing will be from a physical standpoint. Furthermore, the right hand controls the manner in which the strings are struck, for example, rest strokes, free strokes, slapping and popping.

The following exercise, which I call the Triplet Exercise, is designed specifically to increase your right hand technique. The only role our left hand will play in this study is that of muting the strings. To do this, gently lay your left hand across the strings to stop them from ringing. Do not push down hard enough to actually create a pitch! If you hear a pitch coming from any of the strings, you are pushing down too hard and need to ease up a bit with your left hand. If done correctly, you should only hear a percussive "tick" when you rake your right hand fingers across the strings. These muted notes are written on the staff below using x's instead of actual notes and occupy the spaces of the E, A, D, and G strings.

Now that our left hand is in place, we can concentrate on the right hand's role. The fingers we will be utilizing on the right hand are the thumb, index and middle fingers. The thumb's job is to hold the right hand in place and act as the anchor for the right hand. Find a place to anchor your right thumb that is comfortable for you. Once you have chosen your spot, stay consistent by always keeping your thumb in the same position. I use my pickups when I'm playing on the lower strings and jump up to my B string (E string for you four string players) when I need to reach up to the higher strings.

As we play through this exercise, we will always be alternating the middle and index fingers in order to maximize our potential mobility. It does not matter which finger you start with first, as we will take turns beginning with both fingers. Some players find it easier to begin with the index finger, as it is the first finger, while others find starting with the middle finger easier because it is a longer finger. In either case, if you work this exercise hard enough, you should be able to achieve equal dexterity in both fingers.

The type of pluck we are going to use in this exercise is called the rest stroke. To play a rest stroke, pull off of the string with the tip of your finger, allowing your finger to come to rest on the string directly below it. This, of course, is how the rest stroke got its name. Make sure you are keeping your finger straight! If your finger is in a bent position, you are not doing it correctly. Once you are certain you can pluck the strings using rest strokes without bending your fingers, you are ready to attempt the exercise shown below.

What we are going to do in this exercise is play three notes on each string in the pattern of a triplet. Before we continue, let's define the word triplet. A triplet I is a grouping of three notes of equal value over the space of one beat. Try tapping out a beat and count tri-pl-et, tri-pl-et in even syllables as you tap. Make sure each syllable has the same value and is the same distance apart from the other two. If you count uneven syllables, in many cases, you will be counting some type of sixteenth note combination. The word "pineapple" also fits well in the triplet pattern. Feel free to use any spoken words or phrases that help you grasp the feel of this note pattern.

If you can successfully count the triplet feel, you are ready to attempt this exercise. As you can see below, we will always be alternating our middle and index fingers. I chose to start with the index finger first, simply because it is the first finger. On your E string, play index-middle-index. Next, move to the A string and play middle-index-middle. On the D string, play index-middle-index. Finally, on the G string, play middle-index-middle. Now, begin the pattern over again starting on the G string. Play index-middle-index on the G string, middle-index-middle on the D string, index-middle-index on the A string, and middle-index-middle on the E string. Continue this pattern over and over until you can successfully connect the triplets without any space in between them.

Once you feel confident starting with your index finger, begin the exercise over again starting with the middle finger. The pattern will proceed as follows: E string, middle-index-middle; A string, index-middle-index; D string, middle-index-middle; and G string, index-middle-index. Working back down play; G sting, middle-index-middle; D string, index-middle-index; A string, middle-index-middle; and E string, index-middle-index. Again, loop this exercise until you can play from string to string without pausing.

The reason we chose to do this exercise using triplets instead of sixteenth notes like many method books teach is because a triplet is comprised of three notes. Since three is an odd number, it forces us to cross the strings with a different finger each time. Being able to cross the strings smoothly is one of the greatest challenges of playing the bass. The sooner you are able to master your right hand technique, the quicker your bass playing will improve, from a physical standpoint.

I hope you have enjoyed working through this exercise I have created. I encourage you to come up with your own exercises to help build up your technique. If you have any favorites in your repertoire, please feel free to send them to me via e-mail through my website www.stefonpizzuto.com. I enjoy sharing them with students and fellow bass players. Until next time - good luck, keep practicing, and we'll see you in October!

Stefon Pizzuto