RINGHT HAND TECHNIQUE by Billy Sheehan

D.P. · 发表于 2003-8-8 23:42:00

全文如下（本想翻译，但水平有限，害怕错误太多，不敢私自妄动）：

Some aspects of the e-bassguitar r similar to the e-guitar: it is of comparable shape and size, and in its most common 4-strin' configuration,is tuned an octave below stadard guitar tunin'.It's easy to make the mistake of lumpin'then in the same category, but the different roles they play actually set them apart rather than together.In fact, its colsest tonal relative,and the instrument the electric bassguitar was designed to replace and/or improve upon,was the standup bass, which has little ,if any, relation to the guitar.
Most standup basses have the same basic construction and component part placement ,so a bassist can rely on havin'a consistent anchor point to rest his or her thumb for pluckin'-finger strength. 'cos the instrument requiers so much strength to pluck, u need to anchor ur thumb in order to get the necessary leverage. strin's emselves r occasinally used as anchor points too.
but electric basses can be quite different from brand to brand.many companies comeup with new ideasabout how to put together the instrument ,but not always with an eye on how the instrument will be held and played in relation to any standerd technique. once u deverlop a technique on one kind of bass, it can sometimes requier a major change in that technique to go to another type of bass,since dimensions and part placements can fluctuate wildly.
this problem doesn't seem as severe for picking techniques, or for that matter, thimb popping. but it's been my experience that mant beginnin'players have trouble findinínformation on right hand technique for fingerin'pickin'electric bass.if they do have any technique, it is usually physically weak, with a lack of consistency in tone andnote volume that would never hold up onstage or in the studio. i believe a bass should be played with strength,usin'the strin'and the handsfor the attack and tone,rather than relyin'on electronics.this lends itself to tonal individuality,since no two sets of hands r alike.
my purpose for explaining my right hand technique is not an attempt to suggest that it is the correct method.it's worked well for me,but may not be effective for another player.but i have had many other players tell me that it has been helpful,even if only to assist em in formulating their own technique,using mine as a foundation.
here is an over view of the component parts of my right-hand technique,and the aspects of it that have helped other players:

Arm/Forearm(from shoulder down).if u sit down while u practice,be sure to adjust ur strap so that the guitar is in the same position it usually is when you play standing up. don't laugh. i've actually seen playerss burn away for hours in a dressing room,and then go onstage-changing the angle of every joint from shoulder to finger-and spend an entire set wondering why nothing works.this can also result in an extremely sore left shoulder.
many times people will unconsciously compensate for a long strp by shrugging their shoulder to raise the bass. take a close look at how u hold ur instrument.
my forearm pushes the bass-at its highest contour-into my ribs,which r tucked into the indentation on the side of the bass' body(a traditional p-bass style).Every point of contact is utilized for the stability of my hands,as well as the stability of the bass on my body.the forearm may lift off for various moves,but it generally holds the bass up against me.

Wrist.Recently, a group of bass players told me that they were advised to keep their wrists limp and floating over the strings.being limp-wristed is the last thing i would ever advise for anybody, especially bass players. to each his own,but i prefer locking my wrist to give my fingers a stable and strong foundation.that way u can get the most out of ur strings by playing firm-with conviction,strength,and solidity.save the light stuff for esoteric bass soloing.when u're playing bass in a band onstage,clam it down.

Thumb.primate mammals have pposable thumbs;that is, aa thumb that opposes or pushes against the forefingers, allowing precise articulation and manipulation. to pluck a string, i anchor my thumb and pull one of my fingers toeard it. the strebgth of the pluck is proportional to the firmness of the anchor.
my thumb touches 2parts of the bass in its normal position:the low E string ,the bridge side of the pickup(p-bass style pickup), and the pickguard or bassbody underneath.it moves to the top edge of the pickup when i play the Estring,or all strings together,and it moves down onto the A string and pickup when playing the D and G strings. it's always anchored firmly, usually touching two or more points. i've seen bass players improve dramatically by attending to--and remedying--this one point alone.

Fingertips And Joints. here we manipulate the actual sound of the strings. in order to get a good tone, it is advisable to develop a thick callus where ur finger makes contact with the string. extremely strength and endurance (and a high threshold for pain) ,will lead to well-callused fingertips. also ,a callus has a difference between drag coefficient than uncallused flesh when it passes over a string;like the defference between using eraser and a hard pick. the uncallused flesh grabs the string rather than percussively plucking it.
another often overlooked aspect of fingering is deciding which joints of the finger r best suited as flexing points. there r three joints for each finger: the 1st, nearest the fingernail ;the 2nd ,in the middle; and the 3rd at the knuckle.
I keep the knuckle tight and straight, flexing from the 2nd joint, leaving the 1st joint loose to rake over the string-bending backwards as it goes-while tightening or loosening the 1st joint to vary the strength of the attack. this is more effective than flexing from the knuckle, 'cos the radius of the arc created by the movement of the shorter finger length(middle joint to fingertip), is smaller than the radius of the arc created by the similar finger movement from the knuckle to the fingertip. therefore it can hit one string without hitting another in close proximity. the less u have to move, the les room there is for error.to take it to the extreme-imagine stiffening from shoulder to fingertip, laying ur bass down, and plucking from the shoulder. pretty inefficient.
that's a basic overview of right-hand techniqueas it applies to me and my playing. I hope that some of it may apply to u, and help u to establish a more comfortable, effecient approach.