Thanks for the question, Bas,

What I mean is that many people seem to be satisfied with simply applying what they know about fretting notes on a guitar or bass neck to the right hand, since it is lined up with the frets in a similar manner, and using this technique for both hands.

Personally, I find using the typical finger-up-and-down fretting motion inadequate in a number of areas. These are dynamic control, speed, smoothness, tone, playing repeated notes, and hand independence. I believe better results can be had in all these areas by applying a unified technique based on a combination of hand and finger movement, where the hands move just as easily along the string from position to position as they do along the frets within in a single position.

It's because I was not a guitarist or bassist that I learned how to play in a way that's different from most other players. And it's only within the last eight or nine years that I've figured out just how it is different.

In terms of what it offers the player, this basic hand movement approach makes the following things much easier (in my opinion):

1. Playing notes with consistent tone, volume and articulation no matter which finger is playing the note, and no matter whether you are going up a string or coming down.

Being able to play consistently in these areas is essential to having control over the musicality of your playing. You need a consistent baseline from which you can apply your musical intent in the form of expression, alternate articulations, etc. Hand movement involves the large muscles and mass of your arms to support the fingers, which compensates for the differences in their strength and size. You can only use these muscles effectively if the instrument is in a position that supports this movement (more vertical, leaning back toward the shoulder) otherwise you will have to rely on finger movement alone to get the strings moving.

2. Playing independent parts in a truly independent way. This happens because the hand movement assumes responsibility for the rhythmic aspect of the music, removing that responsibility from the fingers themselves. So making music becomes less about coordinating a sequence of fingerings and more about controlled and conscious phrasing of independent parts.

Also, when each hand has the ability to phrase in this way, each can relate to the music as a whole unit, not as a group of fingers, each responsible for interacting with other fingers on that hand as well as the fingers on the other hand. The common focus on fingering puts too much responsibility on the fingers themselves and takes the attention of the player away from the broader musical statements involved, because playing becomes about fingering.

With the broader basic technique I teach, the movement of the hands along the string happens at the elbow joint. Except for extremely rapid passages within a specific hand position, every note has some element of this hand motion driving it.

By moving the focus of rhythmic phrasing away from the individual finger joints and giving it to each hand's corresponding elbow joint, Stick playing becomes much more like playing other instruments where this kind of motion is the driving force behind in rhythmic phrasing: strummed guitar, violin, rock and jazz piano, drums, etc.

If it's not clear, I apologize. It's much harder t write about than it is to show in action. (I can show you this very clearly in a skype lesson. I'm also working on some DVDs that will demonstrate this).

As I said at the beginning, many people don't seem to care about this. They are happy to apply what they know from the guitar or bass to both hands and work on their music that way. Having never played those instruments, I learned the Free Hands method by developing a basic technique that comes from the instrument itself, rather than from the guitar or bass.

Time will tell if other people think it is a useful approach. I can only put it out there.

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the extensive answer !
I think I understand somewhat better now, but reading about it is one thing, putting it to practice is another, so I think it's time for me to install/check skype/google video, do some tests and then schedule a lesson. My approach is pretty simple : anything that help me get better, is welcome. I watched your recent video's and already tried to put some of that to practice and i'm pretty sure I will benefit from that.
I will contact you as soon as I have everything up and running from the technical side here

Cheers,
Bas.