I am a long time bass player and I recently bought a Stick Bass. I am slowly learning the ropes of this fantastic instrument and what I can and cannot (yet!) do on it.

One of the things I cannot do yet is pump eighth notes like I can on a bass guitar. On that instrument, I am able to pick downstrokes (best) or use alternating pick strokes (still good) to solidly drive a song. However, I have yet to successfully emulate this on my Stick Bass and have come to the conclusion that I must be approaching it the wrong way. For the role I play, i.e., bass in a rock band, it is important that I'm able to do this!

Currently, I am using one finger to tap the string as solidly as possible behind the fret. When I try to tap a bass note repeatedly and quickly, it gets harder to give each note the consistent tone and authority that it's easy to get on a bass guitar. I realize that some of this will hopefully come with practice and time. However, is there any advice you can give me to help me get there a little sooner?

I appreciate your help!

Thanks,
Mike

For me the best way to get even, "pumping" eighths is to use alternate fingers (imagine a drummer attempting a solid roll with only one stick). Greg Howard has an excellent demonstration of this in the video below, at the 3:22 mark. I don't play the SB8 (I have an 80's 10-string) but the technique is transferable, solid and not difficult to master:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVNNUHKZWLw[/youtube]

Hope this helps!

Eric

Thanks, Eric, for pointing to this video.

The technique I teach works for any tuning configuration (or instrument) assuming you can position it for free movement of the left arm like the Stick is in this video.

The key to playing solid repeated notes is shifting the hand along the line of the string. This takes care of the timing and makes it easier to balance out the volume and length of the notes.

This hand movement concept doesn't just apply to repeated notes. You can use it for any interval/finger combination to develop a universal approach to playing The Stick, so that you can think less about fingering and more about the expression you want to convey.

This is covered in more depth in my upcoming instructional DVD (should be out in December)

May I add that the hand movement concept is an invaluable help when you also sing. It's a key element for consistent timing, greater dynamic range and control.