This week I’m going to give you a quick little tip for incorporating some quick little ghost notes into your bass lines using only one finger. So we’re looking at efficiency in our playing and economy of motion.
Ghost Notes
Ghost notes are those dead notes that we get by holding our hand against the strings without fretting a note. We use them to add momentum to a line.
I’m going to assume a basic knowledge of ghost notes for this lesson. If you don’t know the basics just CLICK HERE for some starter lessons
Raking Ghost Notes
In the video above I show you the technique for raking along the strings with one finger as a means of developing a cascade of ghost notes
The following bass line can be used to practice raking over two strings:
three Strings:
or even Four Strings:
Obviously adding these ghost notes in this way has to be practiced until it becomes second nature and the application is completely based on context.
Sometimes, it just doesn’t feel right and the ghost notes on the single string will be preferable. But you might find this technique to be really useful when moving into higher tempos so practice it until your muscle memory develops and you can play them at any speed you need.
Excellent lesson Mark ! I am currently learning “Stillborn” by Black Label Society which includes very fast picking with a plectrum( I stumble to much with 2 and 3 finger galloping) as well as a lot of ghost note play in the bass line . Both of which I am now forced to learn more and practice more than I have been.
Bravo for this lesson I will get it down and transfer the skill and ability to that song as well as your lessons on playing with a pick (plectrum).
Thank You !!!
Just awesome. The way how you teach and your approach to lesson’s is brilliant. A lot of information in about 10 minutes, presented in a very understandable way.
Thanks buddy .\m/.