How to Finger Pick Bass Lines on Guitar

You may be great at blazing on the guitar with a pick, but don't forget about that old standard finger picking. Learning how to finger pick involves looking at how your fingers can best access the strings for faster play. When you're looking at a bass line, you won't pick your bass line on a guitar the way a bass player would on a bass guitar. In most cases, it's going to be different. Here are some ways to do effective bass line finger picking on an electric or acoustic guitar composition.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Alternate fingers. Bass guitar players do this all the time. For regular guitar, you'll want to do it sparingly. However, it is one technique for finger picking on the bottom strings. If you're not playing a full guitar melody on all strings, bass line picking with alternating fingers will get you a steady bass line. Practice using first your index, then middle, then ring finger on a string.

2. Use your thumb. For most finger picking with full guitar melodies, your thumb will be in charge of the bottom strings, while your other fingers will be picking the higher strings. Practice assigning a finger to each string for faster play.

3. Try your assigned finger picking with an open chord structure. Take the last step and apply it to this practice. Create a chord structure like A minor or C major with your left hand. Then, with your right, practice playing strings in sequence, with your thumb picking the lower strings.

4. Try power chord structures. Another way you can pick bass lines on guitar is with power chords. For power chords on the bottom of the guitar, put your finger two frets higher on the A string than the E string, and you'll have a two-note harmonic chord that you can easily pick with your fingers for a low, bass sound.

5. Utilize techniques like sweeps. Sweep picking is generally associated with electric or metal guitar, but you can use it in picking bass lines with your thumb. Simply hold your chord position and sweep your thumb across multiple low strings to hear a fast note sequence. This technique and others can be worked into finger picking for faster, better sounds.