I am completely self taught. I have been playing Bass for about 4 or 5 months and I can play a great many songs to 80 or more percent. My problem is not knowing how to place my fingers correctly.

I shy away from songs that require a great deal of finger placement. I find myself almost always using my index and middle finger. Then when I want to play some great blues songs with fantastic bass riff's, there is no way for me to keep up.

Watching some of those great YouTube videos of people playing their bass's and seeing how smoothly their fingers move across the frets just cements the fact that I am definitely not doing it correctly.

 

Help a brother out.

 

Is there some wonder video or other avenue for learning correct finger placement ?

 

I can give you some advice before I go off looking up what I have that's helped me brother!

 

For starters, learn a scale, if you haven't already, the Minor/Major Pentatonic  are great starters.

What makes them good starters is their patterns. 

Usually, to practice you would start on the 5th fret E string, then comes your pinky finger on the 8th fret E string. 

And so on and so forth, you work up and down the scale.

 

With that in mind, look at your bass.

 

(which string is not important, but try a lil' string skipping) 

 

First finger on the first fret!

Second finger, second fret,

Third finger, third fret

And your forth finger, forth fret.

 

Now, to keep it a habit, play all those notes in different orders and on different strings. BUT keep to the same frets.

 

Once you're a little comfortable, move up the scale, now starting with your first finger on the FIFTH fret, and then each finger follows til your pinky is on the EIGHTH fret.

 

Just move up and down the neck of the Bass and get the fingers holding down strings, which will make them stronger!

 

TIPS!

 

+ With this practice especially, it's easy for your third and pinky finger to move away from the neck.

   Keep those fingers hugging close to the neck so they're ready to play a note/double-stop/Chord

 

+ Flea is one of the best out there today! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avf2S5MOEeg&index=29&list=LL7nh2rWYtEKzImyZ9q-RC1w

   So check this out for some help, nice exercises to follow along with.

 

+ A Contributor on this site has some Rad exercise tracks! Here is a list of the bass ones.

   http://customsforge.com/page/customsforge_rs_2014_cdlc.html/_/pc-enabled-rs-2014-cdlc/bass-finger-exercises-r9

   http://customsforge.com/page/customsforge_rs_2014_cdlc.html/_/pc-enabled-rs-2014-cdlc/bass-exercise-part-2-r6345

   http://customsforge.com/page/customsforge_rs_2014_cdlc.html/_/pc-enabled-rs-2014-cdlc/bass-string-muting-exercise-r6331

   http://customsforge.com/page/customsforge_rs_2014_cdlc.html/_/pc-enabled-rs-2014-cdlc/metal-rhytm-exercise-r6412

 

Make sure to give him some love man!

 

 

           And here is a big sonsabitch wallpaper of my favourite bass player. Mr. Les Claypool-Esquire I

            http://simetriamusical.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/les-claypool-primus.jpg

WOW !!!!!

 

Thank you so much for taking the time and effort that went into your reply.

This is great !  I can't wait to start.

 

Again, thank you very much for your help.

No problem mate! Just 'Play that funky music' :D