Uploaded September 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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Which bass plucking technique is the best - raking or strict alternating? Let’s battle ‘em out on 3 songs to find out. Hadouken! 👊🏼💥

With all the online debate and confusion about “the best bass plucking technique,” it’s time to settle the score.

In this lesson the Strict Alternating technique will battle against the Raking technique, AKA “economy plucking.”

Technique #1, Strict Alternating, means you ALWAYS pluck index-middle-index-middle-etc., regardless of note groupings or string crossings. (or middle-index-middle-index, you can start on either finger)

Technique #2, Raking, means that when you cross from a higher-pitched string to the next lower string (like from the G string to the D string), you can reuse the finger you just plucked with, since it’ll be resting on that string after your previous pluck. That’s why it’s also called “economy plucking” - you’re reusing the same finger so you don’t have to switch.

In this vid, we’ll take both techniques through their paces by battling them out on three popular songs - “Just What I Needed,” by the Cars, “My Friend of Misery,” by Metallica, and “Johnny Kick a Hole in the Sky” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Each round’s winner will be awarded a point, and by the end we’ll see who emerges victorious. Ready… Fight!

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#BassPluckingTechnique #Raking #StrictAlternating #Round1Fight

NOTE - Just What I Needed was removed thanks to YT's copyright policies.