Belgian bass fingerings

[tcabot]

Hi All.

Can somebody please advise on the correct fingerings to use when playing a 3+3 bass (Belgian system in my case)? Which fingers would you use for bass rows & chords?

Thank you.

 

[debra]

I play international system, and then you use 4 for the base note or third, 3 for major, 2 for quint, and 4 for the base note or third, 2 for minor, 7th or dim and 3 for quint.
WIth the Belgian bass system I have seen played a lot you use 3 for the base note or third, 2 for the chords and 4 for the quint. That's with a 2+4 setup. I think that with a 3+3 system you may want to use 4 for minor third. (You could also use 4 for major third on both 2+4 and 3+3.)
Note that there is no uniformly agreed-upon bass fingering. There are also teachers to advise 3 on the base note with the international bass layout.

 

[tcabot]

Thank you.
So pretty much what I've been doing so far - whatever finger happens to be near the right button.
I though maybe there was a "proper" way of fingering.

 

[losthobos]

So pretty much what I've been doing so far - whatever finger happens to be near the right button.
I though maybe there was a "proper" way of fingering.

Sounds like the 'proper' way to me....though it's worth considering the next note you're going for...
I tend to try and see phrases in the bass lines and then work out the fingering that sounds smoothest..so fingering changes from piece to piece anyway...
Enjoy