I’m really struggling with the finger roll technique. Especially when playing powerchord arpeggios and trying to play the fifth and the octave with my pinky finger.
I’ve looked around on YouTube for some exercises but I’m really struggling to find any intuitive exercise that isn’t just mindlessly doing it over and over again in a very unmusical way. Is there a song or specific exercise anyone thinks is great for learning the finger roll?
Hotel California by the Eagles.
The bassline is almost all first/fifth/octave arpeggios played from the octave to the fifth to the first, so if you don’t use ring/pinky for the fifth and octave, and instead… bar them, I guess, with your pinky, it’s a really good exercise to help learn rolling the pinky up off the octave to play just the fifth.
Oh awesome. Thanks Tim! I’ll try that. I’m still curious to know what exercises other people have used for the finger roll in general
They way that the human hands were designed the ring finger and the pinky is staggered perfectly to fret the fifth and octave so if you feel that’s there’s enough time to move around you can just fret them individually. Usually people roll the index and maybe middle finger.
Just don’t record this … and post to YouTube… the Eagles are notorious for Copywrite striking anyone and everyone who covers their stuff.
Probably why The Dude hates them so much…
Eagle who? New punk band?
Bonus points for any mention of the Dude!
I hate the fuckin’ Eagles, man…
Is that the band who treat everyone like thieves? Lovely.
Please can this thread not just become about something completely different.
I don’t love the Eagles either but I’m incredibly grateful for the help JustTim provided. While I would love to practice this with a song I love, I recognise how helpful this will be so I don’t mind.
That’s what I currently do but it just feels inefficient and I want to enforce good habits. Thanks for the advice though 
This is Bassbuzz … where you WILL get your answers … but threads derail nonetheless… just roll with it… you can’t change it 
That’s to me is a good habit it employs the economy of motions when time permits. Unless you are rolling your pinky on a D and G string because you immediately have to shift your ring to the E string.
Again your mileage may vary.
I do not have normal hands, evidently, LOL. Ring finger/pinky on fifth and octave feels exceedingly awkward and is harder for me to play than is rolling my pinky.
Great sentiment, but I don’t think that will ever happen. 
Also check out Money (Pink Floyd) and Limelight (Rush). Limelight is chock full of pinky rolls and as an added bonus, you can work in a whole bunch of first finger rolls too!
I don’t know if this is supposed to be a finger roll but I use one…
The Fabulous Thunderbirds song Tuff Enough has a cool (tricky for me) hammer on into a index finger roll in the refrain
Rest of song is pretty easy and fun to play (for beginner like me)
Love the Fabulous Thunderbirds. As the house band at Antone’s here in Austin, I’ve seen them more times than i could ever remember. Jimmie Vaughn on guitar and Kim Wilson on lead vocals and wicked harp, those cats are the real blues deal.
I saw them in New Orleans, playing on the Riverboat President, the night before Mardi Gras. John Lee Hooker was their lead-in act!
The guys went through a few tunes, then there was a short pause before Dr. John came onstage and took a seat behind the baby grand. Another couple of tunes went down before another brief pause and Bonnie Raitt walked on stage. After that, Bonnie and the good doctor sang backup for the TBirds. It was a killer show.
Sounds an awesome show. Fabulous band (no pun intended 
). I understand they’re based in Austin but unfortunately when I was in Austin, most thing were COVID closed so never saw them live.
Another lesser known band but same vibe is Grinderswitch. Love the album Redwing.
