Mid finger plucking sounds “clacky”

Technique
1

Good morning everyone :-).
I got this problem and since this is the friendliest community i could ever imagine here i am asking for help…
I have a problem with sound when i pluck with my mid finger (mostly). It often sounds “clacky” while sound with my index sounds a lot smoother. I even notice that this happens more when i’m playing a bit faster. Any suggestion on how to improve? It is something just “normal” at the very early stage on bass progression (where i actually am ofc) which will fix itsel in time?
Ty for your advice :slight_smile:

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I get the clank when I dig in really hard ( usually when I’m really enjoying myself) but it has improved greatly over time as I’ve learned that I don’t have to pluck hard to get the sound I want.

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Your index and mid finger might hit the strings in different angles. This can happen when you stretch your fingers instead of moving your hand while going up to higher pitched strings. Hitting G or D string in a steep angle can cause a clacking sound.

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Yeah, I agree with @thomas. You might be pulling the strings slightly away from the bass when plucking with your middle finger. Maybe you can create a short video of your plucking and see if you can spot what you’re doing differently? Or post it here if you like and we’ll have a look.

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Trim your fingernails

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The clackiness is IMHO the different angle of pluck than you use with your index finger. Play around with the angle of your arm/wrist. By default we tend to “model” our play routine on the basis of one “anchor” point, which is mostly index finger which most people handle the best by default. The best way how to find out if your plucking hand is in good form is to try to alternate 4th notes with 16th notes. You will find if your hand is in good position in relation to strings, or if you will just mash strings without any control.

Also if you play long enough and have calluses, the part of the callus you hit a string with plays a big part in the sound.

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I was also going to suggest trimming your nails. I know that when I put this off I always notice it first when plucking with my middle finger.

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Steve Harris approves of the “clackiness”

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ty all. it’s probably a matter of attack angle as many of you have written. i’ll try to adjust it ty :blush:

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