Most of the time this will be down in practice, but really it depends on which beat and to which string the string crossing occurs.
Are you alternating picking all the time or just downpicking usually? Note that you don’t usually need to alternate for most eighth note songs - I’ve done 168bpm with just downpicks.
Disclaimer: I am in no way expert on bass, I’m just a newbie still learning but last night I tried to play Cure and needed a pick. I had tried a very heavy dunlop some years ago and it sucked.
I have now a usual Tortex (again by dunlop), .50mm and the attempt was really really smooth. Maybe it’s a pick thing?
Also try very. Very. Very slowly. Like you want to drink a bottle of bleach slow slowness.
i alternate. i wear out fast downpicking punk songs of straight 8ths for 3.5 min.
i use the orange tortex pics .5 mm i think
My current ‘struggle’ is the damn finger roll. I automatically apply a lot of force so there’s no buzz, but this creates a lot of tension in the whole arm so my shoulder and hand get sore quickly. If I ease up on the pressure I get buzz. Looking forward to getting this down, I tell you.
These take a while and get better with time (like all other things).
Keep playing and just let them work themselves into a thing.
Hi there,
For me, the finger rolls are difficult from a thin to a thicker string (like A to E) because you have to play the first note more with the ball of your finger.
This also flattens your hand a bit, so if you press hard the back of your hand gets sore. You could try to go closer to the fret wire to avoid buzz. Also check if you’re angling your wrist up (the hand would point “down”). I’ll attach a picture with what I do wrong and am trying out:
It looks to me that your thumb is too far forward. It should be more behind your fretting fingers and keep the headstock up at about 45 degrees.
Also, if you use a strap, which you should whether sitting or standing, you do not need to press very hard with your thumb and can actually fret strings without using it. 
I have this same problem, but it’s mostly because I can’t find the frets quickly enough. I know the songs well enough but I’m still unable to jump from 1st fret to 4th without problems.
Well, now I’m struggling with practice vs building more basses. The Taxibacker has pushed my yearning to another level and I’ve found a Leo Jaymz kit that I want to turn into a steampunk design using clear stickers mounted to a dark wood stained body and covered with layers of clear lacquer.
today i am struggling with buying another bass i don’t need but is on a crazy good sale. turns out buying a bass is way easier than practicing playing bass.
Building one fits into that category as well 
You have learned much, brave padawan.
Struggling with GAS today.
Yesterday DiMarzio released a bunch of new pickups. A Relentless line and a Sixties line of Jazz pickups, Today everything is on sale, and I’m gassing for a Sixties set for my Paranormal.
Must resist.
Pickup GAS got me too. I am currently lusting for either a Lindy Fralin single coil PBass pickup for my 54p Warmoth, or the Aguilar for the same bass. Even though the pickup in it is already great. I have resisted for a couple of days so far but it does not help that Sweetwater has the Aguilar and upped my card limit or that Reverb did the same through Affirm.
I agree, I usually use .6mm, but .5 would be a good choice for me as well.
I need the pick flex or I feel like I literally get stuck on the strings.
I am sure it is my poor picking form, but if a thinner pick works for me, so what
It’s why they have so many shapes and thicknesses, and materials, cuz one size definitely does not fit all.
I prefer my fingers for the most part, and have found little bass lines I play that I can’t keep up with my two fingers.
thanks @antonio for going to the trouble of the photos. I’m going to focus on getting this sorted out!
Oddly enough, the thing I’m struggling with now is the same things I struggle with on piano: I have an injury to my left hand that leaves me almost no fine motor movement on my pinkie. It’s like a ratchet. It’s either all the way back, relaxed or all the way forward with a significant “pop” when moving from relaxed to pushing down with it. I have strength to hold down strings or keys just fine. Trying to do any kind of complex movement with it, however, is almost impossible.
It’s lead to me having to alter my technique for piano and I’m having to figure stuff out on bass the same way. Usually Josh’s mico-shift tip works for me about 99% of the time. In the times where it doesn’t really work, I try to use my ring finger more.
The biggest problem is muting. I have to actually roll my wrist to relieve enough pressure with my pinkie to mute the string without buzzing due the on hard or off the string altogether nature of my pinkie’s movement. Still wind up accidentally causing harmonics more often than not. Trying to also figure out Wooten’s palm mute technique to offset things.
I’ll get the hang of it eventually, though. If I could figure out workarounds on the piano I can do it on the bass as well.
One thing I am noticing is if I don’t bend my pinkie at all, I can get noticeably smoother movement with it so I’m trying to build up the strength to keep the finger straight while playing. Unfortunately, that means having to un-learn years of rhythm guitar playing muscle memory.
Today’s struggle is patience. I have 3 packages in transit and no delivery dates
Tone City Blues Man Overdrive pedal, which I ordered from a shop in Canadastan, and seems to be at the border crossing since 3/27. Or possibly on the way. Because USPS uses a Ouija board to determine location. I don’t know to worry or not.
Boss Katana 50 amp. Bout it at zzzzzzOunds, free 2-day shipping, they shipped, it was to be delivered this week, and now it’s in a depot in AZ (for some time) with a big yellow Delay message and no date. Did the smush the box?
FGN Tele, in Sennan JP, waiting to get on a plane, looks like it’s a normal transit so far, but no date which is odd. Both my basses went to Sennan, and from Sennan to Oakland, so that must be a hub.
Sennan is all but a synonym for “Kansai International Airport”
