right hand technique

[Al Heeley]

A fairly basic question - trying to brush up on my technique a bit, been browsing through youtube bass tutorial videos - what is considered the best or preferred technique for the right hand - there's a lot of conflicting information out there?
Some say root the thumb on the pickup cover, some say keep thumb static regardless of which string you pluck, others say the thumb should move up and down with the fingers depending on the string plucked, resting on the string above the one plucked.
What is the concensus on best technique for the right hand?

[louisthebass]

I use the moveable anchor - for example, if I'm playing on the A string, my thumb will be sitting on the E string. There's a good video on YouTube by Adam Nitti that covers right hand technique.

I think it's a case of using whatever technique works best for you personally without killing your right hand.

Cheers,
louisthebass

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='1281864' date='Jun 25 2011, 09:23 AM']A fairly basic question - trying to brush up on my technique a bit, been browsing through youtube bass tutorial videos - what is considered the best or preferred technique for the right hand - there's a lot of conflicting information out there?
Some say root the thumb on the pickup cover, some say keep thumb static regardless of which string you pluck, others say the thumb should move up and down with the fingers depending on the string plucked, resting on the string above the one plucked.
What is the concensus on best technique for the right hand?[/quote]

The concensus would probably be to do what works best for you, although on Basschat we might not even agree on that

If you're playing a 4 stringer you can usually get away with keeping your thumb anchored on the pickup but on a 5 or 6 string you'll probably run into muting problems with open strings ringing out. Probably the most logical way is to hop your thumb off the pickup and up to the E, A, or D strings if you're playing the G and C, it should give you a more consistent tone across the strings because you'll probably be attacking them at the same angle. This can be modified to the floating thumb technique where you don't dig in with your thumb, just rest it flat against the lower strings you're not playing like this: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU[/url]

I've ended up using a random array of techniques including lots of left hand muting on simpler basslines (necessary for slap or pick playing), muting with my ring and little finger on my right hand, or occasionally the floating thumb technique. I don't really pay too much attention to what I'm doing until something doesn't work and some open string gets away from me, usually the floating thumb technique fixes that.

[Juggernot]

Depends what sound you are after, how hard you hit the string etc. You should just experiment and find your own way.

[Al Heeley]

[quote name='Juggernot' post='1282069' date='Jun 25 2011, 12:47 PM']Depends what sound you are after, how hard you hit the string etc. You should just experiment and find your own way.[/quote]
I guess you always have to find what works for you best, depending on what you are playing, I was just trying to go back and examine what bad habits and shortcuts I'd picked up along the way, that I could address to pick up my technique a bit.

[Juggernot]

Depends on the type of music you play but it's the bad habits and pecadiloes that make your sound unique I think.

[thisnameistaken]

Do whatever allows you to play comfortably and cleanly. The one thing I would advise is - if you're picking with two fingers - try to play consecutive notes with alternate fingers as much as possible, otherwise you end up in a situation where when changing strings you favour a certain finger, or playing certain patterns you find it hard to start on the other finger, etc. It can cause problems later on where you will end up tripping over yourself due to bad habits.

[mcgraham]

Good point TNIT. What I found really helped with this is to practice everything I know starting with one finger, then starting with the other. I try to run exercises against a metronome twice at each speed this way so that one starting finger pattern doesn't become better than the other - in much the same way you wouldn't work out your right bicep 80-90% of the time whilst at the gym and your left only 10-20% of the time, you'd want to keep the time spent on each as even as possible.

[JTUK]

Muting mostly depends on how clean you are...IMO

I play lightly and a 5st so I use pickup or B st as thumb rests and don't find a need to go across strings any further but this evolved.

If I had a dampening problem I would have had to deal with it.
Some like an anchor, some don't need it...

I wouldn't get too hung up on what is percieved as best as this in itself can be a limiter to another style/technique.
As long as you can play your lines the way you want to... then you are there or thereabouts..!!

[chris_b]

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='1281864' date='Jun 25 2011, 09:23 AM']....what is considered the best or preferred technique for the right hand....[/quote]
Just hit the right string cleanly and in time!

I saw John Patitucci, who has more technique in his little finger than I could dream of, and he anchored on the pickup cover. With your right hand you can anchor, float, mute, slap, tap, use 1, 2, 3 fingers and a thumb, or even a pick! Whatever works for you.

[chris_b]

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='1282077' date='Jun 25 2011, 12:57 PM']....I was just trying to go back and examine what bad habits and shortcuts I'd picked up....[/quote]
As long as they don't trip you up, I think shortcuts are OK.

[51m0n]

The more you can mute with your right hand the less you [i]have [/i]to do with your left hand.

Floating thumb on a 5, moveable anchor on a 4; tho I havent picked up the 4 for ages and would probably find myself floating on that too now as its so much easier to play that way now....

[Chest Rockwell]

hmm. I've found myself floating my thumb when just plonking around at home on normal tuned Pbass. It felt more relaxed. dindt realise it was an actual technique! I find resting on the string above difficult unless playing slow, so just floated it. I do find it a slight struggle to bounce around as im quite physical (i.e. Rawk > economy of motion!) when I play so i think i might try and incorporate that more into what im doing simply because it might help with those awkward stretches and make my movements more fluid.

nice thread!

[ZMech]

I heard about the floating thumb technique, and it just seemed like a much more logical method to me. I used this video by todd johnson, was very helpful:

[LiamPodmore]

I tend to anchor on the pickup or B string, or use floating thumb, i don't take much notice of what technique im using.

Liam

[Doddy]

[quote name='chris_b' post='1285096' date='Jun 28 2011, 11:24 AM']I saw John Patitucci, who has more technique in his little finger than I could dream of, and he anchored on the pickup cover.[/quote]

Patitucci's anchor point changes as he moves up the strings though,it's not fixed on the pickup.When he's playing the top two strings his thumb is usually on the D string,the side of his thumb mutes the A, while his ring and little fingers mute the E and B strings.
That's pretty much the way that my right hand works too,although not as well because Patitucci is just awesome. I don't particularly like the floating thumb,although I've caught myself using it on occasion,but I don't find that I get as much power from it-it's great for playing lightly,but for me it lacks 'balls'.

[chris_b]

The Todd Johnson floating thumb video is a completely different technique to what I was talking about. He's using the thumb as a mute. My understanding of floating thumb was you moved the thumb to rest on different strings depending on the note you're playing.

I don't think about my right hand at all but I guess I mute the lower strings with my right hand and mute the higher, and sometimes the lower strings, with my left hand.

[chris_b]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1285160' date='Jun 28 2011, 12:20 PM']....Patitucci's anchor point changes as he moves up the strings though....[/quote]
OK, so I use "floating/moveable anchor point" which I seem to have been incorrectly calling "floating thumb"!! I learnt something today.

[JTUK]

I have to say that moving the large shoulder muscle is a lot of energy for a job that needs finesse and accuracy and constant movement.. so it strikes me as an inefficient way of doing things and potentially tiring. and storing up probs with a large muscle down the line..??

But each to their own

[mcgraham]

TBH you learn to find that perfect balance spot for your own body where it isn't too high or too low, and feels incredibly relaxed and requires very little effort to keep it there. Some guys overdo it and hoist their plucking arm up like they're about to do the Ricky Gervais dance; others underdo it and they relax so much they get a crook in their wrist, which is also bad for carpal tunnel and causing impedance of movement long term.

[Prime_BASS]

I anchor the thumb on the pickup, and move it up to the lower strings when playing on the higher ones.
I believe this to be the best way (for me atleast) as it stops the low notes and open strings from sustaining to long and over bearing the higher notes.

[thisnameistaken]

I imagine if I tried to do a 'floating thumb' my picking movements would just move my hand towards the string rather than the string towards my hand. Surely you need something to provide the equal and opposite force to your plucking finger, and if your thumb isn't doing it then what is?

[dc2009]

[quote name='JTUK' post='1285090' date='Jun 28 2011, 11:14 AM']Muting mostly depends on how clean you are...IMO

I play lightly and a 5st so I use pickup or B st as thumb rests and don't find a need to go across strings any further but this evolved.

If I had a dampening problem I would have had to deal with it.
Some like an anchor, some don't need it...

I wouldn't get too hung up on what is percieved as best as this in itself can be a limiter to another style/technique.
As long as you can play your lines the way you want to... then you are there or thereabouts..!![/quote]

Yeah I'm the same as JT here. I used to move my thumb anchor consistently to the string below the required string for that particular run (usually not worth moving for less than 4 notes if at mid-tempo), but I've sort of lost practice of that/can't do it as fluidly anymore, and use the pup or the B, I think it's because my hands have grown and I can now do what I used to do attack wise without moving my thumb anchor.

[mcgraham]

TNIT, it'd be easy to think that, and there is a little bit of give towards the strings, but very little. Basically you lighten up your touch, gain some anchorage from the side of the thumb and any other parts of the arm in contact with the bass, and is also supported by the shoulder/arm complex. Having said that, if you like to reeeally dig in, then floating thumb probably won't feel quite as physically satisfying as anchoring. Like any technique (particularly those worth learning) there are aspects you need to get comfortable with. The benefits are great though.