Know a good vid on thumb position crab technique?

[fatback]

I'm getting comfortable (if that's the word ) practicing thumb position, but I'm not sure I'm getting the crab on the way down correctly - all a bit hit and miss.

I've found very few vids on crab technique. Any suggestions? In fact anything about thumb position on the way down could be very helpful.

Thanks for any info. Frustration levels rising dangerously.

[fatback]

Needing all the help I can get kind of bump...

Any good vids on thumb position techniques of any kind? I've got the Friedland, and that's good although not so clear on joining up the positions.

I'm wary of youtube without some kind of recommendation, cos I really don't want to acquire other people's bad habits.

As I said, my intonation problems tend to be on the way down the scales.

[Damo200]

I don't know about videos but you might want to buy the Petracchi Higher Technique book which has very concise exercises focusing on thumb position. I'm sure there may well be some demonstrations on youtube!

Edited June 20, 2012 by Damo200

[Hector]

[quote name='Damo200' timestamp='1340186879' post='1700519']
I don't know about videos but you might want to buy the Petracchi Higher Technique book which has very concise exercises focusing on thumb position. I'm sure there may well be some demonstrations on youtube!
[/quote]

A great book, hell of a roast but it really gets your chops together!

Fatty, I'd suggest that you just need to keep plugging away at getting more comfortable in TP. It seems to take a while for most to really get the feel of things up there and start to play with fluidity - just takes a lot of shedding. You could try taking melodies (real book stuff maybe, but anything you play lower down) and playing them up an octave in TP.

I think that getting comfortable up there as a solid foundation is the first step towards playing a decent crab (which I perceive to be relatively advanced as a technique). If you're finding tuning hard though, one thing that might help is to sing the line you're playing, or to play over a drone on the tonic.

But I have no idea where you're at with TP, so this could just be completely unhelpful! I haven't really seen any decent videos on YT that help with thumb position beyond the basics. There's a michael moore book that I heard was pretty good but don't have so can't comment on. There's also the Rabbath Art Of The Left Hand, which is out but costs a bomb. He'd know for sure.

[fatback]

Thanks for the replies lads.

I'll get hold of the Petracchi. Looks good. I think I'll have to bite the bullet and buy the Rabbath too, as the crab seems a very logical way of doing things. Insane pricing @ $115 though.

My intonation problem isn't about hearing the note; it's about the accuracy of crabbing down from say thumb on high D down to thumb on G. Half the time I end up having to correct with little slides. Nasty.

I'll crack this thing yet though.

Youtube seems strangely thin on this technique.

[TPJ]

[quote name='fatback' timestamp='1340196316' post='1700782'] Half the time I end up having to correct with little slides. Nasty. [/quote]

Only half? That's my technique almost all the time. I'm known as Captain Portamento.

[fatback]

[quote name='TPJ' timestamp='1340204498' post='1701001']
Only half? That's my technique almost all the time. I'm known as Captain Portamento.
[/quote]

[fatback]

I should have realised that there are several different approaches to thumb position as there are for everything else. No wonder i was confused.

Jason Heath makes useful comparisons here, for anyone interested (lower half of page).

[url="http://doublebassblog.org/2009/05/thoughts-about-edgar-meyers-bass-playing.html"]http://doublebassblog.org/2009/05/thoughts-about-edgar-meyers-bass-playing.html[/url]