Double Thumbing Advice

[dr.funk]

I have been following this [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM7EOeaybL4&feature=user"]tutorial video[/url] on double thumbing. When the guy shows you how to hit the string he is able to bend the top joint of his thumb back thus making a curved shape and the only part of his thumb striking the string is the nail.

I am unable to bend my thumb back and consequently on the upstroke I am attacking the string with the bit of flesh just above the knuckle. I would like to know if this is a correct way of playing or if I should be adjusting my hand position? I don't want to learn any bad habits so am trying to get it right from the start.

I suppose a solution is to move my wrist but this results in bringing my thumb perpendicular to the strings and all videos I have seen have the thumb parallel between the strings.


Thanks

Chris

[Galilee]

I'm with you, I always get my thumb stuck under the string on the upstroke.

[bluesparky]

After listening to too much Victor, i've tried several times to play this way.
Every time i end up getting disheartened after several weeks of practice and feel that I should be using my time more productively and practicing other stuff.
Of course now this topic has been brought up i'll no doubt spend many more hours in the next few weeks trying it again!

[geilerbass]

Stuart Clayton posts on this forum and he's written a book on the subject of slap, that includes double-thumbing. Perhaps he could offer up some wisdom, if he reads this?

[Mokl]

I don't profess to be an expert, but I don't have a double jointed thumb and can pull this off okay, in fact I tend to keep my thumb fairly straight. I try to keep my thumb and wrist pretty much still - the movement coming almost entirely from my forearm. I found that it helps to imagine that the outside tip of my thumb is a plectrum stuck on the end of my arm, and I'm trying to pick cleanly up and down through the string. It does feel a bit weird at first, but once you have it down you can pretty much strum along as you wish. I don't think that you should be hitting the string with your knuckle on the up, although if it works for you who is to say it is wrong?!

I still haven't mastered up, down + pluck on the same string... my plucking finger always seems to mute the string before I can perform the pluck and thus makes it sound disjointed. I've tried varying hand positions but can't quite nail it. Don't know if anybody can shed any light on this?

Edited October 7, 2008 by Mokl

[Stuart Clayton]

[quote name='geilerbass' post='280389' date='Sep 9 2008, 02:33 PM']Stuart Clayton posts on this forum and he's written a book on the subject of slap, that includes double-thumbing. Perhaps he could offer up some wisdom, if he reads this?[/quote]

I sure can. Double thumbing can be quite easy to get to grips with, but you need to have set your bass up correctly for it. The most important factor is the string to body distance at the end of the fretboard. On some basses this is quite low, and on some it's a lot higher. The danger with the gap being too high is that your thumb will get caught under the string on the upstroke - potentially painful! The way to get around this is to build a ramp. Start with pieces of card stuck to the body underneath the strings at the end of the fretboard. Build the card up in layers until you find the height that works for you. You need to be able to double thumb easily, but also slap and pop as you normally would. Once you have shaped the ramp to the right height you can have a luthier make you a nicer looking one that matches your bass. Or you can make your own.

My bass (a GB Rumour) has a low string to body height, but an additional problem to work around: a groove for truss rod access! Without a ramp my thumb ends up in there every time if I am double thumbing! The ramp helps me get around that nicely and with it installed, the technique is a lot easier.

I did indeed write a book on the slap technique and it features 3 chapters on double thumbing - plenty of info/pics about the ramp in there too. You can check it out here: [url="http://www.basslinepublishing.com/Books/UltimateSlapBass/tabid/69/Default.aspx"]http://www.basslinepublishing.com/Books/Ul...69/Default.aspx[/url]

Hope that helps, let us know how you get on.

Cheers
Stuart