floating thumb technique?!?

[thumb4bob]

I just saw this a couple of days ago [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU[/url] been trying my best but I cant seem to get along with it. Anyone out there actually use this method??

[wulf]

Yes - I have been using this kind of approach for a long time and am fairly consistent about it (mind you, I normally play a 6 string bass, where the extra muting is more important).

Like anything, it takes a while to get used but I think it is worth perservering.

Wulf

[Alun]

I use it a reasonable amount but my reasoning was the same as Wulf's - I mainly play six and need to keep my B string quiet

I don't use it all the time but find it really helpful for soloing and chordal stuff where I'm up on the top strings.

Cheers,
Alun

[carlosfandango]

yeah I converted a while ago and i'm gettgin along fine with it now. very ergonomical way to play and you can get a really nice tone...it takes a while to get it right though. also, i can now between 4, 5 an 6 string basses withouy any problem as I use the same basic technique.

[thumb4bob]

hmmmm i need to switch to a 6 in the coming months, it might be worth giving it some more time, anyone got any tips for improving finger speed as im about a third of the speed of my normal technique at the mo

[Wil]

I thought I did use floating thumb, but where he rests his thumb over the strings I anchor mine on the E or A string, depending on what string I'm playing, then let it float or anchor on a pickup when playing the E.

The method he uses in the video where the thumb is never anchored just looks uncomfortable - I dig in a lot with my right hand and cant imagine that method working for me.

[Guest]

I have recently converted to this right hand style, the reason was i had one of those unexplained leaps in playing ability where you can suddenly play i piece that you have struggled with for ages, it really highlighted my lack of damping technique.

The bloke in the video makes it seem like an advanced technique but really all you do is anchor your thumb of the E if playing the A, when you need to play to play a note on the D you drop your whole hand down INCLUDING you thumb, your thumb now mutes the A while you play the D etc obviously when playing notes on the E you have no string to anchor on so you either let it float or or rest it on a convient pickup. Its really worth a go, I found it very quickly became natural, within a day or so and has made a huge improvement to my sound.
The bit about rotating your arm i think refers to when your playing on the higher strings you kinda rotate your hand/arm so the fat part of your thumb mutes the E/A but this happens naturally, just give it a go and don't think too much!

[funkysimon]

I use this technique and I play 5 string basses. The muting is certainly useful, but the main reason I wanted to get into it was that I found there was a lag when I switched from finger style to slap because my thumb had to "unanchor". I figured that if my thumb was floating over the strings anyway it would be nearer to the right position to start slapping. That said, I play in a band with a guy who really advocates the anchored thumb style and he has absolutely no problems swapping from finger style to slap, so maybe it's just me.

[wotnwhy]

so often i've heard people saying they don't like a bass because of the pickup placement, or just lack of pickups (ie, acoustic) because it means they have nowhere to anchor their thumb. so being able to float the thumb would open up a lot more options there.

also a lot of people are simply un-aware of the huge change in tone they can get from their instrument simply by changing where they pluck the string (ie, by the bridge for tight and punchy, but the next for deep and smooth), because they can only play in the position that their anchor place allows.

and when i watch people who anchor their thumbs playing something on the fast side and up on the top strings, it just looks plain uncomfortable, their hand all stretched, wrist very bent and fingers coming onto the strings at a harsh angle doesn't look like a good recipe for dextorous finger work.

and finally, the damping. your left hand naturally dampens the higher strings when your not playing them, but when anchoring the thumb the lower strings can sometimes be left open to ring when you don't want them to. floating the thumb keeps this under control and ultimatly helps you with a cleaner, clearer sound.


as for learning to do it. just approach it in the same way you did when you were learning left hand technique for the first time. reapeat simple excercises, take it slow, be patient and it will come. before you know it it will be second nature.

[carlosfandango]

another benefit; as described above you can easly move between slap and fingerstyle but also to "finger picking" and playing with your thumb and mute with your palm..thats .four differnet tones out of one basic position!

[fusionbassist1]

I'm interested in this non-anchored technique (is that a word???) but am also trying to force my self to learn to do it as I really don't want to have to cut my musical career short when I'm older due to arthritis and other injuries that (clearly) can be avoided. I am finding my shoulder a bit sore but I'm taking this as a good thing because in theory it means that I'm taking away some stress and basically the weight of my forearm from my wrist.

Could someone such as wotnwhy do their own video of them using this technique please, especially demonstrating the technique in use during string crossing etc. I'd just like someone else's camera angles and explanations of how the technique works for them rahter than how they drileld it into their hands. Thanx for posting the link btw.

[steve]

[quote name='fusionbassist1' post='105499' date='Dec 17 2007, 07:04 PM']especially demonstrating the technique in use during string crossing etc.[/quote]

+1

[wotnwhy]

[quote name='fusionbassist1' post='105499' date='Dec 17 2007, 07:04 PM']Could someone such as wotnwhy do their own video of them using this technique please, especially demonstrating the technique in use during string crossing etc.[/quote]


will certainly give it a try, it'll have to be done on a camera phone mind. but i'll give it a shot.

[wotnwhy]

right, hope this is what your after. if it's not, let me know what it is you need.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZFSeNy_GMk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZFSeNy_GMk[/url]

Edited December 19, 2007 by wotnwhy

[bremen]

[quote name='wotnwhy' post='106550' date='Dec 19 2007, 04:04 PM']right, hope this is what your after. if it's not, let me know what it is you need.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZFSeNy_GMk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZFSeNy_GMk[/url][/quote]

nice one, thanks!

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='bremen' post='106581' date='Dec 19 2007, 05:03 PM']nice one, thanks![/quote]

+1 Top man!

[wotnwhy]

cheers guys, glad i could be of some help

by the way, did anyone notice the brief cameo appearence from Ted the Dog? you need good eyes!

[steve]

Nice one.


[quote name='wotnwhy' post='106640' date='Dec 19 2007, 06:54 PM']by the way, did anyone notice the brief cameo appearence from Ted the Dog? you need good eyes! [/quote]

0:30 into the vid, what's the prize?

[ped]

Good vid Tom!! Well funny when Ted comes to see who you are talking to!!!

[wotnwhy]

[quote name='ped' post='106672' date='Dec 19 2007, 07:58 PM']Good vid Tom!! Well funny when Ted comes to see who you are talking to!!![/quote]

ha ha! i didn't even realise he'd come in when i was filming it. i just noticed this little flash when i watched it back. it's like he comes in to see whats going on, spots the camera and thinks 'i'm outta here!' lol

[fusionbassist1]

Great video man !!! I'm thinking of posting a video of my progress so far with the technique. I've got 4 years of playing with an anchored thumb on the neck pickup behind me so it's just un-learning that from my haad and getting used to things like raking which was a conveniently easy thing to do previously but now requires more co-ordination between pulling my shoulder back and bringing my hand with it. also playing 3 note chords with my thumb for the bass note is proving rather different, playing P.o.T. and making sure all the notes ring freely is proving to be a bitch. I got to try out floating thumb in a gig yesterday and I didn't find the technique a hold back, just myself still trying to do my 'old' licks. It's been refreshing loosing a bit of confidence and having to step back from everything and analyse what exactly I'm doing as a whole and have noticed I'm probably over-complicating some of my lines. All is going well though, it's always nice to see new videos and putting hands/faces to basschat avatars.

Interesting bass you've got int he video as well wotnwhy.

[thumb4bob]

+1 cheers for that, i'd actually given up on the technique due to a bout of extreme lazyness but im back at it now and that helps a lot:)

[wotnwhy]

really glad to hear it's helping people. it's really a such a usefull technique, you can play any bass without getting thrown off by different pickup placement (or no pickups), and it becomes a piece of cake to instantly change your tone (just move your hand position).

the bass is and acoustic guitar body with a home made (not by me) neck and a slab for a finger board. suprisingly nice sound and playability

[fusionbassist1]

[quote name='wotnwhy' post='108251' date='Dec 22 2007, 05:43 PM']the bass is and acoustic guitar body with a home made (not by me) neck and a slab for a finger board. suprisingly nice sound and playability [/quote]

weeeeeeeird

[mcgraham]

Good video there, good to see someone else who uses it!

Floating thumb affords you so much freedom because there is literally nothing fixed that would restrict your movement as with a normal anchor. The muting is almost an added bonus!

I'd naturally gravitated towards using a movable anchor (in a manner similar to floating thumb) in the beginning, my thumb was always one string behind the string I was plucking. However it wasn't anchored hard at all, in fact the only thing that qualified it as being anchored was that my thumb was inserted into the imaginary surface that the strings lie on/form. I learned about floating thumb and it made me lighten my touch and helped me to see the inefficiency in any form of anchoring.

I'm afraid I can't post a video as of yet, however I would add that, like learning any technique, you have to find what is most ergonomic (note I didn't use the word comfortable) for you. For instance, Tom's use of floating thumb is verrry similar to how Todd Johnson looks when using floating thumb, the hand slightly angled backwards towards the bridge (fingertips closer to the bridge and wrist closer to the neck). His thumb is also alongside his index finger. My hand (on the other hand ) is angled slightly forwards towards the headstock end (fingertips closer to the neck and wrist closer to the bridge), and once my index finger has plucked it falls back into the tip of my thumb, my thumb is actually behind the index, in fact the index is further out to the left than the thumb. All these things are minute but they are the most ergonomic and the slightest thing makes all the difference when practicing and developing technique.

I'll try and take some pictures at some point, they'd have to be a camera phone as well tho.

Mark