in case you dont know what this is, its a recessive gene that makes your natural "thumbs up" position near 90 degrees bent back. here (http://pics.livejournal.com/qafhappy/pic/0001etb0) is a picture (not my hands)

i have it, and i think it makes slapping difficult. if im not careful, the top bit of my thumb hits lower strings while im slapping

also, double thumbing is difficult. which i think just me, because the man (wooten) who came up with it has a hitchhikers thumb :\

are there any bassists on this board that have this, and have any tips to make it a bit easier to use thumb-related techniques?
i searched the board beforehand and didnt see anything relating to this

Many peple have that kind of thumbs, just hold your thumb straight, don't bend it

wow i actually never thought of that :ninja:
thanks. heh

I have similar thumbs, but have no problem slapping. Try relaxing your right hand, this way your thumb doesn't get fully extended. My thumb never goes all the way back when I slap. Or maybe you need a bass with wider string spacing?

i think i may need some lighter strings.. i have a really heavy gauge with high action and i have to beat the crap out of my strings to get em to make a slap sound

That could definately be the problem too.

If you relax your hand and just whip it onto the string, the thumb will hit when it's straight. Good luck

I believe Victor Wooten has thumbs just like that.

Hey! I have hitch-hiker's thumb! I never knew it had a name.

Actually, just my right thumb. My left hasn't bent like that since I broke it when I was 15.

This thread made me realize I have hitchhiker's thumb. Probably explains why it took me so long to slap cleanly. Just keep working at it, dude. I angle my thumb slightly, though without a bass in front of me, I can't help you much more than that.

How'bout Bootsie? Isn't he like a total mutant like that?

(Oh - sorry, guys. I mean "offer that wonderful diversity".)

I have 'the opposite problem': I injured my thumb once - a rewinding studio tape deck in '78. Now my thump-thumb will barely go to straight.

One thing that I've found is how light you can hit the string, and still get a distinct, solid thump sound. I use'ta think you had to beat on the bass to get a thump tone! Once you get a snappy, controlled, authorative strike, you can just barely glance-across the string.

Joe

I thought this post was about the Mighty Boosh...

^Lol
"You play slap bass?"
"What did ya think this is for!?"

I believe Victor Wooten has thumbs just like that.

Yea he does.

I have a hichhikers thumb and all you have to do is just play with a relaxed hand, makes it real easy, plus you can slap faster when you are relaxed.

lowsound

i think i may need some lighter strings.. i have a really heavy gauge with high action and i have to beat the crap out of my strings to get em to make a slap sound

There's your problem right there. Even if you have regular thumbs, it'll still be hard with that set up!

"You play slap bass?"
"What did ya think this is for!?"

Best trick to scare little kids at the music shop:smug:

I totally laughed when I read that, hahahha:p

in case you dont know what this is, its a recessive gene that makes your natural "thumbs up" position near 90 degrees bent back. here (http://pics.livejournal.com/qafhappy/pic/0001etb0) is a picture (not my hands)

i have it, and i think it makes slapping difficult. if im not careful, the top bit of my thumb hits lower strings while im slapping

also, double thumbing is difficult. which i think just me, because the man (wooten) who came up with it has a hitchhikers thumb :\

are there any bassists on this board that have this, and have any tips to make it a bit easier to use thumb-related techniques?
i searched the board beforehand and didnt see anything relating to this

Wow, I've always thought I sucked not having a thumb that could bend that much. Thanks for making me think otherwise! :hyper:

+1 for relaxing your hand. I'm a fellow hick hiker thumbed individual. It can help if you want to throw a quick slap into a fingerstyle line, because you can just 90 degree back that thumb really quick instead of moving your entire arm/wrist while still getting a good clean slap.

you could tape it or something?

well i must say its strange
i was sitting down with my bass one day, and all of the sudden i just 'got it'
i still sometimes hit lower strings with my palm and such, but thats improving with time
now all i gotta do is learn pickstyle and ill be set...

now all i gotta do is learn pickstyle and ill be set...

Thin picks will work

it's the best kept secret, i had no idea! :D