double thumb; almost got it need abit of help

[cwb540]

Been working on double thumb (ala victor) for about six months. Ive got the right hand techinique down pretty good and have been able to implement it with how i normaly play. But ive gotten to the point were Victor's youtube explanation of it is getting in my way.

When i get going very fast, my thumb is not spending enough time on the next higher string to either not produce sound or to mute it. Ive been experimenting with a sweat band around the nut, which kinda works, but the still accidental vibrating string gets in my way as i work around the fingerboard.

Anyway, just curious to see if you rely on the next higher string as a thumb-travel stop on, like wooten suggests. Im working on being able to pull back up before I come close to hitting the next string

Thanks

[BritFunk]

My Friend,

Originally Posted by cwb540

When i get going very fast, my thumb is not spending enough time on the next higher string to either not produce sound or to mute it. Ive been experimenting with a sweat band around the nut, which kinda works, but the still accidental vibrating string gets in my way as i work around the fingerboard.

I do a good bit of double-thumbing also and like you, at higher speeds my thumb doesn't rest on the higher string long enough to dampen it.

A couple of things that might prove helpful:

I would recommend first that you remove the sweat band from the nut - it isn't going to help appreciably and is a crutch you'll later regret if you come to rely on it.

However, my biggest recommendation is that you learn to use your left hand to dampen the other strings instead of relying on the right hand thumb.

99% of the time, every string on the bass that is not supposed to be making noise is dampened by one of my two hands while I am playing - I use my left hand as much as my right to accomplish this. Typically you could walk up to me while I am playing bass and quickly drag your hand across every string on the instrument - the only one that will ring is the one I am currently fretting.

I know it might be a switch for you to refocus and try this, but trust me when I say you'll be the better player for it. Go slow to start with (you can't do it good fast until you can do it good slow) - work on left hand positioning. Keep after it and you'll get it.

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Kurt