Double Thumb Technique - quick question

lburton2 · #1 08-01-2011, 11:36 AM

I understand the principles and basic technique.. My question is, on the upstroke with the thumb, should i be contacting the string with my thumb nail, or the boney area on the side of the knuckle..

Waffles and Scotch · #2 08-01-2011, 11:42 AM

On the upstroke I contact the string with the skin right next to my thumbnail. Take that with a grain of salt, though, as I play an SR706 with pretty low action, so I doubt I'd be able to hit the string with the boney area on the side of my knuckle due to the lack of space between each string and between the strings and fretboard...

lburton2 · #3 08-01-2011, 12:02 PM

I find that it's easier to get solid contact using the nail, but it's easy to get snagged and it just feels.. "weird".

I know that technique is fairly dependent on the player.. just looking for insight :P

Papa Dangerous · #4 08-01-2011, 12:08 PM

I use my nail for the upstroke. If I am trying to just do it as fast as I can, I may use the nail, and side of my thumb in it. I usually keep it pretty consistent.

I am currently trying to do what Victor Wooten talked about with down stroke and upstroke on the thumbs, then pop pop with the pointer and middle finger respectively; while using the left hand to play 4 chromatic notes with each finger on a single string.

Anyone have any tips on how to get to the first pop smoothly and quickly... aside from just constant practice. I know practice is the only true way, but perhaps a certain way method, fashion, or style that you do it.

BritFunk · #5 08-02-2011, 08:14 AM

FWIW I use the side of my knuckle - just seems more natural to me.

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Kurt

groooooove · #6 08-02-2011, 02:49 PM

i learned how to do it a while back, because i had a number of students that'd come to me and want to learn how to do it, and play me and my bass guitar, all that sort of thing.

i ended up learning how to do it when i stopped thinking technecally, and started just trying to replicate the sound. dont try and figure out victors exact movements- just try and replicate that sound, knowing a genneral idea of how he's doing it.

Skitch it! · #7 08-02-2011, 05:28 PM

Upstrokes connect on the nail for me, around 3mm in from the right side of the thumb nail (looking at it face on).

darylchan · #8 08-08-2011, 12:40 AM

Upstrokes on the nail, contacting the left half of the nail (right thumb).
Nail gives bite/attack. I think knuckle will give a dull sound.

lburton2 · #9 08-10-2011, 09:40 PM

Another question.. I'm having trouble muting open strings properly. When I slapped by just striking the string instead of goin through it I could easily mute the strings with my palm immediately.. Striking through the string (which is needed for double thumb) put my palm almost below or even with my thumb.. Allowing the strings above it to ring out at will.. Is there any way to mute the strings other than with the left hand? And I don't mean a scrunchy.....

Skitch it! · #10 08-11-2011, 03:54 PM

Edit: Ahh, I just noticed your asking about right hand muting rather than left, in my case I pretty much rely on the left hand muting for DT. I'll leave this up anyway though if it's of any use.

You could try a flatter left hand technique, less curvature and lightly contacting across a range of strings. As well as fretting I think it's a matter of teaching fingers to try and auto-mute unused strings, my mid and ring fingers (if not fretting) tend to extend and keep some kind of very light touch across the range of strings/shape/pattern etc. I'm playing at that moment. It's a quick touch reflex thing but try working with a flatter left hand and see how that goes.

I should re-record this but at 3.01 - 3.04 you'll notice the middle and ring fingers keeping contact with/muting the E string while the double thumb is on the A, not the best example but that kind of idea.

Fishbone - Bonin' in the Boneyard Bass Sample. - YouTube