floating thumb techniqe

[elchamo2OO8]

I use the floating thumb technique, and a good fretting hand technique allows you to play a single note without any resonance, noise or other strings sounding. Mainly my thumb floats when I play the E string, in A i I put it in E, leave it in E on the D string cause the pluck already mutes A and lastly in G I mute both E and A.

[Frank77]

Like many here, I recently found out that I've been playing my 5-string incorrectly (keeping the thumb on the PU the whole time ) for 15 years and that the FT or "trailing" thumb method is the way to suppress the unwanted harmonics.

My transition is going OK for the most part, but I'm facing 2 main problems that I'd like to get some advice on:

1. My forearm rests on the body of my bass. When I need to quickly move my hand up or down, my forearm sometimes "grips" on my bass and prevents from moving my plucking hand where I need it. What am I doing wrong? Should my arm be completely off the bass? It feels unnatural to play that way...anybody else having this problem?

2. Not really a problem yet but could become one. I find that when using this technique, the palm of my hand tends to lay flat, pretty much parallel to the strings, leaving my wrist at a weird angle...I am concerned about carpal tunnel syndrome in the long run. Should the hand keep a more "round" profile with only the thumb in contact with the strings?

[jpTron]

Originally Posted by Frank77

Like many here, I recently found out that I've been playing my 5-string incorrectly (keeping the thumb on the PU the whole time ) for 15 years and that the FT or "trailing" thumb method is the way to suppress the unwanted harmonics.

My transition is going OK for the most part, but I'm facing 2 main problems that I'd like to get some advice on:

1. My forearm rests on the body of my bass. When I need to quickly move my hand up or down, my forearm sometimes "grips" on my bass and prevents from moving my plucking hand where I need it. What am I doing wrong? Should my arm be completely off the bass? It feels unnatural to play that way...anybody else having this problem?

2. Not really a problem yet but could become one. I find that when using this technique, the palm of my hand tends to lay flat, pretty much parallel to the strings, leaving my wrist at a weird angle...I am concerned about carpal tunnel syndrome in the long run. Should the hand keep a more "round" profile with only the thumb in contact with the strings?

I think that if you correct the first problem, you'll be correcting the second problem simultaneously. My forearm basically floats across the top part of my bass so my movements are always unhindered. And because of the angle I hold my arm it means my wrist stays straight too.

[Frank77]

Originally Posted by jpTron

I think that if you correct the first problem, you'll be correcting the second problem simultaneously. My forearm basically floats across the top part of my bass so my movements are always unhindered. And because of the angle I hold my arm it means my wrist stays straight too.

Yeah, I had my "eureka" moment yesterday. It was just a matter of adjusting my bass to the correct height (I had it up a bit too high). I adjusted my strap length so my bass would be at the same level as if I was sitting down, and I could see a huge improvement already...wrist is now straight most of the time. I played for a couple of hours with no pain, and I can already feel the benefits of this technique when playing busier/faster lines...the economy of movement makes total sense. I just wish I had done this earlier.

Cheers!

[SoVeryTired]

Funny reading back and seeing how I thought about this nearly a year ago but it's only just recently that it's started to click. I got a 5er around October or November and have mutated my own style largely based on floating anchor more than floating thumb. I realised over the last week or so that my wrist was getting really curled up and my playing was quite tense. So I dropped the bass a little lower, concentrated on playing with a straight wrist and found my playing loosened up considerably. Then re-reading this thread and looking at some of the videos mentioned got me off the anchor and moving from the shoulder. It feels so much better than anchoring.

[morgansterne]

Originally Posted by Fuzzbass

My 2 cents: when I played four string I anchored my thumb on the pickups. When I switched to five, I realized that my thumb was now floating. Sometimes it's a moveable anchor: I'll rest it on the string below the one I'm playing. But that's mostly when I'm playing lines that don't move much. When I play fancier riffs, I realized that my thumb floats... it hangs straight down, and mutes the lower strings when I'm playing riffs up high. The more strings on the bass, the more important this would seem to be!

Again, I didn't consciously adopt these techniques, they just happened out of need. I believe I'm a better player now that I don't anchor my thumb on the pickup.

That's really bizarre, the exact same thing happened to me. When I go back to play the four string I try to use the floating thumb thing and it just doesn't feel right.

[granvals]

Nitti's "Movable Anchor" technique is what I use. Although I tend not to associate it with the word "anchor," as it makes me think I'm weighing my hand down or something...

I used to study with Adam, and he explained to me the benefit of this is that your hand retains it's natural relaxed shape, much as when you let your hand hang loose in the air. By doing this the fingers are slightly curved, allowing for maximum efficiency in plucking as the tendons are not having to support any extra weight that extended fingers would cause if you planted your thumb on the pickup/neck.

[BassOfDiamonds]

Huh...my instructor told me not to use the floating thumb technique, since I'm a beginner. I personally find it way more natural feeling, but he knows better than I do. *shrug*

[wishface]

Originally Posted by granvals

Nitti's "Movable Anchor" technique is what I use. Although I tend not to associate it with the word "anchor," as it makes me think I'm weighing my hand down or something...

I used to study with Adam, and he explained to me the benefit of this is that your hand retains it's natural relaxed shape, much as when you let your hand hang loose in the air. By doing this the fingers are slightly curved, allowing for maximum efficiency in plucking as the tendons are not having to support any extra weight that extended fingers would cause if you planted your thumb on the pickup/neck.

I've watched him explain this, but he doesn't actually demonstrate how he mutes the lower strings completely in a way that solve my problems.

I use a 4 string and if i play on the G string i would prefer my thumb to rest on the D, however i usually have it on the A so that i can have my thumb touch the E if there's string noise. This isn't efficient, but the angle of the hand means that resting on the D leaves the E free. I don't see how his trailing thumb solves this problem which must presumably be worse on a 5 string.

[xavplusplus]

I don't know if this is what my bass teacher is trying to teach me. He told me not to use any anchor but then made mention of floating thumb. But I've been practicing with no anchor and it seems to be working fine

[Fenwick]

I think the FT technique is good for faster (notey-er) passages, especially for string skipping.

I prefer the MA technique when I'm 'riding' on a string for longer passages and especially when I'm doing 16th notes for increased definition, because ultimately I find that an anchor, be it on a pup or a string, gives me more control on how I attack the string and therefore more control over my tone.

I can get a very useable tone from the FT technique, but when it gets down to brass tacks, the MA affords me more control and a generally richer tone.

[Hot Pocket]

2 different techniques, at least the way I use them, they both mute but only one anchors.

[mhead]

Check out Gary willis technique, not only floating thumb but it will sabe your wrist and improve your playing. www.garywillis.com

[Fergie Fulton]

Nice to see that this thread still opens people's eye's and makes them think about how they approach playing.
Couple of points, don't get caught up on the terms such as fixed, anchor, floating etc, etc. as being definitive, they are descriptive of an idea, rather being the idea. So sometimes you can combine the styles, they are not mutually independent of each other, they are functional to the situation. The same way as using a pick, or one finger, two finger, three finger etc, are interchangeable, as is playing by the bridge, playing by the neck, stroking with the thumb, slapping with the thumb, slapping with the fingertips, playing off the hip, playing off the belly, playing with the neck upright or horizontal, its all to do with the situation you apply it in.

Remember the forearm runs along the front of the bass, it does not sit on top of it. If it sits on top, on that edge so to speak, it cannot freely slide up a down to keep the thumb floating, cool for a fixed use, but could inhibit a floating use.

Here is a link that explains the idea "floating or fixed thumb" ideas for anyone not sure of what they are or how they can affect your playing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WREN2...ture=autoshare

[Fenwick]

Here is a link that explains the idea "floating or fixed thumb" ideas for anyone not sure of what they are or how they can affect your playing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WREN2...ture=autoshare

I'm sorry to complicate things, but I do find the explanation in this video misleading on two counts, one of which is admittedly addressed. When the gentleman explained the floating technique using the pick the first time, he did anchor his fingers (slightly) on the body/pickguard. He also anchored them when he used his thumb to pick (which was addressed). I suppose this doesn't negate the possibility that it is still a floating thumb technique, just not a completely floating or anchor-less technique.

In addition, when the gentleman was displaying how the 'line' of the wrist changes from straight to curved (the implication being that this is not a good thing, which I agree with) when using an anchor, this curve was completely dependent on the position the bass was hung (relatively high).
I drop my bass quite low so that my whole arm/wrist is almost straight and this alleviates the need to pull from the shoulder to get a straight wrist. All this to say, that there is no right or wrong, just what is damaging in the long run or not, and then it's up to your personal preference. I used to play high and pull my shoulder up, but I find dropping low for a straight wrist (even when anchored) has and been working best for me lately.

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by Fergie Fulton

Couple of points, don't get caught up on the terms such as fixed, anchor, floating etc, etc. as being definitive, they are descriptive of an idea, rather being the idea.

Nothing is complicating anything Fenwick, above is the very point you are taking to heart. It is about "floating thumb" not touching fingers.

Like I said there are two simple ways to look at how you set your hands in relation to your thumbs, which is what the thread is about, which is why any anchor would be about the thumb.....not fingers, after all the elbow could be seen as a fixed point as the forearm moves from its fixed point as it runs along the bass....in that case any part that touches the body is then a fixed point if we want to take it all literal surely?

Height of instrument comes in to it, as does design, but the point being made is the line of the forearm though the wrist and the implication of fixing the thumb means the wrist must flex to allow the fingers to drop to reach he D and G strings on a four string bass.

If playing low gives you that.....job done.
If you bass design gives you this.....job done.
If your own personal idiosyncratic style gives you this....job done.

If anyone has their forearm and wrist in line job done, what ever anyone does relating to how they play, forearm and wrist in line is the way forward.

If this cannot be achieved all the time, then look to achieve it for most of the time. Like I said, do not get caught up in the terminology, this is the web and English is not everyone's first language, for those that do not speak or understand English, all the terminology is meaningless.

That is why there is a lot of hand movement and gestures in those videos, so a certain level of understanding can be gained from just watching them.....no sound required.

Fergie.

[maturanesa]

i always wonder how you floating thumb players get consistency when you are playing on E string (or B in a 5 string) and your hand/thumb is completely floating in the air...and even worse when you got to play E and jump to D string (like playing octaves for example...)

[JoeWPgh]

I find it to be helpful when you have to play a passage that moves cross the strings quickly. Otherwise, your attack angle will change as you reach. But I've found it to be less effective for grinding out a repetitive rock groove. There, I like to anchor my thumb and dig in for a driving attack. Those lines are rarely so complicated that a reach is out of control.
Some object to when it's said that your fingers are your primary tone control, but different touches provide different sounds. Put as many as you can in your arsenal.

[Johnpjm]

Just practice scales very slowly using this technique. It seems a tad uncomfortable at first, but believe me, you'll get much better at it for practice. I'm been using it for nearly a while now, and even when I'm playing uber-fast, my thumb automatically floats string to string without any thought.

[Tankdave]

Originally Posted by maturanesa

i always wonder how you floating thumb players get consistency when you are playing on E string (or B in a 5 string) and your hand/thumb is completely floating in the air...and even worse when you got to play E and jump to D string (like playing octaves for example...)

Dont you just float your thumb up and rest it on a pickup?