hitchhikers thumb making slap difficult

[monkrock]

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 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

[Koki]

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

[monkrock]

wow i actually never thought of that
thanks. heh

[EBMatt]

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?

[monkrock]

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

[EBMatt]

That could definately be the problem too.

[azzyrazzy]

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

[fettbass]

I believe Victor Wooten has thumbs just like that.

[middy]

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.

[FoHBass]

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.

[Joe P]

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

[Cactusgrant]

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

[Pete C]

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

[EBMatt]

Originally Posted by fettbass

I believe Victor Wooten has thumbs just like that.

Yea he does.

[iamlowsound]

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

[fryBASS]

Originally Posted by monkrock

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!

[meev991]

Originally Posted by Pete C

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

Best trick to scare little kids at the music shop

I totally laughed when I read that, hahahha

[ALiP BoB]

Originally Posted by monkrock

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 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!

[Tuvoe]

+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.

[funkalicious101]

you could tape it or something?