How come all these "greats" have very bendy thumbs!?

Fender32 · #1 11-13-2008, 08:09 AM

I noticed something recently, which had never really occured to me before, after watching a few You Tube clips

...

How come all of these legendary players have thumb tips, which can bend back to between 50 and 80 degrees

. My top thumb joint moves from 90 degrees inwards to literally straight up, with no reverse atriculation whatsoever. Do I need more bananas in my diet

? Should I go and shut it in a door and break it

? Would that help me me a better bass player (after it heals

)?

Check out the right hand thumbs on these four giants of bass ...

Jaco Pastorious.

Marcus Miller.

James Jamerson. (look at around 2m 30s

)

and of course, the ultimate in "curvey thumb"

, Mr. Larry Graham.

I dunno, maybe I should just take up the piano instead

!

What's your view? Do you have a bendy thumb too

?

Darkstrike · #2 11-13-2008, 08:16 AM

Mabye its from thumb planting on ther basses for decades runnng.

jsingles · #3 11-13-2008, 08:20 AM

its called a hitch hikers thumb

its genetic, I have it, theres no way to develop it. I don't think it should stop you from having good technique though.

My fingers also do that, which can actually but kind of annoying for plucking strings... since my fingers will be more likely to just bend backwards when i pluck than to get a full forced pluck on the string.

EADG mx · #4 11-13-2008, 08:25 AM

4 constitutes all?

Coincidence...

HaVIC5 · #5 11-13-2008, 08:49 AM

Victor Wooten and Stanley Clarke have it too.

Fender32 · #6 11-13-2008, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EADG mx

4 constitutes all?

Coincidence...

Quote:

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

Victor Wooten and Stanley Clarke have it too.

That's 6 and counting ....

In truth, I couldn't be bothered to sift through You Tube clips all day, in order to test out this little theory.

As far as I know though, most people's thumbs don't normally bend this far back, so I wondered if there was anything in it

!? I think that BTS ("Bendy Thump Syndorme"

) certainly makes slapping easier, if you believe in striking the string at a perpendicular angle.

Other thoughts .....?

Lesfunk · #7 11-13-2008, 11:15 AM

I was just born that way...

Melvin7822 · #8 11-13-2008, 11:18 AM

I have an extremely bendy thumb and I'm not a bass great. Perhaps the bendy thumb translates into the potential to be great.

paganjack · #9 11-13-2008, 11:20 AM

i've never thought about it before, but my thumbs do that too. i guess i'm da bomb, as the kids once said.

and yet i'm nowhere near the ultra-pro level.

Fender32 · #10 11-13-2008, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lesfunk

I was just born that way...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melvin7822

I have an extremely bendy thumb and I'm not a bass great. Perhaps the bendy thumb translates into the potential to be great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by paganjack

i've never thought about it before, but my thumbs do that too. i guess i'm da bomb, as the kids once said.

and yet i'm nowhere near the ultra-pro level.

it seems like it's me that's the odd one out.

Here's my "unfunky" thumb. It doesn't go back any further than this with pressure on it, either.

Does anyone else have an even less funky thumb

? I doubt it

!

Come on folks ... post your thumbnail pics

!

Fender32 · #11 11-13-2008, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EADG mx

4 constitutes all?

Coincidence...

P.S. I thought about what you said and have changed the title of the thread from "..all the greats" to "all these greats". OK

.

gnome_hunter · #12 11-13-2008, 12:25 PM

i have a hitchhikers thumb. didnt realize all of these amazing bassists have them too though.

ryco · #13 11-13-2008, 12:34 PM

You should check out Louie Johnson's left hand (fretting) thumb!

He actually wraps his thumb around the neck and uses it to fret notes on the 'E' string. (around 15 sec)

Looks weird as hell -- like it has a life of its own! :insert scary smiley:

gnome_hunter · #14 11-13-2008, 12:44 PM

now if only we all had louis johnsons massive hands.

Jaco D · #15 11-13-2008, 12:47 PM

I think Jaco had double-jointed thumbs in both of his hands. There's this photo of him holding his hands fist-to-fist and his thumbs are practically parallel to his forearms. Every time i come across that photo I go weak in the knees.

spindizzy · #16 11-13-2008, 12:49 PM

Also note that he does not use his pinky at all hence the need to employ his thumb. Wrong...probably but I personally learned to be funky from Louis and the rest of that era's great funksters so although I think it might be considered poor technique...he was a friggin funk ass player so he can blow any old way he wants.

Spin

CapnSev · #17 11-13-2008, 12:49 PM

Mine's a straight 90-degree thumb too. I can't double-thumb for the life of me because of it.

Fender32 · #18 11-13-2008, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryco

You should check out Louie Johnson's left hand (fretting) thumb!

He actually wraps his thumb around the neck and uses it to fret notes on the 'E' string. (around 15 sec)

Looks weird as hell -- like it has a life of its own! :insert scary smiley:

OK, that's slightly different. I can bend my thumbs inwards with the best of them

, but the top just doesn't bend outwards. If it did, I think that slapping, "floating thumb" and some other right hand techniques could actually become easier

!?

Fender32 · #19 11-13-2008, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnSev

Mine's a straight 90-degree thumb too. I can't double-thumb for the life of me because of it.

Maybe we're related - what's your grandfather's surname

?

BishopM05 · #20 11-13-2008, 03:36 PM

the hitchhiker's thumb is defitinely genetic. Although I'm not sure it has much influence on a player's potential...who knows. Anyone here a research MD? Maybe you can get a grant and find out!