I can double thumb... what now?

[251]

Originally Posted by Clarkus Miller

So I've learned all the Victor Wooten-esque double thumb techniques, double thumbing, double plucking, the combinations, but what now? I feel like they're just techniques, what can I do with them? Please help?

Good question. The operative word is "you". What do you want to play? Solo, melody, bassline, rhythmic patterns, syncopate with a drummer or drum machine, play particular songs, cover songs? You are correct, you have learned a really useful right hand technique. Now you must make some music. Do you generally play by yourself? to CD, jam track, metronome, Band in a Box? Do you jam with friends? Jam online, go to open mic's?

There is a sequence of events here. You learn to play an instrument, you learn some music, you find others who can play the music , you play as a group. Are there music ensembles in your school or at a local music school where you can take the next step?

FWIW, expect to find playing in a group very different from playing on your own. OTH, playing in a group could be the part you like best! It is the part I like best. 8-)

[Bassbuster]

You said you haven't been playing that long so don't worry if you don't know how to apply your newly learnt techniques yet. As you get better and expand your musical knowledge it will come naturally. Practice everything else, practice scales, learn rudiments, transcribe songs, listen to lots and lots of music and then your understanding of what to do with your technique will improve.

[Slyonbass]

I had some free time and started exploring Victor's double thumbing approach - concentrating on the thumbing and thinking of adding the plucking later - but I never got around to it because there are so many different ways to use the double thumbing approach to be explored.

It got me interested in applying bass tremolo techniques - keeping the bar in hand.

Here are a few examples :

Experimental prog metal

Solo bass pieces

Guitar-like bass solos

Jaco Pastorius cover

I think you just have to decide what you want to do with it and what you want to say musically.