Not the usual Double thumping question

[Warwickthumb]

I decided that I'm going to get this technique down. So i have this huge, ugly blister on the side of my thumb in the middle fold. Is this normal?? Or am I doing it incorrectly? And im doing this not to be like vic, though i wouldn't mind. I have a cd from a band in mexico. Thier bass player is amazing, and he is doing a lot of double thump stuff, and some really cool grooves. Just trying to learn these songs.
Joe

[Wrong Robot]

My guitar playing friend learned double thump from me and was doing it on my bass(or rather practicing it) and he got a pretty big blister in the same area on his thumb, I think your putting to much force into it, relax and (as vic says) use the economy of motion. I found that once I relaxed and just let it flow I was double thumping ALOT cleaner and even, and now that I practically have that down I am starting to work on making both down and up sound like a clean slap and my speed.
there is nothing wrong with wanting to be like victor, well there is and there isn't, but double thump is just a technique, I didn't learn it via victor but through watching him play I've learned more about how to do it better and more efficently.
I never got any blisters on my thumb but thats probably cause when I go up the part of my thumb that hits the string is right by my nail or sometimes even with my nail when I'm not paying attention. and that works fine for me.

[Warwickthumb]

I see.... well i figured id have to use more force becasue i wasnt getting a good sound out of it. Maybe that just comes with time. I have the Victor wooten super bass solo tape. He does touch on DT. But he just flies through it, and it looks liek he buts no effort at all into it, like all comes naturaly, ahhh someday!!!!!

[Angelo]

Light strings & low action makes all of this easier.
And to me,better sound.

[JMX]

When I started double-thumbing, I got a sore thumb. Fontunately I noticed it early enough, so I stopped practicing before I got a real blister.

So stop in time, let it heal, then start practicing again. This way you'll develop a callous without blisters.

[ldiezman]

Yeah. Double thumping is just like learning slap or when you first start playing. There are no callouses there so you are prone to rub that skin raw fast if you aren't carefull. Its natural to feel some soreness, but when it starts to feel that way, its time to give it a rest.

Why does vic make it look so easy? well if you ever look closely, he strings are very very very light gauge. Probably the smallest i've seen on a bass. Not to mention the fact that he is just a beast and has been playing since he was what... 4???

[JMX]

Originally posted by ldiezman
Yeah. Double thumping is just like learning slap or when you first start playing. There are no callouses there so you are prone to rub that skin raw fast if you aren't carefull. Its natural to feel some soreness, but when it starts to feel that way, its time to give it a rest.

Why does vic make it look so easy? well if you ever look closely, he strings are very very very light gauge. Probably the smallest i've seen on a bass. Not to mention the fact that he is just a beast and has been playing since he was what... 4???

His strings aren't that light, .040, .055, .075, .095

I use .035, .055, .075, .095, Mark King even used to have .030, .050, .070, .090 in his Level 42 days.

[Wrong Robot]

definatly the clean double slap sound comes with practice, when my friend was learning double thump he played so soft and carefully that it sound like he was just strumming with his thumb...but he can do it really really fast now and is working on making each stroke sound like a slap.
for some things double thump is easier like octaves, I can play double thump ocatves with great ease and make each stroke sound like a slapped hit...but with moving bass parts or more dynamic slap parts I can't do it half as well.

I never got a sore thumb....My thumb curves back pretty far and I thumb up more on my nail than on my thumb.

[ldiezman]

Originally posted by JMX


His strings aren't that light, .040, .055, .075, .095

I use .035, .055, .075, .095, Mark King even used to have .030, .050, .070, .090 in his Level 42 days.

yeah that isn't that light.. man i swear I read somewhere he uses really light strings. .29 is what i remember... sorry if i'm wrong

[stroy05]

Vic's strings arent very light, they are just a little lighter than the normal gauge stings that basses come new with. I have played his bass and it is all him not the bass or the strings. But his bass does sound great. he has another that I really like...it has a birds eye top...the rest is the same.

It takes practice to accomplish this technique and also like someone else said relaxation.

have fun...

[Wrong Robot]

WOW! lucky bastard...didja get to goto his bass camp then? I applied this year but I didn't get in apparently over 650 people applied and since they only accept about 50 ALOT of people didn't get through...but I'm 16 and there is no age cap on that camp so I still have many more years to get in

I use a very heavy gauge...but thats mainly for strengthening my muscles...although I've had the same gauge for about 3 years now...and I like it...but I'm going to lighten it some what and maybe lower the action some on my bass...currently my bass has E-A-D-D(tuned up to G) its not good for the neck I'm sure but I had to do it cause I needed a string and all I had was a very light gauge D string....actually it might be an INCREDIBLY heavy gauge G...but I'm not sure it looks about the same size as my D below it....I realyl gotta change my strings

you played his main fodera then? thats awesome I'd love to play that bass....but yea the strings are a small factor to vics palying his arms are about the girth of a small redwood and his fingers! damn! they are big, thick and VERY muscular...his hand is actually smaller than mine by about <---> much but his hand is a lot stronger and thicker than mine.

lately I've been noticing the stretch on my left hand increasing greatly...I can hit that harmonic from portrait of tracy(fretted Eb harmonic A octave) pretty well now.

[Warwickthumb]

Ok i understand the technique more now. IM just running the scales now with the DT technique. But it sounds like my thumb is mutting the strings so its not as crisp and clear the way vic or hey even Marcus miller do it. What am i doing wrong?
Joe

[Wrong Robot]

make sure the joint of your thumb(where your thumb meets the rest of your hand) is not hitting the string your thumping on...that will mute it
try tilting your hand a little so that your thumb is at a 30 degree(or so) angle from the string

also make sure to allow yourself enough time for the down stroke and the up stroke

[Brad Barker]

i can do double slap stuff..._fairly_well.

but my popping when double slapping suffers. instead of getting that POP sound, it's just like i'm doing a new-fangled classical guitar approach.

my thumb nail gets chewn up, too. i rarely practice it. i'll occasionally just do muted triplet-16ths for a few seconds at a time (...bobbada bobbada bobbada...).

[Warwickthumb]

well anyone know when vics book on his songs will be out this year? if anything this will defently help me with DT
JOe

[JAUQO III-X]

I've come to learn that light gauge strings work best for me on my 4 strings I use .087 .067 .047 .027 G-E. my six string set I add a .022 for my C,and a .100 for my B.on my 8 string I add a .017,and a .015 for my high F,and high Bb,on my Sub-Contra bass I use .194 .165 .115, .o98 standard E-low C#

[Brad Johnson]

Originally posted by JAUQO III-X
I've come to learn that light gauge strings work best for me on my 4 strings I use .087 .067 .047 .027 G-E. my six string set I add a .022 for my C,and a .100 for my B.on my 8 string I add a .017,and a .015 for my high F,and high Bb,on my Sub-Contra bass I use .194 .165 .115, .o98 standard E-low C#

Do you have any soundclips of the Sub-Contra, Jauqo? Seems intriguing.

[JAUQO III-X]

Im working on some things,and Im a bit of a perfectionist I just want it to be right in many aspects,Thanks for asking.

[Howard K]

Right, is it double thumb, or double thump?

...and is it a slap sound, or is more like picking with your thumb?