Plucking Hand Technique (Poll)

[Waterpilot]

It is NOT my intention to start a "which technique is better" poll. Rather, just to simply to see what others are doing.

Which (Plucking hand) technique do you primarily use and why do you use it?

Is it because that's what your instructor taught? Were you trying to emulate your favorite bassist? Just felt right? Did you start one way but change later on?

For purposes of this poll:

Fixed anchor: Thumb is anchored to a pickup, pick guard, ramp, ect, and doesn't move.

Movable anchor: Thumb moves as you go up and down the strings. Ex: Thumb rests on E string as you play on A string. Thumb moves to A string as you play on D string. Thumb moves to D string as you play on G string, ect...

Floating thumb: Thumb doesn't really rest on anything, it moves up and down (or back and forth) as your plucking hand moves up and down the strings.

Hybrid: You use a combination of these techniques depending on what's happening.

Pick: You primarily use a pick.

The reason: I have a regular bass teacher but decided to try out another one. The first thing the new one said when she saw me play was that my right (plucking) hand technique is wrong and that I needed to change it. She seemed almost baffled that I was using it and that my other instructor was allowing me to do so.

[TheFrogPrince]

The movable anchor because it allows you to mute strings. Although, the floating thumb is the same idea without cocking the wrist at an odd angle, which is what I do. I'm not understanding how one doesn't anchor the strings whatsoever when floating in order to mute.

[sevenyearsdown]

80% fixed
10% pick
10% floating


..but I voted fixed

[NKBassman]

I voted fixed, but I don't always have it fixed in the same spot. ie sometimes fixed on the neck pickup, sometimes on the bridge pickup, sometimes on the pickgaurd... depends on the riff, what tuning I'm in (lower tuning I tend to fix closer to the bridge), and what bass I'm using.

I never have figured out how to fix on the strings...

95% fixed
3% pick
2% floating

EDIT: I voted Fixed but maybe I should have voted Hybrid... I didn't see it there until just now

[Magnus Scott]

95 % of the time my thumb rest on the pickup or the E-string or the pickup, but on rare ocassions it moves to the other strings.

[stingray56funk]

moveable anchor but I do use a pick sometimes as well. Fingerstyle = moveable anchor. That is how I was taught and it is near impossible for me to do it otherwise.

[millsbass5]

I guess my picking technique would be best described as floating/hybrid.I really like to position my picking hand EVERYWHERE.It all just depends on the tone/sound I'm after for a particular song or passage in a song.
I'm old-school when it comes to effects and eq's.I try to achieve all the tones/sounds I want thru my hands,and with pup selection.

[leadfingers]

I would say that my technique (or what I try to pass off as technique) is a hybrid. My bass instructor taught me using fixed, but I learned floating from another bassist and I use that most of the time.
I spent a number of years playing guitar and when I decided to make the jump to bass I decided to focus on fingerstyle. I am very comfortable with a pick, but wanted to switch my thinking and phrasing from guitar so as to hopefully be able to have a wider range of options available. So heinz 57 may be a more descriptive term .

[roceci]

I play a five string with a high B, so I tend to anchor on a PUP for E to G but switch to E anchor for stuff that runs D to B. I also do a lot of chord work, using the thumb on the A, D or G strings as root which calls for a floating hand. So it's hybrid for me.

[~Ethan~]

I voted movable anchor but I switch between the others sometimes. Though I VERY rarely use a pick. But it's usually movable anchor 95% of the time.

[Waterpilot]

Since I didn't actually say... I use the movable anchor. It's was due to some online bass lessons I found Youtube and I didn't know the difference... It made sense to me at the time from a muting standpoint.

[unclejane]

I now use the floating thumb all the time. I used a fixed anchor (thumb on PU or sometimes on E string) for years and always had terrible technique playing ascending runs. My sound on the higher strings was always bad as well.

Switched to the FT about a year ago (I used Todd Johnson's instructional video to learn how to do it) first to learn to mute strings on my 6 string, but everything about my technique got so much better I decided to use it all the time.

The most dramatic improvements were in being able to cross strings upward and vastly improved plucking consistency on all strings (especially the higher strings). And no more ringing strings on my extended range basses .

LS

[Phalex]

I'm a thumb rest kinda guy for no better reason than I've done it that way for about 30 years. Loves me some anchor!

[Darkmeteor]

Originally Posted by unclejane

I used Todd Johnson's instructional video to learn how to do it

thanks for the tips, I needed some kind of instructional to correct my bad habits, so I can comfortably play on my 4 and 6 strings

right now I'm fixed, but I try to move the anchor sometimes (when playing parts that don't involve the lower strings) ... but when playing fast parts, I'm pushing really hard on the thumb on the pickup... this is driving me crazy... I ordered that "technique builders" DVD from Todd, I hope this will help me

[Derk_Falsco]

When I first started learning, my instructor didn't focus too much on right hand placement, so long as was alternating my two plucking fingers. So needless to say my right hand was pretty much all over the place. Then as I started listening more and more to my tone and dynamics, I moved to a fixed anchor for a more even response. I sometimes go for the movable anchor to mute strings when moving across the fretboard but I always try to keep the same position relative to distance from the bridge. Even when I play with a pick my right hand almost never leaves it's spot.

[Ozzman]

I do a moving anchor technique. I play mainly in a thrash metal band and I hit the strings extremely hard with my right hand generally so I need the anchor, but I also do a lot of speed stuff and need to be able to move my hand around so the thumb gets shifted around to where ever I need it.

[Lulz]

100 percent floating thumb, to be blunt, anchoring is for people with no control or balance.

[WayneS]

Floating thumb. For no other reason than thats how I am comfortable.

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by Darkmeteor

I ordered that "technique builders" DVD from Todd, I hope this will help me

Great DVD ! You wont be disappointed. Apart from the FT there are lots of other great info on there.

Originally Posted by Lulz

100 percent floating thumb

+1.

One of the disadvantages (apart from the physical injury possibilities) about about anchoring on the PU is the muscle memory needed to pluck each string.

[Oopsdabassist]

That'll make me a hack then, pretty much 95% anchored to the Pup, and a bit of picking.

Tnx for the confidence boost Lulz!