Using your thumb

[60's Bluesman]

i'm a fairly new player i play slow to mid-speed lines, usualy blues or jazz music and i've been told by more advanced players that using your thumb as your primary style is a bad idea because you cant get alot of speed outa it, which i know is true but im more accurate and consistant with my thumb then with any other style. Do you guys think i should stop using my thumb so much or do what feels natural to me???

[camiloochoa]

you should not stop using your thumb.

try to incorporate the other fingers into your playing, but always doing what feels natural to you.

[kesslari]

It sounds like you mean "use your thumb" as in "pluck with your thumb, like Monk Montgomery did", and not "primarily play slap and pop".

if that's so - you probably won't play Jaco-speed lines, but for most actual bass playing in a band context, it will work fine. If that's comfortable and natural for you, go for it.
At some point, you may want to expand your repertoire of techniques by learning to use fingers, but it's not critical to do so right away, if at all.

[deliciouspesto]

stop using it, you can get the same tone from more dexterous fingers. I used to love using it for slow stuff because it had a nice fat tone that was easier to get at the time but as you work with your other fingers the difference in tone disappears and you end up just handicapping yourself if you stick with it. Try your middle finger.

[MNAirHead]

Use it + your first 3.. leave the pinky out.

It's tougher to learn to use it later..

When in doubt have an acoutic guitar teacher show you some techiniques... many times we'll use just 2 fingers.. it is nice to be comfortable with more.

[60's Bluesman]

i can use my pointer and middle finger on some lines but my thumb i can use on just about everything

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by 60's Bluesman

i'm a fairly new player i play slow to mid-speed lines, usualy blues or jazz music and i've been told by more advanced players that using your thumb as your primary style is a bad idea because you cant get alot of speed outa it, which i know is true but im more accurate and consistant with my thumb then with any other style. Do you guys think i should stop using my thumb so much or do what feels natural to me???

i knew a guy that played with a thumb pick and if needed he could grip it like a flat pick for faster stuff....course that was before slap and i can see it would be rather limiting in that respect.....if you are new you probably would be better off learning the finger/slap/pick styles correctly as you have not spent too much time.....having said that there are lots of good players out there that learned unorthodox techniques but do very well....but if you decide to change,sooner would be better

[deliciouspesto]

Originally Posted by 60's Bluesman

i can use my pointer and middle finger on some lines but my thumb i can use on just about everything

is it tone or sound you seek and you can only consistently get it with the thumb, or is it that the thumb is just faster for you because its what you have been using?

[60's Bluesman]

now would using my pointer and thumb work since im comfortable with both (middle not so much)