Victor Wooten Technique

[Kurtsandford]

Managed to crack it finally?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHP0PjcHsPw

[Skywalker83]

Real good man!! I would say one thing though, to do with your pinkie, it looks like your straining it, to force it to do that sticky out thing. Over time this is gonna cause you some muscle pain or strain injury. It was when you were doing the thumb and single pluck i noticed it. I think Vic actually talks about the pinky thing in one of his videos. But apart from that your technique is pretty bang on!

[@war]

My pinkie used to do that when I was younger, even when I was playing fingerstyle. My teacher had me practice in front of a mirror and watch my right hand. Every time I saw the pinky freaking out, I stopped playing, relaxed, and continued. Its just a stress thing. As Vic himself says, stop thinking about the technique, and how "difficult" it is, and you should be able to relax more.

[@war]

ps... great playing tho!

[onlyclave]

Your left hand looks like crap.

[Plantbrain]

I thought I'd never get this but I started and kept after it.
It really takes your playing to new level, but you have to be tenacious.

You are not going to do it asap, it takes time and lot of effort. But the rewards are really worth while. Lsten to Vic's videos and go through and try them, then keep trying , you will get it. If I can, I know the kids who seem to always come along and blow me away certainly can pick this stuff up

Then you start playing around with it, I started the octave slap and went from there. I then went after the thumb only going up and down the various scales. Then trying different rhythms with the thumb vs the index and middle and ring fingers. That's when it got really fun.

Next you can use the thumb for strumming, hitting 2-3 strings on the down stroke and coming back on the G or D and getting a multi pluck sound that's pretty rapid. Vic was asking if someone knew how to do this on the up stroke and could teach him. Haha.

You can also try double thumb plucking the fifth which makes a nice sound, or going after harmonics. Lots of cool options.

But I have Vic to thank for it.
I've watch some of the Manring's videos as well, you can see him doing it all over the place and how various other folks modify and change it around.

Makes you sound like you have a dozen thumbs and also really helps with various rhythmic variations and snycopations.

You will get a callous and it'll be sore but worth it.
This video is pretty good for adding the index(or you can use the midedle or ring if the index gets sore-but you only got one thumb!) with the thumb on the same string, move to the next string over for this and then the octave and then the fartherest two strings apart to get a wide range.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ki9D...eature=related

Listen to Vic about making it musical also, that way you will recall it and think about it better, play it more etc.
Lots of good videos out there and what I learned from Vic, now can apply to Stanley, Stu Hamm and other greats. No end to the learning and trying to humbly master these 4 strings.



Tom