where to rest your hand help!

[kingjere]

I think i have developed a bad habit. I have been playing an Ibanez BTB for the last two years with two soapbar pickups. I never realized until i picked a single pickup bass recently that I have become dependent on resting my thumb on top of the soapbar while fingering the strings. I have tried not doing so, but it's pretty unnatural feeling. I am a self taught player so I really don't know what the proper technique is for resting your thumpin' hand.

[tZer]

There are a few ways to deal with this:
1. "Movable Anchor" where you anchor your thumb on the string below the one you are playing. So if you are playing the A string you anchor on the E. If you are playing the G, you anchor on the D. Some will also anchor strictly on the E and life it when they need to play the E.

2. "Floating Thumb" - Hold your right hand out in front of you, palm down with all your fingers and thumb next to each other. Now lay your hand on the strings in playing position allowing your thumb to rest on the string - not anchoring at all but floating. This technique is very useful in muting but is also a little disorienting and can make you feel like you don't have stability.

I use both of these techniques - as well as occasionally anchoring right on the pick-up at times. You would probably do well to explore all of these and possible use them all too.

There is a lot of discussion here regarding anchoring/floating thumb technique. Do a search on 'Floating Thumb' or 'Movable Anchor' and you will find a lot of detail about all this.

[Cerb]

I always anchor my thumb on the edge of the fingerboard and occasionally use a floating thumb technique. The good thing about anchoring on the fingerboard is that it's fairly difficult to find a bass without one .

[seanm]

I anchor the thumb on the pickguard. It's not so much an anchor as a reference point.