Wrapping the thumb around?

[tegnoto89]

I'm pretty new to bass; I'm a guitar player of about 5 years.

One technique issue I'm having is my tendency to wrap my thumb around. Is this really a bad thing to do? I notice that when I do wrap around, my fingers are sort of at an angle to the fretboard so I can see how this would reduce my reach. It's just that when I'm on the G string, it feels like I barely have anything to grip to.

Does not using your thumb make it harder to move on stage? When I played guitar in my band, we used to be pretty physical on stage, and I'm just a bit concerned about that.

Also, is not using your thumb closer to the sort of technique that double bassists use? I'm going to eventually move to double bass so whatever technique will lend itself best to that I think would be best. I notice that Jack Bruce seems to wrap his thumb a little bit, and I think he started on upright.

So bottom line, is this a habit worth breaking?

[ErebusBass]

Don't wrap your thumb around the neck. It puts your wrist at a bad angle.

[dreadheadbass]

according to the textbooks the thumb should be in the center of the neck inline with the middle finger

however the wrap thumb which you speak of is quite common despite being "incorrect" a lot of it depends on the hieght of the bass if you sling your bass high your thumb will natrually rest in the center however if like me you wear your bass low you'll find it difficult to do this without bending your wrist in a horrid manner
i wouldnt be too worries about it i've seen bassists like stu hamm, geddy lee, billy sheehan and steve harris wrap their thumbs round the neck and these people play at a level way beyond the bloke who wrote the textbook if wrapping your thumb feels more comfy then wrap your thumb you'll play best when your in a relaxed position you feel comfy with

[tranceFusion]

you don't need to grip to anything on the neck.. stabilize the bass with your right arm and your body if needed. then you will be free to daintily fret the strings on your left hand.

My bass teacher used to say "Play the bass, don't let it play you". Not sure what that means exactly, but it stuck in my head, and maybe you will make some use out of it

[Joe Nerve]

Uhh... never held me back none.

[mwiles30]

If you have your bass strapped on at the right hight, the bass should be stabilized by your body and partially by your right arm. 'Grabbing' will only slow your fretting hand down and cause unwanted tension.

Keep you thumb on the back of the neck. Doing otherwise impedes the full spectrum of finger movement and reduces speed.

[ryco]

Generally no, most teachers recoomend you should keep the thumb lightly planted on the back of the neck.

However, there are exceptions to every rule - hence

[Pilgrim]

The thumb belongs on the back of the neck, not wrapped around it. Wrapping the thumb around limits your reach and movement - maybe not a lot, but a little. I think everyone has moments when the thumb sneaks too far around - but it's something you should guard against and train yourself out of.

You might want to read what Carol Kaye has to say about her recommended thumb pivot technique. She's one of the great electric bass players.
http://www.carolkaye.com/www/education/tips51.htm (Do a search on the page for the word 'pivot'.)

[Ric5]

Most bass teachers will tell you not to wrap your thumb around. But many famous and non famous bass players wrap their thumbs around. I do it all the time. But I have found I can play faster if I don't.

But the thing that gets me is pretty much all guitar players wrap their thumbs around.

[SpamBot]

+1 to it being about height, I normally wrap over but if I need to play fast, I shorten the strap. That makes it easier to put my thumb where it belongs.

[Gasman]

I wrap my thumb around to mute the E string when I'm playing with a pick on the other three. It may constitute "poor technique", but I don't feel like it slows me down. I'm a fairly physical player, and if I don't I tend to inadvertently hit the E with some part of my hand. This, again, is probably poor technique, but we play fast runs and I don't have any trouble keeping up or with reach.

[Formula7]

And on top of that if you notice, the picture of the guy with the electric bass at the top of the page to the right on the site banner has HIS thumb wrapped around.

GASP!!!

Lol.

I generally don't. For me, wrapping my thumb slows me down, then again. I wear mine high so it just kinda formed naturally, wrapping made my wrist all funky.

[tegnoto89]

But the thing that gets me is pretty much all guitar players wrap their thumbs around.

I think this is why I'm having such a problem with it. I'm a guitar player of a few years, and I just picked up bass. I was taught that (when lead playing) you're actually supposed to wrap your thumb around - it gives you leverage for bends, vibrato, etc. It's certainly going to be a hard habit to break.


One last question - if I do keep my strap low (so the body sits about on my groin), am I going to hurt my wrists by not wrapping my thumb around? I really, really don't want to raise the strap, so should I just angle the neck up more?

[bassrique]

When playing slap I'll often mute with my thumb over the top; it all depends on the situation.

[Kiwi1990]

I believe that as a general rule you should not wrap your thumb over the top as it limits stretch and speed when playing. Obviously there are acceptions to any rule but generally dont wrap it over.

[atheos]

I sometimes wrap, sometimes don't. Depends on what riff I'm playing. Never had a single problem with that.

[Relic]

I've been doing that for 20 years and it's enabled me to use all 5 fingers for fretting. Then again I have kind of large hands so it's never really limited my reach.

[Baird6869]

I don't wrap my thumb around as my hands/fingers are really small.

If I had large hands, I likely would and it would be useful to fret on the E string.

[Stealth]

I never wrap my thumb around - however, whether I root it to a spot or not depends on the bass I play. On my 4 and 5, who have chunky necks, I plant it in the middle and pivot the anchored wrist; on my 6, I keep it sliding width-wise across the neck since the fretboard is fairly wide and the neck thin.

[phxlbrmpf]

I do it sometimes when I'm playing really simple lines (particularly on the higher strings) or just slide from root note to root note. When I play faster runs or need to use my pinky, my thumb instantly moves back to where it should be.