Interesting observation

[ProgressiveFan]

Last night, my dad and I (both bassists) were wondering how our favorite players held their thumbs (both fretting and picking hands.) We assumed they would have the modern thumb flat of the neck approach for fretting, and a bottom-pickup picking approach. It turns out that Chris Squire,a genius, in fact holds the bass in "claw" mode- the big sin nowadays. Then we saw Billy Sheehan and he as well is a "clawer" though he teaches in his video not to "claw." That must have been the prefered style back in the 60s when those men would have learned. It is neat to see how hand postitions have adapted over time.

[weeding]

Hand position is a really interesting issue. I seem modify how and where I place my thumb, as it affects the range of your play. For instane, having the thumb further back makes it easier to play with the index finger whilst if you line the thumb up with your ring, it makes pinkie stretches much easier and precise. I guess it depends in the piece you are playing as to the best hand set up, but over all I guess it doesn't matter as long as you can hit the notes and make it sound good. Definitely an issue of each to their own... there may be some techniques which are technically superior, but comfort and how well you can play a wide range of material is what matters.