Double thumbing?

I too have been working on double thumping and have a pretty good hadle on it though I haven't integrated it much into my playing. I bought a book specifically to address this called "Bass Lessons with the Greats" that had some excercizes of Victor Wooten's that was pretty helpful. I think the biggest thing is to get away from the style of slap that is toward the string then away to one that is more across the string. I slap across the sting and land on the next string which allows me to be positioned correclt for the upstroke. The sound you get is a bit different from standard slap technique. I find that it works much better on basses with closer sting spacing though, like my 6 string. I still need to work on consitcancy though as far as the sound of up and down strokes go. Victor can also do sequential pops with his indez and middle fingers very consitantly allowing him to do very fast 16th notes in a t-t-p-p way. That is something I am just beginning to work on. I have the triple t-t-p down pretty well though.

Hope this helps,
Chris

 

In the video "Bass Extremes" with Victor Wooten in it (and Steve Bailey, of course), there is a good visual demonstration of the double thumb technique. I don't play slap that much, but when I do I try and dabble with it once in a while and keep going back to the video to figure out what the hell he's doing. With enough practice, anyone can do it, it's just a matter of getting the physical motion down. Someday I'll get it... someday...

So, yeah. Check out the video. There's some other great techniques explained in there. There's also a CD and supposedly a book (?), but I figured a visual demonstration would help out the most.

Good luck!

 

http://www.victorwooten.com/lessons.htm Idon't think he covers double thumbing here but there is some really good stuff for slap /hammer /pop.

 

Wow, thats sounds really interesting, but what exacltey is it? How is it different from just tapping w/ thumb?

 

Well double thumb is really fun to play and to show your friends too casue they are like "whoa your really fast and that sounds really cool"

Double slapping is when you slap but dont bounce off the string you go throuhg it and come back up. yeha it hurts and really hard to do but once you get it you enjoy it very much and appreciate. you also add in pop which makes it sound much cooler.

Even if you play the simplest thing. Well when i started to plauy it was hard and I never got the whole double slap and triple slap until a couple days ago. Its relly cool cause now I have T-T-P,
T-T-P-P, T-T-P-P-P, T-P-P, and other variations with that too. but anyways its relaly cool to add them i your playing style. and your solos, fills, bass lines, etc, its a really cool technique and tapping with it is fun too. I play a jazz walk line, like a simple 3-4 note walk line and palm mute the D and G string open strings and double slap them. Its easier than it sounds but oh well. My hands hurt so im gonna go.

PS.. i taught myself but im pretty good at it.

 

ok, in "I get high on you" by sly and the family stone ... is he using double thumbing?

 

Just wanted to chime in on this...

I've been working like hell on this technique for some time now (it's a slow process, but then, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it, right?) and I've been studying Vic Wooten and especially Rob Derhak of moe. (whom I receommend to anyone who wants to learn this style).

I've been told of diferent ways to practice, including ways when you aren't even playing your bass such as double-thumbing on the steering wheel when you're driving,etc. I've tried bouncing off of the neck, off of the strings below, etc.

One of the main problems I'm encountering is the friggin' blisters on my trhumb from the up-stroke! Once I get one of these, I can't practice the technique it again until it goes away!

Anyway, any secrets, hints, etc., would be most appreciated.

 

I found it helpful to reduce the strength that you're using to double slap. You tend to use too much strength and to dig in too much with the thumb.

Once I used a lighter motion, it was a breeze.