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floating thumb techniqe

#261
I really like floating thumb and been practising it for a few months now. But I noticed strange sounds coming from the strings when plucking near the bridge and especially anoying when the P pickup on my Yamaha bb414 is on. I discovered it's from my thumbnail resting on the string above the string I am plucking.

plavajo?i_palec.jpg

It obviously favours some sort of string vibration. Now, this is the natural position of my hand, I cant turn the thumb more towards the "meaty" side.

Has anyone else incountered similar problems.

I really like the floating thumb and so far haven't found a way around this problem yet.
 
#262
I just finished reading all 14 pages of this thread and am amazed at how simple it is to convert from the anchored thumb on the bridge pickup to the Floating Thumb! I tried it out last night and am lovin' it! It gives me so much more control on my dynamics and also provides some much needed relief to my right hand from the tension I used to play with. I cannot wait to continue down this road and hone the ability further. Man, it just makes going to slap or strum or any other technique fluidly...

I want to say a big thank you to all the 'teachers' in this thread. Thank you!
 
#263
I automatically just kind of adopted this style of playing (self-taught)as it was easiest and most effective way for me to handle string muting.For me it`s just "how" I play so...I think it may be a bit slower initially but I`ve had good luck with this technique.Interesting thread!

HosMan
 
#264
I'm a very new bassist (have dabbled a bit for a year and just got my first bass) and I think at some point I started anchoring on the pickup. I read this thread yesterday and tried to put it into action (without watching the YouTube link first). It feels natural to do a lot more 'fluid' than anchoring. Thanks for this thread - it's great to pick up good technique when I'm still new to the instrument.
 
#266
but i'll kick in my 27 cents after reading a recent post by a guy who just got rolling:hmm:=try it all,use all your fingers,thumb play finger play chicken pick it's all 'legal',and it's all about being familiar with your instrument;),all depends on what i'm playing but,,,,

recently i've added a thumb rest to my P Bass to fingerplay old school metal=ozzie,Dio, Sabbath*what can i say,sometimes i like the old metal,right now i AM:cool:),next month i'll be thumbplaying some old country stuff(maybe)but use what works for you and have fun,some folks only play one way and that's that but if you are coming along then try all of it,,ok have a great weekend(now where was i here:confused:
 
#267
So, first time playing live on Sunday and I found myself anchoring more than when I practiced (floating anchor vs floating thumb). I corrected myself on a couple of occasions but found that int he live setting I tend to dig in more and use the anchor to get more finger strength.

Any thoughts on whether I should accept this as part of my style, or should I work on playing strong without anchoring? I'm thinking the latter would be better for me in the long run.
 
#269
SoVeryTired said:
So, first time playing live on Sunday and I found myself anchoring more than when I practiced (floating anchor vs floating thumb). I corrected myself on a couple of occasions but found that int he live setting I tend to dig in more and use the anchor to get more finger strength.

Any thoughts on whether I should accept this as part of my style, or should I work on playing strong without anchoring? I'm thinking the latter would be better for me in the long run.
Click to expand...

Turn up your volume?
 
#270
MuzikMan said:
Sometimes it is much more difficult to use good technique live. In the past I used to tense up and play much harder. It took years but I eventually learned to stay relaxed naturally and my practice technique became my live technique. Keep at it and you will find that persistence pays off. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks - good to know it's not just me! I think it is a relaxation thing, which is difficult at first when you're new to that particular instrument and there are hundreds of people in front of you! The good thing is that I haven't been playing long enough to develop any unbreakable habits yet.
 
#274
I find floating is hard to do with songs that quickly switch from E to a different string because my thumb usually gets awkward jsut haning there above the E string. But yes, I did this self taught, then a cousin of mine suggest anchoring and I tried that but I went back to flaoting because anchoring was stretching it.
 
#276
I learn floating thumb by myself without knowing it. When I got a 5 strings bass, it was obvious for me and well since I'm more interested in solo type, it was a lot more confortable.

I still can't belive that I see a lot of bass player anchoring or have their hand bend in such a bad way, especialy slap bass player.
 
#277
I started out with the anchored thumb, but in time started going more flexible - just today, I tried to convert the anchored thumb (y'know, putting the thumb ON the string above the one being played) to the floating one.... "economy of motion" is right, besides, it gives me a lighter touch by default (since my hand has nothing to anchor itself on solid and rake the strings) and has improved my playing.
 
#279
A couple of times i tried floating but the intensity of the touch is reduced noticiably because you dont have a solid point to anchor and get balance. And if you want to get the same intensity as anchoring, it becomes a bit painfull and stresses your hand/arm...
String skipping is tought too.

I anchor on the pup when playing e string, and on the e string when playing the rest of te strings. Is the best way for me to get the touch i want (light or hard), and skipp strings faster... if wirst curve concerns you, you can reduce it by moving your elbow a bit far from your body...
I dont find any cons in anchoring...

Maybe im missing something, but i find floating useless
 

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