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floating thumb techniqe

#41
hi i wasnt able to repy because my internet was down so i wasnt wathing the tread

during that time learned myself to play on bass like this:
i put my thumb always on string higher that am playing
qestion: is it right to play like this?
qestion2: witch techniqe am using? movable anchor?
 
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#42
Torvis,

You are most likely using more of a movable anchor. If you are resting your thumb on the top of the string above to give you some sort of stability while you pluck with your fingers than in my opinion you are executing a movable anchor. If you are resting your thumb against the string above on the side of your thumb and not using it except as a mute than you are, also IMO, a floating thumb technique.

If you are often or even occasionally using the thumb this way both to mute and to pluck with then you are on your way to playing kind of an extension of the floating thumb technique.

Now don't get me wrong even us floaters occasionally will fall back a little on an anchor here and an anchor there if nothing else out of old habits. I have played this way for about twenty years and even I will look down occasionally and see my thumb resting some place, smoking a cigarette and trying to pick up chicks. Mostly though it flys free to do what I need it to do.
 
#43
spindizzy said:
Now don't get me wrong even us floaters occasionally will fall back a little on an anchor here and an anchor there if nothing else out of old habits. I have played this way for about twenty years and even I will look down occasionally and see my thumb resting some place, smoking a cigarette and trying to pick up chicks. Mostly though it flys free to do what I need it to do.
Click to expand...

I 'float' - meaning when my brain is engaged, I use my thumb as a mute, floating it over the strings and using it to keep the ones I am not playing from vibrating. BUT like spindizzy pointed out, I have caught myself many times (especially in live performances) realizing that my floating thumb has found a resting spot on some string or pickup and I am suddenly a 'movable anchor player' for the moment. Imagine my shock! :)

But for the most part, when I am practicing or in a less hectic situation (non-gig performance) - I float pretty consistently. I find it to be more versitile and 'clearner'.

There was another thread where the difference between 'floating thumb' and 'movable anchor' was causing confusion.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249092&highlight=floating+thumb

I found a number of references on the Internet, here at TB, in the Wikipedia, and so on that added to the confusion. Some specifically call the 'floating thumb' technique what we call 'movable anchor' - while others call 'floating thumb' a muting technique devoid of an anchoring component. So it is completely understandable that there is confusion.

--tz
 
#44
I think its interesting because for me the term floating thumb was one I encountered here. As it was in Todd's forum that I first heard the reference and after reading how he described it I had one of those usual light bulb thingys above my head. I have done this for a long time but as I am not an instructor never thought to give it a name. I called it Fred for awhile but it never seemed to fit.

I guess I will have to jump over to Todd's forum and invite him to tell us whether or not he coined the term or if it has origins elsewhere. Nonetheless it has, as Todd would put it, allowed me to maximise the machanics of my playing, keep motion as efficient as possible and now with using my thumb equally with my other four fingers to pluck at lot of style flexibility. Now if I could only figure out how to get my right foot into the mix. :D
 
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#45
I put the question to Todd Johnson about the origin of the floating thumb term. Below is his reply.

Hi Spindizzy,

I first heard the term "floating thumb technique" from Gary Willis when I studied with him at BIT.

That's who I would give the credit to...... Although,....who knows who actually came up with that phrase??? But,....Gary is the one I suspect originated it.

Gary is THE MAN!!!!!!!!!! WOW....what a musician!!! ....and a great guy.

Play slow!
__________________
Todd Johnson
www.toddjohnsonmusic.com
 
#47
there is such an minute detail between using your pickup and not using it. it wont make you better or worse for using it so whateveres more comfortable to use.

i personally use the pickup as an anchor but to each his own
 
#48
is this seen as some sort of an "advanced technique"? because i've been playing like this ever since i started out (never took any lessons) and nobody ever really taught me how to play properly. so i've always figured i was doing something wrong when watching schooled bass players but now it turns out it's a real technique. so that must mean i'm a natural talent! no? haha ;)
 
#49
nicolas said:
is this seen as some sort of an "advanced technique"? because i've been playing like this ever since i started out (never took any lessons) and nobody ever really taught me how to play properly. so i've always figured i was doing something wrong when watching schooled bass players but now it turns out it's a real technique. so that must mean i'm a natural talent! no? haha ;)
Click to expand...

I've been playing EB and DB for about 33 years, and without any formal training (I was, however, formally trained on saxophone for years before picking up the bass).

I question whether there really is a "proper" technique. I think I started out anchoring my thumb for leverage, but later started floating the thumb in an effort to keep the E and A strings muted, using my wrist over the bass as a sort of anchor point. These days, I do a lot of my muting with my left hand, thumb over the top of the neck. Now my whole right hand "floats," allowing me a new measure of freedom.

It's all been rather organic. I play a lot of gigs, and I'm always trying to get better tone, a better sound, etc. My hands are naturally looking for ways to do more, do it more cleanly, more quickly, and more economically.

For instance, I've recently developed a thick callous on my ring finger. I've never practiced with it, and don't know when I use it. But obviously, it's been getting some mileage lately.

Doc
 
#50
nicolas,

Just so you know I was also using this prior to someone hanging a handle on it. As the previous post pointed out the term and the technique really came together under Gary Willis as the best example of someone who had explored this thoroughly. However clips of James Jamerson show him using what appears to be a variation of the floating thumb. Jaco occasionally used his thumb as a plucking device and can be seen using it as a mute (you have to look close at clips). I have been doing it on a four string since the late 70s but like you I never knew it had a name (probably because it didn't) and really explored it heavily after I started playing a 7 string.

The long a short is that it is a tool that can be a part of your arsenal. Whether or not it is proper technique I will leave to those more academic. I think of it as a solution to some problems I had that works. It shouldn't be seen as anything more than that in my opinion. The more tools we have the better able we are to express ourselves as players.
 
#51
nicolas said:
is this seen as some sort of an "advanced technique"? because i've been playing like this ever since i started out (never took any lessons) and nobody ever really taught me how to play properly. so i've always figured i was doing something wrong when watching schooled bass players but now it turns out it's a real technique. so that must mean i'm a natural talent! no? haha ;)
Click to expand...

Stumbling across TalkBass a few weeks ago has been a real eye opener for me. Among other things, I found a lengthy thread about ghost notes and dead notes. Hell, I've been playing them for decades, just never told anyone about it because I thought I was kind of cheatin'. :)

Doc
 
#52
i think it also has to do with the size and shape of your hands, for instance i have pretty big hands and i just can't seem to pluck a string without touching the one above. i must add that i also pluck quite heavily. so muting that one with my thumb is the only way for me.
 
#56
WHOlovesBASS? said:
i dont really think it matters too much, just find a point like the e string or a pickup or !!!! a thumbrest, where you can rest your thumb to anchor it to be more consistent. Find the spot that works best for you and you should be alright. it should serve to controll your hand and also to help mute the strings your not using at that moment.
Click to expand...
That's the way I first taught myself to play on four-string. But I respectfully point out that the fixed anchor position is limiting: you lose the ability to control tone, attack, and dynamics by shifting your plucking hand. Examples: you get punchier tone playing close to the bridge, and deeper/rounder tone when playing near or even over the neck.

With practice, anchoring the thumb isn't necessary for consistency. In fact, better consistency is had by floating the thumb: your plucking fingers can attack each string in much the same way. When anchoring the thumb, the angle of attack (of your plucking fingers) will change depending on whether you're playing the lowest string or the highest string.

This became much more apparent to me once I started playing five string basses. I now always try to float for better consistency, but at minimum I use the moveable anchor. Unlike a fixed anchor, these techniques allow greater versatility through horizontal and vertical movement of the plucking hand.

My 2¢, anyway. :)
 
#58
personally, i change technique for diffrent songs. when playing slow and steady i like to anchor my thumb at the end (beginning?) of the fretboard, right on the side of the 24th fret as opposed to the pickup because it allows me to play all four strings without moving the thumb. for something fast i position my hand as if i were popping every string but i don't reacxh under the strings enough to pop. this allows me to keep my hand stationary and stable for strength on slower things and allows for plenty of movement for fast things. as for stability on fast stuff, if your going that fast, you'll never really lose the string you're playing because you keep playing it. or something. anyway, that's my 2 cents worth.
 
#59
floating the thumb is for boaters, and arent' thumbs too heavy would they sink?

enough of the retardedness, floating thumb is great technicque, easy to get used too, but i prefer to just move my thumb anchor to the string above what i'm playing. but i just play a 4 string so i dont' have a ton of strings to mute, like the ERB fellas
 

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