I've used this technique from day one. Anchoring my thumb in one place always felt very unnatural and uncomfortable to me, even when I first started playing.
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Floating thumb.
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same here, i could never just put my thumb somewhere and leave it, to me the floating thumb came as natural as plucking
I anchor my thumb on the neck pickup and I like it this way. I don't feel like stretching to the G string hurts at all. And I don't see how moving your thumb from one place to the next while string crossing could make your string attack more consistent. But I do see the benefit if you're playing a 7 string.
It makes your stringa ttack more consistent because your hand is striking the string in the same way as you move between strings. If you anchor your thumb in one place your hand shape will change slightly between strings, which might cause differences in tone. Maybe. haha
You rock for posting that article. I´m usually a pick player but have deceided that I have to get better on my fingerpicking and that is the way I play with my fingers. When I looked at all the other players they anchored their pinky on their pickup and when I do that I have no control on anything other the E string. I just cant manage to play a longer line of notes on the a string when anchoring on my pickup, and the higher strings are even worse.
It has just always seemed natural for me to bring my thumb along when I´m shifting to a higher string since my hand is much stronger angled that way. And now I finaly have confirmation that it´s a acceptable way of playing.
i've always used floating thumb, it just felt right... the crazy thing is that i thought it was the normal way and that floating thumb was where you didn't anchor at all and just had your thumb dangling in the air.
i never had a problem with what i now know is normal, i just like floating thumb better
i never had a problem with what i now know is normal, i just like floating thumb better
What I do really doesn't seem right. I play a 4 string and I usually have my thumb resting somewhere on the top of the body. I don't know if it makes a difference but I usually play sitting down. I have tried resting my thumb on the pickup but it just doesnt feel right. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Alright now im confused, whats the technique called where you thumb literaly floats and never anchors, or does even exist?
bplayerofdoom - I think it's called "ridiculous", as there's no muting or anchoring being done - I can't see you having any control over your playing like that.
I'm working on the real floating thumb, it's tough but it does indeed improve the tone and attack when playing the D and G strings, by a substantial amount. It's also easier to play overall, the only hard bit is moving the thumb around consistently and that just takes practice.
I'm working on the real floating thumb, it's tough but it does indeed improve the tone and attack when playing the D and G strings, by a substantial amount. It's also easier to play overall, the only hard bit is moving the thumb around consistently and that just takes practice.
There's nothing ridiculous about that! I do that sometimes when playing on the E-string: my pinky and ring finger anchor on the B-string, also muting it. It's also the only way to play the lowest string if there's no place to anchor your thumb, like on most ABG's.
this thread is an absolute perfect reason why i joined these forums.
only yesterday when playing u2s - the streets have no name when i was playing the g string it sounded bloody awful and twangy and i thought "i've really gotta get that sorted"
and i'm just browsing and this thread appeals. i look, i discover how to improve that twangyness.
i also realise that any bass player i've seen and respected uses this technique, one of those "i can't quite put my finger on what it is they're doing".
i've had a bash at it, and my preferred way is to anchor 2 strings below. i decided this amount by relaxing my fingers naturally and wnated them to be this distance apart at all times, so i guess i have long fingers. so i play my E and A anchored on the pickup/thumbrest, my D anchored on E and G anchored on A. this will certainly help a ****load when i get my 5 string too, it should stop me hitting the B instead of E when i'm getting used to the extra string, hehe.
only yesterday when playing u2s - the streets have no name when i was playing the g string it sounded bloody awful and twangy and i thought "i've really gotta get that sorted"
and i'm just browsing and this thread appeals. i look, i discover how to improve that twangyness.
i also realise that any bass player i've seen and respected uses this technique, one of those "i can't quite put my finger on what it is they're doing".
i've had a bash at it, and my preferred way is to anchor 2 strings below. i decided this amount by relaxing my fingers naturally and wnated them to be this distance apart at all times, so i guess i have long fingers. so i play my E and A anchored on the pickup/thumbrest, my D anchored on E and G anchored on A. this will certainly help a ****load when i get my 5 string too, it should stop me hitting the B instead of E when i'm getting used to the extra string, hehe.
I too have learned alot here in these forums.
I rest my thumb most of the time but do that so relaxed it really isn't resting. Sorta floating on the neck pickup. I can't get comfortable with the moving thumb. Gotta work on it.
I am playing bass from guitar I let the thumb loose it goes to picking so to speak.
Just gotta love the different descriptions found here in. Has to be a way for anyone to learn something that will work for them here.
tk
I rest my thumb most of the time but do that so relaxed it really isn't resting. Sorta floating on the neck pickup. I can't get comfortable with the moving thumb. Gotta work on it.
I am playing bass from guitar I let the thumb loose it goes to picking so to speak.
Just gotta love the different descriptions found here in. Has to be a way for anyone to learn something that will work for them here.
tk
Word... and not just on the B-string, a lot of basses have very ringy E and A-strings as well. And the louder you play, the more sympathetic vibration you get and the less it's muted. That's the main reason I started experimenting with floating thumb. My biggest problem with floating thumb is, I'm so used to anchoring on the neck pickup I sometimes just mash the muted string into the pickup cover and wind up with more noise... and the strings I'm trying to mute with the technique wind up breaking (after awhile) because of the increased pressure.
Agreed, I like anchoring on the neck pickup too. It's the central position. My hand is big enough that if I want to pick over the bridge pickup I can do it with my thumb still anchored on the neck pickup, and from that position I can move my thumb anchor to the base of the fretboard much more quickly for increased lows and the Geezer/JPJ sound. So from that anchor position I can pick in 3 different locations.
Stretching to the G with an anchored thumb doesn't hurt me either, but muting with right hand pinky and ring finger is too close to the bridge to stop the ringing noise when playing parts on the high strings. So I still mute with my left thumb a lot - which I know is supposed to be technically wrong. But it's more effective than muting by the bridge, and as a bonus it allows me to play harmonics on the B or E string while playing other lines above them.
I'm still working on floating thumb... without breaking strings. It really does allow you to keep the same angle of attack when picking the higher strings and get a more consistent sound.
