New to floating thumb/bass question

[dosage]

Hi, im a new bass player and have recently been switching between the floating thumb technique and movable anchor (trying to see which technique Im going to stick with-anchoring on the pickup is very uncomfortable for me) where my thumb rests on the string right above the one im playing.

My question is when playing the lowest string, E in this case. Are you using your wrist/forearm sort of as an anchor by resting it on the bass? I can't seem to get comfortable at all with my hand not on anything when playing the bottom string. I realize that it will/should become easier with practice. But it still feels awkward for me. Any help is appreciated.

 

[gjbassist]

I still anchor my thumb on a pickup when playing on the E string, regardless of whether or not I'm using the floating thumb on the other strings.

 

[Hugh Jass]

I use kind of a hybrid of the two. My thumb doesn't really touch anything when playing the E. My forearm would be resting on the bass though. Thumb just kind of hangs.

Don't overthink it. Just practice doing scale runs up and down the strings. I actually had to think for a minute about what I do when playing the low E because it just sort of happens naturally.