Thumb Behind Middle Finger

[Matthew_84]

I play with my left thumb (fretting hand) to the left of the index finger. It is the most relaxed position to me.

I have seen it recommended in videos and on here many times that it should not be to the left of the index finger, but rather, it should be placed behind the middle finger, or possibly in between the index and middle fingers.

Whenever I try to put my thumb anywhere but to the left of the index finger, my left hand can cramp up and it’s not comfortable. Every teacher I have ever been to was adamant that it had to be behind my middle finger, despite expressing my discomfort.

I personally believe you should play comfortably above all else, but I am really curious what other people’s preference is, and where they place their thumb.

Thanks.

 

[Lee Moses]

I'm curious as to why that should feel uncomfortable. When you naturally close your hand, your thumb probably touches your middle finger. If you are experiencing discomfort, my guess is that your hand is turning in such a way that all four fingers are not making similar contact with the fingerboard. You may be favoring your 1st two fingers. Turn your hand so that fingers 1-2-3-4 line up on the same string. If after doing this it is still uncomfortable to put your thumb behind your middle finger, there's probably something else going on.

 

[Papageno]

Post pictures so that one can comment about your posture. Difficult otherwise.

 

[Killing Floor]

Everyone has different hands. Except me. Mine are the same.

 

[Cristo]

The position that is most comfortable for you is not necessarily the position that is best from a playing perspective. Bodies are different.

Others have told you that to be correct, you should place your thumb in a certain position, but that makes your hand hurt. So then you can't play, or maybe not as long, or as well. It might be technically correct but that matters little if it does not work for your body.

 

[Les Fret]

Yes make a video. Otherwise it’s wild guessing.
We just had a similar discussion here: Left hand technique

 

[Element Zero]

Everyone has different hands. Except me. Mine are the same.

Same

 

[MtManiac]

Everyone has different hands. Except me. Mine are the same.

Both right, or left?

 

[2F/2F]

If it feels uncomfortable, something is off about your entire hand and/or arm position, which is usually a result of the entire bass being held in a less than ideal position. More than likely, you have the neck too low and/or the whole bass too far clockwise around your torso, and as a result, you aren't getting your hand "under" the neck and over the board enough. Swing the bass left, and angle the neck way up.

That said, it doesn't HAVE to be there. It does make sense from a kinesthetics perspective, but it isn't like you can't play with your thumb elsewhere. What matters most is holding the bass in a position in which you can really get your hand under the neck, allowing you to come at the fretboard from a higher angle.

Some upright bass technique can really help with good left hand positioning on bass-guitar. The two techniques are not identical, but if more bass-guitarists played with some influence from upright technique, they'd find things easier, more comfortable, and less physically demanding.

 

[Lobster11]

In this oft-posted video, Adam Neely explains why having the thumb to the left of your fretting fingers is the "natural" position:

 

[Zooberwerx]

For those who embrace Simandl and equipped with opposable thumbs: 1-2-3&4, break-out to 1-2-3-4, add pivots and shifts...your thumb ends-up at the level of the middle finger out of sheer necessity. It's conservation-of-energy and minimizes the likelihood of injury or strain.

Riis

 

[Papageno]

Can you do this ?

 

[Ekulati]

My thumb position varies depending on what my fingers need to do.

I take these hard and fast technique rules with a huge grain of salt. They mostly are carried over from the classical world where, again what the fingers need to do, can be very different.

 

[BlueTalon]

I play with my left thumb (fretting hand) to the left of the index finger. It is the most relaxed position to me.

Whenever I try to put my thumb anywhere but to the left of the index finger, my left hand can cramp up and it’s not comfortable.

There's your answer.

 

[Papageno]

I play with my left thumb (fretting hand) to the left of the index finger. It is the most relaxed position to me.

There's your answer.

Well, maybe, maybe not.

Sure, confort is clearly an important consideration, but it cannot be the only one.
If it would be, do you think violin players would hold their instrument the way they do?

In particular, one also needs to consider whether the OP's posture enables a good finger mobility on the fingerboard. In the end this is ability to play the music that matters most.

 

[Matthew_84]

In this oft-posted video, Adam Neely explains why having the thumb to the left of your fretting fingers is the "natural" position:

I forgot about this video but remember feeling hugely relieved when I first saw it, lol.

I should clarify that I’m not looking to play with my thumb behind the middle finger. I am perfectly content with how it is. I just, quite frankly, find it odd that it is held up as gospel when it’s not as comfortable to me, which is why I was curious how other people play… it seems like I am definitely in the minority though

 

[Matthew_84]

For those who embrace Simandl and equipped with opposable thumbs: 1-2-3&4, break-out to 1-2-3-4, add pivots and shifts...your thumb ends-up at the level of the middle finger out of sheer necessity. It's conservation-of-energy and minimizes the likelihood of injury or strain.

Riis

Perhaps this is part of the reason why I am okay where my thumb is. I often play fretless and have universally adopted 1,2,4 in lower positions, and switch to OFPF once my index get to the 7th “fret”. I do not pivot as I don’t find it helpful for my intonation. If I did pivot, I’d certainly understand why my thumb should be in a more central location.

 

[Matthew_84]

Can you do this ?

View attachment 4964356

Yes, but almost immediately I can sense it is not the most comfortable position and I can tell that I can’t do that comfortably for 20 minutes. It doesn’t matter what my posture is, how high or low or where I hold my hand, it is only because of my thumb placement.

I can hold the pen in hand in a much more comfortable way, with a closed first, with my left thumb to the left of my index finger

 

[jthisdell]

Some upright bass technique can really help with good left hand positioning on bass-guitar. The two techniques are not identical, but if more bass-guitarists played with some influence from upright technique, they'd find things easier, more comfortable, and less physically demanding.

I found that my bg technique has changed a lot after playing upright. My hands are pretty small, wide but fingers are short. After playing upright I now play bg with a much more fluid technique, my fretting hand shifting slightly to reach notes. For me at least it has been a great improvement. My guitarist also encourages me to play upper registers more so my left hand tends to move all over the place.

 

[BlueTalon]

Well, maybe, maybe not.

Sure, confort is clearly an important consideration, but it cannot be the only one.
If it would be, do you think violin players would hold their instrument the way they do?

In particular, one also needs to consider whether the OP's posture enables a good finger mobility on the fingerboard. In the end this is ability to play the music that matters most.

A bass guitar is not a violin. Everyone's body is different, and in this case, the OP's body is telling him what he should/should not be doing, posture-wise. There's no way the OP will play better, with all the finger movement that entails, by holding his hand in a position that causes him physical pain & discomfort, than he will play by holding his hand in a relaxed position.

I tell my bass students that there are no rules regarding this. If it works, it works. And some things will work better for some people than for other people.