hi..I've been playing bass now for a few months after switching from guitar playing..i always found myself playing basslines on the guitar and realised that it's bass I really love playing..i started playing bass with my thumb using downstrokes only and I just can't get out of the habit..i realise after much reading and listening to tunes that using my thumb is going to limit me with certain patterns/rhythms etc..i can play real fast with downstrokes and I don't need to think about what my right hand is doing now as i'm so used to playing this way..but there's certain wee riffs that I can't play as I can't move the thumb that fast with a downstroke..i'd be delighted if I could manage to use both upstrokes and downstrokes with my thumb but it's quite hard to do perfectly..i'm practicing daily for an hour at least using traditional 2 finger alternating picking but it just feels so unnatural,even after months of 2 finger practice..i LOVE playing with my thumb!..it just feels so right!..i want to pick up that bass all the time if I use my thumb but finger plucking feels like such a chore..I've heard of others playing with one finger and doing just fine..should I continue practicing my 2 finger technique?..should I just follow my natural instinct to use my thumb?..i'd appreciate any thoughts and wisdom you guys have on this please..thanks very much...
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THUMB PICKING
- Thread starter thrumbass
- Start date
Check out the victor wooten double thumb technique. Its a slap technique but im sure with some finese you could turn it to plain picking. Also since the double thumb is a slap technique, it can incorperate pops with your pointer and middle finger and even ring finger which could be a path to breaking the habit of just using your thumb
Really, it sounds like you don't see a reason to change your current technique, and that's fine. Do what feels right.
However, if you want some input, I provided some reasons for changing it up below:
You could try and make a gradual transition, where you try alternate picking with thumb/index for a while. Then, if you like it, the transition to index/middle or other combinations is easier.
IMO the important thing when using more than one finger is getting a consistent tone, no matter what finger you're using.
Advantages to switching to alternate picking:
- easier to get a pulsating, rythmic groove going (most important reason IMO)
- faster
- you don't risk health issues because you're distributing the workload across more fingers.
- when using index/middle or index/middle/ring combos, the thumb is free to use for muting the deeper strings and use as a movable or floating anchor, which also changes the sound and reduces string noise
I personally want to be able to do all kinds of techniques, because they all have their place. For example, I use thumb/index when I want a finger-plucked but palm-muted sound.
Otherwise I mostly use index/middle with movable thumb anchor for slower stuff, and index/middle with floating thumb for fast stuff.
However, if you want some input, I provided some reasons for changing it up below:
You could try and make a gradual transition, where you try alternate picking with thumb/index for a while. Then, if you like it, the transition to index/middle or other combinations is easier.
IMO the important thing when using more than one finger is getting a consistent tone, no matter what finger you're using.
Advantages to switching to alternate picking:
- easier to get a pulsating, rythmic groove going (most important reason IMO)
- faster
- you don't risk health issues because you're distributing the workload across more fingers.
- when using index/middle or index/middle/ring combos, the thumb is free to use for muting the deeper strings and use as a movable or floating anchor, which also changes the sound and reduces string noise
I personally want to be able to do all kinds of techniques, because they all have their place. For example, I use thumb/index when I want a finger-plucked but palm-muted sound.
Otherwise I mostly use index/middle with movable thumb anchor for slower stuff, and index/middle with floating thumb for fast stuff.
