Welcome, @josh.morales27. Glad you’re here. You’re in great hands with Josh. Enjoy the lessons!
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Am I the only one who actually Googled this?
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No, I had to as well 
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Welcome to all the new dwellers of the subterranean abyss
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Hi @ch_willie. Welcome to BassBuzz!
With the arthritis in your thumb, might I suggest the Floating Thumb technique. That way you aren’t anchoring with it which might help avoid some pain.
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I never even thought of this!
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Just looked that up. I’ll try it. Thanks!
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I get the arthritis thing. I really do. I’ve got a really nice case of osteo-arthritis myself. I agree with @eric.kiser on this. I can’t hardly hold a pick, thumb picks kinda work, but my accuracy falls off badly. The floating thumb has been a real benefit for me, it’s a little disarming to learn at first, but then it kicks right in.
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I still think it’s really cool that in one of the only videos of James Jamerson playing, he’s using Floating Thumb before it was ever called that.
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That’s Jamerson’s extensive experience playing upright bass showing there. No pickups on those big boys. Jazz players like him just needed a whole lot of plucking finger strength and stamina, which he most definitely had.
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Floating thumb is the only way I’ve ever played. I tried Josh’s method of anchoring my thumb and just can’t do it.
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I float about half the time. I just can’t anchor constantly like Josh and Mark Smith do.
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So having never played any instruments are all before b2b, i was planting the thumb on the pickup or e/a string as needed- but it led to some rather pronounced discomfort. And i actually picked up on the floating thumb technique in a post of yours back when. At this point, planting the thumb is really foreign to me, i can barely play at all like that.
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Welcome to all the bassist that have joined us
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Hi everyone! I’m new here, got a bass for 4th anniversary from my husband and I love it. Honestly, never would have considered to by myself an instrument, but I am very happy he did! Currently, at the 4th module and learning Billie Jean 
Looking forward to being a part of this community!
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Welcome in @milica !!! It’s great to have you here. What an excellent gift from the hubby! Good luck with Billie Jean, it’s pretty difficult so don’t let it get you down if you struggle to keep pace with it.
Enjoy your stay! 
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Welcome, @milica. Glad you’re here. Hug your husband a lot. He gave you a really great gift. Enjoy the lessons!
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