Hello everybody,
I’ve been playing bass guitar for almost a year (before that I played solo guitar for 10 years) and only now did I realize a (bad?) habit: I use the movable anchor technique, but I also bring my thumb to the D string when I pluck the G string. This is normal?
I usually play Bob Marley songs, although this is not my style, I think I can learn a lot from it, but unfortunately my plucking technique is questionable. I play on a Yamaha TRBX304! Btw, switching to a bass was the best decision of my life, I love it!
(Sorry for my english, it was Google translate😅)
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Movable thumb is a completely “normal” technique. Not a bad habit at all. I’d argue its likely a good habit actually, but it really comes down to what you’re comfortable with…
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I’d say it is not necessary to bring your thumb to the D string, as you can control/mute the D string with the finger that is not currently plucking the G string (for alternate plucking; if you are playing with a pick, it’s another story…)
If you move your thumb too high up (i.e., to the D string), you risk not being able to mute the E (or A) string anymore.
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I do that all the time. Sometimes it’s not even about muting anchoring the thumb closer to the plugging finger allows for better acceleration on fills and transitions. It also have with plugging angle as there are times that needed.
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A floating (not anchored) thumb can mute the E and A strings well, as 5-string players do if they must play higher across the neck.
I tend to float more often than anchor. But I came from fingerstyle guitar, where the thumb is an integrally active digit, so anchoring has always felt weird to me. 
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