This question comes because while I respect and practice a relaxed moving “planted thumb,” I find myself doing scales and faster playing with a floating thumb out of intuition. (laying against muted strings but not resting)
Striking the strings harder does bring value to a connection point between IM and Thumb, but like guitar, you can kind of learn to use your “thumb stump” for the same reference point.
Does it really just boil down to reality? If you aren’t fatigued with your technique and relax as needed in a song, is it just playing the instrument?
I also look at people doing whacky stuff like Ryan Martinie, alternating standard technique with slapping and “striking chords” he plays it all off casually.
Anchoring the thumb gives a player a foundation for locating/jumping strings via muscle memory that develops through repetitive practice. It works.
But when someone plays a 5-string or just already knows how to find/jump strings accurately, other techniques become possible, like floating the thumb. Bottom line, whatever gets you through a tune well, works.
I guess where I’m facing a tidal wave of evidence is that so many great players seem to strictly use an anchored thumb, who am I to say I’ve out practiced it?
I’ve never played a 5-string so that may be highly relevant as well!
I consciously watch proficient players play. Quite often, they will plant/not plant their thumbs. Again, particularly with 5-strings, but also with 4-strings.
I wish there’s only one way to do things so there’s no surprises, lol.
I find the constant point of contact from the finger ramp. It allows for fast and hard(if and when you want) playing without digging in to the strings.
I do practice and employ several methods depending on the songs and my mood. Oftentimes I don’t even know consciously what I was doing till I look at the video and realized that I was doing certain techniques.
The hardest practice session is the one I’m limiting myself to one technique. Being to conscious really robs myself of speed and flow.
I float my thumb a lot and don’t have a problem finding strings. Someone who uses a pick doesn’t have a problem finding strings, I don’t see this as an issue. What matters is what is more comfortable to you.
Then again these days I’m playing a 54 P bass or a reverse P and there’s not exactly a good place to rest your thumb even if you were so inclined. It’s a bass, not a lot of hard and fast rules.
I do remember putting quite a few hours on anchor and pivot thumb and two finger Kung Fu because my left hand was getting too lazy. Plus there’s plenty of ways for the right hand muting even with the anchor thumb method, unless of course you are also doing a flying ring and pinky finger technique, that YoYo.
The problem is that most people put their thumb rest way, way too far above the E strings. That traditional position is mostly used by the upright people and the Don’t plug the strings like us bassoes either. Their plugging technique comes with built in muting.
Floating, anchored, it doesn’t really matter. What ever tool fits the job.
My impression is that Josh taught anchored thumb because it’s a simpler, standardized technique, that anybody can understand without having prior experience. Not because it’s some kind of superior technique over floating thumb.
Cool. Another opportunity for me to point out that James Jamerson, in one of the only videos that shows him playing, was using floating thumb back before it was called floating thumb and was just good muting.
I only play a 4 string bass, because I’ve not yet had funds to buy a 5 string with 19mm string spacing-it’s on the list, but life.
My primary player turned a year old a couple weeks ago, and while there is a shiny spot rubbed into it at at the front pickup, i find i seem to naturally float from the pickup to the E string or resting on the E/A strings. I guess i never really thought about it. Maybe it’s Because i have to focus so much on the left hand to play clean?
What i do know is, if i try to just Freehand and play, i get massive sympathy vibes and hum from the other strings.
It sounds like you’re using a movable anchor, shifting the thumb from planting on the pickup, E and A strings as the bass line goes higher/lower in pitch.
Floating thumb doesn’t anchor on a string. Instead, the side of the thumb lies gently across one or more strings as the line is played.
I have never been able to play with my thumb planted, it just seems awkward to me. I discovered the floating thumb very early in my bass playing and have used it exclusively ever since . Somehow, my fingers always seem to find the correct string, I don’t know how.
When I was experimenting with 5 string basses, I used the floating thumb all the time. Seemed natural on a 5 string.
On my 4 strings, though, I have a harder time using the floating thumb. My thumb seems to have a mind of its own and wants to anchor on a 4 string. I might put some practice time towards floating on the 4 string.
On an only slightly related note, every time discussions of the floating thumb come up, I can’t help but picture a thumb in scary clown makeup standing in front of a bunch of basses saying, “WE ALL FLOAT DOWN HERE!”
Pam, I think your accuracy in finding the string(s) you need to play comes from not having to change your hand shape as you float your thumb across the strings while you play. At least, that’s how it works for me.
I found this video a while back. The guy makes a good case for the efficacy of the floating thumb technique.
I remember watching that video and “The Oracle” painted it more as “some famous guy plays like this and I don’t recommend it.” I think I just had a moment of anxiety looking at my recordings.
Maybe my only fallacy is thinking I am making an error because I occasionally find it more comfortable to play that way.
, but I wouldn’t discount the value of muting with floating thumb.