Todd Johnson Bass Guitar : Floating thumb technique

[polyrhythmia]

What I like about floating thumb is that you have control over the time between each note. Also, it makes using the open strings much easier.

[flv2358]

I've been using this technique for a long time, and it seems way more natural than with the anchoring thumb. My question is: is it possible to develop the same speed as with the stationary thumb?

[somebassdude]

I think I have Carpal tunnel :s, will it be cureable?

[818KLOWNER]

what kind of bass is that? Looks really beautiful

[Fluffy2772]

Is it ok for me to start use four finger playing where I start with my ring finger followed by middle, then index and finally the thumb? This is opposite of what most people do, but it feels more natural to me to end with the thumb instead of starting with it.

[feedyoursoul01]

another great advantage of the floating thumb technique is that you can incorporate your thumb in your playing, like a classical guitar. and with the 3 other fingers, you can reach rly high tempo like 200 bpm and + in sixteens for example. It help me a lot cause i am in a death metal band, and doing sixteens with 3 fingers is very hard cause it come in group of 4 (but still doable). Now with 4 fingers, it help a lot.

[JaysunLeigh]

This was amazing, exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much :D

[g4geetar]

ok I get the idea but show me how to play Rio by Duran Duran using that technique. I've not seen anyone do so and being it's so fast would like to see someone do it using the floating thumb method.

:0)

[TheTuxedoTuxedo]

What I don't understand about this technique, is how to you mute the higher strings? If I'm playing the D string, what's muting G?

[toddjohnsonmusic]

@TheTuxedoTuxedo : The left hand winds up muting the higher strings....Thanks for your comment. I hope this helps.

[TheTuxedoTuxedo]

@toddjohnsonmusic

Ah, of course. How did I not think of that.

Seriously humbled at the moment.

Thanks :)

[drwinkle101]

@toddjohnsonmusic

But your thumb clearly isn't muting the string being plucked!

You need to arch the fingers so the ends are level with the thumb-end in order to do this. I'm working on it. It's awkward but do-able, and you can have harmonic overtones on everything you play!

[fuzzjohn]

Seriously helpful.

[XanBcoo]

Hahah, this video is really helpful but every time I hear "perfectly designed muting system" it makes me think of those creationist videos with the banana.

BASS GUITAR: THE ATHEIST'S NIGHTMARE

[rustyhoo1000]

@XanBcoo haha

[Laughingantelope37]

@XanBcoo I am an atheist/existentialist/nihilis­t and I love and play bass guitar.........

[spy13]

I am so glad i found this video, i am currently using this method while i practice and will soon incorperate it into jams with my band. I cant wait! Ive never felt so comfortable playing my bass! Thanks Todd!

[eaterofcandy]

where is the thumb when you are playing the e? or is it just floating?

[JaysunLeigh]

@eaterofcandy I'd assume you would anchor it like normal as holding your hand in the air would be a bit uncomfortable haha :]

[Yontar]

damn great advice on technique, i just learned about the straightened arm technique from gary willis a few days ago, and this along with that could totally change my tone and playing for the better. it's more comfortable, easier on the hands/stamina enhanced, and it just sounds better. gracias

[Steve128967]

What do you think of just resting your thumb on the strings behind it (such as Adam Nitti)?

[toddjohnsonmusic]

Totally cool as long as it mutes the strings under your thumb. Adam is a personal friend and a GREAT player!!

[clewi1091]

thanks for the videos.

[tucker441]

what about movable anchor? Thats what I use and it works great

[toddjohnsonmusic]

Great!!!...movable anchor and Floating thumb are "basically" the same thing!!

[TAYGUNOV]

not only is the floating thumb technique more ideal for muting, but it is also much more comfortable (for me at least). I'm glad I learned this way instead of the other way

[Winterfogel]

I had been experimenting with all different sorts of ways to mute unwanted noise, using the left or right hand. The floating thumb method feels the most natural to me and didn't take long to beccome second nature. Great work, thanks mr. Johnson.

[lexus2k3]

i knew it! that kind of position was very uncomfortable (the old one)...i knew i was doing it the right way :D (and here i thought i was wrong)...thanks a lot! :D

[twrestler]

Do you have any videos when someone is playing whit this technique?

[toddjohnsonmusic]

All of my videos show this....Click on my channel and watch some videos. Gary Willis is another one....Just look around at a bunch of the top players....You'll see it...Do what works for you and have fun! :)

[TOM2741]

Do you rest your wrist on the body when u play the E string?

[toddjohnsonmusic]

Yes, the wrist does rest against the body...it's in constant contact with the body of the bass.....Have fun!! TJ

[ACMalloch]

thanks for the reply, getting the hang of it now, tryed it in some gigs last night ( baptism of fire or what :p ) only thing im finding odd is floating above the E string when im playing it, do you harden your thumb muscles or keep them relaxed?

[ACMalloch]

by that i mean im playing the e string and thumb is floating unsupported

[ACMalloch]

hmmm todd for a start thanks for sharing this, however iv been practising it for a few minutes and i see something that could be awkward, how do you play say double octave disco style bass lines with floating thumb? Just dropping the thumb up and down on the E and A string, or jumping back and forth really quickly with my shoulder?

[toddjohnsonmusic]

The "Disco Octave thing" hmmm...Several funny answers come to mind...Ha!!! Anyway...It can be done ...it just takes some practice and MUCH more time than a "few minutes". Focus on NOT moving the mechanism any farther than you have to. It takes some time, but you'll get it!! You might also consider playing Octave with your thumb and first finger. Works Great!! Have fun...happy to help!! - TJ

[ForTheMoon]

This came surprisingly quickly to me. Took about 20 mins to get it down. I had always thought of the floating thumb as re-anchoring your thumb on the next string whenever you move up, which would be way too cumbersome. This is such a great technique.

[bassntings]

i just rest my thumb on the string above

[scarred2112]

My technique is *mostly* Todd's/Willis style of floating my thumb but lightly resting it on the string above where I'm playing as opposed to *locking* it at the top of my pickup and pivoting from there. It took me a good 1 1/2-2 years of solid practice to completely ingrain floating my RH into my technique and muscle memory, but once I did I realized it not only did all that Todd mentions in the video but also improved my LH technique and generally "cleaned up" my playing in general.

[neothomist1275]

Floating thumb is worth it.

Makes you improve your LH technique too just like you said.

2 years for me to master it too.

[6y298]

Excellent method I first learned years ago. Weird at first but oh so liberating for the right hand in many ways.

[melocotonbass]

Excellent and straightforward instruction.. Thanks Todd- after 30 years playing the anchor technique this has shown me the way to alleviate my wrist problem.. ofcourse its taking a bit of time to incorporate into everyday gigging but already my wrist feels healthier.

[Lovecannon]

this is sooo much easier than anchoring, I now use this style when playing with my fingers, and i use palm muting when I play with my thumb, or when im tapping

[pinkcrayon5]

Your funny. And thanks for the cool technique. it allows me to play this one riff my guitarist showed me the other day that I was having trouble with.

[Vleeschje]

Cool, thanx for showing.

[Bodhissattva]

Hmmm... I can't play without bending my wrist, when I try to I feel I get no power at all from my fingers.

[jonmil1]

Great video! i was having wrist problems with the old technique so i switched to the floating thumb and my wrist is fine.Still think its personal choice though some people don't get pains playing the standard way.

[nunoa007]

great!!

[nunoa007]

I´m trying to place a link here to that awesome clinic but I think the sistem doesn't allow me. Somebody knows why?

[nunoa007]

By the way, I assisted to a clinic from Igor Saavedra, and even though there are some differences between the techniques, he explained exactly the same about the elbow, the shoulder and the wrist and makes a lot of sense to me. I think both bass players are absolutely right about that!!!

[airraidsiren82]

yes in some situation mee too use this technique..it's a little hard in some basslines but good

[toderox]

I´ve been using this technique for many years, and it works very well for mutting strings, but gets maybe.. so hard to use when you i want to play 5ths and 8ths. So now i´ve changed to blen of old method and this thumb method, and it works well!

[dcorsano]

very nice technique, and nice video! looking forward to see more. tho i cant really use this technique as i have insane long fingers (and thus i dont have muting problems with the old technique either) but i guess a you made learning easier for a big lot of people!

[mitb0r]

hey! i just noticed that i have been doing this without really noticing... the only thing that i dont understand is what to do when playing the E string. when i came recently to the best bass player in lithuania he told me that i should anchor my thumb, we had disagreements about right and left hand position, i claimed that its better to have your wrist straight.

[glaskuchen]

sorry.. i meant i want to learn more about muting.

floating thumb works well already when i play from the high to the low strings, but the other way around still is difficult

[glaskuchen]

thanks alot for this video, it already started to help me :-)

but wat exactly did u mean that the floating thumb is critical with extended-range basses? i play one and wud like to learn more about learning. can u advice me any way to do so?

bye

[zfh10]

Thanks v much - I will try this out later. I like your explanation and rationale, keep the vids coming. :-)

[mobitz57]

excellent mechanics and explanation! thanks!

[RandomTuber782]

um, i mainly use my thumb and index to play, im retarded when it comes to index and middle finger alternation, so that adds a huge learning curve

[sitocastro]

Tried it out 5 mins ago - fantastic - feels a little alien at first but amazing results! fast runs up and down the strings sound much tighter. thanks man!

[DomesticFuckerFamily]

hi,

ive been trying your technique todd and it does help my consistency and my wrist doesnt hurt me but my shoulder kills to an almost unbearable amount of pain, ive been trying this for about two days for an hour and 45 min - 2 hours , you said it would be a little sore, but this feel likes like a lot more then a little, any advice

the technique is fabulous otherwise

thanks,

Jake

[toddjohnsonmusic]

Hi Jake,

Sorry for the frustration etc. Remember, you should be resting your forearm against the body of the bass...just DON'T let the elbow drop and remove your thumb from the strings. Try to relax as much as you can. It sounds like you're too tense...

I hope this helps...it's hard to diagnose this stuff online. It'd be easy to fix in person. Keep me posted.

God bless,

Todd

[DomesticFuckerFamily]

Todd,i took your advice and relaxed and it has worked quite well, my stamina has increased quite well too with my shoulder, hopefully i wont have any more road blocks

Thanks

Jake

[DuncanDonuts3]

LISTEN TO MY MUSCLE MEMORY 46 AND 2 WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO GET THROUGH oh sorry.

[Idlevice]

I never took lessons and naturally started playing like this...

Good to have a name for it, I guess and I've always found it useful.

[flipponzin24]

Thank you sir! This should help me in a few ways.

[Mjordan23]

This video is great!! Although I'm not doing his floating thumb technique, but the concept of "moving the mechanism" really helped me out for using three fingers. I had been trying figure out this for a long time. Thanks a lot Todd!!

[thedonutman]

Hey, this is an awesome technique, but what do you do when your playing a really fast riff that has a lot of string skipping, for example YYZ? do you have to more your thumb every string change?

[Diuretic88]

watch geddy lee he does it

[ttr4827]

i don't really get the floating thumb. no disrespect i play 5 string and i just don't see the difference in playing regular vs. the floating thumb

[toddjohnsonmusic]

Hi...If you anchor your thumb you're dealing with a "ringing string problem". If you "anchor" on the B or string...and play a few notes on the G string, then your E and A string will ring "sympathetically". Make sense?? The floating thumb eliminates the problem of un-muted/ringing strings....plus it's infinitely more ergonomic. I hope this helps... This is all explained in detail on my "Technique Builders" DVD.

[Zooperman]

Not if you mute them with the ring and pinky finger on your right hand.

[toddjohnsonmusic]

True...You can do it that way...absolutey...my only concern is that it puts the hand and wrist in an "awkard/Un-ergonomic" position.

Really...as long as you take care of the ringing string problem then "no worries"... Play any way that works...But...if you deveolp carpal-tunnel, then you might want to consider this technique.

[ttr4827]

all right, thats cool... thanks.

[Okonkole]

Saying that the only way to mute strings is by this technique is ridiculous. I've never seen a serious bassist play by only anchoring their thumb on the pick up or the bottom string, they all have a moving anchor. So by you saying that strings will ring if you play the G string while anchoring on the B string is moot since no one does that. I'll also add that the floating thumb is not more ergonomic since it restricts your ability to play with both your fingers and your thumb.

[maturanesa]

floating thumb is a technique that is used to play with fingers (index, middle and ring if you want)

Of course, if you want to play with your thumb is other history. In that case, resting

your thumb on the mic or the B string also restricts your thumb. when you play "thumbing" is a different right hand position and this technique is not for that.

And if you think it restricts your fingers hability, listen to Gary willis and tell me what you think.

[isysx1]

this is brilliant, i would never have thought of something like this, very cool, also it is useful for when i change to slap/pop style, less movement, just got to rotate my thumb :)

[gdevane]

Excellent! I've never seen that explained before. Thanks alot! I'll use it!

[Outty500]

fantastic video. Watched this once, picked up my bass and BAM, floating thumb technique pretty much down. I was having trouble figuring it out for months beforehand.  Thanks a bunch, and nice Zon ;)

[nomonkeymind]

I don't wanna sound corny, but I've been a pro bass player for the last 15 years and seeing Gary Willis live changed my attitude toward right hand. You explain it very nicely, Todd, and thanks so much for posting this!!! it's the ONLY way to go if you want to avoid wrist problems

[theacebass]

It's a good idea, but I still can't understand how to get the hang of it as i've used the same technique for 2 years

[BassAgent]

I hate it, for you can't mute your high strings while playing the lower strings. I'll stay with the old method. It's personally for everyone, but I'm not using it, I think.

[idshanks]

Your fretting fingers should easily be able to mute your high strings at any given time. No matter what you're playing on the lower strings, your fretting fingers must pass the high strings and therefore the opportunity to mute is omnipresent.

[sickdiggitydog]

you have really good sound :)

[jumbosilverette]

Thank you Thank you Thank you

[toddjohnsonmusic]

You're welcome,You're welcome,You're welcome!!!! :)

[WarPhalange]

Floating thumb technique shatters all other finger plucking techniques.

[toddjohnsonmusic]

Yeah, this is really the way to go... It's a bit of a crusade for me... to educate my fellow bass players!!