Is It Ok To Play Bass With Your Thumb?

Playing bass with your thumb is not really recommended because it slows you down but there are some use cases around it. The best technique to play bass is the one you’re comfortable with, but knowing each style can help you utilize the maximum benefits.

Can you use thumb to play bass?

There are exceptions to any rule of music, but generally speaking you’ll be better off learning to use your other fingers. Your thumb may work fine for you in certain styles, but the time is likely to come when you’ll be confronted with something you can’t do with it.

Do you play bass with your fingers?

Finger plucking, also called fingerstyle, refers to the use of your index and middle fingers (some bass players use more) to pluck each note, and no matter what kind of music you are playing, this technique will serve you well while other right-hand bass techniques, like slap bass or using a pick, are not practical for

Why do bassists use fingers?

Using Fingers to Play Bass
Usually, bass players report having more control when using their fingers, giving them a richer tonal variety, and beefier tone. In Addition, the popular slap technique used by many bassists can be easily implemented, if you don’t hold any pick between your fingers.

What hand do you play bass with?

right hand
Most bass players use the right hand fingers to play the strings. Some Rock bass players prefer using a pick because it gives a crisper sound.

Why is thumb rest below strings?

It’s a tug bar when the finger rest is below the strings instead of above. When it’s above, you rest your thumb on it and play with the fingers, when its below, you anchor your fingers on it, and pluck the strings with your thumb. The “tug bar” is below the strings to allow you to get some grip.

Do bass strings hurt?

Those thicker strings
Big, thick strings look like they can be painful to press down and pluck repeatedly. They do hurt, but actually, because the tension is a bit lower in a bass guitar, it is more likely that you’d experience a lot more pain playing an acoustic guitar, for example.

Is playing bass easier than guitar?

Bass is easier than guitar in the early stages of learning music. You can play or cover famous songs quicker with a bass guitar. Most bass parts are monophonic, so you don’t have to learn chords.

Do bass players get calluses?

So while some bassists truly never develop calluses, they are in the minority. However, If you actively try to prevent them from developing, the calluses could be so unnoticeable that you don’t even notice them forming. This is generally what has happened to bassists who claim that they have never had a callus.

Do professional bass players use picks?

So, do bassists use picks? Yes; bassists who perform fast-paced, aggressive-sounding music are more-likely to use picks. This is because picks produce a more treble-heavy and ‘snappy’ sound than fingerstyle playing does.

Did paul mccartney use a pick to play bass?

Paul played with a pick from his earliest days on the instrument, and continued this habit all throughout his career. It’s rare to find a Beatles where he plays with his fingers instead. Using a pick has a number of tonal advantages, particularly with the violin-style basses that Paul liked to use.

Is bass guitar fun to play?

Bass is hella fun. Being a guitarist of like 10 years, I love to grab a bass every now and then and groove out some easy basslines. It’s a totally different beast. Bass is probably easier to start out on than guitar so you’ll probably progress a little faster then guitar.

Can you play bass if you’re left handed?

Getting a left-handed bass is totally up to you, but it is not necessary just because you are left-handed. Many southpaws play right-handed basses with no problems at all. When you play bass both hands have to do work.

Is my bass left handed?

Strings. The obvious starting point is to look at the direction of the strings from thick to thin. Hold the guitar vertically in front of you and look at the strings. If the thickest string is on the right the guitar is a lefty, and if it’s on the left it’s a righty.

What is the rest for AP bass?

When it’s down there, it’s a finger rest, not a thumb rest. The thought behind it was that electric bassists would play with the thumb, not the fingers.

What are bass pickup covers for?

The original purpose of pickup covers was to shield them from unwanted noise. By providing a shield for the pickups the cover was designed to stop the bass from humming as a result of outside interference. Early basses even had a ground wire connected to them for this purpose.

Is it easier to play bass with a pick or fingers?

Most people like using a pick because they can develop speed more quickly. If you’re into styles of music that are speed intensive, a pick might make sense. You can develop the same speed with your fingers, but most people find it takes a little more time. You can get different tones with different types of picks.

Why do bassists have a bass face?

There is a nebulous place where music collides with emotion, and for many musicians, this meeting of the mind’s sensory neurons, motor function, and cognition proves combustible, and whatever wells up is commonly manifested in a musician’s most noticeable feature: their face.

Is bass hard for small hands?

Playing bass with small hands isn’t anything to be discouraged about or any reason not to play bass. Sure, naturally there will be challenges, but at the end of the practice sessions, it’s how you handle those challenges and how you choose to work through them.

How often should you practice bass?

If you are more serious about playing the bass, 2-3 hours a day would be a good amount of practice time. And, if you want to be really good you might practice as much as 6-8 hours a day. The famous jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker spent several years practicing 12 hours each day!

Is playing bass a workout?

Playing bass guitar does help to build muscle mass. Changes may be noticed after some years of constant effort, but results are bound to occur. The main muscles involved in such development are the ones in the arms, hands, fingers, and even shoulders.