Right hand muting (floating thumb and more!) - Bass Lesson with Scott Devine (L#38)

[@juanespino946]

this stuff should be the very first lesson when playing bass, I've been intermitent playing bass for 20 years and in my peak I did have great speed and accuracy, but never nailed at clean playing, I have never been to a music school or a teacher, I've been self-taught all along, using books and internet resources, and this is not tought on the beginners courses, it is very difficult to start just by plucking and getting used to it and then change the way to introduce the mutting, this should be the very very first lesson

[@TheTeaDubz]

I am a guitar player that started learning to play bass two days ago and I specifically started looking for right hand technique videos and I am so lucky to have stumbled upon this video because now I feel like I can start practicing the correct technique from the beginning! I wish I had the same advantage when I started playing guitar!

[@lemonstar.2]

@@TheTeaDubz How are you getting? I'm also a guitarist who started playing yesterday - I had some great help from people on the basschat forum and from the guy who sold me one of his many basses - his first lesson for me was all about the floating thumb and muting with both hands. Bass players make such a great community.

[@neilmurphy7594]

@@TheTeaDubz Ditto, and ditto. Benefit of hindsight!

[@vite1968]

Insane that Scott will be in his 70's one day and there still will be this video of him super young hanging on the YT

[@ixa-3140]

@@Kat_Haus nah it's just the reality of our present time we get to see our younger selves and is hilarious and beautiful

[@unclemick-synths]

It's funny how he doesn't give his cocky expression until the little bit at the end. His skills do give him the right to be a little smug 😀

[@CYCMELAN]

this video right here is what allowed me to break through when i saw it 8 years ago. the floating thumb saved me. thank you scott!

[@xMasterxRazorx]

Interesting, your "hybrid" floating thumb technique is the same technique I currently use, which I just developed naturally as I played more and more. Good to see I shouldn't have any problem playing fast with that technique, assuming I practice enough. I feel this is by far the most natural and comfortable feeling technique.

[@DWALL5678]

Same for me! Switched from guitar to bass and naturally fell to this thumb-hybrid technique. But no one told me about rest strokes and I was free stroking everything. Now that is my next step to rest stroke as much as possible and also add raking when going from higher strings to lower strings!

[@Animosity6792]

Chalk up another one - always used this technique and have seen it called the wandering thumb technique. I play 5 string so the first technique isn't as useful. Currently trying to re-teach myself floating thumb as a bit of back-to-basics!

[@iamthesasi]

Thank you for this lesson. My playing got cleaner in just hours.

[@SmoothJyzz]

I am 40+ and I've been a woodwinds guy all my life. Looking for an expansion of my music making, I decided to learn bass. It's SOOO different than what I'm used to. But, your lessons are a God-send to me. I know that proper technique from the beginning is a key and you are a fantastic teacher. Thank you so much for the lessons. It's going to take a while to get good. To think, I haven't practiced scales since I was in 6th grade!

[@oopsydaisy4637]

I was noticing how my left hand technique was much better than my right. This video has helped a lot, and practicing this will deffinately be in my daily technique practice. Thanks another verynhelpful video

[@toddwalker4301]

Cool! I just realized I am using the exact system you do, Scott! I feel much better about my playing, now.

[@chrisrogers438]

OMG. I learned that not everyone calls it the "pinky". Some people call it the "little finger". Also, this has helped me a lot with playing descending scales. I used to have a lot of problems hitting the correct string or consistently strumming the string with the proper feel and timing. It's helped me a lot by shifting my thumb in order to make the travel distance of my strumming fingers consistent in relation to my thumb (if that makes sense). My playing has gotten less noisy too. Thanks for the video, it's helped me a lot.

[@oopsydaisy4637]

A great video I use for practising for about 2 years...still great. Keep on practising your basics makes a lot of difference

[@charliedoell2446]

Scott & Jim, I’m going to try the floating thumb out and see what happens. I, too, used Jaco’s approach (successfully) for the past 25+ years. Now, with the amputated ring finger, it’s going to take some time to iron out the challenges and changes with my human equipment. Will check-in down the road!

[@fieldofpads]

What is not covered here is legato playing when a string is skipped. For example - when playing C on the third fret of the A string and switching to the octave on the fifth fret of the G, the floating thumb cannot mute the ringing (lower c) until the higher octave one is plucked.

[@FlaGuy66]

I just started playing bass 2 months ago after playing guitar for years. I have found your videos to be an excellent source of exercises and techniques. I have subscribed and look forward to working through to improve my playing. Thanks again!

[@quarter_moon_and_a_guitar]

Thanks for this, Scott! I'm a guitar player new to the bass who spent a full day figuring out right hand technique. I took to a hybrid of your anchoring technique and the floating technique; that is, anchoring the thumb on the pickup for the first two strings, and floating on the other two. The transition is seamless and the sound is glovely!

[@Herreken]

Thanks Mr. Scott. I've always anchored my thumb on the pickup or the lowest string but it's difficult to play fast runs on the other strings without hitting unwanted notes. I've avoided using your version of the floating thumb technique because I thought lightly anchoring my thumb on every string while playing notes on the next would slow me down. However after giving this technique a chance, I've found that I haven't lost much speed and my playing is cleaner!

[@onlyjesh7494]

Omg I’ve been playing for while now and I checked this out and it feels so comfortable I’ve watched your vids so many times and it’s funny how small things/changes can make a big difference

[@sixthretwo]

You're a great teacher man. I haven't taken any bass lessons before, my playing has gotten to a certain level where i need to seek out more knowledge, and your videos are just what i need. Thanks for all the help!

[@MashPotatoJohns]

I've always used your technique, but every bass player I look up doesn't, and that got me kinda worried. I thought I had to re learn bass, but it makes me feel good that you do it the same.

[@joaolucasbraga4642]

Damn same here man

[@jessesparks7424]

Same

[@SethVivianBarker]

@@jessesparks7424 Same. That's why I stumbled on to this video. This "hybrid" technique just felt natural when I started learning and more comfortable

[@asukaw5702]

same. John paul jones doesn't.

[@williamhosford2796]

Floating Thumb is simply how I learned bass. Mainly because I sucked at palm muting. It is just how I play now. Granted it is inherently slower than the fixed thumb. But....`s all I gots.

[@jonahscantlin9030]

Wow Scott, this video is a decade old and it still helped me, thanks!

[@ZInaNMooner]

Awesome lesson Scott, i've been struggling so much with the right hand muting specially when i play in G string my A string always resonate. I think i will try your technique cause i also need to have my thumb anchored. Cheers.

[@SlavSquatSenpai]

Damn lol. I thought I was the only one who used the floating/anchored thumb hybrid. I just started about 3 months ago, and I felt the same about the other techniques. They were too awkward, and anchoring was really important.

[@coffee_morse]

I also thought that I was playing wrong !!! I have been playing like that for almost six years! I am from Russia and here the bassists think as well as in the rest of the world XD now I do not consider myself an idiot XD

[@antoniopizarro7670]

Great vid. The real challenge I've found is on crossing strings ascending, as in A to D to G, like a G minor triad starting on A 10th fret. Keep the E muted. Then back again. Even harder on a 5 to keep the B muted during that.

[@Drblooter99]

I've recently started using floating thumb. At first it was very awkward, and my shoulder muscles -- front deltoid -- soon got sore. Rather than doing the hybrid thing like Scott, I moved my hand forward so I could drape the forearm across the "dip" in the middle of the bass body. This anchoring substitutes for thumb anchor, and I can comfortably float the thumb for muting and harmonics. Also, my bass (Gibson short scale) sounds better plucked near the neck.

[@Graszczur]

I'm a beginner bassist and currently I'm learning this "thumb anchored on a lower string" technique. I like it so far

[@XahGee]

Thanks for showing off that hybrid method. I really liked that way the most.

[@wildvideos5662]

Cool, I'm using both techniques and I didn't even realize I'm using them until now :P

[@Rwjudy48]

Jack Bruce used this hybrid method. Like Scott and a number of you, I prefer having the thumb anchored. Thanks, Scott.

[@ronaldo1950]

Foating thumb saved me from tendonits!

[@johelgoni9438]

why?

[@nantansjan]

Trying to work on my bass skills so i've been going through some video's of your channel (I've still got to try the 14 day trial but I need to have all the time to get the best out of it) I found myself struggling with my thumb a lot. I rest it on the pick-up. But the noise! I feel like the hybrid thing is going to work well for me. Gonna put it in my practice hours :) thanks for showing so clearly.

[@happyhellday3]

Thank you so much. I was having so much trouble muting before this.

[@YukonDan]

I came from classical guitar and this is commonplace in that musical sphere! I saw so many people "anchoring" and "pivoting" that I thought something was wrong with my technique 😂

[@mannyjamz]

these are great thank you, just started playing bass got my first bass 2 days ago after playing guitar and this helps a lot!

[@flamethroa]

Excellent lesson,by the way i love your doggies cameo appearance at 7.56. Thanks!

[@nickvanderburg]

Excellent explanation. Thanks Scott.

[@JordnBee]

Fretting hand, most likely. I'm a guitarist (just picking up the bass for some fill-in gigs) but I run similar exercises with my guitar students and the fretting hand takes care of the muting descending.

[@Miggeddy]

i use kind of both techniques with my prefered 5 string bass ^^ i rest the thumb on the b and use the little and index finger to mute the others

[@davidlopez-white3185]

Fun to find this tonight!

[@EzyoMusic]

I'm not a bass player at all, but I'm simply looking for a technique to play my bass lines and muting everything like it should be. I like that hybrid technique you explained and I'm going to learn it. Thank you very much!

[@wonderbars36]

This is probably why I got discouraged from the bass was not having a good right hand approach that I could even try let alone develop. As a guitar player, I can see myself getting into trouble with both now lol. Thank you for providing some insight there.

[@grampzstillkickin7252]

EXCELLENT TUTORIAL Thank you Thank you

[@unclemick-synths]

I started with the hybrid but switched to floating to get away from the pickup and allow more motion along the strings.

[@cortJPS]

Gary Willis says the technique is for better access actually and for stamina for long sessions if I don't remember wrong. It works for muting too, for sure... You need to keep that thumb ready for all situations, so keeping it on the string or on the pickup is a bad habit that has to be forgotten

[@gabriellesta7568]

thanks for the video, i'm a guitar player but i have troubles muting the string when i'm play with my fingers. Now i'm gonna to try this

[@norvegicusbass]

Great Lesson as always. Strictly speaking though Scott do you really need the little finger to mute anything? I am talking of the Jaco method here. When playing the A string the thumb can mute the E, when playing the D string the ring finger sits on the A while the thumb can still be on the E. As you said in the video when you play the G string the plucking finger can mute the D. So really you dont need to use the little finger at all unless I have missed something.

[@HectorSchinelli]

I use this type of muting, but when I do it I don't remove my anchor from the pickup to the E string, so if I'm playing the G string, I use the pinky to mute the E and the ring finger to mute A, and then the D is muted the way he shows it. But if you're changing the anchor to the E string, than I guess you really don't need the pinky (or you can use just the pinky and leave the ring finger free to play too, if you wanna use 3 finger plucking)

[@gooney0]

I like Scott's method the best. It's more difficult on a 5 string though. I need to practice more with the G string. If I skip from A to G, the A rings.

[@ambidex]

I see that being my trouble too, with both Scott's and Jaco's method due to 5 strings.

[@scottsmith2483]

@ScottsBassLessons thanks for the tips! This is something I've been struggling with as a beginner bass player. Do you also have a video on how to mute the G & D strings as you descend through a scale or chord (i.e. moving up the strings)? That's another problem I have and don't know how to solve it. Thanks!

[@tourna-mix7557]

Usually when descending it’s the left hand that does the muting.

[@MaestroBass]

Wow I'm so glad I watched this because I thought I was the only person who rested my thumb on the string above whichever string I was playing. Already weird that I'm left handed but I play right handed. My only issue I will say is every time I play I find my right hand turning in this crooked position as if I were playing slap but doing it fingerstyle. I've talked to my friend Mark Peric (bassist for Planetshakers) about this and we just kind of laughed about it haha but how exactly can I fix this problem Scott. Thanks, and look forward to hearing from you soon :)

[@yantheyam5622]

Didn't know that what I used was called floating thumb. Played guitar that way so it made sense to me.

[@j0c0b]

Hi from the shed. Thanks for another great lesson man.

[@msspi764]

Interesting. From the start I've been inclined to use the floating thumb since I moved from guitar and I mute on slide with a mix of palm muting and floating thumb. But the online instruction I got was mostly focused on anchoring, which I found awkward above the A. Now I find that floating thumb is a thing (though it appears to be less common). Who knew?

[@mariomatura4308]

Floating tumb is my man

[@Krimsonking420]

This is awesome for traveling from E to G strings. But does it work the other way around? Going from G to E?

[@timsidener8768]

I love using the floating thumb technique. I could never get my attack right and would cramp my wrist with anchoring on the pickup. I use my thumb to mute the strings I'm not playing. I play on a 2001 stingray5

[@sjcoupon1754]

When you demonstrated your technique, how did you mute the strings when going back from the G to E string?

[@11nephilim]

With his fretting hand (left hand). You can see that his 1st finger is resting against the strings higher than the one he's currently playing, muting them. You'll probably find that your left hand does this naturally if your thumb is in the correct position behind the neck.

[@sjcoupon1754]

11nephilim Oh ok thanks

[@jimmybob5541]

@@11nephilim this is a super late response but what exactly is the correct place to have your thumb? I just started teaching myself bass and muting with the fretted hand is pretty hard for me so i was just curious

[@MarkNOTW]

Bernie Boy I’m just starting out as well and I don’t think there’s necessarily a “correct” place for the thumb. It’s a matter of choosing which method works best for you

[@jimmybob5541]

@@MarkNOTW yeah i figured out usually having the thumb directly underneath the neck pointing out and not hugging the neck like on guitar gives your fingers a different angle so most of the time you're covering the higher strings when fretting a not. The problem is it feels a little weird so idk lol

[@canvoodoo]

great Lesson I am having trouble since a swapped to 5 string muting the B I think I will go for your way

[@DTGuitarTech]

Interesting. I hat are your thoughts on the Fret wraps?

[@circuitdesign]

At 7:40 you said your thumb is resting on the G string, but that was the D string, right? I'm a beginner, so I'm confused, unless this was a mistake. Can you confirm?

[@jeff5311]

i think adam nitti teaches this "hybrid" anchoring technique as well. i learned it from watching a video of him. you can "get by" using jaco's method, but will run into issues when you move to a 5 or 6 string bass. regardless, great lesson!

[@jensclarberg93]

I'm doing the floating thumb but because of the joint when I play my 5 string and rest on the G string to play the C, theres a gap to the A string and it always rings out, don't know what to do about it!

[@PurplePhaser]

And when I play scale in direction from G to E string? How you mute each string when descending? Left hand? Thanks

[@JohanRoyDsouza]

I always used the floating thumb but never knew what it was called until I came across Gary Willis web page. Thanks a lot though. :)

[@xmiraculix82]

How do you do it when string skipping? Let's say you play a disco bass line with an octave (G on E string to G on D string). Do you anchor the thumb first on the pick-up, then on the A string? Or do you just stay on the pick-up and mute the A string with index/middle finger while playing the higher G note?

[@SpeakerBuilder]

Very helpful, too bad I didn't hear about this ten years ago, and now because I have been emulating your playing and wanting to play all the arpeggios you have been teaching, I found I was having all kinds of string ringing problems, because I could no longer adequately mute the strings with my left hand. So I literally have to start over from scratch and learn this fundamental before moving on. New players take note - this must be learned from the very start.

[@zachhudson3137]

7:57 puppy !

[@RandomANDThinking]

I'm kinda confused about this. I've always seem people actually muting the strings by anchoring it, what you refer to as hybrid, and while I was learning I simply started doing that by myself because I saw no other way to actually get the string I wanted/avoid noise, it feels kinda weird that isn't natural to most people and it also raises a bit of a question to me. How did you manage to find the strings when you were a beginner if you didn't originally anchor your thumb? xD

[@kr0k0deilos]

that was my first lesson with bass :P

[@powbarabajagal2435]

Hi Scott, I am a beginning player and a fan of Joey Spampinato of NRBQ. Can you tell me what sort of technique he uses? I know he does thumb playing and finger muting, plays with flat wounds and it’s more of an upright bass/rockabilly vibe on a Danelectro. I just would like to start off with that sort of style.

[@ThePoisonBiscuit]

This is great, but should one use the floating thumb method when quickly switching between strings? Like in Billy Jean for example.

[@Kent-2045]

Thank you

[@StevieToddler]

Can the jaco technique be translated into 5/ 6 string basses?

[@arturomelendez7262]

hi scott, great video, it helped me a lot. i have a doubt: how can i mute the higher strings when i'm going from g to E? i notice that the noise from the lower strings has gone but not the same the noise of the higher strings. i'm waiting for your answer. thanks! greetings from Mexico

[@MrVictorband]

Hi! You can mute this noise from higher strings with your left (fretting) hand. Just put a free finger on strings or you can use the second phalanxs.

[@RCutOffakavEM]

Thank you very much brotha! :)))

[@MegaMarko789]

When im decending up the strings. how do i mute the higher strings, ie moving from D to A the G and D strings are un muted (ringing out) when using the floating thumb. So do you actually need a hybrid of the two, to make the floating thumb work

[@stevem8424]

Old comment, but I'll throw in my 2 cents anyway. Those higher strings ought to be muted by your fretting hand regardless of right hand technique. Your fingers should move up/down the fretboard at such an angle.

[@ambidex]

@@stevem8424 Helpful. Thanks.

[@jaredraga]

7:14 anchored thumb

[@HempBike]

How do you damp strings that are higher pitched than the string you are playing.? Eg, playing a G on the E string will set the open G string ringing in sympathy an octave higher and it will keep ringing after you move to another note from the low G, potentially clashing.

[@benneburg]

I do a combination of ring and pinky + resting the thumb on the E. Can't do the floating thumb thing, have to curl up my hand in a very uncomfortable way to do it, my hands are long and weird

[@KarimAyadi]

Hey Scott, i like your e-Bass. Would you please tell me which model it is? Many thanx in advance.

[@supabass4003]

I got yelled at by teachers at school for using the technique that you also use. All the old bass players there simply anchored their thumb on the pickup or atmost, the E string, but I always anchor my thumb on the string above (physically above), just like you do. It was weird being told I was doing the wrong thing, when really its a an advanced/hybrid technique and works great if you practice it enough!

[@richarddunn324]

Very helpful, again.

[@lisandrocuria627]

Muy Bueno, muy claro. Gracias.

[@robgregson67]

Thanks for the video Scott! - and for others' useful comments. :-) I'm trying to improve my right hand technique but I'm finding it hard to let go of my (5 year) habit of anchoring my thumb on top of the front pickup. If you're playing quick octaves, do you still move your thumb - or anchor your thumb for the lower note? Thanks!

[@davidphilipsmusic]

hey Scott, which technique would Bootsy and other funk players use?

[@ambidex]

Hmm, anyone have any additional advice for 5 string or 6 string bass players regarding muting? I think I might run out of fingers. I've played bass for 20 years but am a fairly noisy player in some regards. Sting muting should really be encouraged early on because I had always had more coaching in Guitar and thought it was just my bad technique (which it was but in a different way than I ever realized). I've decided to finally become less sloppy and am realizing that SO MUCH of my issues have to do with muting. I play on a 5 string Bass strung EADGC because i want the higher register. I seldom use a pick but do often pluck with my thumb or other fingers and anchor myself when not playing that way. Due to the changing fingering/plucking I think I'll have to use a combination of Scott's version of floating thumb when upright and Jaco's finger muting when my hand is angled and i'm using my thumb as a pick more but then I'll have the issues due to 5 strings and only fingers enough to mute 4. This is going to take a little work as well as trial and error. Best get started. It's true that recording without muting well is no bueno.

[@MichaelStoneham]

Pinky muting, parm muting are some other terms I have heard of. Also Gruv Gear "fret wraps" & "fump" may work if needed. But nothing like good technique.

[@kost.9423]

This is what i naturally do on bass, but i find it dificult to mute low e string with this technique, so i incorporate the little finger to mute the E string, as i am moving down to higher strings.

[@darkgladiator27]

How do you manage to anchor your thumb from a string to another when playing fast passages with lots of string skipping (like when playing the same note in two different octaves)? I hope my question was clear enough. I'm a noob and my bass vocabulary is still elementary, to say the least

[@jackgraham5037]

Right hand muting is such a high level skill. Very difficult to master. Jaco was very adept.

[@miladbgn]

what will you do when you have to hit quarter notes on G , D and A strings Respectively? i can't move my thumb very fast.

[@wtfusheeple5383]

scott do you have your right hand in the neutral position

[@redherringreviews2035]

I have been trying to learn bass for a few years now and am self taught but never really knew the technique for muting unused strings. Now that I have been playing for a while NOt using any real technique, my brain is really struggling with the coordination of right and left hand muting and also playing the notes haha. Any tips to “retrain my brain”

[@Redridge07]

How do you mute with the slap technique?

[@shor3704]

Are there particular gloves or brand that you get or recommend for use for bass playing?

[@TomFowkes]

I'm playing a song using only the e string with my index finger (my middle finger still has a huge blister) and I want to know how to mute the other three strings.

[@albertslevics772]

Hey there, I'm trying to change my right had technique to prevent injuries, but I find it really hard, because by putting my hand in that position my shoulder needs to go up, and it feels really tense. Any tips? It's fine if I'm playing over neck pickup, but I prefer the sound of bridge and there it's not comfy at all.

[@shaggythedrummer444]

I'm new to bass and this may be a dumb question but how are you muting the strings going back from the G string towards the E string?

[@WyattLite-n-inn]

I couldn’t do a pure floating thumb technique to save my life (a la Todd Johnson) but I kept at it. There comes a day when you can do floating thumb without anchoring at all and achieve exactly the same sound, no difference.

[@rome8180]

Okay, but if it's the exact same sound why not just anchor?

[@rondeangelis7384]

Ok so with floating thumb technique ,how do you mute the G string when you play the D string?

[@Democracy_Manifest]

With your fretting hand

[@colinoid]

Do you find this technique works fine on a 5-string? I tend to use this technique, but I sometimes have difficulty with the B string ringing out a little. Do you put the whole back of your thumb across 3 strings? Any tips for 5-string?

[@sentineloffreedom]

Is a pinkie finger actually your index finger?... I'm having a crisis right now haha

[@NoLifeKingRL]

Learning bass and I ended up coming up with the same system as you while noodling around trying to figure out proper right hand muting. It's the only thing that feels good. My one question is about right hand position while plucking. I see you and Victor Wooten anchoring near the bridge side pickup and plucking, but that forces me to have my shoulder back which makes me rest my forearm on the body of the bass which cuts off circulation. I prefer to bring my shoulder forward so I have a much straighter profile with my arm, but when I do this I'm plucking at an angle which seems to make things more awkward for my fingers since they aren't plucking perfectly perpendicular to the strings. Is this plucking at an angle thing considered legit / okay to do? My arm and hand look much more like I'm about to use a pick if that makes sense.