Dude, I've seen this technique explained by Wooten, Marcus, etc ... and yours, is by FAR the best explanation ... You've earned another happy subscriber! Big Thank You!

I wish you'd told me I didn't need the banana in the beginning... I already put one on my arm. nice video sir.

I was having a lot of trouble with my double thumping technique before I watched this video. THEN I got a banana tattoo. My technique has never been better.

I've been playing bass for thirty years, and this is probably the best double thumbing guide around. I really like the way Josh gets to the point, and it's not about his wisecracks or ego (unlike many others...)

"If you assume something's going to be hard than you probably clench up" something I think we can all relate to, joking aside this is a really top video Josh!

6:34 Tosin Abasi has left the chat

Good vid, Marcus Miller was talking about this technique in another video and made a great point; if your action is too high it's way harder to do this technique.

I've come back to this video, yet again, as I dropped learning it after like an hour, and started again and have been doing it for a whole month now. That slight thumb angling REALLY helps. I've been doing everything you suggested, except for the slightly angled thumb. Adding that allowed for resting the bottom of the thumb more easily against the next string. It's kind of like the plucking equivalent of using a ramp or playing over the pickups... less digging in.

Nice to see you’re playing a Cirrus. The Cirrus neck is like no other. I was sold the first time I played one. 35” scale too!!

I really practiced this learning Evan Brewer / Victor Wooten. When I finally sat down and did chords while double thumbing (for a few hours and blisters), I realized it is almost like using a pick. That being said,i found it easier using a pick on guitar then double thumb on bass, but the actual concentration and timing practicing double thumb made me better using a pick on guitar! In my opinion, if you are trying to cram as much technique as you can, its not for the faint hearted. The blister I received from double thumbing swelled twice its size and poped at work.Very painful,but damn if it wasn't worth it. Thanks for making this video. I was just checking if i was doing anything wrong, but i believe i learned all the faults through experience.

Headed out for my afternoon break, taking the bass and giving the double thumb technique a try. Thanks for the great video Josh!

First tip is so much important. I've needed it bro!

Thanks a lot. Your work is very much appreciated. Unluckily, I tought myself the old school Mark King (Level 42) way of slapping throughout the years, trying to convert into double thump technique now. Quite difficult. And I manage to play two up and down strokes and index and middle finger plucking for disco-ish octave kind of stuff, but I am quite lost in more subtle rhythm patterns with triplets etc. Guess I'll have to teach myself more ryhthmic stuff etc.

Great lesson. I haven't attempted double thubbing yet because I thought it would be to hard. But this has helped me get past that. Thanks.

Thank you very much! I have been having a few issues with double thumping and this will definitely help.

Yeah I found it very helpful to start off just by doing a slow and simple double thumb on the e string the first day so you can get the feeling of what double thumb is. Then after that first day try transitioning between different string. Nice vid :)

"Start slower than this... please." Lmao. An actually serious, and very important tip that is. Thanks for the help, Josh. I honestly didn't realize there was so much more to the slap technique. I just started learning this technique, and I was doing most of my motion at the wrist..

you are really the first person that i found on youtube that actually shows what happens in a side view. That helps a lot for the upstroke. I am still struggling with precision, the upstrokes and consistency in sound. I play metal on heavy strings (.140 5 string music man). Do you cut your thumb nail to avoid getting stuck? Thanx for the video!

God bless you, I just started trying double thumbing and I’ve been making EVERY ONE OF THESE MISTAKES !!! Thank you, I just subscribed and liked, of course !

Honestly, the most helpful video so far of learning the double thumb technique 👍 Thanks

Man you were totally right, I assumed this was loads harder than it was. Getting past the psychological barrier and keeping the movement from the elbow really did the trick!

Believe it or not, I learned a life lesson from this video as well as how to double thumb. Thank you.

Ive been attempting this double thumb crap down,but all the videos on here over talk the lessons trying to cram a million things in my head making learning this technique,BUT MR JOSH you my bass playing brethren make learning a lot easier,and i thank you for keeping things simple,keep it up,just dont ever say loosey goosey again olease😬🙄

Never learned this technique because I never needed it, but I want to learn classical thump by Wooten so now I need it

Many thanks for the tips man! I always wanted to be able to do this approach but thought I couldn't because my thumb didn't hyper extend and all the players I saw doing this had those kind of thumbs lol. I thought that was the secrete to doing this. thanks for the tips, they really help!

Great now i can play classical thumb like if it was really easy

How to play bass , by Josh Fungreen . Having fun is a big part of not tensing up . Keep them coming . Lol

wow thanks a lot, Josh! now i really wanna start practicing this technique

Thanks for this! I was doing at least two of your four points wrong!

I wonder if I'll be more skilled with 2 banana tattoos on my forearm

Nice lesson. Once again, love the Cirrus.

This video helped immensely, thank you!

This helped quite a bit, thank you!

I decided I wanna tackle the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe title theme bass part, and the insane intro rendered by Teppei Kawasaki features four very tasty (and very very fast!!!) double-thumb licks in a row. Since I have never double thumb slapped before, I'm starting at like 11 bpm (working to 16th-note triplets at 140bpm), and this helped confirm my suspicions that I can take it slow like any other technique, and with a few healthy habits, can one day make my bass cry uncle from my thumb pummeling the strings with the fury of Star Platinum demolishing Jotaro's foes. Thank you!

Excellent stuff, youre a natural teacher! Thanks.

Thank you Josh.

Thanks for suggestions dude

Really cool advice brother... Especially the 1st and the 4th... Its time for some more fun😉 ...

Once again Josh simplifies and makes sense of areas I struggle with,AWESOME THANKS JOSH ! ALSO I FIND IF YOU USE THE END OF YOUR NECK/FRETBOARD ON THE DOWNSTROKE (REST STROKE WHATEVER YOU CALL IT) IT HELPS ON THE UPSTROKE,I KINDA US IT AS A STOPPING POINT ON THE REST STROKE

first tip important for all technics. video helped a lot btw. subscribed. Thanks!

I found, for me anyway, that seeing the mechanic as not so much an up and down motion on a plane parallel to the fingerboard but an in and out one at a downward angle better facilitated the slap and pop tone production. It also shortened the distance that my thumb leaves the string from the out/up motion so that I can do subsequent recurring motions faster by having smaller movements. I use the up/down parallel to fingerboard motion really to create alternate-picked lines with my thumb as pick...

Thank you for making this video. The tip number 1 is the best. Please make more motivational videos. I know and personally I feel that lot of musician and bassist get a bit insecure when they see a lot of crazy fast players on KZfaq and everywhere. Your voice is powerful and gave hope to me for sure and hoping it gave it to other too. So thank you again. Tip number 4 is kinda.... well, in short I kinda have a semi-hitchhiker thumb so that is a little weird. My thumb curves a little bit more. I do overtax sometimes my thumb but I didnt know it was that bad. Will keep in mind. Hope you read this message and get back to me with a reply.

Josh, great work on your videos! I prowl KZfaq regularly for other bass players in order to glean tips and tricks and your stuff is always high on my list. On a different note I like the banana tat and I'm assuming its a nod to Lou and The Velvet Underground's first album. I have an original unpeeled copy of the banana album that I picked up at a record store back in 87 or so and its one of my most prized possessions. I've long since retired it and listen to a CD copy to preserve the wax.

Thank you so much! you did a great job!

Great video! I've had always had difficulty with thumping, and after a while I started to think my hands just weren't meant to do it. I notice a lot of slap bass players have hitch hikers thumb whereas I do not... but your video is probably the first I've seen where the thumb doesn't bend completely backwards to a 90 degree angle, so it gives me hope lol. Anyway, do you have any tips for adding the plucks after the thumps? I can keep a steady rhythm just using my thumb but this is where i run into trouble. It feels like my fingers get too crowded if, for instance, I try to double thumb the D string then pluck the G (and especially on the same string). I don't have the problem as much when playing strings farther apart but if there's any tips you could give for the tighter spaced thumb-plucks that'd be awesome!

Great video! Thank you.

Josh I'm just now getting good at slapping and it was difficult at first and took 6 months to get it right . Now I cant seem to get my thumb in and out fast enough for double thumping , I have nothing on the side of my thumb to reach in but it will take time just like slapping did. I remember the first time I tried to slap it went BANG - BANG ha , ha .

For the record, and this is at least just my case, it is incredibly difficult if you are left handed but play right handed like I do. I have forced myself over the last 25 years to get even better dexterity in my right than my left. No problem playing three finger pluck patterns and I can even pluck with the three then double back again and keep going in the sextuplets. One thing that I haven't been able to force is this. So I use the double stop slap, but instead of following through like normal, I just use the very tip of my thumb fingertip and "flick" up and down. Using the same usual slap wrist rotation.

Sweet bass

Sigo tus videos aunque no entienda mucho ingles, muy buenos. Saludos desde Argentina

extreme slow motion helped a lot. Thanks

Cool, I was making a few of these mistakes.

Great video as always. Very interesting tips and really good advice! Thank you! =)

Another thing that could help is having a bass without much distance between the strings and the body, and if this is the case, playing up on the neck or right above the pickups.

Hey man, awesome video. Been wondering for years why I can't get it! Good explanations and dang you can rip @05:47!

so not hard it finally fell into place today , why today I dont know but I'm double thumbing finally.

Great lesson 👍🎸😎❤️

Very good!!! Thanks...

great lessons dude also, good life tips thanks!!

Thank you 🙏🏻

Very helpful! Thanks

Thanks

Thanks alot . So helpfull 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💙

Thanks Josh, subscribed!

ok! keep them videos coming and thanks for replying

Great vid!

i kind of combine my elbow and thumb muscle i don't know if it's bad but the thumb movement is what i use to pluck and the elbow is just the up and down movement

With this technique, Does the string always connect with the the fret (thumbing hand) kinda like slapping?

Learned a lot about double thumbing, also learned you're pretty funny too... Dry humour.

thanks for the nice tips! you seem like a really nice guy :D

What do you suggest for up stroke with the thumb? I mean it's either going to use the thumb nail or the thumb meat. Which one?

Thanx man,,i hope i get it

strong thumb . tq for it josh

Personally, I have found that it's much tougher to play double thumb on the G string because I'm too used to resting my thumb on the next string. And also, different types of double thumb strikes create slightly different tones.

Do you need to cut your nail differently for the up strokes?

I did the #1 mistake A LOT. Then I started to feel comfortable with my modest skills, trying to play as clean as possible, until I could reach higher levels

I have a question regarding thumbs and slapping. I'm having a really hard time hitting the A string without also hitting the E string and it sounds so bad. How do I fix this?Does the accuracy just come with practice or do I just mute the E string and not worry about being precise? I also have a thumb that overextends 90 degrees backwards and it's really hard to keep it just straight, might be part of the problem.

Спасибо друг.

Hey there Josh! What are your views on resting the forearm on the bass during double thumb or regular slap bass? I've seen that some people rest it while others hang it in mid air.

THis is amazing.

This guys a great bass teacher..but I feel like that banana tattoo was not a sober discussion 😂

I got a gross blister on the side of my thumb trying this on the first day. Does this sound about right?

thank you :)

Is it weird that am a drummer and an electric guitar player and now am bass player and learning more about it ?!!

Cool Cirrus!

Curious now to hear the story behind the banana...

How about gradually build callouses so you don't blister your thumb edge making practice difficult?

How do you mute other strings while doing this technique? Im used to using floating thumb to mute.. but once i start using my thumb to pluck everything goes to hell.

is there an ideal string gauge for double thumbing?

The main thing that held me back double thumbing was I was hitting the string way to hard when you really barely need to hit it

Wooten and Miller don't need any mention but I've never seen anybody use it better than Mark White (Spin Doctors). Pretty much the only way he plays. Check him out!

I really like the way you think. Ima subscribe

for the come back the nail touch the string???

That banana tattoo if you never discussed the reasoning behind inquiring minds want to know lol I originally thought it was a feather lol Are you eventually going to add the complete fruit of the loom fruits? I would and I’d start with the grapes then the apple and so on

Lol I always wonder how tosin abasi has become such a master of this technique. He really hyperextends his thumb when he shows and teaches thumping but somehow he makes it work although I can't seem to do it.

Lighter gage strings to get a clearer springy tone?

HI Josh, please explain and share your bass and amp set up. Best regards always. Bon

I've learned from Taylor Eigsti (jazz piano player) that there's no such thing as easy or hard; only familiar and unfamiliar. The more familiar you are with something, the easier it's going to be, and vise versa

I'd never seen VU's banana as a tattoo before, fits really cool

My slap technique is a little unorthodox. Instead of my thumb being parallel to the strings or the hitch hiker thumb, it's pointing at about a 45 degree angle down. It makes the double-thumb technique all but impossible. :( I feel like it would take months if not years to re-learn the "correct" way to slap.