Whats with some guitar players using their thumbs?

subotai · Post by **subotai** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 8:56 am

*cough John Mayer *cough* to fret stuff on the 6th string? Like every song he is fretting something that way. Dave never does it. I dont paticularly like that style at all.

Ando · Post by **Ando** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 8:58 am

You've got to have to some pretty massive hands to do that...

Buck23 · Post by **Buck23** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 9:07 am

I think Stevie Ray Vaughn did that, he may have gotten it from hendrix. but mayer definitely got it from srv. the guy from coldplay does it too. it's pretty cool if you can do it

kaizer · Post by **kaizer** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 10:14 am

i do it sometimes to barre the chords if my hand starts to cramp

fatjack · Post by **fatjack** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 10:25 am

i love using this technique, it frees up all four of your fingers to play melodies. this is how people like hendrix played the bass line and the melody at the same time.

i dont see why you dont like it subotai... its just more fingers on the fretboard, allowing you to play more stuff at once

Post by **jpittman** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 12:09 pm

I don't like it because I can't do it.

Brock · Post by **Brock** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 12:12 pm

I like it. I can do it somehow, despite the fact that I'm fucking tiny and my hands are as well.

Cor · Post by **Cor** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 12:45 pm

I can't do it. I have pretty small hands.

Cory "I'd like to learn how to" Allen

Appfro · Post by **Appfro** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 12:57 pm

i use my thumb. but only on certain chords like F#/d and stuff like that. and some other things, but i can't like use it for bass line and play melody at the same time or anything. i just be big hands. and you knw what they say about people w/ big hands huh?? HUH???? yea....they wear big gloves.

jsgksu · Post by **jsgksu** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 1:52 pm

I use it every now and then, like in this chord from PNP/WWBM: 354x3- It makes if a lot easier to play it.

Matty Boom · Post by **Matty Boom** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 1:57 pm

I'd imagine it's just like anything else...you don't think you can do it when you start, but if you actually practice it quite a bit, you'll get better.

Appfro · Post by **Appfro** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 2:05 pm

i actually can't play the F#/D like dave plays it. i have to do it w/ my thumb. it's because it's the was i learned it.

NoNotThat · Post by **NoNotThat** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 2:25 pm

Appsoldier wrote:i actually can't play the F#/D like dave plays it. i have to do it w/ my thumb. it's because it's the was i learned it.

yeah it sounds better
thats how I do it too

Trippin Hillbilly · Post by **Trippin Hillbilly** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 4:04 pm

Yeah i use it quite often, learnt it from playing some coldplay stuff. It's very cool once you get the hang of it.

gravedigger · Post by **gravedigger** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 4:08 pm

yeah I only use if I have to or if it makes it easy to switch to the next chord. John Mayer and Dave Matthews have COMPLETELY different styles of playing. however they do share similarities in muting and percussive slapping but they're chord voicings and prorgressions are very different. I enjoy them both.