Thumb position
In music
).On the double bass
For the double bass, thumb position is used when playing above one-lined G[citation needed] (on the third ledger line in bass clef notation for the double bass). To play passages in this register, the player shifts their hand out from behind the neck and flattens it out, using the side of the thumb to press down the string. When playing in thumb position, the use of the fourth finger is replaced by the third finger, as the fourth finger becomes too short to produce a reliable tone. Bass instruction books often teach thumb position by having the player place the left-hand thumb on the high (one-lined) G note.
In this same position, notes below the G can also be played. By
One issue with the use of thumb position is that it is harder to produce vibrato with the thumb than with the fingers, because fingers have much fleshier pads than the side of the thumb. While the difference between the vibrato sound produced by the fingers and the thumb may not be noticeable in a passage of moving notes, if there is a held note which is stopped by the thumb, which is vibrated, the difference may be noticeable. As such, some players use finger substitution to replace the thumb with one of the fingers.
Other bass instruments
On the cello
With the cello, in the "neck" positions (which use just less than half of the fingerboard, nearest the top of the instrument), the thumb rests on the back of the neck. However, in thumb position, the thumb usually rests alongside the fingers on the string and the side of the thumb is used to play notes, along with the other left-hand fingers. The fingers are normally held curved with each knuckle bent, with the fingertips in contact with the string. If a finger is required on two (or more) strings at once to play perfect fifths (in double stops or chords) it is used flat. In slower, or more expressive playing, the contact point can move slightly away from the nail to the pad of the finger, allowing a fuller vibrato.
Thumb position can be, and is (by virtue of the requirements of the extensive repertoire) employed many times, and not only in the higher range of the instrument. [emphasis added]
— Potter, [2]
The cello thumb position is introduced on the second or half-string
In thumb position, the, "'standard' finger pattern," between the thumb, first and second fingers, is
As with the double bass, one issue with the use of thumb position is that it is harder to produce vibrato with the thumb than with the fingers, because fingers have much fleshier pads than the side of the thumb. Some cellists use finger substitution to replace the thumb with one of the fingers or alternatively press down on the thumb using the index finger to provide an ample range of vibration.
See also
- Electric upright bass
- Fingering
- List of jazz bassists
- List of classical bassists
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-87487-071-8.
- ^ a b Potter (1996), p.84.
- ISBN 978-0-8108-5153-5.
External links
- Bass at Curlie