So after a trip to the rock and roll Hall of Fame and playing with a bass guitar, I decided one of my retirement projects was to learn bass guitar.

Bought everything and am having a blast. Can't believe back in the day we had to pay for lessons, now I have multiple professionals in my house at my fingertips on YouTube for free.


My right hand does fantastic walking the two or even three fingers down by the pickups. My left hand not so much.


The left hand feels easier not wrapping the guitar but attacking from the top. Overhand, almost piano looking-both hands going down from the top.


Is there a reason most play from the bottom? Monkey see monkey do? Some strategic reason?


My goal is competence to play along whatever I hear. I LOVE music and listen to hours of it everyday. This is so pleasurable it's crazy. But that left hand I've got to figure out.



Thanks for any replies

Crazy question.  I love it.  I play guitar and have for a long time.  Took up bass about 6 months ago.  Just finished learning Riders on the Storm.  (long and not really hard).

I have never seen anyone play a guitar or bass like you describe except steel guitar players.  I guess it's music so any way you can make music is up to you.  Only problem I see with it is I can't see ever playing standing like that.  

Maybe someone famous has done this but I'm unaware.  Perhaps you should join talkbass.com and post the question there.

Jeff Healey played guitar like that.  

The issue is being able to apply pressure to the back of the neck.  You have to do it somehow, and with your thumb or the heel of your hand is the easiest and most ergonomic.

Jeff Healey played like a pedal steel that isn't exactly a reasonable comparison.

Pressure to the back of the neck. That's what I was missing.

I'll keep working on it and see where I end up. It gets better everyday.

Fortunately, this isn't a skill I need to eat or survive, it's a relaxing hobby I'm enjoying. The lessons I follow are difficult, the songs I play sing with afterwards are fun.

Thanks for clarifying the issue

You're overthinking it, brother.  The string needs to be pressed against the fret wire so something needs to stop the neck from moving backwards to accomplish that.  It's physics so don't worry about it too much.  Just try to drop your wrist and use your thumb on the spine (center) of the rear of the neck.  Shift/move as necessary and develop your own technique as you go.

Thumbs Carlille... waay before Jeff Healey



about a minute in..

Thumbs (a nickname he never embraced according to wiki) was a bad ass indeed.

I played a couple hours yesterday. Still trying conventional for now.


I have no interest past hobby. After 3 YouTube lessons I turned on a juna serita video (funk you) and played along. Wife couldn't believe it was me

I think knowing the scales and a little pertinent music theory is probably the most important thing. As long as you can play decent with your technique then why not? But the more you try the conventional underhand approach the easier and more natural it is going to feel. I’ll be interested to see how your technique pans out in the long run.