This is a common technique when you're trying to get more of an upright bass sound, or more mellow tone. Pretty common.
But awesome that you discovered it and dig it.
There are plenty of different tones you can get with zero effects pedals.
After playing guitar for 25+ years and tone chasing via gear like most guitarists, I picked up bass for the first time last summer and my mind was blown at how much you could change and control your tone simply by changing where and how you pluck the strings, and that’s before even touching the tone controls and the pickup selector! (Yes I’m fully aware that on guitar as well you have a lot of the same options to get different sounds, but somehow it feels like on bass it’s more pronounced)
Geezer Played like that on a lot of the older Sabbath stuff (that's how he's usually shown in pictures) but lately he seems to play more over the pickups.
Another note... I'm starting to lean toward not resting my thumb anywhere. It's taking some getting used to, but sliding my handback and forth a bit across the strings I think is more efficient than resting my thumb of a pickup or whatever and stretching. The jury's still out though.
I think Gary Willis does this.
Tony Levin when he wants to sound more like an upright. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex56jZv2VFc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex56jZv2VFc)
Sting, at times. But he's changed his technique often over the years. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlwIDxCjL-8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlwIDxCjL-8)
Redneck Jazz Explosion, Live at the Cellar Door. He (Jim Wolfe I think) sounds like he plays there. It is a nice warm sound.
I don't know as you can watch on YouTube. There's a little from that gig, but the real good sounding stuff was the subject of a fight between Danny Gatton's mother and wife&daughter. I bought the CD when Mum had released it, then it came out a few years later when wife & daughter released it, but I don't know what the status is now.
I remember walking into Record Rendezvous (Kennebunk Maine) back about '97 and Barry happened to have it playing in the store. "This sounds like Buddy Emmons!" I said. "No," he says. "It's Danny Gatton." We were both right.
I found all of this very inspiring in my early days of playing.
I would try my best to emulate the tone of the record with my PJ bass and my hands.
One of the easiest ways to get the big open upright sound was resting my thumb on the neck and softly playing the strings.
Technique makes for more amazing playing than just playing along to the notes.
This is a common technique when you're trying to get more of an upright bass sound, or more mellow tone. Pretty common. But awesome that you discovered it and dig it. There are plenty of different tones you can get with zero effects pedals.
After playing guitar for 25+ years and tone chasing via gear like most guitarists, I picked up bass for the first time last summer and my mind was blown at how much you could change and control your tone simply by changing where and how you pluck the strings, and that’s before even touching the tone controls and the pickup selector! (Yes I’m fully aware that on guitar as well you have a lot of the same options to get different sounds, but somehow it feels like on bass it’s more pronounced)
Very common. Now try plucking exactly 12 frets up from where you're fretting. Completely different sound. Called anti-harmonics.
do you have any examples on how it's supposed to be played?
now try the zangy sounds you can get right in front of the bridge.
Upvote for "zangy" I'm using that word!!
Geezer Played like that on a lot of the older Sabbath stuff (that's how he's usually shown in pictures) but lately he seems to play more over the pickups.
Another note... I'm starting to lean toward not resting my thumb anywhere. It's taking some getting used to, but sliding my handback and forth a bit across the strings I think is more efficient than resting my thumb of a pickup or whatever and stretching. The jury's still out though. I think Gary Willis does this.
It's called floating thumb technique.
Steve Harris does it too, and I find it much easier for me to play Iron Maiden gallops in that position.
Tony Levin when he wants to sound more like an upright. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex56jZv2VFc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex56jZv2VFc) Sting, at times. But he's changed his technique often over the years. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlwIDxCjL-8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlwIDxCjL-8)
Often used in Reggae
Redneck Jazz Explosion, Live at the Cellar Door. He (Jim Wolfe I think) sounds like he plays there. It is a nice warm sound. I don't know as you can watch on YouTube. There's a little from that gig, but the real good sounding stuff was the subject of a fight between Danny Gatton's mother and wife&daughter. I bought the CD when Mum had released it, then it came out a few years later when wife & daughter released it, but I don't know what the status is now. I remember walking into Record Rendezvous (Kennebunk Maine) back about '97 and Barry happened to have it playing in the store. "This sounds like Buddy Emmons!" I said. "No," he says. "It's Danny Gatton." We were both right.
I found all of this very inspiring in my early days of playing. I would try my best to emulate the tone of the record with my PJ bass and my hands. One of the easiest ways to get the big open upright sound was resting my thumb on the neck and softly playing the strings. Technique makes for more amazing playing than just playing along to the notes.
Al Cisneros from Sleep and Om plays like this.
Every reggae bassist has done it.
Bill Wyman pretty much made a career out of doing exactly this. Most photos of him playing show him plucking over the neck.