You can use it to hitchhike. Roger Ebert has made a fortune using one or both, up or down. He is universally recognized as the sign of a series of statements: “good”, “good job”, “looks good”, “is under control”, among others. It is also the addendum one would be inserting “where the sun don’t shine” in a well-known metaphor for aimlessly wasting time. Of course, we mean the thumb.

In terms of playing the guitar, the thumb is like the “red-haired stepchild” of the playing hand. More sloppy than even the “little” finger (but that’s for another article).

The focus of our playing hand, the hand that attacks the fretboard, is generally centered on the first three fingers. These are the easiest to use. They’re stronger, longer, and faster than your pinky or thumb, so they stand up to the call to action much more than their “weaker” brethren.

But as guitarists, it would be wise to make full use of all of our appendages when playing. In fact, we’d be surprised to find that the effort involved in incorporating the use of the thumb into our playing technique will make some tasks on the guitar neck even easier.

  

Here are some uses of the thumb when playing guitar:

1. Downhill on foot

2. Chord formations

3. Mute

4. Added pressure

5. Playing as a leader

Let’s take a look at some of these:

1. walks – The thumb can be very useful when playing a “walk down”. This is when you start on a chord and “come down” to a resolution chord, usually via a “step” chord in the middle.

When the low notes of a downstroke occur on the 6th string (low E in standard tuning), it’s often easier to use your thumb to play some or all of those low notes, rather than trying to use your fingers. .

A good example would be the commonly used descent from an open G chord to an Em. The chord that passes between these two chords is usually a D/F# (D over F#). The easiest way to play this chord is to form an open D chord as usual, then roll your thumb up on the second fret of the sixth string (F#). This method makes the transition smooth.

2. Chord formations – The thumb can also be used to assist in chord formation. Many chords are conducive to using the thumb. For example, a minor seventh chord could easily be played with the thumb.

Jimi Hendrix was known for using his thumb to form chords where most of us would use barre chords. Instead of “sweeping” the first finger across a fret to make a standard barre chord, he would often use his thumb to play the bass note, form the rest of the chord as usual, and then play the remaining notes as needed. necessary with the first. finger.

Try this the next time you pick up the guitar. Play a barre A chord at the fifth fret. Now lift your first finger that is doing the “bar.” Then take your thumb and use it to play the root note A on the fifth fret of the sixth string. Finish by placing your first finger on the fifth fret of the first and second strings. You’re playing the same identical notes as the barre chord version, just with a different hand formation. Try this also with minor barre chords. It can be a bit liberating once you get used to it!

3. Mute – The thumb is a great tool for muting strings when strumming rhythmic patterns. For example, an F chord in the open position is normally played using only the first four strings. It would be difficult to pull off some aggressive strumming maneuvers without playing the 5th and 6th strings. Using your thumb to slightly mute these two strings will solve the problem. The same can be said for many open chords that don’t use all six strings, such as C, D, and Am chords in the open position.

4. Added pressure – When playing the guitar, there is a natural tendency to keep the thumb in a wrapped position over the top of the neck. However, there are times when you may need a little more finger pressure on the strings to form a chord or play a lick. That extra pressure can often be found by lowering your thumb to a position where the ball of your thumb is firmly planted in the middle of the back of the guitar neck. This increases the amount of pressure for the fingers and provides additional turning power.

In terms of conventional guitar instruction, this thumb placement position is often considered the accepted way of playing the guitar.

5. Playing as a leader – There are some musicians who incorporate the thumb to play solos and lead runs. It’s really a matter of personal preference and what you get used to. I’ve never mastered this approach to soloing, but I’ve seen other players use it effectively.

Regardless of your style or approach to guitar playing, there are probably times when using your thumb when playing chords and licks can make sense and make life a little easier. So when your fingers come out to “dance” on the fretboard, don’t forget to take your thumb along for the ride!