Getting all Ornery

I’ve been reading Ornery Boy for a while and have been looking for the excuse to link there, and then I spot today’s cartoon. And if anyone’s seen my usual guitar set-up, then they know just how apposite it is!

Two thumbs fresh

Following my usual pattern of trying to run before I can walk, I was looking at this youtube video:

It’s a nice example of double thumbing, which is something I’d previously only really thought of (i.e. dismissed) in terms of Wooten-esque pyrotechnics, however there it’s used for a perfectly respectable groove. Giving the technique a bit of work, it looks like I’ll have to do a bit of readjustment from my usual slap thumb, which bounces off the strings rather than following through. Also a lot of the time it doesn’t really sound like slap, more like I’m using the edge of my thumb like a guitar plectrum. There’s also a nagging thought in my mind that the groove in the video could have quite easily been played fingerstyle and probably would have sounded just as good. The technique has piqued my interest though, so I think I’ll keep working on it.