I have been playing for almost 25 years now and although i know Hendrix Trowers and others used there thumb to fret ..I have always managed to get around it..I have now started playing somethings that leaves me no choice but to use my thumb to fret and im finding this extremely difficult ..I was curious how many people use this technique on a regular basis?I'm sure with practice i will be able to become proficient with this technique..But it must be one of the harder things that i have had to learn in some time..If any one would have some tips or practice riffs that would help me could you Please pass them along..

i used not use it, now im used to it.

sometimes i use it when playing acoustic guitars ... rarely on electric though

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"Remember"

i use it. been doing it since the begining.

Never have. My hands are pretty small, most necks I can't even touch my thumb to my forefinger around the first fret. It's always been really uncomfortable for me to try fretting with my thumb. So I just don't.

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Fretting with the thumb and using the pinkie were two skills bestowed on me when I first started playing and I use my thumb to fret all the time, whether it's for chords or just playing a bass line I can't help but use my thumb.

I don't think it's a necessity, one of the guys I play with doesn't fret with his thumb and he's a great player, he did recently asked about it because he was having trouble with the song "Change It"... it is kinda hard to get the hammer on the F chord just right.

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I use it quite a bit, in fact in some cases I find it much more comfortable. And my hands are probably smaller than most. I played with my thumb over the fretboard when I was a beginner, but people kept telling me not to do that so I had to relearn how to do it after I started playing things in the styles of SRV/Hendrix. There are some good lessons on steviesnacks.com that include playing with your thumb.

http://www.steviesnacks.com/free-lessons/the-grip.html

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I do, But not that much. Only a couple of songs. I think all is fine. Just practice away my friend.

I'd only use it for Hendrix-style chording, because you can't really get away from it in that situation. There's a major chord shape where the first finger needs to be behind where your barre would be (if you were playing it as a straight barre chord) so you can hammer on with your third finger. That 9th to major 3rd hammer on preserves that nice open major sound. If you were to hammer on to the same note from a barre, you'd be going from a #9 to a major 3rd, instantly placing you in bluesy territory -- not always appropriate.

Uhh... sorry, crapping on again! But you do need to be able to do it to some extent if you're playing music that was composed by someone who relied on having their thumb available to fret notes.

The most obscure chord I ever came across featuring the thumb was from Tuck Andress... I had been trying to work it out from records for the longest time, and I just could not imagine how it was physically possible to have all those notes ringing out simultaneously. There were six of them, but I couldn't picture how the left hand could be fretting them. Then I saw him in concert, and as soon as his thumb crept up there I wanted to run home and play that chord...

^ P.S. Welcome aboard, shacowboy!

I use the thumb. Been doin' since the start.

only when its called for.....im not sure how you could get out of it...take the song Free Bird...you go from G to D/F#

I use my thumb alot. Those big barre chords in 6 position (major and minor) also all the 7th chords. What happens is you leave out the A string, which can sometimes muddy up your tone. Try playing a big fat barre chord using your thumb on the E string, and not playing the A string. The note on the A string is just the 5th, which is played on the B string anyway. Some people just think it sounds better this way, leaving out the A string on those barre chords. I also think it's easier than barring across all 6 strings, especially on an acoustic. And, of course, like others have mentioned, some odd chords you just have to use your thumb.

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i often use my thumb to fret the 3 bass strings as electric guitar power chord
since the chord pattern is only use by myself
the power chord does not have a name

there is also this guitar solo of mine, written in 2004
when i just started to play own solo
played with thumb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZZR96t-SkQ

almost never.

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