To play bass notes with your thumb, rest your thumb on the bass strings, the 6th, 5th and 4th, and pluck down, towards the floor, playing the root of the chord on the first beat and the 5th on the third beat. The thumb is the bass, and it gives the fingerpicking its rhythm and its grounding.
How do you play bass notes with your thumb?
To play bass notes with your thumb, rest your thumb on the bass strings, the 6th, 5th and 4th, and pluck down, towards the floor, playing the root of the chord on the first beat and the 5th on the third beat. The thumb is the bass, and it gives the fingerpicking its rhythm and its grounding, because the bass is the foundation, and the melody is built on it. The thumb plays the low notes, and the fingers play the high notes, and the two together make the fingerpicking sound, with the bass driving and the melody singing. The thumb plays the bass strings, and it plays them with a downstroke, towards the floor, which is the natural movement of the thumb, and the thumb is stronger than the fingers, so the bass is steady and clear. The thumb alternates between the root and the 5th of the chord, giving the bass its movement: on beat one, the thumb plays the root, on beat two, the thumb plays the 5th, on beat three, the thumb plays the root, and on beat four, the thumb plays the 5th. The C major guitar chord and the G major guitar chord are the chords most players first play bass notes on, and the metronome keeps the beat steady.
How thumb bass notes work
The thumb bass works by playing the root of the chord on the first beat, and the 5th on the third beat, so the bass moves between the two notes, and the movement gives the fingerpicking its rhythm. The root is the note the chord is built on, and the 5th is the note a perfect 5th above the root, and the two are the most important notes of the chord, because they define the harmony. The thumb plays the root on the 6th or 5th string, depending on the chord, and the 5th on the 4th or 5th string, depending on the chord, and the thumb alternates between them, on the beats. The thumb must be steady, because it is the bass, and the bass must not rush or drag, or the rhythm will break. The thumb plays on the beat, one, two, three, four, and the fingers play on the offbeats, the ands, and the thumb and the fingers are independent, so the thumb can play a steady rhythm while the fingers play a varied melody. The D major guitar chord and the A major guitar chord are the chords the thumb bass is built on, and the I–V–vi–IV progression in C major is a good progression to practise it with.
Worked example — thumb bass on C major and G major. Hold a C major chord, and play the thumb on the 5th string, which is C, the root, on beat one, then the thumb on the 4th string, which is G, the 5th, on beat two, then the thumb on the 5th string, C, on beat three, and the thumb on the 4th string, G, on beat four, and the bass alternates between C and G, the root and the 5th. Now change to G major, and play the thumb on the 6th string, which is G, the root, on beat one, then the thumb on the 5th string, which is D, the 5th, on beat two, then the thumb on the 6th string, G, on beat three, and the thumb on the 5th string, D, on beat four, and the bass alternates between G and D, the root and the 5th. The key of C major and the key of G major list the chords the thumb bass is built on.
How to practise thumb bass notes
Practise thumb bass notes slowly, learning the alternating pattern first, and then adding the fingers, so the bass is steady before the melody is added.
- Practise the thumb alone on a C major chord, alternating between the 5th string, C, and the 4th string, G, on the beats, one, two, three, four, until the bass is steady.
- Practise the thumb alone on a G major chord, alternating between the 6th string, G, and the 5th string, D, on the beats, until the bass is steady.
- Add the index finger on the offbeats, playing the 3rd string, so the pattern is thumb, index, thumb, index, and the bass and the melody work together.
- Play the I–V–vi–IV progression in C major with thumb bass notes, changing chords on beat one of each bar.
- Practise with the metronome at 60 beats per minute, and increase the tempo by 5 beats per minute when the bass is steady at the current tempo.
Common mistakes
- Playing the bass too loudly — The thumb plays the bass, and the bass should be steady but not loud, because the melody is the part that sings. If the thumb is too loud, it will drown the melody, and the fingerpicking will sound like a bass, not like a song. Play the thumb softly, and the fingers a little louder.
- Letting the thumb follow the fingers — The thumb is the bass, and it must be steady, on the beat, while the fingers play the melody, on the offbeats. If the thumb follows the fingers, the bass will be uneven, and the rhythm will break. Keep the thumb steady, and let the fingers follow the melody.
- Playing the wrong bass note — The thumb must play the root on beat one and the 5th on beat three, and playing the wrong note will make the bass sound wrong, because the harmony will be wrong. Find the root on the 6th or 5th string, and the 5th on the 4th or 5th string, and play them in order.
Quick reference
This table shows the thumb bass notes for four common chords, with the root on beat one and the 5th on beat three, so you can see the alternating pattern working on every chord. The root is the note the chord is built on, and the 5th is the note a perfect 5th above the root, and the thumb alternates between them.
| Chord | Root (beat 1) | 5th (beat 3) |
|---|---|---|
| C major | 5th string (C) | 4th string (G) |
| G major | 6th string (G) | 5th string (D) |
| D major | 4th string (D) | 5th string (A) |
| A minor | 5th string (A) | 6th string (E) |
Use the table to practise thumb bass notes: pick a chord, play the root on beat one and the 5th on beat three, alternating between them, and keep the thumb steady, so the bass drives the song. When you can play the bass for any chord without looking, you can fingerpick any song, with the bass and the melody together.
Frequently asked questions
How do I play bass notes with my thumb?
Rest your thumb on the bass strings, the 6th, 5th and 4th, and pluck down, towards the floor, playing the root of the chord on the first beat and the 5th on the third beat. The thumb is the bass, and it gives the fingerpicking its rhythm and its grounding.
Which strings does the thumb play?
The bass strings, the 6th, 5th and 4th strings, and the thumb plays the root and the 5th of the chord, alternating between them, on the beats, while the fingers play the treble strings, the 3rd, 2nd and 1st, on the offbeats.
Should the thumb play on the beat or the offbeat?
On the beat, because the thumb is the bass, and the bass must be steady, on one, two, three, four, while the fingers play on the offbeats, the ands, and the two together make the rhythm, with the bass driving and the melody singing.
Do I need a thumbpick to play bass notes?
No, but a thumbpick gives the bass a clearer, brighter sound than the bare thumb, and it makes the thumb louder, so the bass is heard. Many fingerpickers use a thumbpick, and many do not, and the choice is the sound you want.
Can the thumb play the melody too?
Usually not, because the thumb plays the bass, and the fingers play the melody, and the division is what makes fingerpicking work. The thumb can play the melody in some styles, but the bass is its main job, and the melody is the fingers' job.