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 Newb Newb! 
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Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2018 9:16 pm
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Post Newb Newb!
Hey everyone!

Just started playing Stick, I am borrowing one from another band member after waiting about a decade to get my hands on one of these things and its everything I dreamed it would be. I am a bass player and I had tried two-hand tapping before on a 6-string, mostly to play video game tunes that I loved, and so it has been a very natural transition.

If I wasn't trying to buy a house atm then I would be searching frantically for a good deal on a 10-string, probably a Ten Grand Railboard. I WANT MY OWN! :cry: I suppose I'll check out the "For Sale" board when I'm ready.

I have a few questions, and I'm sure these questions have been asked before so feel free to point me towards the appropriate link.

Thumb placement: I'm used to having my thumb in the middle of the neck. Should I try to keep my thumbs on the angled top and bottom of the neck as "good practice"? Its hard to tell from the videos I've seen where exactly the thumb is meant to be, but it seems to work more ergonomically with the thumbs toward the edges, and its easier to get the fingers to attack the strings straight down rather than from an angle, which leads me to bend the topmost and bottommost strings right off of the fretboard.

Pull-offs: as a beginner, but with over a decade of experience on a fretboard instrument, should I work on hammer-ons exclusively until I get it down or should I incorporate pull-offs as the "proper technique"?

Any other resources that will help me "get started off on the right foot" as far as good principles and good practice would be greatly appreciated. I hope to come up with a good practice routine and really familiarize myself with the instrument so I can play more intuitively as I do on bass.

Thx in advance!


Sun Feb 18, 2018 11:37 am
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Post Re: Newb Newb!
Hi and welcome! There are a ton of great resources, from books, DVDs and YouTube instructional series, including my own.

As for your thumb question, I often put my right hand thumb on the beveled edge and reach across, and my left hand thumb will alternate between the bevel and the back of the neck depending on the angle of my wrist and what I'm reaching for on the bass side.

You might find this video useful:


That's the intro video to a whole series I've created that explores many technical and theoretical aspects of the Stick as well as arrangements and studies across a broad set of skill levels. Each video is supplemented with exercise work sheets or tabs/sheet music available at http://www.patreon.com/jgoldbergmusic.

When I was getting started, I remember working on hammer-ons and pull-offs pretty equally, and you will notice that they'll be fairly intuitive if you're coming from bass. In my opinion, the one thing that you should focus on when practicing them is consistency and fluidity.

Anyway, welcome again and please keep us updated on your progress!

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Sun Feb 18, 2018 12:05 pm
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Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2013 4:54 pm
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Location: Hobart, Tasmania, AU
Post Re: Newb Newb!
Welcome, welcome RuyiJinguBen!

There's plenty of good advice coming your way, from this wonderful community of crazies.

If you're wanting too get your bass playing together, definitely get yourself a copy of Greg Howards hand movement dvd. I keep saying it, but it's the one thing that's improved my fluency and I think bass role playing is really calling for it. Most folk comment on my groove and I'm focussed on that of course (drum background).

So many great contributors in stick world, take advantage of all of it in your own time.

RuyiJinguBen wrote:

Pull-offs: as a beginner, but with over a decade of experience on a fretboard instrument, should I work on hammer-ons exclusively until I get it down or should I incorporate pull-offs as the "proper technique"?


Just do it all...! There's so much timbre and variety on 10-12 strings with stick.

Great to meet you virtually.

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Stickrad

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Mon Feb 19, 2018 6:58 pm
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Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2018 9:16 pm
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Post Re: Newb Newb!
Thanks, both of you!

I got too busy over the weekend and forgot I had posted :oops:


Mon Feb 19, 2018 8:02 pm
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Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2013 4:54 pm
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Post Re: Newb Newb!
Nah Wucken Furries!

We're dealing with deep time in this forum... :lol:

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Tue Feb 20, 2018 3:25 am
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Post Re: Newb Newb!
Hey there, welcome. Regarding pull offs, welp, it's not like a bass, and yet, it is. But still, not a bass. Not really.

What could be worked on the interim to help in the meantime? If you have a 6 string bass, you can practice getting good tone and solid placement of the left hand on the B, E and A strings while you do the same with the right hand on the D, G and C strings.

Don't worry about playing fast or making bitchen chords. Just land the note and get a good, clean connection between the finger, the string and the neck of the instrument. Experiment with different sequences of finger choices, the idea here being to bring something musical into the world.

Buying a house is pretty stressful, it's a full time job. Hopefully music can be a refuge from the searching and haggling.

Thanks for posting - cheers.

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Tue Feb 20, 2018 6:31 pm
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Post Re: Newb Newb!
Hello RuyiJinguBen…

…congrats and welcome here…

…playing the stick is nothing else than starting a new project…
…any other instruments played before is what the most of us did when starting with the stick…

…IMHO you can't go wrong exploring with the knowledge you have from your other instruments…just go, its fun anyway…


Thu Feb 22, 2018 3:29 pm
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Post Re: Newb Newb!
"Just go, it's fun anyway" -Balt-a-sar


What he said.

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Gene Perry
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http://www.freehandsacademy.com


Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:37 pm
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