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Double Thumbing With Alex Lofoco: Lesson 1
Meet Alex Lofoco –
Hi everybody and welcome to our first appointment with the “Double Thumbing” technique.
In this technique the right hand thumb (left for left-handed) is supposed to “pick” the string in both direction down and up. In traditional slap technique, the thumb hits the strings with only one movement (down), bouncing to load next stroke and the wrist is the fulcrum. Using double thumbing, introduced by Larry Graham and developed by Victor Wooten, we can, on the contrary, not bouncing but using an opposite motion to produce another sound (up).
In this first lesson we will start from the basics and we will practice on two simple three notes patterns, using the two movements of your thumb down (T?) and up (T?) and plucking (P) with your index finger (i). In the second pattern we will see how to introduce a fourth element: the hammer (H).
In this way we can use any combination of two, three and four notes, which can be applied to one or more strings.
The first step to approach the double thumbing technique is to achieve the right skill to hit the strings. Picking hand position is one the keys, and even if it is entirely personal and it changes from hand to hand according to size and anatomy, you must play in the most comfortable way in order to avoid inflammation and tendinitis.
These are my personal hand positions and approach, according to my own hand.
• As I said before the thumb must be able to hit the string in both the down and up direction. I place my thumb parallel to the strings. My hand, and therefore my fingers, are instead perpendicular to the strings as shown below.
• The tip of my thumb touches the end of the fretboard but you may find it more comfortable being a bit farer or even on the fretboard.
When the thumb actually hits the string it “gets through”, it doesn’t bounce, and it will stop on the string underneath. If the thumb bounces you lose the second movement because the thumb is already up.
The key point is to strike the first note (down) in the proper way. It is very important to hit the string firmly and with drive in order to obtain a full, clear and precise sound. After the first movement it will be easy to come back to the opposite direction (up) snapping the string again. I use the thumb knuckle to pluck the string on the way back.
Applying this concept on each string, note and scale, we can create infinite combinations of vertical and horizontal patterns.
The following two examples are focused on a three note pattern. Now the index finger is involved to pluck (P) the note after two motions of the thumb.
1. Here is a simple (not always!) C major scale built on three strings A, D, G. Its fingering is 2,4 – 1,2,4 – 1,3,4.
-The movements involved are then:
• Thumb down, Thumb up on the A string.
• Pluck, Thumb down, Thumb up on the D string.
• Pluck, Thumb down, Thumb up on the G string.
-As you hit the last note with an UP stroke, you can start either with a pluck or a Thumb down on the way back to play the descending scale.
Note: Keep in mind that movements must be fluent and relaxed. The best way to achieve this is to find the right balance and economy of movements.
2. In this second pattern we replace the double thumb with another element, the hammer (H), to play one quaver of our triplet.
The Open-Hammer-Pluck is a versatile and easy way to develop a triplet within two right hand movements and one left hand hammer in between.
The pattern is composed this way: the thumb hits one note; it could be either an open string or a fretted note. Afterwards the left hand Hammers another note and a third note is plucked by the index finger.
Note: The first note, opened or fretted, is always on beat. You can manage the open string as a full or a ghost note, but always on beat. Do not get confused by the fingering.
For any questions, suggestion or comments you can contact me at lesson@alexlofoco.com. I will be happy to answer your questions as soon as I can.
Enjoy and I look forward to see you in the next issue.
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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