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Lesson 3 – Double Thumbing with Alex Lofoco
A warm welcome to all Bass Musician Magazine readers. In this third lesson we will apply the ‘double thumbing’ technique to the pentatonic scale (please find also lesson 1 and 2) . We will also see several combinations and patterns of the scale involving different fingerings.
Being that the pentatonic scale is quite versatile, I find it very easy to include within grooves and solos. The majority of slap bass grooves and lines in funk music are mainly based around the pentatonic scale, so having a good vocabulary and few technique options certainly helps.
I developed the following patterns as a natural consequence of Thumb Down (T?), Thumb Up (T?) and Pluck (P) combination.
The following examples are based on a D minor pentatonic starting on the 5th fret of the A string. The fact that the pentatonic scale has a symmetrical shape, with one or one and ½ tones on each string (resulting in a two notes per string pattern), offers a number of available plucking combinations. For economy of motion, I would suggest using all available combinations to play any patterns and scales.
For instance, if I end up on a note with a T?, I will use a Pluck to play a note on the same string or next string, or a T? if I need to hit a lower string.
Fingering 1
In this line we have two notes per string, and an even Thumb Down, Thumb Up, Pluck, Pluck sequence is involved. While descending, only the Thumb Down-Up motion is involved from the last four notes which feature a T? T? on each string, as we need to skip strings every two notes.
-The movements involved are:
Ascending
- Thumb down, Thumb up on the A string.
- Pluck, Pluck on the D string.
- Thumb down, Thumb up on the G string.
Descending
- Pluck, Pluck on the G string.
- Thumb down, Thumb up on the D string.
- Thumb down, Thumb up on the A string.
Fingering 2
This second fingering features a variation on the note F, which is fretted at the 3rd fret of the D string, resulting in a more open position and a different picking combination.
-The movements involved are then:
Ascending
- Thumb down on the A string.
- Pluck, Thumb down, Thumb up on the D string.
- Pluck, Pluck on the G string.
Descending
- Thumb down, Thumb up on the G string.
- Thumb down, Thumb up, Pluck on the D string.
- Thumb down on the A string.
If we play each note of the pentatonic twice, we will have an even Thumb down, Thumb up, Pluck, Pluck sequence, as shown below.
Note: Get comfortable with the motion of the whole hand and keep the tips of your fingers in line with your thumb in order to have them ready to pluck right after the thumb has come up with a T?.
Note Groupings
Playing the pentatonic scale in groups of three notes offers another interesting and versatile pattern. To get used to a different rhythmic pattern which involves a new Thumb down, Thumb up, Pluck combination, here are two different fingering, Ascending and Descending of a one octave D minor pentatonic scale.
Ascending
This first line is with two note per string, while on the second line the F is shifted on the 3rd fret of the D string, resulting in a three note per string pattern.
Descending
I encourage you to work extensively on any combinations you may come up with. Do not stick to the patterns you already know, push it a bit further! Even just changing the left hand fingerings can suggest new combinations and licks. One way to practice could be the scale ascending with one fingering and descending with the other, or the other way around.
The line below shows the same three note groupings, but instead of a vertical shape, the triplets are spread horizontally on the fingerboard. This shape can be played with a consistent T? T? P sequence, and allows us to reach the upper register in case we want to develop our phrase in another direction.
For any questions, suggestions, or comments, you can contact me at lesson@alexlofoco.com. I will be happy to answer your questions as soon as possible.
Enjoy a good practice, and I look forward to seeing you in the next issue.
Stay tuned
Alex
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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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