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Lesson 4 – Double Thumbing with Alex Lofoco
Welcome back to our fourth Bass Musician Magazine double thumbing lesson. We have seen in the previous appointment (Lesson3), some examples based on the pentatonic scale, how to play it straight and in group of three notes. Here we will see some four note grouping’s, in fourths.
This first sample is an ascending and descending pentatonic scale, again in D minor, in groups of four. The fingering is two notes per string and it is extended up to the minor third (F) on the 10th fret on the G string, so we can complete a 4/4 bar.
On the way up we find a linear T down, T up, Pluck, Pluck pattern but for the second group the easiest approach is an alternating T, P, T, P, because we are playing on three strings.
While descending, an even motion Tdown, Tup, P, P is involved as a two notes per string pattern is featured except from the third group where we need to skip three strings.
Note: in the second group of sixteenths, in bar 1, it is possible to alternate Thumb, Pluck, Thumb, Pluck to skip three strings (A, D and G), or to replace the second Tdown with a middle finger pluck and then pluck the last note (C on the G string) with the ring finger.
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.
Playing the pentatonic scale in fourths is a useful technique exercise and device to make the same scale more interesting, having a strong cadence between each note and its fourth.
On this second line we have a different descending pattern. Changing direction and alternating the root and the fourth below (which becomes its fifth); we have a nice and more articulated lick that provides an interesting result I found useful for bass lines and fills.
Note: in both lines I fretted the minor 3rd (F) at the third fret of the D string purely for a tonal choice. Being the F at the 3rd fret is more resonant than the same F played at the 8th fret on the A string which sounds a bit muddier. I suggest practicing fingering the F at the 8th fret of the A string to have an extra choice. In that case, no double thumbing is involved as we can just Thumb, Pluck each note and it’s fourth (or Maj 3rd for the F) below.
The following line is again based on the pentatonic played in fourths, but doubling each note. It is very effective if played at a fast tempo.
Note: in the descending pattern, take extra care in the last two semi quavers of beat two and the first two of beat three, where the movements Tdown, Tup are followed by a double Pluck on the same string. In this case the tips of your plucking fingers need to be in line with your thumb in order to have a smooth and flowing sequence. (See Lesson1 for hand position).
All these patterns can be applied in every key, and in each portion of the fretboard and strings. I do encourage you to practice every line you already play with other techniques with the double thumbing technique in order to avoid the usual ‘slap licks’ with a wide use of open strings. Being able to play everything with every technique gives you the freedom to choose the technique involved for the tone you get, rather than the choice of notes.
Playing melodies or solos is a good way to gain an independence from shapes and fingerings.
Enjoy, have a good practice session, and I look forward to seeing you in the next issue.
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 possible.
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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