Learning thumbpicking.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by El Duque

"For me it was just a sequence of fingers and thumb moves at the beginning. Only later, once I knew my songs really well the independence popped into existence as a result of paying attention to particular voices."

Exactly my experience.

In the beginning: patterns of thumb and fingers together. Only later - in alternating bass style - does it begin to feel as if the thumb is independent. But it's an illusion, because the thumb's activity is so regular.
So some experienced players - forgetting how they learned - start to see the alternating thumb as the easy part, the time-keeper, which is why they suggest learning that first. I did myself for a while, before I cast my mind back and remembered how I taught myself the technique. It was slowing tracks to half-speed on a tape deck, and working out complete patterns note by note, beat by beat; thumb and fingers together, interlocking. Then just gradually speeding up.

[srick]

One other thing to consider in making your music sound like the masters. The syncopation in these songs makes them "bounce" - the bounce is just slightly off the beat. So you might be playing pretty well, but your performance doesn't cut it.

Struttin' is the perfect example. The video posted above by El Duque shows the teacher emphasizing that bounce, even in the short riffs. Making Struttin' sound like Struttin' is almost entirely dependent on the palm and finger muting which make the song bounce. A "Dust in the Wind" style is nowhere close to what you are trying to create.

So this is another reason I urge you to play along with the recording as much as possible. Syncopation and muting are a key to what you are aiming to achieve.

[dtpolk]

Yes, I have that video. Prochownik is a good "video" teacher, especially with Tommy tunes. I'm using it to study Struttin'. I learned Tommy's Stay Close To Me from a Prochownik video. Ed Harp is another YouTube teacher of Tommy tunes, although his timing and tune memory is sometimes suspect.

Okay, a lot of good advice here, especially that there are no magic secrets. Back to the woodshed!