I came across this very thoughtful and well-written post on a bass mailing list. I thought it might inspire some discussion:
About two years ago I was posting about electric bass ergonomics,
trying to share my thoughts on that. This is a subject I have
explored and meditated in depth, and I can't help but be very
critical about what I see: an instrument (the electric bass) which
ergonomically is in a state of underdevelopment. The model of
reference on bass design is still the Fender. Other aspects have been
unquestionably improved (materials, methods of construction,
electronics, hardware, etc.), but the instrument has remained too
close to the Fender shape, thereby attaining no substantial ergonomic
improvement. The solution of the main problem, which is that of bent
wrists, however already exists, it's out there: Jerome Little's
twisted neck invention. But due to the little attention people have
shown to this radical novelty I doubt that bass players have
understood the importance of the problem. Out there players and
teachers alike keep recommending nonsensical fingering approaches
that contradict themselves when confronted with the real physical
object to be handled. If the time tested classical and logical
fingering principle of one finger per fret is a technical concept to
be value in general, its application on the lowest positions of the
electric bass is medically counter recommended. The extreme bend or
flexion of the wrist is one if not the main cause of carpal tunnel
syndrome and other kinds of tenosinovities, the repetitive work under
such circumstances is a killer. This is true as well for the right
hand articulation, the kind most seen everywhere, which makes us bend
as badly the wrist while our forehand rests on top of the body. But
who seems to care? Perhaps only people who already are suffering or
have suffered from tendonitis. Check
www.littleguitarworks.com
One thing I found that helps both hands positioning on a Fender type
of bass is to double-strap as follows: use one strap as usual, and
then another one that you first attach to the lowest pin of the bass
and goes around your waist to end attached back into the same pin.
The length of the pin should be longer in order to handle the
resulting three strap inputs. You can simply replace the pin of your
bass by one secure pin like the Dunlop, which is longer. Strapping a
standard bass in this way reduces wrist bending for the bass acquires
a more vertical stance, and give the player a relief on the shoulder
since part of the weight of the instrument goes to the waist.
Besides, the bass gains an immense stability relative to your body,
it doesn't move, you don't need to hold it anymore with your hands,
and you are therefore freer to play.
Xavier Padilla
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