Being able to stand and play for long periods of time...

green7274 · #1 04-08-2011, 08:11 AM

lol.

Does anyone else get shoulder pain and maybe some neck/back pain when they play for a certain period of time...Might sound dumb...But I was just wondering if there were any specific exercises to strengthen the areas that are most affected by having a huge bass over your shoulder...

MattyH · #2 04-08-2011, 08:22 AM

How long have you been playing? Are you new to it or has playing for a long time taken it's toll on your back? Have you tried a thicker strap? Sometimes at weddings I'll be standing playing for 2.5+ hours straight. Sometimes, I'm just standing there doing nothing waiting to play after speeches. I bought a NeoTech 4 inch strap and I have no back problems anymore. But damn my feel are killing me in those dress shoes! Even the gels didn't work!

fearceol · #3 04-08-2011, 09:56 AM

As stated above, your strap, the height at which you wear your bass, and your general stance are important. Dont hunch the back, but try to stand straight. Try to move about a little and not stay stuck in the one spot. Make sure your body is relaxed and not tensed up. Breathing slowly and deeply as much as possible can help with the latter. If you are new to bass, then build up your endurance time gradually, a little at a time. Do some gentle back and shoulder exercises ( there are clips of this on You Tube), before and after a practice session or gig.

Russell L · #4 04-08-2011, 09:57 AM

Yep, my feet are the worst part of it all. I am searching for some proper shoes that'll work, even if they're not dress shoes. I have some black tennis shoes that do ok, even when wearing a tux, but I want something even better. Dress shoes suck. I get left shoulder pain some, but it's from a misalignment somewhere in there, not just from playing music.

I have played professionally for 46 years, so I'm not new to standing and playing for long periods. But nowadays at age 61 it's getting tough to stand for so long. Dancing around some helps, although I don't know how much some folks wanna see a 61-year-old act like that, LOL. Depending on who I play with, the genre, and how I feel, a stool is starting to look real good.

rllefebv · #5 04-08-2011, 11:56 AM

I get a great deal of upper back and shoulder pain... For a time last year it was so bad that I was playing short-scale basses exclusively for a few months... Acupunture got me back into the long-scale world again, but I still get a stiff back at gigs... I'm certainly not above sitting down if needed...

I find footwear to be very important... I need great arch and heel support to be comfortable for any length of time... Inserts help and can be switched to different shoes as the occasion dictates...

I also find stretching to be a big help... Sometimes between sets, I will go out into the back of the Jeep and do some stretches flat on my back...

Still and all, no matter what gig I'm playing, at least one of the basses will be a nice, light shorty, cause ya never know!

-robert

green7274 · #6 04-08-2011, 12:46 PM

Thanks for the replies! I have been player for maybe 6 years but the majority of it has definitely been while sitting down practicing.

I do own a thick leather Levy's strap but I suppose you're right: I mainly just need to focus more on my posture and not being so stiff etc...

How high do you guys wear the bass? I actually like it a lot more the higher up it is, but I suppose that could be worse for my joints...

Thanks again.

Russell L · #7 04-08-2011, 01:11 PM

I wear my bass about in the middle, I guess. I've tried high and low, but come back to the middle always.

**crustychef** · #8 04-08-2011, 01:21 PM

Bass hangs in front of my belly button, wide leather strap, stretching and regular full body exercise. Keeps me playing for hours on end.

tangentmusic · #9 04-08-2011, 01:30 PM

I hang mine so that my (imaginary) belt runs thru the middle of the bass's back.
Not too low or high. +1 on wide straps.

Russell L · #10 04-08-2011, 01:52 PM

3" strap is my preference.

thumbplucker · #11 04-08-2011, 01:57 PM

wide strap and Birkenstocks!!

testing1two · #12 04-09-2011, 12:28 AM

Strong core muscles: abdominals and lower back. Once you hang a bass over your shoulder your posture goes out of alignment and when your core can't support the weight you use odd muscles to try and compensate.

Certainly it's nice to have a wide, soft strap to help distribute the pressure on your shoulder (I'm a long time user & advocate of Comfortt Straps) but no accessory is going to turn a 10 pound bass into a 7 pound bass...unless that accessory is a band saw.

Sore feet can have many different root causes but standing for several hours will aggravate all of them. So take whatever precautions you can to maintain circulation, posture, and support. When I work the GRAMMY Awards I'm on my feet for 18+ hours in a suit...and black running shoes. And when I play 5 sets in a club and the guitar player is wearing his rockstar boots, I'm sporting running shoes. If I'm only playing 45 minutes in a club or a church then I'll bring something more fashionable...and probably end up wearing the running shoes anyways.

Billnc · #13 04-09-2011, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by testing1two

Strong core muscles: abdominals and lower back. Once you hang a bass over your shoulder your posture goes out of alignment and when your core can't support the weight you use odd muscles to try and compensate.

+1

Hippos Melas · #14 04-14-2011, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by testing1two

Strong core muscles: abdominals and lower back. Once you hang a bass over your shoulder your posture goes out of alignment and when your core can't support the weight you use odd muscles to try and compensate.

+1

Lifting weights and having a solid core helps in general with managing weight no matter where you encounter it.

HeavyMrEd19 · #15 04-15-2011, 09:43 AM

I usually end up playing about 3 hours a night with either a Schecter Stiletto Custom 6 or a Fender P... both of which are considerably heavy in relation to my other basses. Usually, I end up doing a few stretches for shoulder muscles, and about 20 calf raises a week with 60 lb weights to keep my shoulders in shape... and I usually rest my strap (a neoprene strap... Wide straps are nice, but full neoprene straps actually distribute the weight better than a wider strap can imo) right on the muscle that is between the shoulder and the neck. That and developing a good standing posture while practicing can always help. I usually strap my bass in such a way that if I were to raise my forearm up (from having my arms at my sides) my hand wraps around the neck almost naturally, and play it about 25-30 degrees up from horizontal. Its served me well for about 9-10 years... I hope it does well for you too

green7274 · #16 04-15-2011, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeavyMrEd19

I usually end up playing about 3 hours a night with either a Schecter Stiletto Custom 6 or a Fender P... both of which are considerably heavy in relation to my other basses. Usually, I end up doing a few stretches for shoulder muscles, and about 20 calf raises a week with 60 lb weights to keep my shoulders in shape... and I usually rest my strap (a neoprene strap... Wide straps are nice, but full neoprene straps actually distribute the weight better than a wider strap can imo) right on the muscle that is between the shoulder and the neck. That and developing a good standing posture while practicing can always help. I usually strap my bass in such a way that if I were to raise my forearm up (from having my arms at my sides) my hand wraps around the neck almost naturally, and play it about 25-30 degrees up from horizontal. Its served me well for about 9-10 years... I hope it does well for you too

Awesome, thank you!!!!!!!

green7274 · #17 04-15-2011, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by testing1two

Strong core muscles: abdominals and lower back. Once you hang a bass over your shoulder your posture goes out of alignment and when your core can't support the weight you use odd muscles to try and compensate.

Certainly it's nice to have a wide, soft strap to help distribute the pressure on your shoulder (I'm a long time user & advocate of Comfortt Straps) but no accessory is going to turn a 10 pound bass into a 7 pound bass...unless that accessory is a band saw.

Sore feet can have many different root causes but standing for several hours will aggravate all of them. So take whatever precautions you can to maintain circulation, posture, and support. When I work the GRAMMY Awards I'm on my feet for 18+ hours in a suit...and black running shoes. And when I play 5 sets in a club and the guitar player is wearing his rockstar boots, I'm sporting running shoes. If I'm only playing 45 minutes in a club or a church then I'll bring something more fashionable...and probably end up wearing the running shoes anyways.

excellent, thank you for the help!