being a double jointed bassist

quantum5 · #1 07-25-2003, 06:36 PM

would it be worth it breaking my fingers in such a way so i could become double jointed? ive watched the dave matthews band "live at folsom field" and stefan has some seriously messed up fingers. so i was just wondering if double joints help or hurt or both......

Wrong Robot · #2 07-25-2003, 06:47 PM

Not worth it, there could be benefits, but seriously, why risk hurting your fingers? I didn't even think you could do such a thing in the first place

quantum5 · #3 07-25-2003, 06:51 PM

i dunno if u can either but i was just wondering on if it was a good idea. maybe they have plastic surgerey for that kinda stuff. i love to hav more double joints. (my pinky and ring are) but i dunno still comtemplating

mikemulcahy · #4 07-25-2003, 07:20 PM

No such thing as a "double joint". That is only a defect in ligament/tendon/muscle attachments. Breaking your fingers will only decrease you dexterity.

Mike

quantum5 · #5 07-25-2003, 07:25 PM

so double jointed people are fiction...hmmm...what explains the ****y ways my ring finger moves then its shaped like

\/\ only bigger and more stretched out

ole Jason · #6 07-25-2003, 08:36 PM

I've been thinking about inquiring about having four more fingers attached to my left hand so I can get a 9 string bass and play all the strings at the same time and do 16 finger tapping at 400 bpm.

Only · #7 07-25-2003, 10:28 PM

"Double jointedness" kinda sucks.

My fingers all bend backwards almost as well as they do forwards.

All it means in regard to my bass playing is that if I don't fret a note at exactly the right angle, a joint in my finger bends backwards and I inadvertently hit/mute other strings or lose the note I'm fretting.

mikemulcahy · #8 07-26-2003, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by quantum5
so double jointed people are fiction...hmmm...what explains the ****y ways my ring finger moves then its shaped like

\/\ only bigger and more stretched out

Crooked fingers are a result of defects at birth or damage later on. Sounds like what you have is whats known as a Swan Neck deformity. Cant tell for sure without looking at it. I have the same in my pinky. See an orthopod.

Mike

genesis6891 · #9 07-28-2003, 02:21 PM

Nothing worth getting worried over if it's not a disadvantage.

I've 'Double Jointed' elbows and thumbs, and I feel that the deformity (if you want to call it that) in my thumbs helps me play more. It enables me to pluck a string from almost any angle and if my hand is in a usually-awkward position.

In this case I say if it's broke, but there's no real problems, don't fix it

mnadelin · #10 07-31-2003, 05:17 AM

I'm double-jointed and I've never found it to be an advantage, especially in my pinky finger. When I hit a note, it always bends at the first knuckle where the fingertip area is at a right angle to the rest of the finger. It's very annoying and makes using the finger more difficult. I definitely wouldn't suggest breaking your fingers to try to get it to do that (it probably wouldn't do it anyway).

jaggedsphere · #11 08-01-2003, 11:03 PM

Figjam · #12 08-09-2003, 02:01 PM

double jointed isnt a literal term. techincally we all have 3 joints in our fingers, but we arent "triple-jointed".You can bend your fingers at the last joint, woop dee. Wont help you much/at all.

CS Bass · #13 08-10-2003, 11:47 PM

What the ****? Break your fingers?

Are you insane?

Stanley Design · #14 08-11-2003, 12:18 AM

got it in my thumbs, doesnt do anything good or bad

underwoodbass · #15 08-13-2003, 01:38 AM

my thumbs are double jointed. and it seems to help my fretting hand hit really high chords and the top of the neck

genesis6891 · #16 08-13-2003, 03:27 PM

Yup agree Underwood!

bryan bailey · #17 08-13-2003, 08:41 PM

Jaco, and most of his family has double jointed thumbs, naturaly.

I'm pretty sure.

BassAche · #18 08-15-2003, 02:54 PM

You don't need a physical attribute to become a better bassist.

It's all about experimentation and practice...

TheDude · #19 09-11-2003, 02:22 PM

For those with double jointed pinky: I also have this, and when I fret with my pinky it basically locks in place and takes a little longer to pull it back. Is this a serious problem? I find also that my pinky begins to ache after awhile.

Is there a way to fix this? I was thinking I should try very hard to not make the finger straight (with the first joint, the one nearest the fingertip, at almost a 90 degree angle). But then I can't reach forth fret with my index on the first.

Wrong Robot · #20 09-11-2003, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BassAche
You don't need a physical attribute to become a better bassist.

It's all about experimentation and practice...

An example of this.

Steve Bailey and Victor Wooten, both of these guys have pretty damn small hands, Both of them can do stretchs and stuff that I can't even come close to doing, and I have huge hands.