Bending left wrist a lot to reach frets

[LotusCarsLtd52]

I notice that when trying to reach the E and A strings to, say, do chords that I bend my wrist a good 50-60-70 degrees to be able to reach, etc. I sorta assumed this would be bad for my wrists in the long run so I am trying to change my posture so that my wrists aren't bent like that.

But in reality are bent wrists a bad thing or a normal part of playing bass? I also notice it happens when playing with my right hand too as I "reach over the bass" to get to the strings.

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by LotusCarsLtd52

But in reality are bent wrists a bad thing or a normal part of playing bass?

It is generally accepted that both wrists should be straight.

L/H Technique :

http://www.adamnitti.com/bass_player_03.shtml



R/H technique : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU

yeah if you bend your wrist too much you'll hurt it eventually

A much more relaxed way of playing is to lift your elbow up and outward so that you can keep your wrist straight, bending from the finger knuckles rather than the wrist.

What a lot of people do is to sort of 'clamp' the strings with their thumb and fingers. If you do this then the strength all has to come from your hand, so you need to bend your wrist. Don't do this. If you keep your wrist straight, then your arm can provide the strength needed to hold the strings down (but remember to arch your fingers). You won't even need to have your thumb on the back of the fretboard. I can play fast scales and complex patterns without having my thumb on the back of the fretboard and using arm strength, just to show that you don't need to use your thumb as a clamp. This way of playing uses the large muscles of your arm rather than the small muscles of your hand, so you can play for a lot longer without getting tired.

If you bend your wrist for too long it'll start to hurt and you'll get stuff like ganglions.

[PunkRocker5693]

usually my wrist to hand is about a 180 degree (straight line).

Every so often on a weird note I may go like...195 bend wrist outward...for REALLY high notes on the A string...

but if it hurts...try bringin the bass up some more...it may be too low?