Elbow pain- Newbie questions for all you old dogs

[pendergasta]

Hi,
I just started playing bass about 3 weeks ago, and my right elbow and shoulder are hurting pretty bad. I'm practicing standing with a strap 100% of the time. I've got the strap adjusted in a moderate position (not low-slung, but not up to my chest..)

I've been playing guitar for 15 years and have never had any problems.
Any suggestions? Move the bass higher? Lower?

Thanks in advance!
Aaron

[pendergasta]

Oh yeah, I"m playing with fingers, no picks.

[spindizzy]

It would help if you snap a couple photos of you playing so that we can take a look at your position, holding of the bass etc.

You are using both the upper arm and elbow a little differently than you would on guitar and because you are playing fingerstyle you are using your upper arm muscles in a whole new way (watch Gary Willis's tutorials on YouTube as he spends a little time on how to hold your plucking arm and on the muscles involved).

Beyond that it could simply be a touch of arthritus and just a new way of playing. 3 weeks isn't very long to adjust to the physical demands of playing a bass (it is after all heavier and a tad bigger to navigate than a guitar) so I wouldn't jump off the deep end yet.

If it lasts too long (the pain that is) you might want to discuss with your physician. Like your post says, I'm an old guy and believe me I know pain when I play so treat it carefully now so you won't have it when you hit my age.

Spin

[Seussbass]

+1 to everything spindizzy said.

It's also possible that you might be tensing up your right arm unconsciously whilst you're playing. Try to pay attention to what you're doing with it, and you might find that you just need to relax a little more when you're playing.

[pendergasta]

Thanks guys! I think it's a combination of tensing up and bad technique. I was really tempted to sling the bass real low to try to relieve this, but after watching the Gary Willis Youtube video, I realized that I'm cocking my wrist and elbow real hard and stretching with my fingers.
I appreciate you guys helping me out. I really want to get started with proper technique so I don't have to unlearn things down the road.
Thanks again!!
Aaron

[maxgrant]

Well, I have a question: how tall are you, and how much does your bass weigh?

I am 5' 7" and I played for 15 years without issues, but I got a Spector about seven years ago which weighed in at 11 lbs. I could not wear it for a 4-hour show without significant left shoulder pain. I got a 4" wide leather strap for it and it only slightly mitigated the issue. My solution was to take my Rickenbacker 4001 along and use it for all of my dropped-d tuned songs, and that gave me a break enough to get through the show.

I haven't played out in a few years and in the interim I did a lot of weight and muscle training (I studied Judo for 4 years) and I think that this time around it won't be a problem, but if you are lacking in the shoulder or frame strength to keep a bass strapped to you for all that time, that may explain your shoulder pain.

[pendergasta]

Funny you should bring that up. I have definitely noticed the difference in weight from the bass.
But.. I'm a weightlifter. I'm 5'10", 225lbs with 17inch arms.. I've noticed my pain has totally gone away since taking the advice of the Gary Willis videos that Spindizzy recommended.

Thanks!

[maxgrant]

Originally Posted by pendergasta

Funny you should bring that up. I have definitely noticed the difference in weight from the bass.
But.. I'm a weightlifter. I'm 5'10", 225lbs with 17inch arms.. I've noticed my pain has totally gone away since taking the advice of the Gary Willis videos that Spindizzy recommended.

Thanks!

Well, obviously then that wasn't the issue!