Good posture techniques so i dont get a back hunch

[RBX4]

Any1 know sum tips n positions?

[PaulNYC]

Try back flys with light weight to tighten the muscles that pull your shoulders back. Also pull ups if more advanced.

[RBX4]

Originally Posted by PaulNYC

Try back flys with light weight to tighten the muscles that pull your shoulders back. Also pull ups if more advanced.

Cool, I'm noticing myself slouching, not good :-(

[perfektspace6]

Not sure what kind of shape you are in but in addition to the aforementioned just try to get your shoulders and back in better shape. Upright rows, rear delt raises, shoulder press, lat pulldowns etc.

A strong body can resist the wear and tear of playing long sets with just about any bass.

[RBX4]

Average shape, thanx for the tips!

[Depth_Charge]

I'm a sloucher. Physically, the number one change that helped me on stage was to pick a point on a wall and get used to looking straight ahead and not down at the floor, first row, fretboard etc. Instant rod in the back when I looked straight ahead.

Your muscles will adapt to proper posture without you having to build them and to be honest a healthy 70kg person with good posture should be able to have five kilo's pretty much strapped to them forever...most people carry that in extra weight without feeling it as weight hahaha!

Check your strap adjustment/height too. That can affect how comfortably you can stand straight too...I'd be looking to change a lot of things before I hit the gym to strengthen that which my body should already be capable of dealing with.

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

a healthy 70kg person with good posture should be able to have five kilo's pretty much strapped to them forever...most people carry that in extra weight without feeling it as weight hahaha!

Not really a good comparison IMO, as that five kilos is spread over the whole body in an over weight person, not concentrated on one shoulder.

[Depth_Charge]

My bad. Since I don't concentrate the entire weight of my bass over just one shoulder, I didn't consider it a poor comparison.

Come to think of it my standing posture actually demands I slouch in order to swing the bass off my body and have my shoulder take the full weight. Symantics perhaps?

[PaulNYC]

Why not try adjusting your bass position while a third party tels you how your posture is?

[RBX4]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

I'm a sloucher. Physically, the number one change that helped me on stage was to pick a point on a wall and get used to looking straight ahead and not down at the floor, first row, fretboard etc. Instant rod in the back when I looked straight ahead.

Your muscles will adapt to proper posture without you having to build them and to be honest a healthy 70kg person with good posture should be able to have five kilo's pretty much strapped to them forever...most people carry that in extra weight without feeling it as weight hahaha!

Check your strap adjustment/height too. That can affect how comfortably you can stand straight too...I'd be looking to change a lot of things before I hit the gym to strengthen that which my body should already be capable of dealing with.

Right on!

[RBX4]

Originally Posted by PaulNYC

Why not try adjusting your bass position while a third party tels you how your posture is?

I'm gonna have my gf tell me

[Fergie Fulton]

Playing posture is a common problem, many seem to justify bad posture to their situation.

Point of fact there is a neutral posture for the body, so see the links to understand what it is you are trying to achieve.

http://www.thepilatesconsultant.com/...tral_spine.pdf

NEUTRAL POSTURE

Neutral spine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Playing the bass will depending on the situation present a number of areas to present problems.

Starting with the neck. it may be out of line or in ternsion because of reading music, the tendency to "lean in to the music" will be present.
The weight and position of the bass when standing will see a player "favour a side", rather than stand tall, shoulders down.
Shoulders down, than means relaxed and not hunched or lifted. In everyday life stress makes us lift our shoulders, this creates tension and believe it or not our breathing becomes shallow and faster which encourages more tension.

Keeping the neutral curve in the spine when playing takes practice so a natural movement of hips and legs will help with the issue of balance. The issue of balance if that any limb, in this case the arm extending out along the neck, neans the body has to counter balance this weight. Your body and its muscle system is always counter balancing every movement you make, that is why you do not fall over when walking, lifting, jumping etc. A good wide strap, situated to the edge of the shoulder is ideal, not into the soft tissue of the neck, but more to the outside of the shoulder where the bone is...... hard tissue not soft.
The Your brain co-ordinates the counter balance as standard procedure, it has grown with you to understand your needs.

They say teenagers are clumsy, well part of this can be attributed to the rapid change in growth and body shape the puberty causes. The changes are so much and so fast the brain has not yet calibrated for them. Since birth, growth has be steady so the brain has been able to work out what is what and what is needed to say reach out and pick up a cup. Now that info has changed, the body mass is bigger or longer, so the arc of reach is different etc, so rather than pick up the cup, the hand knock into it.
We always laugh at the situation of coming back from the dentist with a numb mouth and trying to put food into it an missing etc...it was the same thing for the body in puberty, the info changed fast and the brain could not co-ordinate it.

Sitting presents a different sett of criteria. Again the neck is critical for the same reasons as stated for standing, but this time the pelvis may turn in a fixed position to access the instrument. When standing the pelvis is free to move on the legs with the knees and ankles helping alighn the spine and sort out balance, movement is good.
But in sitting the spine can twist to the fixed position of sitting...the lower body has no real influence in repositioning to counter the twist. So sitting with correct posture with the bass over a raised leg, supported on a stool is needed. Normaly it will be the left leg for a right handed player and vica vera for left. Again, sitting posture is upper-most in this, a small pillow of rolled up towel at the back of the chair so hold the lower back curve is a good thing to have, it will promote a good seated posture. Avoid chairs or stools with no back support as the addition of the pillow or towel cannot be added.
Any music stand should be positioned so the head is reading straight ahead, not looking down or up but ahead. Distance is critical as well, if it is to far away, you will stretch out your neck to read, rather than have the natural curve of a neutral position.

So the two postures of sitting or standing have similar likes and dis-likes, but the fixed pelvis will give lower back stress, and in this other body compensations will happen so put the spine out of neutral through time. It will be a slow process so it will not be noticed till it becomes a real problem.

All this is of course a starting point as all joints have a neutral area to be observed, but in playing we have to over look some of them because of ergonomics ( or lack of them ) of the instruments we play. Of course doublers have similar points to look at and of course a completely different set of critera in their instruments ergonomics.

Any questions on what i have written, post them up and as usual i will try and answer them the best i can.

[Fergie Fulton]

A little more time and a good connection for a while, so here is some more info for new players.

First off a new player needs a visual reference, very imprtant when learning, so for them they will crane the neck forward and to the side to view the neck. For this to happen they will lean forward and hunch the shoulders even if sitting or standing. Simple remedy to the problem of viewing the neck. For these players a visual reference is crucial to learn, to be able to see where the fingers go, but the habit is now being learned and associated with playing, some players will never lose it. Lots of top players will look towards the neck even though they take no notice of it, or even look at it, they just look in that direction.

Funny situation of note, i played with a studio guitarist years ago on a live show, he is a great reader and never looks at the neck, though he did have his music more to the left of him, a habit from when he learned so he could quickly reference the neck from the music with a glance rather than a turn. But now he never ever looks, just reads. The situation became funny because of low stage lighting and moving lights, even though he had learned the parts ( we were not allowed music on stage) he had issues about not being able to see his strings LOL. For him it was in his mind, because he never ever had to think about such an issue, it became one for him without a score or sheets to read to distract him from such an issue. In his mind he always had the option to look, even though he didn't, but not having the option played on his mind. Remedy....believe it or not dark glasses, now he could not really see anything, so his focus was to rely on his feel again and listen to where he was, rather than any visual reference.

Point of that story is for any beginner is to face forward and listen to what you play, rather than look for it. The brain will accomodate the arm, hands and fingers to the correct position on the neck by audio reference....eventually....trust me. Multi tasking is phrase to describe a few tasks being done at the same time. But the reality is the brain is only concentrating on one true function, it is doing the others by internalization...auto pilot if you will. Its ability to switch its true function and have auto pilot take over is a skill learned by internalizing many connected skills so you can focus on one of them. So when you are reading you are not thinking about the hands or the fingers, you are reading, the internalized skill of playing is the auto pilot, even the reading ahead is another skill that is learned and internalized.
So learning to face forward will reap many benifits way past posture when learning.

Again you will notice the same sets of criteria, the neck, the shoulders the spine are the areas to pay attention to. Remember the neutral posture is the inward curve at the top of the back we call the neck area ( Cervical ) the outer curve of the middle back ( Thoracic) and the inward curve of the lower back (Lumbar ). When standing, stand tall, shoulders back and down, set the gentle curves to the back of the neck and lower back, the rest should take care of itself. When sitting, sit tall again shoulders back and down, use a Lumber support for the lower back and again the rest will take care of itself...again when sitting the pelvis is fixed, so the lower limbs cannot give or adjust for extra movement.
Most injuries to lower back occur when the pervis is restricted, either when turning when seated or kneeling to get behind us.

In the arms and hands we already know about reducing the bend of the wrist, straight wrist is neutral, but not always practical, so a good bass, strap and height is the points to use here. I will never say these points are in stone, it is the player to understand the compromises he needs to make to play his music. The elbow in the plucking hand is the control for the wrist, it is the elbow position that put the bend in, not the wrist. If that seems confusing the bend your wrist and hold it. You will find that by moving your elbow the bend will come out....the bodies joints are linked so if you have to much bend in the wrist because of you guitars height or shape, use your elbow to correct it rather than look to your hands.

Fingers are the same, relaxed they have a gentle curl, to open them requires a muscular tension, to close them requires a muscular tension, but the neutral postion is relaxed with a gentle curl....and so it is when you play.
Finger joints require the muscular tension to travel through them, not over them and the curl relates and transfers that force. Nature shows us a convex curve or arch is stronger than straight, the chance of damaged joints though hyperextention ( bent past the point of anatomical stability) by being set forward in the curve as lessened (Remember the spine has three curves).

So in all there is a lot to think about, but if it is internalized as good habit it will become the norm, all these things become your auto pilot so you can play. Sure you will slip up or a injury sneaks in un-assuming and you learn to compensate for it un-knowing that you do, but thats life and thats why a review of basic fundimentals in any field always pays dividends. Take care of the simple stuff and give the rest a chance to follow. That is in life as well as in playing...habits will cross over.

[edwardthewave]

One thing I noticed was that as I began practicing yoga 2-3 times a week a couple years ago, my posture improved, especially a straighter back. Focus on "forward fold", "downward facing dog", "cat/cow stretch" ,"bridge pose" and the even the magestic "warrior" and "crescent pose" are great for back strength and posture.
Contrary to popular misconceptions, the most beneficial yoga postures are the seemingly simple ones (like downward facing dog) done with proper alignment, not all that twisty-bendy pretzel-esque stuff you see in health magazines.
Look up some videos on the general form of the posture but I HIGHLY SUGGEST you go to a class in person where a live instructor can adjust your body to a proper alignment for your body size/type and flexibility. People get injured because they see some super flexible model in a video and try to copy what she/he does.

When I was doing yoga more regularly, I didn't slouch nearly as much as I had used to (especially while sitting or standing upright). In fact, I was shopping for a suit about a year ago and the salesman/tailor even remarked that I had better posture than most of his customers with a straight back, making his job of fitting me easier.

Also, I don't know how tall you are, but taller people sometimes have posture issues. I'm 6"5' (196 cm) tall and I used to hunch everywhere. I guess everybody around me was shorter than me for the most part and I subconsciously "shrunk" myself by hunching over to fit in more with them. One thing yoga does is makes you aware of your bodily sensations, you notice more when things are misaligned or even "out of whack", not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.
Hope this helps!

edwardthewave

[stratovani]

Join the military! They'll cure your posture problems real fast!

[RBX4]

Originally Posted by stratovani

Join the military! They'll cure your posture problems real fast!

I thought all that gear they wear screw their backs up.. I know two guys in the air force that are hunched, lol.. And btw the way I'm not hunched. I'm gonna prevent myself from being hunched. Cos almost all the bass players I know have hunches, do you military man??

[RBX4]

Originally Posted by edwardthewave

One thing I noticed was that as I began practicing yoga 2-3 times a week a couple years ago, my posture improved, especially a straighter back. Focus on "forward fold", "downward facing dog", "cat/cow stretch" ,"bridge pose" and the even the magestic "warrior" and "crescent pose" are great for back strength and posture.
Contrary to popular misconceptions, the most beneficial yoga postures are the seemingly simple ones (like downward facing dog) done with proper alignment, not all that twisty-bendy pretzel-esque stuff you see in health magazines.
Look up some videos on the general form of the posture but I HIGHLY SUGGEST you go to a class in person where a live instructor can adjust your body to a proper alignment for your body size/type and flexibility. People get injured because they see some super flexible model in a video and try to copy what she/he does.

When I was doing yoga more regularly, I didn't slouch nearly as much as I had used to (especially while sitting or standing upright). In fact, I was shopping for a suit about a year ago and the salesman/tailor even remarked that I had better posture than most of his customers with a straight back, making his job of fitting me easier.

Also, I don't know how tall you are, but taller people sometimes have posture issues. I'm 6"5' (196 cm) tall and I used to hunch everywhere. I guess everybody around me was shorter than me for the most part and I subconsciously "shrunk" myself by hunching over to fit in more with them. One thing yoga does is makes you aware of your bodily sensations, you notice more when things are misaligned or even "out of whack", not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.
Hope this helps!

edwardthewave

Very cool, Ty! :-)

[RBX4]

Originally Posted by Fergie Fulton

A little more time and a good connection for a while, so here is some more info for new players.

First off a new player needs a visual reference, very imprtant when learning, so for them they will crane the neck forward and to the side to view the neck. For this to happen they will lean forward and hunch the shoulders even if sitting or standing. Simple remedy to the problem of viewing the neck. For these players a visual reference is crucial to learn, to be able to see where the fingers go, but the habit is now being learned and associated with playing, some players will never lose it. Lots of top players will look towards the neck even though they take no notice of it, or even look at it, they just look in that direction.

Funny situation of note, i played with a studio guitarist years ago on a live show, he is a great reader and never looks at the neck, though he did have his music more to the left of him, a habit from when he learned so he could quickly reference the neck from the music with a glance rather than a turn. But now he never ever looks, just reads. The situation became funny because of low stage lighting and moving lights, even though he had learned the parts ( we were not allowed music on stage) he had issues about not being able to see his strings LOL. For him it was in his mind, because he never ever had to think about such an issue, it became one for him without a score or sheets to read to distract him from such an issue. In his mind he always had the option to look, even though he didn't, but not having the option played on his mind. Remedy....believe it or not dark glasses, now he could not really see anything, so his focus was to rely on his feel again and listen to where he was, rather than any visual reference.

Point of that story is for any beginner is to face forward and listen to what you play, rather than look for it. The brain will accomodate the arm, hands and fingers to the correct position on the neck by audio reference....eventually....trust me. Multi tasking is phrase to describe a few tasks being done at the same time. But the reality is the brain is only concentrating on one true function, it is doing the others by internalization...auto pilot if you will. Its ability to switch its true function and have auto pilot take over is a skill learned by internalizing many connected skills so you can focus on one of them. So when you are reading you are not thinking about the hands or the fingers, you are reading, the internalized skill of playing is the auto pilot, even the reading ahead is another skill that is learned and internalized.
So learning to face forward will reap many benifits way past posture when learning.

Again you will notice the same sets of criteria, the neck, the shoulders the spine are the areas to pay attention to. Remember the neutral posture is the inward curve at the top of the back we call the neck area ( Cervical ) the outer curve of the middle back ( Thoracic) and the inward curve of the lower back (Lumbar ). When standing, stand tall, shoulders back and down, set the gentle curves to the back of the neck and lower back, the rest should take care of itself. When sitting, sit tall again shoulders back and down, use a Lumber support for the lower back and again the rest will take care of itself...again when sitting the pelvis is fixed, so the lower limbs cannot give or adjust for extra movement.
Most injuries to lower back occur when the pervis is restricted, either when turning when seated or kneeling to get behind us.

In the arms and hands we already know about reducing the bend of the wrist, straight wrist is neutral, but not always practical, so a good bass, strap and height is the points to use here. I will never say these points are in stone, it is the player to understand the compromises he needs to make to play his music. The elbow in the plucking hand is the control for the wrist, it is the elbow position that put the bend in, not the wrist. If that seems confusing the bend your wrist and hold it. You will find that by moving your elbow the bend will come out....the bodies joints are linked so if you have to much bend in the wrist because of you guitars height or shape, use your elbow to correct it rather than look to your hands.

Fingers are the same, relaxed they have a gentle curl, to open them requires a muscular tension, to close them requires a muscular tension, but the neutral postion is relaxed with a gentle curl....and so it is when you play.
Finger joints require the muscular tension to travel through them, not over them and the curl relates and transfers that force. Nature shows us a convex curve or arch is stronger than straight, the chance of damaged joints though hyperextention ( bent past the point of anatomical stability) by being set forward in the curve as lessened (Remember the spine has three curves).

So in all there is a lot to think about, but if it is internalized as good habit it will become the norm, all these things become your auto pilot so you can play. Sure you will slip up or a injury sneaks in un-assuming and you learn to compensate for it un-knowing that you do, but thats life and thats why a review of basic fundimentals in any field always pays dividends. Take care of the simple stuff and give the rest a chance to follow. That is in life as well as in playing...habits will cross over.

Thank you! :-)

[sammyp]

i got what is called a 'musician's throne" for my practice/recording studio ....it is kinda as high as a bar stool ...has a back and foot rest ....no more back hunch except when i lean forward to work the 'puter....

[Doctor Dirt]

One simple basic tip, sit down for slow tunes. It will give your back a break for a few minutes as the night moves on. Its NOT unprofessional to sit during a slow tempo oh yeah tell the drummer to stand!!! Doc