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Originally Posted by bassinplace  Thanks. What types of things should I be looking for that may need to be corrected? |
Here is some information I found regarding the fretting hand...
FRETTING HAND TECHNIQUE
In most applications, the basic technique of our fretting hand remains unchanged. For example, whether you are using a finger style, slap & pop, or muting approach with the plucking hand, the fretting hand is essentially doing the same thing.
1. Avoid using a flat fingered approach.
In other words, try to play more using the tips of the fingers. This involves keeping the fingers of the fretting hand slightly curved.
The reason for this is so you can effectively minimize the surface area coming into contact with the strings and the fingerboard. The result is better intonation and greater accuracy with your fretting hand.
2. Keep your thumb at the back of the neck.
Whenever possible, try to avoid bringing your thumb over the top of the neck. The higher your thumb is, the more inhibited your reach will be for your fretting fingers, especially when playing the lower pitched strings of your bass. A good place to keep the thumb is somewhere midway at the back of the neck, between the index and middle fingers, so you can maximize stability and reach.
Although your thumb effectively becomes an anchor for your fretting hand, you DO NOT want to squeeze hard with it! There shouldn't be any excessive force coming from your thumb when fretting notes on the fingerboard. While you play, try allowing your thumb to freely slide over the back of the neck in all directions so that it is basically following your fretting fingers. This will insure that you are staying relaxed and subsequently offer you maximum reach in all positions.
3. Maintain space between your palm and the back of the neck.
The main purpose of this is to maintain consistency in hand position, regardless of what string you are playing. You will notice that if your palm meets the back of the neck, it naturally pulls your thumb over the top of the neck and turns your fretting fingers to a position less perpendicular to the strings.
This position makes it much harder to play with curved fingers and contributes to a lack of reach because of the raised position of the thumb.
4. Avoid sharp wrist angles
The importance of this can not be overestimated. Sharp wrist angles, combined with tension and fatigue, significantly contribute to bass players' hand injuries, and these injuries can sometimes be irreversible. Problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive stress injury are caused by excessive stress on the wrists. In general, you want to keep your bass at a height that allows a moderate wrist angle for both hands. You will find that if your bass hangs excessively low, a sharper angle is incurred by the wrist of the fretting hand. If you wear your bass excessively high, the wrist of your plucking hand will incur the sharper angle.
5. Stay relaxed
The benefits of relaxation should be obvious to us as players. The tensing up of our bodies robs us of our endurance, dexterity, and technical agility. Relaxation begins with the shoulders. Most players that struggle with tension in their playing usually carry most of their tension in their shoulders. Next time you are performing or practicing, take a moment to analyze the height of your shoulders, as well as the level of tension in your forearms and hands. When you stop to take a break in between songs or exercises, relax and analyze this again. If you discover a significant difference in the way your shoulders, arms, and hands look or feel, you probably are playing with too much tension. As soon as you recognize that your shoulders or other parts of your body are tensing up, stop playing immediately. Drop your arms to your sides, relax completely, and then lift your hands to the bass and start playing again. As soon as you feel yourself start to tense up again, stop playing and do the same thing. By doing this, you are teaching yourself to become more in tune with your body while becoming more adept at staying relaxed.
I hope this has been of some assistance to you.
