hurt my left/fretting hand! speed issues!

varunkapahi · #1 06-26-2010, 05:23 AM

ok so i have been trying to play this song master of puppets by metallica. now it may not be the fastest song around but its pretty darn fast for me.
the main riff is like a spider exercise playing 16th notes at 110bpm and my left hand starts to hurt after i repeat it a couple of times. this time i kept going at it for a bit more and now it feels a bit sore. its some muscles, tissues below the wrist around the middle of the fore arm which is feeling a bit stiff now.
so now how do i get around it? i have always made sure i warm up, i start by playing 16th notes at 70bpm and work up to 100 by playing various exercises. but am really stuck here.

however, am able to play the same riff an octave up with no issues, i guess my wrist is not getting bent the same way up there. but down at the first frets its a real pita
any clues?

atheos · #2 06-26-2010, 05:29 AM

There are many threads about proper left hand technique, you might want to look at those. Other than that, speed builds up. It may take years so be patient and keep practicing.

If your hand hurts, slow down or better yet, stop playing. Otherwise you're at risk getting yourself some serious injuries. Don't force it.

HaVIC5 · #3 06-26-2010, 09:32 AM

First off, the wrist shouldn't be bent the way that I suspect it is for you, and that's likely why you're having problems. It's one thing to slow down and stop playing if it hurts, but if you do nothing for your technique to correct why it hurts it's not going to do you any good.

http://playbassnow.com/speed-techniq...and-technique/

This is how I've approached playing with the left hand, and I strongly suggest you take a look if you're having pain issues. Your wrist shouldn't be bent at all when you're playing down there, and it takes a little bit of explaining on how to do that correctly.

Andrew Jones · #4 06-26-2010, 09:37 AM

It's all about relaxation and breathing. If you trying really hard to get something up to speed and pushing your limits..You not going to be relaxed.

Get Amazing slow downer and work that song at a pace you can. Then play other stuff and let the speed come to you!

Patience.

Aj

varunkapahi · #5 06-26-2010, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

First off, the wrist shouldn't be bent the way that I suspect it is for you, and that's likely why you're having problems. It's one thing to slow down and stop playing if it hurts, but if you do nothing for your technique to correct why it hurts it's not going to do you any good.

http://playbassnow.com/speed-techniq...and-technique/

This is how I've approached playing with the left hand, and I strongly suggest you take a look if you're having pain issues. Your wrist shouldn't be bent at all when you're playing down there, and it takes a little bit of explaining on how to do that correctly.

when my thumb is pointing the headstock my reach decreases and i cant pivot shift the position to reach further anymore. so again i cant play the spider exercise of the song's riff one finger per fret

jacofox · #6 06-27-2010, 08:13 AM

Whatever you do don't play through the pain...or risk injury...

It could be an issue with reach as well with your fretting hand...especially if you have no trouble playing the octave up...try adding scales to your warmup to exercise your fretting hand starting higher on the neck (smaller frets) and work down the neck, always using a metronome.

tobie · #7 06-27-2010, 11:23 PM

In addition to the above: take regular breaks during practice. Warm up properly. I sometimes use Deep Heat (http://home.intekom.com/pharm/menthola/ment-rub.html) to help warm up my muscles before play, specially if they're a bit stiff from previous play - and it works!

HaVIC5 · #8 06-28-2010, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by varunkapahi

when my thumb is pointing the headstock my reach decreases and i cant pivot shift the position to reach further anymore. so again i cant play the spider exercise of the song's riff one finger per fret

It's very difficult to "diagnose" technique over the internet, especially when you don't have any pictures or videos of you playing the piece of music in question. It might feel awkward playing with the thumb towards the headstock and the wrist straight and relaxed at first, especially if you have never tried it. It will take some adjustment in how you approach elbow position, finger placement and shifting, which might take a while if you don't have a teacher there guiding you. Performing a piece of music with unhealthy technique for the sake of performing it is NOT preferable to having to relearn and reapply technique on your instrument.

varunkapahi · #9 07-11-2010, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

It's very difficult to "diagnose" technique over the internet, especially when you don't have any pictures or videos of you playing the piece of music in question. It might feel awkward playing with the thumb towards the headstock and the wrist straight and relaxed at first, especially if you have never tried it. It will take some adjustment in how you approach elbow position, finger placement and shifting, which might take a while if you don't have a teacher there guiding you. Performing a piece of music with unhealthy technique for the sake of performing it is NOT preferable to having to relearn and reapply technique on your instrument.

yeah, actually the link you posted earlier really helped. not in playing that particular speed metal style riff, i gave up on that i think, but otherwise in getting my wrist in a better position. now am adapting to this new approach and its pretty cool
thanks