Left Hand Position?

[Tsal]

Assume your bass neck is in horizontal position.
Ok, when you fret the notes with your left hand, are your fingers in 90' angle(straight upwards) looking from the fingerboard?

I just noticed that mine tend to be in something like 45' degree angle, fingers pointing more towards the upper horn than to the ceiling. And I think this ain't the best style. Any suggestions, should I start to focus on my fingers and try to get them stay upright?

[Ívar Þórólfsson]

I would also like to know this. My fingers also angle at about 45 degrees.

[wulf]

Originally posted by Tsal
Assume your bass neck is in horizontal position.
Ok, when you fret the notes with your left hand, are your fingers in 90' angle(straight upwards) looking from the fingerboard?

Why is your bass neck horizontal? I find it most natural, when standing, to have the neck at about 45 degrees and the left hand fingers perpendicular to the angle of the neck:

If the bass neck was horizontal, my wrist would have to be twisted into an uncomfortable (and thus dangerous) position to point keep my fingers perpendicular to the neck... therefore I'd change the position of the neck rather than leaving it in place and risking my wrist by trying to point to the ceiling.

Wulf

[Howard K]

Wulf is right there. I do the same and usually raise the neck a little to reach the nut end, i.e. anything below the 3rd on the A, E and B.

It also depends how hi/low you have your bass positioned. I'm at about stomach level, but I plan to go higher as the years progress

[Ívar Þórólfsson]

Originally posted by wulf
Why is your bass neck horizontal? I find it most natural, when standing, to have the neck at about 45 degrees and the left hand fingers perpendicular to the angle of the neck:

If the bass neck was horizontal, my wrist would have to be twisted into an uncomfortable (and thus dangerous) position to point keep my fingers perpendicular to the neck... therefore I'd change the position of the neck rather than leaving it in place and risking my wrist by trying to point to the ceiling.

Wulf

Tsal wasn´t saying he has his neck in horizontal position. He was just trying to make it clear at what angle his fingers are.

Assume your bass neck is in horizontal position.

Note the use of the word Assume.

[just_a_poser]

Maybe Icez, but I can't assume that my neck would be like that and tell you how my fingers would be, because I'd never have my bass like that.

I do the same as Wulf.

...sometimes I like to hold it upright, to look more like Fieldy!

[Tsal]

Ok, did a quick illustration to show what I ment. Wulf, I hope it's ok that I used the pic you posted earlier.



Wulf's fingers seem to roughly be at 90' angle in the pic. Mine tend to be at 45' angle, so that my palm touches the edge of the neck on the spot where my index meets the palm. It seems to very similar to position where you are resting your thumb on the top of the fretboard.

[kirbywrx]

In my case if i held my middle finger straight up and down, it would be at roughly a 45 degree angle from the truss rod (centre line of the neck)

[wulf]

To be honest, my hand position varies quite a lot from that shown in the picture - although that would be a pretty average position. A lot of it depends on where I am playing on the neck, where my hand has come from and where it's going to.

However, my consistent watchword is to stay relaxed - not tense, and not held in a awkward position.

Wulf

ps. Tsal - no problems with you scribbling on my picture

[Frank Martin]

My left-hand position? Thumb resting on the pick-up, index and middle (sometimes even ring) pointing downward at 90 to 60 degrees.


If you ask the position of my fretting hand (FRETTING HAND), it varies from roughly 120 to 60 degrees, but it's mostly between 75 and 90 - the reasons are the same as Wulf just said.

[James S]

Here's a short clip that shows typical left hand position.

http://www.jimstinnett.com/movies/lefthandalt.mpg

[Rockin John]

Wulf and I and the video clip agree. It's the "classical" fretting hand position that, I understand, guitar/bass tutors hammer into their students. (I'm self taught BTW).

IMHO it's the best method of fretting because it gives the fingers the most freedom to move about. It also seems to work well on the fretless.

I found it difficult to get on with at first but now it seems entirely natural. Having said that, the 45 degree thing does appear to be less stressful on the hand. Who was it that produced a guitar with slanting frets wrt to the fretboard's centre line. It never caught on but those who mastered it really enthused about it.

John

[wulf]

Fanned frets? See:

Novax Guitars

and

Dingwall Guitars

I found the ones I tried surprisingly easy, although I wasn't so blown away that I had to have one. Definitely worth checking out if you get a chance though - there's some solid thinking behind the concept (around hand position and string tension).

Wulf