my back and upper right shoulder are soooo soar.

huckingfuskie · #1 01-12-2009, 08:52 AM

Yesterday i had my first frantastic jam. ive been playing for a yeal anf a half maybe, but but always usualy by myself or with a friend in my living room. sometimes standing, usualy sitting.

yesterday though, everything was comming together so nicely. we plaid some tool songs, some metallica, we improved for a good chunk of time and everthing was sounding prety smooth we were having so much fun 3 hours went by without us noticing. Today i woke up with extreme soarness in the muscle in my upper right shoulder and all over my mid back. ouch....

is this normal, seing as how yesterday was really my first time standing playing for a prolongued period? i play a EBMM Bongo4 which weighs maybe 10 or 11 pounds. my strap is really comfortable and i wear my bass around my mid section for normal songs, higher up for songs with bass solos.

anyone have this problem before?

Vakmere · #2 01-12-2009, 09:01 AM

You answered your own questions in your paragraphs. 11 lbs, standing for a prolonged period, soar is really spelled sore. It's normal. 2 aspirins will take care of it.

huckingfuskie · #3 01-12-2009, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vakmere

You answered your own questions in your paragraphs. 11 lbs, standing for a prolonged period, soar is really spelled sore. It's normal. 2 aspirins will take care of it.

wow! you're an english teacher, bassist AND good advice giver?!

hats off to you!!!1

Bassamatic · #4 01-12-2009, 09:19 AM

For those with heavy basses, there are 2 intesting straps that go over BOTH shoulders, cutting the weight on each by half. I am seriously considering one of these from Planet Waves.

Anyone here try one?

They can help your playing soar while not getting sore!

Jeff Martinez · #5 01-12-2009, 09:23 AM

I'm greatly disappointed to find that this thread is not about making your back and shoulder fly.

Doh!

ga_edwards · #6 01-12-2009, 09:32 AM

Yes, it is normal when carrying that kind of a weight for a prolonged period. I was finding the same thing with my warwick thumb, made worse by the fact that it's not a very well balanced bass.

There are however things you can do other than pill popping. Prevention is better than cure as they say. Pain is the body's way of telling you you've pushed too far/hard and not to to it again, or change what the way you do it. Pills will mask the pain, but doesn't fix the damage done, and may cuase trouble in later life if not dealt with properly. Although we never seem to learn.

If it is a rehearsal session, take breaks. Sit down if you feel more comfortable. You only really to be standing whilst your playing anyway, that's one of the points of rehearsing, unless you plan on gigging sitting down. If your having a discussion, working something out, have a rest, sit on your amp, on the floor what ever to take the weight off.

Warm up! I've done a few long gigs, 2-3 hours nonstop and have been in agony the next day, esp with the added hassle of loading the gear back on the van after. A lot of players warm up their fingers and maybe voice before playing, but forget about the rest of the body. An engergectic performance, hell, just standing still carrying a piece of 11lb wood on a leather strap for 3 hours takes it's toll. If you warm up, stretch and get the muscles working before hand your body will thank you for it.

Get a backup lightweight bass. When I realised my Thumb was becoming hardwork ergonomically on long gigs, I realised I needed something lighter and/or better balanced to switch to when it all became too much for me. I knew that balance was really the key issue, but in the interim before I could fund something that could replace the Thumb, I got a Yamaha RBX4A2, the ipod super light bass. Believe the hype, these things really do work. Yes, the tone isn't going to match a warwick, but gets the job done and joe bloggs in the audience isn't really going to notice that much. Anyhow, I now have a Yamaha Attitude as my main baby which is so much better than the Thumb ergonomically, and has tone by the bagful, but I still take my RBX to long gigs, just in case my body needs a rest. Besides, it's good to have a spare.

There are also special straps that go over both shoulders, or attached to belts etc, but I think they look awful (yes, looks are important in a live band!), but might be worth checking out if you still find it painfull. Although they are hideous, your well-being comes first.

Oh, one last thing. The best thing to do with muscular back pain is to work it. Obvioulsy, I don't mean go weight lifting, but you need to maintain flexibility to get the muscles working properly. So some simple excersizes through back pain is recommended. One of the worse things to do it lie down and hope it goes. The muscles will go cold and seize up, which makes the pain worse. They need to be worked. Doctors even recommend this after spinal surgery these days. My mum had surgery 20 years ago, she was made to lie flat on her back for 6 weeks, then let out of bed for 1/2 and hour a day, and still had to spend most of the day in bed for a further 6 months when she came home and wear a steel ribbed corset. She's never fully recovered as her muscles weakened by not being used. My dad on the other hand had a fall a few years ago and broke his coxsics (sp?), there was a man on his ward who had exactly the same op as my mum, within 2 days he was up and walking around, and went home within a week, and left the hospital on his own feet. My dad was also up and fully fit again in a month or so, because they worked through it. I know I've wandered off point here, but it's a point worth stressing.

Allen_VA · #7 01-12-2009, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huckingfuskie

noticing. Today i woke up with extreme soarness in the muscle in my upper right shoulder and all over my mid back. ouch....

is this normal, seing as how yesterday was really my first time standing playing for a prolongued period? i play a EBMM Bongo4 which weighs maybe 10 or 11 pounds. my strap is really comfortable and i wear my bass around my mid section for normal songs, higher up for songs with bass solos.

anyone have this problem before?

Are you a left-handed bass player? I'm a righty and I have left-hand shoulder soreness a lot, but I've been at this for a while. In fact, my left hand, through the palm and at the base of my thumb, also gets quite sore after a while. I've been experiencing this fairly frequently and am starting to be concerned about the long-term effects of it. I have a wide, padded Levy strap on a 4-string Warwick Corv $$ (about 9 lb). Before that I used a 5-string Tobias Growler with a wide leather strap (bass also around 8.5 to 9 pounds).

Lichtaffen · #8 01-12-2009, 09:57 AM

Not to sound insulting, but you may want to do abdominal crunches every day to strengthen your stomach and take stress off your lower back.

ga_edwards · #9 01-12-2009, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allen_VA

Are you a left-handed bass player? I'm a righty and I have left-hand shoulder soreness a lot, but I've been at this for a while. In fact, my left hand, through the palm and at the base of my thumb, also gets quite sore after a while. I've been experiencing this fairly frequently and am starting to be concerned about the long-term effects of it. I have a wide, padded Levy strap on a 4-string Warwick Corv $$ (about 9 lb). Before that I used a 5-string Tobias Growler with a wide leather strap (bass also around 8.5 to 9 pounds).

As strange as it sounds, I've found my new Attitude bass with extremely wide neck at the nut end caused less hand pain/cramp issues than my narrower necked basses. The neck at the nut is the same width as my 5 string Thumb. And for a 4 string that's bloody wide.

I have a theory that the wider neck forces my hand to be more open so doesn't cramp up as much as it would with a smaller neck. I know people prefer the smaller Jazz inpirered necks for agility, but I just find for prolonged periods they aren't as comfortable.

It may be worth looking at other basses if it causing discomfort. I know it is a wrench to do that if you really love your current bass, I know it was with my Thumb (I've still got it BTW, it's ok for short periods and has a great tone), but if it's not the right bass for you physically, you need to find something else before you end up in so much pain you can't play anymore. Trouble is, there's no easy way to try out basses for prolonged periods. Perhaps talk to your local dealer, explain the situation and see if they'll let you try some out at rehearsals before you buy. You never know.

One of my guitarists has arthititis in his hands, and he's struggled for years to find something perfect for him, and been through a few gorgeous guitars with cracking tones, but they didn't feel right to him, so had to go.

Jools4001 · #10 01-12-2009, 10:32 AM

+1 on the ab crunches, a lot of lower back problems are caused by not having sufficient core stability, work on that and things should improve.

+1 also on warming up before a long practise session or gig.

You should be able to find some good upper body, shoulder and neck warm up exercises in many sports book that will help you loosen up the relevant muscle groups. When you've finished the gig, do the same exercises again to warm down.

If you still have issues, remember that the main cause of muscle stiffness after exercise or work is caused by a build up of lactic acid. A tip from a good few years of martial arts training is to take some Alka-Seltzer immediately you've warmed down, it will help prevent the lactic acid build up.

As with everything else though, the more you do longer gigs the better you will cope. Our band always takes August off for holidays and it's surprising that, despite continuing solo practise, it always takes a few gigs to become 'gig-fit' again come September

A.Denis · #11 01-13-2009, 06:44 PM

I currently use something called the "Y" strap by designer Michele Morin. It really works great. The Planet Waves product looks good too and I'm tempted to try it . I suggest you try these "double straps" if your pain is chronic and prevents you from playing.

In my case it was not really the back, but the neck, I would get terrible headaches if I played too long with a single strap.

I play a Spector too. that helps alot because they are lightweight.

Regarding exercises, any kind will help, I get the best results with Qi Chong (sort of like Tai Chi) and I have a couple of exercise given to me by a physio.

If your pain persists go see a physiotherapist or similar professional, that's always a good start.

(Update: thanks GIO for the link to Planet Waves, I ordered the Dare Strap!)

Bassamatic · #12 01-28-2009, 02:39 PM

I tried the Planet Waves Dare strap and was very disappointed.
The leather on the ends was so stiff it was nearly impossible to get them over the pegs.
The snap holding the pieces together came apart very easily, I almost dropped the bass twice.
The loop holding the two straps together was not comfortable on my back (it is not a "Y", just a split.
The part with the snap holding the 2 part together was too large, and would extend so far I could not use straplocks.

It went back. I was very surprised as Planet Waves stuff is usually very good.

Great idea, very poor execution.

Sorry A.Denis !

Now I am looking for another type that fits differently.

Fergie Fulton · #13 02-01-2009, 01:29 PM

A wide strap that covers the shoulder area is essential and wearing it correct is as important. A strap should take its support on your shoulder at the edge where the bone is located and less soft tissue present and come back towards the neck where there is soft tissue. A strap does not want to hang around your neck but off your shoulder. A strap that takes support on soft neck tissue can give problems, like tension in the neck and back, numbness in the fingers, soreheads, restrict bloodflow, etc.