Pick playing = Tendonitis?

P. Aaron · #1 06-26-2007, 07:55 PM

Our bassist plays with a pick. He also gets occasional bouts of tendonitis and has to wrap his wrists up.

Anyone else ever experience this?

I haven't suggested he try playing finger style (though I am in favor of it).

Deathblade Eric · #2 06-26-2007, 08:22 PM

Could be a whole bevy of causes, but unlikely to be solely caused by using a pick.

Heavy bass + narrow strap is a good recipe, as the strap can pinch the nerve that runs from the shoulder down the arm & into the wrist.

Another good one is playing at 100mph from the shoulder or elbow - "sawing". We were given/evolved wrists - they're there for a reason.

Poor posture - hunched, bass too high or low for comfort.

Is the bass slab sided, or does it have a chamfer on the top edge (or at least a generous rounded edge)? If the wrist/forearm is bearing on a corner that can induce screaming agony quite rapidly.

Pete.

stranger0 · #3 06-26-2007, 08:36 PM

Where is the pain coming from?

Tendonitis (tendosis) is overuse, so yea, it can come from pick playing, finger playing...over any style of playing.

My suggestion, do what I do, if you have them, go see a hand therapist (thats what we call them in Canada at least). Ever since I went through it I'm religious about taking care of my hands/arms/neck. So I stretch a lot, heat, ice, it's almost a ritual now but if it keeps the playing away then that is fine with me.

JimmyM · #4 06-27-2007, 12:01 AM

It's all because of technique. If he uses Carol Kaye's method of pick playing, he can play all night and never have any pain. The short version of it is that you play right by the neck using heavy picks, you move the pick by moving your wrist from side to side using down and up strokes (not just downstrokes), you never move your thumb at all, and you don't anchor your hand.

I used to have the same problem your bassist has. I can play all night using Carol's method. If I deviate in the slightest, my wrist starts to hurt again. Listen, it may not look super cool, but neither does a hand that's all drawn in and can't open because you have CTS.

You can find more about it at www.carolkaye.com under Players Tips and on her forum.

P. Aaron · #5 06-27-2007, 06:35 PM

He plays a Musicman Stingray. I really just want him to use his fingers...or develope more style period...but I rant.

stranger0 · #6 06-27-2007, 11:31 PM

Jimmy, not to knock you, far frmo it, glad it works for you but if playing that 1 way only works for you, there's still a problem that needs to be addressed. Eventually the human body breaks down through wear and tear.

Aaron, its funny, when I was playing in high school I used my fingers and was dead set against a pick yet everyone wanted me to use a pick...at one point I relented because I learned "you serve the song, not yourself".

Poop-Loops · #7 06-27-2007, 11:40 PM

Actually, Jimmy's method of playing (or I should say Carol Kaye's) is correct and the safest there is.

Two things that make bass different from guitar is that you can't have the neck as angled when pick playing, so try keeping the neck more horizontal if he can. Of course, that will mess up his other hand...

Second, he might have to bring his bass up higher. On guitar it can be a bit lower, since the strings are very easy to pick. Bass strings require more oomp, so the angled hand can get sore.

JimmyM · #8 06-28-2007, 07:36 AM

Stranger, actually using Carol's pick method addresses the problem of the body breaking down by wear and tear. It uses the muscles that are least likely to give you CTS or tendonitis.

stranger0 · #9 06-28-2007, 08:45 PM

Jimmy, got a link?

I'm just saying there is nothing that is truly fool proof, granted each persons body is different (what works for some does not work for others) and eventually your body will break down.

whacker · #10 06-28-2007, 08:54 PM

Problems like this are technique/posture related. I've gotten tendonitis playing either pick or finger style, when I wasn't keeping my chops up and practiced or performed too hard for too long after a layoff of some length. Observe the good players that are out there, and adopt what they do, and avoid the low-slung "gunslinger" approach many younger players get into because they like the look.

JimmyM · #11 06-28-2007, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stranger0

Jimmy, got a link?

I'm just saying there is nothing that is truly fool proof, granted each persons body is different (what works for some does not work for others) and eventually your body will break down.

www.carolkaye.com under Player's Tips.

So here's the thing...would you rather play in a way that's pretty much guaranteed to cause tendonitis, or would you rather play in a way that doesn't usually cause tendonitis? Or are you saying that we're all going to get tendonitis so let's just ignore what the experts tell us?

stranger0 · #12 06-29-2007, 09:11 PM

What I'm saying is that (and I said it above) the human body is different for each person, if one doesn't take care of themselves, our bodies will breakdown no matter how good your technique or type of technique you use.

Even runners have to stretch before a run. Are they able to always do some crazy marathon at an older age? Some sure, some are quite lucky, we're no different.

I think it comes down to how well you take care of yourself and a bit of luck.

FunkyFlashFive · #13 06-29-2007, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whacker

Observe the good players that are out there, and adopt what they do, and avoid the low-slung "gunslinger" approach many younger players get into because they like the look.

thank you for agreeing with me. as a young player I'm constantly asked "who do you think you are, the Beatles?" I've never felt the need to change good technique and hurt myself to look "cool"

cowsgomoo · #14 06-29-2007, 10:23 PM

pick playing per se doesn't induce tendonitis... I can vouch for this after 20 years playing mostly with a pick (phew, I feel old saying that), and not using the Carol Kaye method (I anchor my hand, and don't pick too near the neck by default), with no right hand problems other than blisters

neither does having a lowish slung bass give any right hand pick problems... a hugely bent left wrist can't be healthy, and it's certainly limiting technically, but i've found the ideal (at least fatiguing) place to have my picking hand is roughly the height it would hang naturally at (i.e. nads height).. you're neither stretching to reach the strings, nor spending your playing time & energy using your upper arm muscles to support your right arm... i'll accept that a low slung bass makes fretting a lot harder but I'm convinced having your bass low (pickups at roughly nads altitude) is best for picking

joelb79 · #15 06-29-2007, 10:42 PM

I know a late 40's year old geezer who is rocking it with a pick. He plays with a well known band, called Rare Earth. He has NO wrist problems. I think it all has to do with your bass players technique.

The self taught bassists tend to make more "misakes" ( used loosely) and will have bad left/right hand technique which can make your wrists lock up and feel horrible. I know because i'm one of those poor chaps.

JimmyM · #16 06-30-2007, 12:43 AM

cowsgo, I was like that for years. I could go all night playing by the bridge and wearing it really low. Then a few years ago, my hand started aching horribly while using a pick. And then I learned how to play like Carol, and now my wrist doesn't hurt. Carol will tell you that there's no question that you will cripple your hand eventually. I don't know if I go that far with it, but I can tell you I can play with a pick as long as I want now and never get the pains I used to get.