Playing With A Cast

[capnsandwich]

I just had wrist surgery 2 weeks ago and the doctor had a cast put on my arm. I asked the doctor if it was cool to play bass since my fingers were still exposed and he said, "Yes, as long as your wrist doesn't move a lot." So slapping is out of the question but fingerstyle is still a possibility.

Has anyone ever played with a cast on and if so, did it get in your way a lot or prevent you from playing well? I wouldn't care but I'm the only bassist in my church and they need me quite a bit.

[Basshappi]

Yep,
Broke the ring finger on my plucking hand. they put me in one of those plastic casts with ace wrapped around it. I had them form it so that my thumb and forefinger were uncovered. Still a pain in the A** to play and it was impossible to keep from flexing the broken one a little and of course playing position put my hand downwards (not good!) so playing was uncomfortable to say the least. But my band was was gigging 3-4 nights a week so whatcha gonna do?

Get well soon!

[fettbass]

I broke my wrist early on in my bass playing journey. I had to have a cast on for 3 weeks, and only knew 2 finger plucking at that point. Nonetheless, the experience taught me floating thumb technique inadvertently (my thumb was in the cast, and I couldn't anchor on a pickup) and my speed was much improved when the cast came off.

[bassman314]

Never had a cast, but I have infrequent bouts with wrist problems. I have played with one of those wrist splints that has the metal strip along your palm. huge pain the arse to play, but made due.

Slapping is right out, of course, but your fingers should still work. Depending on how high you keep your bass, you might need to adjust it so that your forearm is parallel to your bass and your wrist doesn't need to bend.

Also, take frequent breaks, as the awkward playing style may cause strains in your elbow, shoulder, and fingers.

[capnsandwich]

Yep, played tonight at band rehearsal. Soul Atoma's music requires a lot of repetitive plucking and to be honest I blew it tonight. I just couldn't find the rhythm without my thumb being involved, which is really hard because of the way the nurse molded the cast around my thumb. There are spots where I have to do really quick 16th notes and lock in with the double bass beat that the drummer is doing and I had no articulation at all. I sucked but I did get a little better as the night progressed. I have practice tomorrow with Wayfarer's Journey and I'm hoping that I can maybe get a little more used to playing with this thing before I play at church on Sunday. Wish me luck.