Plucking hand pain after speed exercises?

[arielk]

Hey all,

My favorite genre is thrash metal, and thus one of my major interests in playing bass is in developing great speed with my right hand...I play with both fingers and pick. Anyway, I've always assumed that a good way to develop plucking/picking speed is to pick up the bass and start playing as fast as possible while still sounding clean, as the warmup routine for a practice...this, I thought, was a good way to get the physical/technique "homework" side of practice out of the way at the beginning of the practice session (esp. when this right hand exercising is combined with left hand/fretting hand exercise). The problem is, after several nights of doing this (and this has happened before, too), my hand hurts so badly that it almost feels sprained/broken...it hurts to take notes in class (I'm a college student). I guess it's because when I practice plucking/picking I push myself such that I don't stop until I literally can't hold the pick anymore, etc.

Thoughts? Am I hurting my hand? Is this unnatural? Is there a better way to develop right hand plucking/picking speed?

[gregmerrill]

Listen to your body like an athlete does. Bass is a very physical instrument. Make sure to take time off to heal. When practicing think like someone who lifts weights. They don't sit there and do repetition after repetition without a break. They do a set and then break for a bit then do another set. If you’re on the gig and you feel the tension building then when ever you can drop your arms and let them relax doing nothing at all. You will feel the blood flow back in them. That tiny bit of relief will make a huge difference throughout your gig. I have been very guilty of being obsessed with practicing 8-12 hours a day to get to the level I wanted to be at (I’m still not there). If I had to go back I would have spent much more of that time listening to music which can be equally as beneficial. Don’t over do it and be patient with your progress. Its an evolution that takes time.

[gregmerrill]

after reading your post a bit more you seem like your on your way to hurting yourself. Take it easy.

[Mayers]

take the time to heal.

start slowy, then increase your speed. If you play fast without any warm up you will hurt yourself badly over time.

[bass4worship]

Work yourself slowing up to speed and then back, this will help you build your muscles up. Do not continual to play if you're in plain this will cause serious damage to your hand.

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by arielk

Hey all,

My favorite genre is thrash metal, and thus one of my major interests in playing bass is in developing great speed with my right hand...I play with both fingers and pick. Anyway, I've always assumed that a good way to develop plucking/picking speed is to pick up the bass and start playing as fast as possible while still sounding clean, as the warmup routine for a practice...this, I thought, was a good way to get the physical/technique "homework" side of practice out of the way at the beginning of the practice session (esp. when this right hand exercising is combined with left hand/fretting hand exercise). The problem is, after several nights of doing this (and this has happened before, too), my hand hurts so badly that it almost feels sprained/broken...it hurts to take notes in class (I'm a college student). I guess it's because when I practice plucking/picking I push myself such that I don't stop until I literally can't hold the pick anymore, etc.

Thoughts? Am I hurting my hand? Is this unnatural? Is there a better way to develop right hand plucking/picking speed?

Forgive me if i have this wrong, but you actually tire and fatigue yourself before practice to get it out of the way?

In what part of you mind did you reason this as practical and would work for you. You are indeed reaping the benifits of your practice. I shall not go into it as there are many great ways to practice and exercise your hands on TB. I suggest you do a search( or just look at the stickies at the top of Techniques) to find better and safer ways to practise. So stop what your doing have a break to recover and start with a proper programme of practice and exercise. By the way it is never something to "get out of the way" so a change of attitude is needed as well for any of your practise to be effective.

[sound of bass]

There are many ways to exercise your plucking and fretting hands without ever touching the bass. As body builders do, work the muscles from different angles, different exercises, different techniques. For me, I use a sress ball alot in my down time at work, sometimes good ol' fashioned hand grippers, and sometimes when Im at the gym working out, I'll lift light weights using only my fingers (while resting the major muscles) for a short period. Im no longer married, but my (then) wife noticed the strength increase in my fingers and hands through the massages I used to give her, and I could easily tell my improvement in playing.

[arielk]

Hmm.

My rationale for working my muscles a great deal at the beginning of practice has been that by doing that, I can get the 'homework' side of practice out of the way at first, so I can, AFTER doing the technical stuff, work on more mental stuff - teaching myself new fretboard positions for scales, new scale positions, etc. Improvising alone. Working on soloing.

Makes sense?

At any rate, I appreciate the comments/input immensely, and as of now I'm doing warmup/speed playing/cool down to work on speed, instead of going Mach 3 straight from picking up the bass. So far, it seems to be helping.

Thoughts? Am I doing it okay, or are there more things I should consider? Thanks again for your time and help

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by arielk

Hmm.

My rationale for working my muscles a great deal at the beginning of practice has been that by doing that, I can get the 'homework' side of practice out of the way at first, so I can, AFTER doing the technical stuff, work on more mental stuff - teaching myself new fretboard positions for scales, new scale positions, etc. Improvising alone. Working on soloing.

The term "getting it out of the way" implies something that reluctantly needs to be done. Every aspect of a practice session is as important as another.

However, you seem to be on the right track now. Take it slowly and give your hands time to get warmed up for playing. Also remember that speed is attained by playing slow, and building it up gradually.

[arielk]

"The term 'getting it out of the way' implies something that reluctantly needs to be done. Every aspect of a practice session is as important as another.

However, you seem to be on the right track now. Take it slowly and give your hands time to get warmed up for playing. Also remember that speed is attained by playing slow, and building it up gradually. "

Yeah, you're right. Thanks.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by arielk

Hmm.

My rationale for working my muscles a great deal at the beginning of practice has been that by doing that, I can get the 'homework' side of practice out of the way at first, so I can, AFTER doing the technical stuff, work on more mental stuff - teaching myself new fretboard positions for scales, new scale positions, etc. Improvising alone. Working on soloing.

Makes sense?

At any rate, I appreciate the comments/input immensely, and as of now I'm doing warmup/speed playing/cool down to work on speed, instead of going Mach 3 straight from picking up the bass. So far, it seems to be helping.

Thoughts? Am I doing it okay, or are there more things I should consider? Thanks again for your time and help

If you REALLY want to get serious about developing speed, take bess lessons from a good jazz player. Jazz may not be everyone's cup of tea, but a better type of music for building speed, accuracy, and musicality (speed without accuracy and musicality is useless) you will not find, and a lot of metal musicians study jazz because of it.

Also, since you have been getting pains, a good jazz teacher can show you techniques that maximize speed and reduce or eliminate pain. Check with your nearest college's local music dept. to find names of teachers in your area. Pain is never a good thing when it comes to playing a musical instrument.

[arielk]

JimmyM - Thanks for the response. Incidentally, your thread about the Carol Kaye pick method has given me good insight, thanks for posting about that.

Yeah, I like jazz. I've been listening to a decent amount of jazz for the past year or two, and am excited to continue my jazz studies...

I'm getting a teacher, yeah. I'll probably have my first lesson with him soon. I believe he does play jazz. Thanks for the input.

Incidentally, yeah: Steve DiGiorgio showed me that jazz training can be very helpful for playing metal. Good stuff.

[Eublet]

3 words: repetitive stress injury

Yes it is serious. Speed is a by-product of accuracy and muscle memory. You don't have to physically punish yourself to gain speed.

[arielk]

Exactly.