Really, how important is keeping your wrist straight?

[PrimusNut]

Ok, I see people on here always commenting on "keeping your wrist straight". Personally, I find this impossible to do. And, any videos I see of my favorite bassists, their wrists are bent more than mine ever is. And don't say it has to do with strap height, because I see bassists with super high, middle, and low heights all bend their wrists to play certain things.

So, is it REALLY that important to always keep your wrist straight?

[uethanian]

u talking fretting hand or plucking hand?

fretting hand, theres only so much you can do with setup. the only people i've seen with straight fretting wrists are people who play really lightly, with no pressure on the thumb.

plucking hand, i'd say the straight wrist only really applies to floating-thumb. its absolutely important there, but if you're anchoring, it probably feels better to bend. favorite bassists bend their wrists? lots of them do.

[JimmyM]

Comfort is king. Rather than keeping my wrists straight, I keep them comfortable. That's what's important.

[Fuzzbass]

Not everyone who smokes dies from cancer. That doesn't mean cigarette smoking is safe.

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by uethanian

the only people i've seen with straight fretting wrists are people who play really lightly, with no pressure on the thumb.

That makes sense. Using zero thumb pressure is the most important thing in bass playing. Keeping your wrists straight is the second most.

[Poop-Loops]

The straighter the wrist, the better, but you can't have a perfectly straight wrist. Mine is usually at 45º.

[Erick Lam]

Keeping the wrist straight is one of the most important aspect of every single instrument. In fact, for everything requiring dexterity. The muscles controlling the fingers are in the forearm and and you want to keep the tendons in a straight line for better efficiency. In some case, a bent wrist can lead to injuries.

[Commreman]

Originally Posted by Erick Lam

Keeping the wrist straight is one of the most important aspect of every single instrument. In fact, for everything requiring dexterity. The muscles controlling the fingers are in the forearm and and you want to keep the tendons in a straight line for better efficiency. In some case, a bent wrist can lead to injuries.

Incredibly true! I normally play with my bass in a higher position, which forced me to rest the forearm of my plucking hand on the body of the bass and my wrist at nearly a 90 degree angle. I have done this literally for years. Following 25+ gigs this summer, I'm now paying the price - Tendonitis/tennis elbow cutting across the top of my right forearm that is as painful as anything I have ever felt (and I have had a ton of sports injuries in my life). Besides cutting WAY back until this finally heals, I've had to completely retrain myself in playing in a position that does not put that type of pressure on those forearm muscles.

Do yourself a favor - develop good habits now! As you get older, the bad ones come back to haunt you in ways that can sideline you for a long time!

[mdrummer5]

I just started playing a couple of weeks ago and I've been working on this as well recently due to tightness devoloping in my left wrist after extended playing periods. I don't see how it could be possible to keep both wrists straight at all times regardless of how long/short you keep your strap. At some point moving up and down the fretboard you have no choice but to bend your wrist unless you have freakishly long fingers. After looking at a lot of videos on youtube and watching others play I have yet to see someone play with there wrists in perfect allignment with their forearm.

[YCBass]

I'm no medical expert, but we all know that as bass players we are very prone to carpal tunnel syndrome - which scares me but not enough to stop playing... haha.

I think the best way is to just relax - and you'll play better too. I've kept a conscious effort to relax my hands when I play. I do feel the strain when I bend my right wrist too much. For me, I try to lift my elbow a little higher over the body of the bass to help straighten out my wrist. But I think the biggest thing is to never strain your muscles. So I've been working on finger strength so I can learn to pluck hard (I love that sound!) but keep relaxed.

Justin Meldal-Johnsen described a way of playing that I am working on - which is to separate your 2 hands - whereas you left (fretting) hand is loose, almost rubbery but your right (plucking) hand stays firm. It's a weird concept, even he says so but I see the benefits to learing how to play that way.

Strap height does matter... IMO. I like having the bass up higher because it benefits my fretting hand but my plucking hand suffers from bending my wrist too much... So I had to find a happy medium.

[Infernal Affair]

You don't have to keep your wrists completely straight, but straight enough that they're relaxed and in a comfortable position, especially when it comes to the fretting hand.

I keep my bass near the waist/hip area so that my plucking hand keeps somewhat straight, and keep the neck up pretty high so that my fretting hand is comfortable. May not work for everyone, but it works for me.

[bakeronbass]

Some advice that has helped me is to "Spread Your Wings". This reminds me when I'am playing to put my elbows out.

[Liko]

It is not important to have NO bend in the fretting hand. it IS important not to have an EXTREME bend. If your wrist is bent as far as it will go in order to reach the strings, you'll have problems.

There are two extremes. At one end is the "punk" posture, where you use two straps tied together to sling the bass somewhere around your knees. It looks "punk" and "cool", but it forces an extreme left-wrist bend, making it hard to fret notes and leading to carpal tunnel syndrome. At the other end of the spectrum is the "fusion" posture, where you hang the bass somewhere just under your chin. This gives you phenomenal access to the upper frets to do all the bass solo work you love, but forces an extreme right wrist bend, making plucking and slapping more difficult and also leading to CTS.

The proper posture is somewhere in the middle. For me, I find the most comfortable fingerstyle position to be with the neck joint about level with my belt buckle, while for slap I like it a little higher, just above my navel. Either way, the neck should be angled upward at least slightly, so both left and right wrists are close to straight. If the bass won't stay in that position when you let go of it with the strap on, that's neck dive and it's not desireable. A higher-mass bridge might be enough to overcome it; if not, you can try a variety of methods to keep the back of the bass down, but all of them will either rely on the strap not slipping, or add weight.

[dvh]

Originally Posted by lemur821

That makes sense. Using zero thumb pressure is the most important thing in bass playing. Keeping your wrists straight is the second most.

Is that even possible? Zero thumb pressure. What's supporting the neck and ensuring your fretting is on?

[Seb_VitusFreak]

Originally Posted by Liko

It is not important to have NO bend in the fretting hand. it IS important not to have an EXTREME bend. If your wrist is bent as far as it will go in order to reach the strings, you'll have problems.

There are two extremes. At one end is the "punk" posture, where you use two straps tied together to sling the bass somewhere around your knees. It looks "punk" and "cool", but it forces an extreme left-wrist bend, making it hard to fret notes and leading to carpal tunnel syndrome. At the other end of the spectrum is the "fusion" posture, where you hang the bass somewhere just under your chin. This gives you phenomenal access to the upper frets to do all the bass solo work you love, but forces an extreme right wrist bend, making plucking and slapping more difficult and also leading to CTS.

The proper posture is somewhere in the middle. For me, I find the most comfortable fingerstyle position to be with the neck joint about level with my belt buckle, while for slap I like it a little higher, just above my navel. Either way, the neck should be angled upward at least slightly, so both left and right wrists are close to straight. If the bass won't stay in that position when you let go of it with the strap on, that's neck dive and it's not desireable. A higher-mass bridge might be enough to overcome it; if not, you can try a variety of methods to keep the back of the bass down, but all of them will either rely on the strap not slipping, or add weight.

+1

[Infernal Affair]

Originally Posted by dvh

Is that even possible? Zero thumb pressure. What's supporting the neck and ensuring your fretting is on?

Yes it's possible. I've done permutation exercises without placing my thumb on the back of the neck. It's possible and recommended by some to develop your fretting technique.

[Johnny Crab]

Been looking like this since the 1960's(dug that hole with my thumb in about 10 years):


Both wrists go from "almost straight" to near 45 depending on where and HOW the playing is being done.
A Steinberger photo showed the straightest right(picking hand) wrist(late 1980's).


Note the poorly-positioned, over-the-neck thumb(fretting hand).
Tell SRV, Hendrix, and a LOT of other folks about that too.
Left thumb parallels the neck WHEN it's needed.

[PrimusNut]

I was referring to fret hand, but I guess the info on the right hand is good for others. I personally have no problem with keeping my right (plucking hand) wrist straight, because I wear my bass relatively low, but my left wrist has to bend to reach notes on the lower end of the E string. But I NEVER bend my wrist enough for it to strain..

I just saw so many people saying about always keeping your wrist straight, but it's impossible to do, so I was just confirming my suspicions.

[Fender32]

Originally Posted by bakeronbass

Some advice that has helped me is to "Spread Your Wings". This reminds me when I'am playing to put my elbows out.

I prefer the idea that I'm wearing a light-coloured shirt on a hot stage and have forgotten to put on any anti-perspirant , so that I have to keep my arms away from my sides to avoid the dreaded "sweat patches"!

Sounds gross, but it helps me remember to try and stand "correctly".

[Bassist4Life]

Originally Posted by PrimusNut

I was referring to fret hand, but I guess the info on the right hand is good for others. I personally have no problem with keeping my right (plucking hand) wrist straight, because I wear my bass relatively low, but my left wrist has to bend to reach notes on the lower end of the E string. But I NEVER bend my wrist enough for it to strain..

I just saw so many people saying about always keeping your wrist straight, but it's impossible to do, so I was just confirming my suspicions.

I guess if it doesn't bother your wrist, then it's okay.

This is an image from Adam Nitti's website and it's how my wrist looks when I play. I usually sit down when I play in my jazz trio. When I stand up, I set my bass strap to be the same distance as when I'm sitting.

I don't think I would be able to keep this wrist position if my bass was way down low. It's more important for me to keep myself pain free as some gigs are 3+ hours long. Plus, wearing my bass down by my knees would look a little silly for cocktail hour.

Like I said, if there's no pain/strain, then there's probably nothing to worry about.




Rock on my bass brother!

Joe