So I have to swing my bass low, now. Advices?

CamiloDíaz · #1 03-18-2010, 01:52 PM

To make a long story short, I have shoulder bursitis on my plucking arm (the right arm in my case). Almost all of my playing years, I've been hanging my bass pretty high, like the books say, same heigh sitting than standing, and all that. To help relief the wrist, I was training myself to the floating thumb, but my shoulder bursitis has gotten worse now, and I can't hold my right arm in position to get my wrist straight. That has developed into some, little, minimal numbness on the wrist, cause now I have to rest my elbow down, thus bending my wrist to a hook. So, I stoped playing and took some things into consideration. My shoulder hurts like all hell when I do foalting thumb, and I'm too afraid of carpal tunnel synd. to be playing wiht a bent wrist (the slight numbness I experienced two nights ago was very frightening). So I have to compromise some chops (not that I had any, by the way), and left hand ease, and get my bass lower. Not Novoselic low, but way lower than I'm used to. So, any suggestion not to go and crap my other - the fretting - hand too? In terms of excersices, fretting hand adjustment, strap characteristics (not to crap my other shoulder as well), practice positions (cause now it won't be the same sitting than standing) and so on and so forth. Fire away, low swingers!

sleepytime · #2 03-18-2010, 03:13 PM

It is my belief that the common way of positioning a bass is more suitable for guitar playing than bass playing. I wear mine so my plucking hand is far lower than my fretting hand. It's comfortable, and does not stress my hands/wrists.

grifff · #3 03-18-2010, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepytime

It is my belief that the common way of positioning a bass is more suitable for guitar playing than bass playing. I wear mine so my plucking hand is far lower than my fretting hand. It's comfortable, and does not stress my hands/wrists.

+1

stratovani · #4 03-19-2010, 07:43 AM

I put my bass in the same place I put my guitar - right smack in the middle of my belly. A very comfortable position for me, not too high or low, arms not hanging too low or crimped up too high. It's where I think everyone should have their guitars or bass.

SwamiRob · #5 03-19-2010, 08:01 AM

Yeah I find that a decent compromise, fretting is still fairly easy but not quite as great as it would be higher up and your picking/fingering hand is still fairly comfortable but not quite as good as it would be a little lower down. I play with my guitar a little higher up too though, as the pickings much more in your arm then on bass where pickings much more with the wrist, plus palm muting seems easier up there, and big chords are much easier to play with the neck a little higher. Overall I find standing up with guitar alot more comfy, although my acoustic bass is awesome because of the way the neck and body are obviously a little further out then on an electric and that seems to make everything alot easier, apart from the sharp contour on the body and the massive gap inbetween the stap button and where my straps tied to the neck...

longfinger · #6 03-19-2010, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepytime

It is my belief that the common way of positioning a bass is more suitable for guitar playing than bass playing. I wear mine so my plucking hand is far lower than my fretting hand. It's comfortable, and does not stress my hands/wrists.

+1
Yes.

Playing with a pick means having a certain arm position, playing pizz with fingers style needs another arm position. Also a longer neck means more distance is needed between the hands.

I've found that I get good ergonomics by having the bass body much lower than the bass head stock. My left fingering hand/wrist/arm/shoulder get's good form, and my right pizz hand/wrist/arm/shoulder also gets good form.

My Fender is too headstock heavy to allow this with a simple strap, so I bought a "V neck" strap that keeps the headstock high and allows the body to stay low. It's a regular 'over the back' strap that has a second strap that goes on my pizz side shoulder to the bass. The second strap controls the height of the headstock.

For me, I get closer to this ideal standing up than sitting down, as when I sit, my thighs lift up the bass. Sitting down means to me, to get better ergonomics, I have to point the headstock more towards the front of me than I do standing up. The shape and size of the bass body is a big influence of these posture changes.

Does playing with a pick give you more physical comfort than playing with finger pizz?

Good luck and try to get some advice from some 'body movement' people who are not primarily musicians. ie. yoga, dance, pilates people. They may have some good advice for you too.

CamiloDíaz · #7 03-19-2010, 09:33 PM

longfinger, can u post a photo of the V neck strap?

great advice about asking "body movers". I so happen to know some yogis and some dancers.

CamiloDíaz · #8 03-20-2010, 09:51 PM

so, i asked some friends in the body moving bussines (a pilates teacher and a yoga practicioner) and they both agreed that the bent wrist is the main issue to solve, besides not lifting my right arm too much from the shoulder. I show them some positions, with my bass, and they pointed some places where my hands and arms where totally hurting themselves. Turns out, it wasn't that low that I needed, but as some one said, right in the middel of the belly. Great comfy place, straigh wrist and no shoulder pain. I'm a happy camper

stratovani · #9 03-20-2010, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamiloDíaz

so, i asked some friends in the body moving bussines (a pilates teacher and a yoga practicioner) and they both agreed that the bent wrist is the main issue to solve, besides not lifting my right arm too much from the shoulder. I show them some positions, with my bass, and they pointed some places where my hands and arms where totally hurting themselves. Turns out, it wasn't that low that I needed, but as some one said, right in the middel of the belly. Great comfy place, straigh wrist and no shoulder pain. I'm a happy camper

Back in 1972, when I started playing guitar, I naturally stuck my guitar right on my belly button. I would swing the neck up so it would be even more comfortable to play. Now, 38 years later, I still play my instruments the same way. The big problem I'm having nowadays is that as I'm aging, my belly is getting bigger, so my bass is getting farther away from me!

Bocete · #10 03-21-2010, 03:36 AM

Try not resting your plucking hand on the body contour. Instead lift your elbow until your plucking wrist is as straight as possible. Keep your arm relaxed. My 0.02c (which is not much, really)

St Drogo · #11 03-21-2010, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamiloDíaz

longfinger, can u post a photo of the V neck strap?

Yeah, or even better, a link or sumpin' to where to buy one.

CamiloDíaz · #12 03-21-2010, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bocete

Try not resting your plucking hand on the body contour. Instead lift your elbow until your plucking wrist is as straight as possible. Keep your arm relaxed. My 0.02c (which is not much, really)

that's precisely the root of the issue: since I was using my bass up high, to lift my elbow and get the wrist straight became very painful (cause of the bad shoulder). So I had to lower the bass, so my right arm could be not rested, the wrist not bent, and the shoulder at ease.

lonfinger, we're still waiting photos/lins to your strap

Bocete · #13 03-21-2010, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamiloDíaz

that's precisely the root of the issue: since I was using my bass up high, to lift my elbow and get the wrist straight became very painful (cause of the bad shoulder). So I had to lower the bass, so my right arm could be not rested, the wrist not bent, and the shoulder at ease.

lonfinger, we're still waiting photos/lins to your strap

Glad to see it worked out. It must have been really high if lifting your elbow high enough hurt your shoulder!

CamiloDíaz · #14 03-23-2010, 09:18 PM

It wasn't that high, but my shoulder is pretty bad right now. It isn't the amount of movement, but the specific movement what killed it.

Side note: I became very fast very soon now I have no pain. I've been working on really fast 16th notes, power metal and stuff. NOt overdoing it, of course: trust me I don't need more pain.

thanks to all of ya!

Toptube · #15 03-23-2010, 09:30 PM

you might try acupuncture on those shoulders.

CamiloDíaz · #16 03-24-2010, 10:03 AM

my dad does the biomagnetism stuff, and offers me every week to put some magnets on my sore shoulders. Acupuncture might help, wh not. Right now, infiltration was very painful, kept me off work for a week (and I'm on comission, so it was a very expensive week off), and it's effects lasted less than a month. I'd rather try some "alternative therapy".

great advices, all of you!!!

longfinger · #17 03-26-2010, 09:59 PM

Hey I'm glad your yogi and pilates pals helped out.

I like my V neck strap, and now I'm trying to find a link for it online and I can't. There is no name on the strap itself and I don't recall the brand. I thought it was a Planet Waves strap, but I don't see anything similar on their website. It might actually be a guitar strap :-0 ..

I'll take a photo of it tomorrow to post it up.

longfinger · #18 03-27-2010, 07:36 PM

Here are the photos of my "V" neck strap. I have to get another one for a new bass. I'll let you know what brand / model it is when I go to the store and see it.

doctorpunch · #19 03-30-2010, 05:17 PM

I play ridiculously low.

It's so much more comfortable than having a bass in your armpits.

CamiloDíaz · #20 04-01-2010, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doctorpunch

I play ridiculously low.

It's so much more comfortable than having a bass in your armpits.

AND you can play Metal in a place with little hearts on the walls!

just joking
Although I never find playing that low comfortable, my older "bass in armpit" thing was becoming very unpleasant and painful. I'm thinking how much of a "statement" the instrument height is, versus the correct, comfortable position for each one.