terrible hand cramps, please help ty

[FaithNoMan]

Back off playing. Right now.

7 days won't kill you, and you can reward yourself when you come back. Those muscles and ligaments will thank you for the rest, and I'll bet they'll be stronger next time you play.

[1958Bassman]

Originally Posted by Das reich88

i have my bass relatively low, the top is level to belly button haha, but not super low like you see some metal bassists have it at their knees almost literally

That alone can make a difference. Hand position is extremely important and, while there's a bit of tradition in metal and punk to wear the guitar or bass low, it's an easy way to have hand or wrist problems. There's a link to a teacher in NY City and one comment from his site- "press the strings, don't squeeze them".

[bigtexashonk]

My prescription: Technique, stretching and ibuprofen before playing, plus staying hydrated.

[punkinfantry]

stretching and hydration are of vital importance in just about anything you use your hands for. do forearm and hand stretches before and after playing, it helps a great deal!

[Setebos]

Try this

Gary Willis On Finger Pressure - YouTube

Also bringing your bass a bit higher might help playing with less tension on your left hand.


Edited: sorry I just see the video was already posted!!!

[maxgrant]

Originally Posted by Rockman

How long have you been playing? It probably took me 2 years before I could play a bass with absolutely zero discomfort or residual feeling from practice.

Well, I'm 28 years into this, and I still sometimes push my stamina to where my hands get very tired.

Of course, the stuff I'm playing in those practice sessions is usually strictly of the woodshed variety -- I wouldn't go on stage and stand there and do chromatic runs as fast as I possibly can.

There's always an envelope to push. I'm always pushing it.

I recommend playing the parts for the songs you want to play more repetitively and faster when you are practicing by yourself. It will build up the strength in your hands and then you can let off for rehearsal/performance.

[jeffgnr90]

I have a routine that i try to do before every performance. Eating and keeping hydrated for me is a biggy. I run my hands under hot water to keep them loose whether they're cold or not. And i have a couple of warmups i do like playing YYZ or another challenging song. I find also doing double stop excersizes up and down the neck help the hands warm up without tiring them. But that's me thouh, you just have to do what works for you.

[dtripoli]

practice, practice but...
Cramping used to happen to me a lot.
Cure:
Stretch (lots of posts on that here on TB)
Warm up, do scales or chromatic scales all the way up the fret board before you start any song.
Ease into aggressive playing by starting with an easy song.
Turn the volume up and play the strings lighter
Pay attention to your hands; got the death grip going? ease up
Are you digging into the strings like there's no tomorrow? lighten up
BTW, once I lighten up both hands, my playing got better, faster and rarely tire now.

Although, if your volume is already on 10 or 11, can't help ya.