relearning muscle activation

[CDweller]

A result of my Player's School of Music experience, I've become aware of muscle tension in my body that I'd like to eliminate. Specifically, my neck and shoulder muscles tense when I fret notes. Anyone have any ideas for unlearning this muscle habit? I'm looking to just use the muscles necessary to fret, and not one ounce more of effort.

[tjmdetroit]

I've seen folks use liberal to excessive use of alcohol....and/or some kinda white powder or some kinda old dried up weeds....but I couldn't tell you what it was. Maybe some other TB'er has more experience in that area, sorry. Hang loose....oops...sorry again.

[quigg]

When does this happen? All over the fretboard? When you are playing fast? When you are playing slow?

[jazzciggarette]

i found being conscious of the clenched muscles helped to alleviate the tension.. 1st step is noticing that you're doing it, 2nd is to stop doing it when you notice you're doing it.

[sleepytime]

Originally Posted by jazzciggarette

i found being conscious of the clenched muscles helped to alleviate the tension.. 1st step is noticing that you're doing it, 2nd is to stop doing it when you notice you're doing it.

Right, be aware of tension, and consciously relax. Mentally target tension starting at your hand, up through your arms, and down through your torso and legs. You will quickly become adept at eliminating tension, and over time, a relaxed state will become the new norm.

[Joe Nerve]

Originally Posted by jazzciggarette

i found being conscious of the clenched muscles helped to alleviate the tension.. 1st step is noticing that you're doing it, 2nd is to stop doing it when you notice you're doing it.

+1.

and depnding on how far you're looking to take this... ya migh want to research The Alexander Technique.

[Fergie Fulton]

To relive tension you have to learn to control it and understand how muscular tension work. At a basic level muscular tension is a necessary to make muscle function work, what normally happens is that it is not controlled, to much used, or not turned of when finished
Anything in italics can be used to search on.


So the first thing is to control your breathing, lateral breathing rather than abdominal breathing. In lateral breathing you expand your chest side ways to take in and expel air, this is a deep breathing technique used in Pilates so seek out links and learn how to use it. The ability to have clean air in the body means that muscles have a better aerobic function to produce energy rather that anaerobic function which breaks down the body stores. Learn to use this breathing before you try the relaxing techniques it is an important part of it

Begin by tensing all the muscles in your neck and shoulders and hold, then inhale using the lateral breathing method till you are full, then exhale and relax. When you exhale and fully expel the air the tension goes with you. Repeat up to 3 times till you feel better.

This is the basis of the technique tense the muscles that you wish to work, inhale till full, then exhale and relax.

It has many names but try Progressive Muscle Relaxation or PMR for more info.

Tension comes with a variety of triggers so understand the trigger, tension in muscles like the lateral breathing is because certain muscle groups respond to twitch response in order to do the action required. It is sometimes the activation of the wrong twitch response that causes tension.

Hope this helps, any question please ask away, if you need more targeted info, drop me a PM and we'll discuss your personal uses and how to better control or target them.

[CDweller]

Originally Posted by tjmdetroit

I've seen folks use liberal to excessive use of alcohol....and/or some kinda white powder or some kinda old dried up weeds....but I couldn't tell you what it was. Maybe some other TB'er has more experience in that area, sorry. Hang loose....oops...sorry again.

I've heard of such things, but understand they don't really work, despite the partaker believing so.

[CDweller]

Originally Posted by jazzciggarette

i found being conscious of the clenched muscles helped to alleviate the tension.. 1st step is noticing that you're doing it, 2nd is to stop doing it when you notice you're doing it.

This is true, ime, but I find it challenging to even fret one note from a relaxed frame. It's as if I'm learning to play all over again, which I suppose I am. I attribute it to my formative years, when I would try to hear myself playing in the band using the feeble and flatulent output (for bass, that is) of a Bassman 50. This was sadly mismatched to my guitarist's screamingly loud 50 watt Univox tube amp and the drummer's Ludwig Octoplus- I was outgunned, and tried to compensate by playing REALLY hard. Grit your teeth, Charlie Brown. Alas.

[CDweller]

Sleeptime (in honor of the great live Cream rendition of this song?), Joe, and Fergie- thanks guys. Relaxation techniques are on the horizon for me. PRM and the Alexander Technique are interesting. Although not yet familiar with PRM, I've been exposed to information on the Alexander technique here and there. It is good for more than just playing music, and supposedly helps one to live less stressfully.

Again, much gratitude.

[sleepytime]

Originally Posted by CDweller

Sleepytime (in honor of the great live Cream rendition of this song?), Joe, and Fergie- thanks guys. Relaxation techniques are on the horizon for me. PRM and the Alexander Technique are interesting. Although not yet familiar with PRM, I've been exposed to information on the Alexander technique here and there. It is good for more than just playing music, and supposedly helps one to live less stressfully.

Again, much gratitude.

Sleepytime time all the time

[CDweller]

Originally Posted by sleepytime

Sleepytime time all the time

Well, I sleep in the daytime, sleep in the nightime, but that's cuz I have a cold- hate wasting sick days when actually sick (Workin' ain't right!). Anyway...

I think I'll simply not fret when I fret...doh!

[PJSShearer]

I studied the Alexander Technique for exactly this issue and cannot recommend it highly enough. I won't bore you with my story, but it certainly worked for me on several levels.

If you work at it - and you have to work at it (mostly lying on your back actually!!) - it will make a big difference to you in many ways, principally by removing the muscle tension mentioned in the OP.

Knowing that the tension is there is a good start, getting rid of it is not that easy, we're talking about habits learned over years.

Just because you think you've got rid of the tension, doesn't mean that you have got rid of it, and that's where the Alexander Technique comes in.

Start here:

http://www.alexandertechnique.com/

[larry heinemann]

And while you are waiting for your first Alexander Technique lesson you might want to try playing in front of a mirror and take notice of your whole body as you are playing, particularly your neck. Are you throwing your head back for no good reason? Hunching your shoulders? Clenching your jaw? I bet there will be a number of corrections you will make off the bat just seeing yourself play.

Larry

[sackvegas]

Great thread

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by larry heinemann

And while you are waiting for your first Alexander Technique lesson you might want to try playing in front of a mirror and take notice of your whole body as you are playing, particularly your neck. Are you throwing your head back for no good reason? Hunching your shoulders? Clenching your jaw? I bet there will be a number of corrections you will make off the bat just seeing yourself play.

Larry

Great point, i talk about "shoulders down" in life a lot to people from golfers to players to desk jockies. The mirror is a great way to see how often we have our shoulders "up" in life.
The trick is to remember to do it and make it a good habit with breathing techniques. So look in the mirror and see what shoulders down looks like and remember the feeling, it takes a minute or so to get it right, and feel the difference.

If anyone reading this remembers this point tomorrow... try it and see... you will surprise yourselves how often our shoulders are "up" in life.

[Quatzu]

Just yesterday I started practicing the Patitucci Spider (I'm kind of new), and noticed how tense my face was. I've seen many videos of myself playing drums and those facial expressions are an entirely different story, but this tension in my face and jaw while playing bass is something I just realized. I have not seen myself play bass, but I know I am making awful strained faces. When I do these exercises, I almost feel sick to my stomach, and everything in my body says 'stop.' It's insane, it's like the feeling I get every two years or so when I decide to attempt stomach crunches. Anyway, just quite a coincidence I found this thread today. It's definitely something to start focusing on.

By the way, Fergie Fulton, I just checked out your blog about thumb positioning, and I can see this is going to help alot. Pain in the base of my thumbs is a terrible problem I'm having lately, and I've sort of attributed it to having ramrod-straight thumbs instead of the ones that bend backwards like all other bassists I seem to see. Thanks for that.

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by Quatzu

Just yesterday I started practicing the Patitucci Spider (I'm kind of new), and noticed how tense my face was. I've seen many videos of myself playing drums and those facial expressions are an entirely different story, but this tension in my face and jaw while playing bass is something I just realized. I have not seen myself play bass, but I know I am making awful strained faces. When I do these exercises, I almost feel sick to my stomach, and everything in my body says 'stop.' It's insane, it's like the feeling I get every two years or so when I decide to attempt stomach crunches. Anyway, just quite a coincidence I found this thread today. It's definitely something to start focusing on.

By the way, Fergie Fulton, I just checked out your blog about thumb positioning, and I can see this is going to help alot. Pain in the base of my thumbs is a terrible problem I'm having lately, and I've sort of attributed it to having ramrod-straight thumbs instead of the ones that bend backwards like all other bassists I seem to see. Thanks for that.

No probs, careful with any spider exercises, they are double sided in that they can create as many problems as they solve if not done correct, or for to long or to often. Start then high up the neck near the body and break them down to small parts and build from that over 6-8 weeks.
That's right 6-8 weeks just to build the hands to deal with them lower down past the 7th fret.