Stiff shoulder...

[iwannalearnbass]

I've recently started bass and for some reason my left shoulder gets really sore after playing. I never had this when playing guitar, and I'm thinking it has something to do with the long neck and humungous headstock. Has anyone had this problem and how do I get rid of it. Better strap perhaps?

Also, every time I let go of the bass, the neck side swings down because of the weight. It's driving me nuts.

P.s. I play right-handed so it's the fretting shoulder.

[Phil Smith]

Relax, you're expending alot of energy holding up the neck of the bass, try sitting and try adjusting your strap i.e. make it shorter.

[iwannalearnbass]

Thanks, but if the strap were any shorter, I'd be eating the thing. It's just about at the level where it makes no difference to bass height whether I'm sitting or standing.

Sitting doesn't really solve the problem as the neck becomes even heavier because my lap becomes the fulcrum.

Maybe I'm just too tense...

[powerbass]

Bass necks are longer and heavier than a guitar. if it is a Fender style bass they have very long headstocks w/heavy tuners. A thick and heavy body also adds weight. The total weight adds up and pulls on your left shoulder - this is where all that weight rests. There are TB threads that address this issue. Some fixes are: a lighter bass, a chambered bass, shorter scale neck, bigger strap, a compact headstock and light weight tuners.

[RCCollins]

this will get to be less of an issue as you keep playing, but STRETCHING and HITTING THE GYM sure can't hurt!

[Phil Smith]

Originally Posted by iwannalearnbass

Thanks, but if the strap were any shorter, I'd be eating the thing. It's just about at the level where it makes no difference to bass height whether I'm sitting or standing.

Sitting doesn't really solve the problem as the neck becomes even heavier because my lap becomes the fulcrum.

Maybe I'm just too tense...

Sitting down there is a point where the bass on your right thigh should balance against your body without you even touching it additionally if you rest(not all of the weight of) your right arm on top of the bass the bass doesn't dip and that's with no strap at all. You should be able with just thumb and index finger be able to play a note without any other part of your hand touching the neck of the bass.

[iwannalearnbass]

Yeah, it's a Squier so headstock is huge. And I do go to the gym!

But maybe this is where I'm going wrong: I was told, for the sake of tendonitis prevention, to try to keep the right wrist as straight as possible. So I've done this to the point where when I play, my arm doesn't touch the body and I only have my thumb resting on the pickup. Hence, I don't have my arm acting as a counterweight to the neck. Is this wrong?

Will try a nice padded fatty strap.

[k5pS]

you might just want to move the bass a little more to your right. I have my Spector on right now, and with my right thigh as the fulcrum, it balances perfectly in a playable angle. I don't see how a squier would be any different.

My gauge for this is the 12th fret; the 12th should be just about in line with your eyes when you look straight down.

Or the other option (when sitting down) is to hold your bass like how a classical guitarist would

[Implosion]

Do you hold the neck horizontally when playing standing? If you do, then you could try to hold the bass more upright. Actually this smiley demonstrates the neck angle pretty well.

[lomo]

I would try to borrow another bass without neck-dive and see whether that helps. The pain may also be partly caused by the weight of the strap on your trapezius and rotator cuff muscles at the top of your shoulder. It's very important to remedy this now because if not, it's likely to worsen. It's much easier to remedy early; chronic muscle or tendon problems are notoriously tough to deal with. The gym has nothing to do with this, as it's not a strength issue at all. A thick neoprene strap is a good idea as well. Stretch before and after playing and experiment until if feels right. This is not a matter of toughing it out. It should not hurt the shoulder to play bass.

[iwannalearnbass]

Thanks for all the tips. I will start off with a better strap and when I upgrade from a Squier I will make sure the neck is not too heavy. At the moment I'm playing a P-bass but my next bass will definitely be a J-bass. J-bass=thinner neck=lighter neck, right?

[varunkapahi]

keep playing more, you will eventually get used to the weight and will find the strap length which suits you the best

Hi there

I used to get really sore shoulders and back from playing, but I started working out in a gym, and it all stopped within about 2 weeks. Before that I tried stretching and different straps and all sorts, but I think the basic problem was that my back and shoulders weren't strong enough to be carrying quite a heavy weight for extended periods.

The exercises that really helped me were pull downs, exercises for the LOWER trapezius (upper trapezius gets disproportionately exercised by holding up bass), shoulder press. Especially the shoulder press.

I haven't had any aches since then.

Also, I don't know if you've done weight training and understand the principles, but don't rely on just holding the bass for ages several times a week to make your muscles stronger. For a muscle to get stronger you need to lift somewhere near 80% max to have a significant result. Bass guitars shouldn't be anywhere near this heavy, so you're not likely to strengthen the muscles. You are likely to make them tighter, and give them tone, (which means that they'll be shortened disproportionately because standing with a bass is an asymmetrical posture), but it's not the best thing to do if you want to strengthen. If you want to strengthen, then weights is more effective, and probably better for you in the long run, since you can make sure your exercises are symmetrical and don't lead to muscle imbalances.

[mightypog]

Your bass weighs a lot more than your guitar. It's going to be sore until you get used to it. My shoulder gets sore if I even switch to a heavier bass or if I pick up an extra night a week gigging. Just played 11 nights in a row and my shoulder got sore again. (So did my fingertips! felt like a noob again!) And the muscle on the left side of my neck is a lot bigger than on the other side. Another three weeks and you won't even notice it.

The bass neck will feel like it's diving if you're used to guitar. That's because it is diving. When we do one of those break-downs where it's "Everybody clap your hands" time and I'm clapping, my bass is pointing at the guitar player's knees by the time we bring it back in. A good strap and light support from your hands controls it. I just bought a nice wide suede strap with the suede side down. It grabs my shoulder and stabilizes my bass wonderfully. I wear my bass high, it doesn't drop when I stand up. It was only $20 at Guitar center. Don't have to spend a mint!

[mightypog]

The strap, not the bass, lol. The bass was about 200 times that much.