It seems like I can't practice more than 15 minutes without my left shoulderblade hurting like hell(I fret with my left hand). I don't know if this is a technique thing or growing pains(I just started playing doublebass this June). My teacher thinks it's the latter and that it'll go away if I give my body time to adjust to playing the doublebass. Has anybody else had an experience similar to this?
Pain is a sign that something is wrong. It could be that you are tensing up while you are playing. Try to pay attention to what your back muscles are doing while you are playing. You might be pulling your left shoulder up which can cause tension near your shoulder blades. Try to use the weight of your body more than your muscles.
Do you sit or stand?
Last edited by Cory Palmer : 08-01-2006 at 03:49 PM.
It's not growing pains. There's something wrong with your left hand technique. That shouldn't be happening and if you carry on like that you can cause permament damage.
If your teacher taught you to use that fingering technique, find a new teacher.
It seems like I can't practice more than 15 minutes without my left shoulderblade hurting like hell(I fret with my left hand). I don't know if this is a technique thing or growing pains(I just started playing doublebass this June). My teacher thinks it's the latter and that it'll go away if I give my body time to adjust to playing the doublebass. Has anybody else had an experience similar to this?
What do you mean you fret with your left hand..first off, our basses have no frets..and, unless you're a lefty, everbody fingers with thier left hand. You might check into the Alexander Technique with our famous A.T. teacher Donosaurus or Don Higdon, as he's known in the real world.
__________________ Oh, no.....have we gone OT yet again? "The opportunity was there...but it never presented itself."Phil Urso, 1980. :atoz:
[quote=Paul Warburton]What do you mean you fret with your left hand..first off, our basses have no frets..and, unless you're a lefty, everbody fingers with thier left hand. QUOTE]
yes. problem #1= if it has frets, its not a double bass!
but seriously, listen to these guys. the pressure you use to depress the strings needs to come from you body weight, not from your muscles or from clamping with your thumb. check youself to see if you are clamping, that used to cause me alot of pain
This is a pretty common problem amongst doublers, and ignoring it has forced some people to end their career (I know of an orchestral bass player who had to give up playing because of serious shoulder injury caused by wrong technique).
Playing in front of a mirror helps (make sure you hold the bass right, its height is right etc.). Make sure you have no more tension in your body than you actually need to press down the string. Make sure you don't have to turn your head when playing to see your conductor, notes etc.
Be conscious what muscles you use to play exactly, and use no others than just these.
Ask a doctor/physiotherapist what exactly is the problem with your muscles. They will also have tips how to relax your muscles when not playing and whether it would help to work out certain muscles.
This is a serious problem and not just something everyone once has when starting to play DB (like blisters or fingertip-pain).
I'm really curious as to how old the original poster if he's citing "growing pains" as a probable cause. Perhaps this would lend a good deal more insight into the cause, as the bulk of muscle development in the male body happens during puberty, and any significant muscle damage could easily mess up muscle development.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by HollowBassman
Doesn't she know that they're not really people until the age of about three?
You might check into the Alexander Technique with our famous A.T. teacher Donosaurus or Don Higdon, as he's known in the real world.
