Buckling third finger (double jointers please read and lament with me)

[Sean Ormiston]

Hey all,

Haven't checked in here in a while, lotta wisdom to sponge up.

I haven't been successful searching it in the forums so I thought I'd raise it. I've been playing for a year now and I'm trying to teach my body how to move throughout the whole range of the instrument. Not that I'll be soloing in thumb position tomorrow....but the process of making the upper registers a comfortable place to be has begun. May it bear fruit.

Thing is, my third finger constantly buckles at the FIRST knuckle, the one closest to the nail. The mid-finger knuckle locks up and goes straight as an arrow. As long as the weight of the arm transfers I can get a sound, but it's a big problem. I have to "unlock" the finger to go back out of thumb position. Which is an extremely noticeable split second of not shifting.

Is it a strength thing? If so, is there a particular exercise to build this strength?

BTW, I am practicing with a bow, long tones.

Thanks,
Sean

[Co.]

Try changing the angle of your left hand - for example by moving your elbow forward - so you can apply the arm weight better to your third finger.

Michael Wolf describes an "exercise to eliminate the tendency to hyperextend" in his highly recommended book "Principles of Double Bass Technigue". I can't describe it here in short, without pictures.

[LM Bass]

I have the collapsing second knuckle as well, and haven't found a way around it in thumb position. I used to have it in my left thumb, but have fixed it after a lot of concentration on lessening the pressure I use from the back of my hand, and leaning the bass slightly forward into my fingers.

I found out through my physiotherapist (after breaking my left wrist last winter while riding my bike on a bad patch of ice) that there is a figure-8 ring you can buy which prevents this. It's called an anti-swan necking device. Haven't got mine yet, but it may be a solution.

[lamarjones]

i am a double jointer, and honestly those gripmaster things do help out.

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by Sean Ormiston

Hey all,

Haven't checked in here in a while, lotta wisdom to sponge up.

I haven't been successful searching it in the forums so I thought I'd raise it. I've been playing for a year now and I'm trying to teach my body how to move throughout the whole range of the instrument. Not that I'll be soloing in thumb position tomorrow....but the process of making the upper registers a comfortable place to be has begun. May it bear fruit.

Thing is, my third finger constantly buckles at the FIRST knuckle, the one closest to the nail. The mid-finger knuckle locks up and goes straight as an arrow. As long as the weight of the arm transfers I can get a sound, but it's a big problem. I have to "unlock" the finger to go back out of thumb position. Which is an extremely noticeable split second of not shifting.

Is it a strength thing? If so, is there a particular exercise to build this strength?

BTW, I am practicing with a bow, long tones.

Thanks,
Sean

That is something where practicing pizz can actually help. There is a great Jeff Bradetich video where he shows practicing triads across two strings in TP - index on the root, thumb on the 3rd ring on the 5th. drilling those arco (for intonation) and pizz (for strength) has done wonders for my thumb position chops. When I play it arco, I add a double stopped fifth at the end.

Also, the brain/body is a bit like a computer - you need to send the full command from the brain or the body won't perform the complete action.
Send the command that includes keeping the fingers curved.
Thinking about an eagle claw is helpful. As is paying attention to all the fingers and what they are doing all the time even when just using one.
For example if you are using the diatonic TP with the thumb on G and you want to play an A send the command from your brain to your hand: "play A w/the index finger with the middle over B and the ring over C and the fingers curved".

It is tedious, but it does work.