Playing Muscles.

[goodtimejonny]

Please move this if it's in the wrong forum.


I've been searching on google for quite some time about what muscles are used in playing the Double Bass, only to find drumming websites. I was wondering if anyone could tell me any specific muscles that are used in Upright playing. I know that there are many different techniques for playing, and not all of them use the same muscles. The point of this is so that before I play I can stretch these muscles, and relax them for my playing.

Thanks,
-Jon

[Cory Palmer]

Doing yoga is a great way to stratch before practicing. A lot of the time I try to do yoga before I go to bed and when I wake up. I don't usually do it right before I practice. Although some of the stretches might be good to do right before I practice. There are some very good books on yoga.

The largest muscles used are probably in the back. Then there are various muscles in the arms.

For a while I had tension in my thighs and lower back. But I think I was tensing up while I was playing. I did learn that muscles in the upper part of the body are connected to the lower part. The lower back and thighs are connected. I started stretching those muscles and I haven't had problems with either since.

[Correlli]

I've been getting some deep tissue massage therapy for my back, neck, shoulders, arms, and hands. Very good for releasing tension and old hard muscle tissue. I also use yoga stretching too.

[Bman83]

Originally Posted by Cory Palmer

The largest muscles used are probably in the back. Then there are various muscles in the arms.

Yeah, I notice when I play I get a bit sore in my shoulder, forearm and back. No big deal. Doesn't continue to bother me or get worse. Just gets a bit of a workout while I'm playing. I don't know about my hands, but dang they get sore after a long time. I mostly play bass guitar, but going to my upright; it changes the way I use(abuse) my body.

[G-force]

Be very careful of "stretching" or the concept of stretching.

stretching can sometime be a bad thing. Muscles react to something called a stretch reflex. When the muscled is being pulled the nerves get the idea that the joint or muscle is litterally being ripped off . As a consequence the nerves react by firing and sending signals to the muscles to hold back , creating more tous and the cycle of stretching begins.
I know that the yoga people don't agree but there is much resaerch out there to support my claims.

Muscles are "tight" because of the signals they recieve caling on them to become tight. Stretching is a way of forcing them to do your bidding.
As the yoga people will say though is that one needs to be very very aware of the breath during stretching. Breathing is very important. Without it we die.

Someone as young as yourself should be careful of focused stretching. Don't be concerned with the muscles involved in playing the bass. it will not make you better.
Listen to sensations your body is giving you. Maybe it's too early to think on this level. it will come.

The more muscles that are available in playing the bass, the more of yourself will be invloved in music making.

Maybe Mr Higdon will chime in ....

[philip sirois]

Originally Posted by G-force

Be very careful of "stretching" or the concept of stretching.

stretching can sometime be a bad thing. Muscles react to something called a stretch reflex. When the muscled is being pulled the nerves get the idea that the joint or muscle is litterally being ripped off . As a consequence the nerves react by firing and sending signals to the muscles to hold back , creating more tous and the cycle of stretching begins.
I know that the yoga people don't agree but there is much resaerch out there to support my claims.

Muscles are "tight" because of the signals they recieve caling on them to become tight. Stretching is a way of forcing them to do your bidding.
As the yoga people will say though is that one needs to be very very aware of the breath during stretching. Breathing is very important. Without it we die.

Someone as young as yourself should be careful of focused stretching. Don't be concerned with the muscles involved in playing the bass. it will not make you better.
Listen to sensations your body is giving you. Maybe it's too early to think on this level. it will come.

The more muscles that are available in playing the bass, the more of yourself will be invloved in music making.

Maybe Mr Higdon will chime in ....

Though this is certainly a shorthand take on the idea of stretching, as an athletic trainer, and a personal fitness trainer, I would agree that stretching is not the panacea that yoga people represent it as. Certainly, the loosest, most stretched out muscles, are not at all the best performing muscles in most cases. I think in this realm, it is muscle balance, both in terms of a muscles being not too tight, and not too stretched out, and in terms of acheiving balance brtween the different muscles used in any particular movement that seems most important.

[goodtimejonny]

Thanks everyone. Everything certainly helps.

[Louielou]

[quote=Bman83]Yeah, I notice when I play I get a bit sore in my shoulder, forearm and back. QUOTE]


I get the same, a while ago I was at a music camp, and the teachers changed my posistion, and it was so painful at first because I was stretching a lot of muscles, and it killed my back. But now it's great, so I am happy with everything I am doing musically.
Usually my shoulders and my right arm are sore after playing for a while now but it is because I am "muscle" playing instead of "weight" playing. I am still trying to get over that habbit.
Louie