Really matters how look your hands placed on the Bass?

[FunkyMan]

Days ago I had a discussion with a fellow musician on this subject, He says that the way the musicians lay their hands on their instruments says a lot about good technique and sound, and that poor posture is reflected in a rapid hand fatigue.. (Maybe he's rigth on tha last one... BUT)

I disagreed... because there are many musicians that their hands don't look well when they play, but it sounds absolutely beautiful, An immediate example that comes to mind is Pat Metheny, maybe his hands seems to work hard to play, but we all know that the result is beautiful, regardless of how his hands look.. There are many tips on how we should play an instrument, but also is believed that you must play with the most comfortable way that you found yourself..

So, the original point is something that may affect? someone has thought of this? or have looked in the mirror to see if your hands look stylish?

Stylish:


Not so much..:

[Pilgrim]

Pictures no workee.

And I don't give a rap whether my hands look "stylish". I care about good hand position that minimizes the chance of repetitive stress injury, and being able to play well.

For example, I often use vibrato on my left hand, which many bassists do not, and I don't care whether it looks stylish or not.

[Jazzdogg]

When I've observed myself in a mirror while playing, or watched another bassist's technique, the word "stylish" has seldom crossed my mind. Interesting word choice.

I'm always trying to improve my technique, and when I watch electric bassists I frequently see "technique" that serves as a reminder of what not to do. Occasionally, however, I'll see someone whose technique inspires me to reconsider specific aspects of my playing - most have been DB players.

What constitute's good technique? To me, good technique connotes forethought with thoughtful consideration of:

Sight reading

Body mechanics, ergonomics, RSI's

Articulation, intonation (fretless), vibrato, "mwah," and timbre

Muting, string control, and ghosting with left hand

Plucking, percussive effects, and muting with right hand

Playing position/strategy


The best bassists seem self-disciplined, musically educated, thoughtful, and deliberate. When I watch a great player, it's a lot like watching a great billiards player; they both move deliberately and think at least three steps ahead. I enjoy watching players as diverse as Rocco Prestia and Ray Brown play because I can learn from both of them.

I think it would be very interesting to see video of several different bassists playing the same song in the same key to see how their left-hand approaches differ.

[FunkyMan]

it's amazing how after 10 years of playing, I have found new techniques and errors in my technique! but never thought how my hands look--

[tZer]

Let's just say that it can be pretty obvious when someone has had formal training or not by looking at how they hold their instrument.

People who are self-taught or who learned from someone who didn't pay much attention to proper hand position and technique can still play perfectly well - but you can tell that they didn't have the benefit of any formal instruction OR they chose to ignore it and opt for what could be called, "bad form".

RSI's aside, there are other reasons why employing good form and proper technique are important, but as we all know, it's not a requirement.

On a side note - I was watching a short segment of the "Golden Gods Awards" and Rob Zombie's performance. I was struck by the guitar player and how he held his guitar. He looked as if he owned it -for lack of a better description. I won't say he was demonstrating 'proper' technique - his picking hand looked 'odd' to me - but as a whole, his technique looked 'masterful'. I don't know if I've ever been so struck by how a guitar player simply held and technically played a guitar.

I am also not a huge metal fan - never really was, although I am a huge appreciator or metal and the skill and expertise it takes to deliver it - just not my cup 'o tea. HOWEVER - I could not look away from Rob Zombie, the Drummer from Skipknot and this guitar player - whoever he was. They (as usual) all but completely ignored the bass player with the camera so I have no feelings about his performance - I simply never got to see him - but the rest of that band sucked me in and held my attention entirely!

Anyone know who that guitar player was and can they comment on his technique? To me he looked like someone in 100% control of his instrument. Then again, I could have been thrown by his goth wear and theatrics...