The amazing one handed bassist......sort of

[malthumb]

K, so we're down to the last 5 songs of our last set. We're playing "Roadhouse Blues". Open E, A,Bb, B....rinse, repeat.

Suddenly, I feel a tingling in my right wrist and my right hand goes TOTALLY NUMB. Can't even move my fingers.

So I start pounding out the A, Bb, B with my left hand. Since I'm playing a 4 string at the time, I'm sounding the open E by flicking the E string with my left thumb. Remember the "rinse, repeat" part? Well the left thumb on the E string gets real old, real fast and doesn't sound good at all.

So at the part of the song that the instruments drop out for a measure, I make the world's fastest recorded one-handed instrument swap (remember, my right hand ain't working AT ALL) and pick up my 5 string. Now I can pound out the E on the 5th fret of the B string. Next song is "King Bee". Played that whole song with left hand only. By the end of the song the feeling had come back to my right hand and wrist, along with a sizable knot.

I finished the last three songs playing normally, but worried that I'd lose right hand function again. Thankfully not a problem. After the gig I was telling the guitarist and the singer what happened. They said they hadn't noticed a thing. The drummer, who couldn't help but see it, thought I was just showing off. At rehearsals I often complain that "Roadhouse Blues" and "King Bee" are really boring songs to play, so he just assumed this was my way to liven things up.

[Ski3223]

You should proooobably get that checked out lol. Sounds like you tweaked a nerve hardcore to me.

[sad_katz]

You should *definitely* check that right hand.

[Turock]

I used to get that all the time; couldn't feel anything in right hand. I had to have carpal tunnel surgery.

[Mykk]

Several years ago in Petaluma Ca I saw a bass player who had lost his fingers on his right hand and only had a thumb. The dude shredded and slapped that bass unconscious.

But seriously, get that hand checked out.... it would be a shame to have it become a permanent problem

[RitchS]

I actually know a one armed bassist. He turns up his amp and only hammers on with his left hand. He plays as good if not better than a lot of guys I know.

[malthumb]

I should have stated that I did get it checked out and it was just a major cramp, thus the large knot. It was the wrist equivalent of a Charlie horse. No indications of carpal tunnel, no need to consider amputation.