Advice on relaxing hand please.

[JazzyLambert]

Anyone got good advice on how to keep my left hand/arm relaxed during playing.

Also my elbow always drops down and points south when I play, is there a handy trick to correct this?

[mheintz]

Tell us where you are having trouble?

Some general thoughts:
-Arch fingers; keep a relaxed C-shape.
-Hang from the board; don't squeeze with your thumb.
-Be mindful of using your larger muscles in your shoulder and back, in addition to those of your wrist and hand. I've always thought the term "fingering" is a bit of a misnomer as much of the movement is in the larger muscle groups.
-Be mindful of relaxing the fingers that are not active; for instance, when playing with your first finger, keep the second, third and fourth fingers relaxed above the string
-Use vibrato exercises at various tempos with each finger; you can't have an effective vibrato if you are tense

[thedbassist]

All of what Mheintz said is right imo, the only thing I thought that should be added is that when you go into thumb position your thumb is the only digit that you actually have to press down. Focus on relaxing your left shoulder and arm and just thinking of the weight hanging onto the fingerboard and that weight being transferred to your fingers. Also, make sure you don't collapse your fingers, there should be a nice round curve to the knuckles. If you collapse your fingers that's an easy way to take off years of your playing and make you play with pain.

Maybe this can help you out with some questions about technique: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ4ctFAe7r0

[dchan]

Think, "Left Hand! Relax!". That should take care of your problem for now.

[jallenbass]

Originally Posted by JazzyLambert

Also my elbow always drops down and points south when I play, is there a handy trick to correct this?

There's no trick. You look at your elbow in a mirror while you practice and don't let it sag. Awareness is the key.

[JazzyLambert]

Thanks to all who answered, good stuff (I have printed it out and stuck it on my wall)...I think that willpower as well as awarness are the keys.

[MDEbass]

good tips so far...i would add that you should try to keep your thumb behind your 2nd (middle finger). this helps keep a good relaxed shape of your left hand

[thedbassist]

I know this sounds corny, but make sure your breathing is deep and relaxed. If your breathing is labored and somewhat inconsistent, your body will build up excess carbon dioxide which can cause anxiety and stress. I find that when my breath is free and consistent, my muscles are oxygenated and I play relaxed for the most part. Also, always remember if it hurts, you're doing it wrong(excluding building callouses up).

Just some food for thought.

[andrew_over]

this thread is full of useful tips and strategies, it's giving me the urge to practice in front of the mirror. but that will have to wait, on account of a sprained wrist.

+1 on relaxing the fingers that are not on a fret, that's been my battle this winter

[joel kelsey]

I would suggest not holding the bass up with your left thumb. Also, the mirror is great. Teachers told me to get one for years, and I finally did a few months ago. It is extremely helpful to watch what you are doing. It will help you see what you might be doing to cause pain. Also, a good teacher can show proper stance and technique. You can then use the mirror as reference while you still getting used to the new way of playing.

[mcnaire2004]

The best thing I can tell you is what I do when I have relaxing problems. Practice relaxing. It is that simple, start playing relaxed, and when you notice a problem, stop, fix it. And keep going. Try and see how long you can go relaxed. Focus on it. Doing this while doing scales will be a big help to you. And, soon, it will be second nature.

[EggyToast]

Another tip might be to play while on a stool. On a stool, you use your knee to support the bass, so you don't need to worry so much about the bass falling over.

However, what is up with how some people put their left hand on the bass? I've seen it in a few shows and videos/pictures, where the person will wrap their thumb around the neck and have their fingers smooshed together, mostly flat across the neck, with just their index finger doing the work. Looks like they're holding a baseball bat (or a bass guitar).

I hunted down some examples:

http://swiftwater.us/images/ruthhagy92007.jpg

http://www.elvissings.com/images/elvis---031-ron.jpg

Is that just "self-taught" bad technique? Or what? Where does that come from? It doesn't even seem like it'd be useful for playing notes (not that I've typically seen it done by anyone playing more than 2-3 notes per song).

[dchan]

^ +1. After getting used to playing using a stool, I've had to really work on standing and playing all over again. Using a stool is just so much easier.

[Jake deVilliers]

Around here we call that 'clamping' - all notes are stopped with the second or third finger with the others in close support.

Yes, its (mostly) self-taught and yes, its very limiting.

[Andrew McGregor]

For me, the main thing that hasn't been mentioned is this: the force that stops the strings doesn't come from your hand or arm muscles, it's the weight of your arm. Your left thumb especially shouldn't be doing a lot of work. Really, all your muscles have to do is hold your arm in shape (which your posture muscles are perfectly capable of doing, even under that much load), and 'walk' your arm up and down the fingerboard (which your twitch muscles can do easily)... leave stopping the strings up to gravity (your arm weighs about twice the stop pressure, and if you start adding your torso to that you can easily develop the power required).

The other great thing about using gravity like this is that when you start doing transition and thumb positions, it's still completely natural... the weight of your arm is still falling through your fingers or thumb, it's just on a different angle.

[JazzyLambert]

Originally Posted by Andrew McGregor

For me, the main thing that hasn't been mentioned is this: the force that stops the strings doesn't come from your hand or arm muscles, it's the weight of your arm. Your left thumb especially shouldn't be doing a lot of work. Really, all your muscles have to do is hold your arm in shape (which your posture muscles are perfectly capable of doing, even under that much load), and 'walk' your arm up and down the fingerboard (which your twitch muscles can do easily)... leave stopping the strings up to gravity (your arm weighs about twice the stop pressure, and if you start adding your torso to that you can easily develop the power required).


The other great thing about using gravity like this is that when you start doing transition and thumb positions, it's still completely natural... the weight of your arm is still falling through your fingers or thumb, it's just on a different angle.

Sounds great but wouldn't younneed to have the bass leaning back at a fair angle for this? I have a stright end-pin and don't use a stool.

[Andrew McGregor]

It's all a matter of balance... the bass needs to lean on you somewhere down around the hips to make that work standing. It's a lot easier seated, true, but just the angle the strings make with the axis of the endpin is enough (just barely) to let you do it. And it can't possibly work if you need to lift your hand above eye level or too far out from your body; that's why it immediately struck me that it sounded like you had your bass far too high.

[KeepEmThumpin]

Originally Posted by JazzyLambert

Sounds great but wouldn't younneed to have the bass leaning back at a fair angle for this? I have a stright end-pin and don't use a stool.

My thumb position isn't fantastic, but I've found that it goes down to how you're standing. I tend to bring the bass to a position where the scroll is behind my head and I can look directly down at the fingerboard. With this, I can just lean into it, which takes care of that issue.

[adbass]

The advice so far is good. I'd second keeping the fingers arch and the palm of your hand and thumb relaxed.

The elbow up is key, especially when you shift.

Check your hand out in a mirror. When you shift, the structure of your hand should not change. In other words, don't let the fingers collapse when you shift; the pinky should be closest to the bridge and the index closest to the nut between positions.

Left hand strength is something I struggled with for years and years, but once I started doing it correctly, I could train myself to remember how it felt and strived for that until it became second nature.

[David Potts]

This is a case for " a picture would save a thousand words."

Looking at your profile you are in Queensland, hopefully in or near Brisbane. My advice is to approach one of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra players, John Fardon (Principal and a German bow user) or Ken Poggioli (French bow user). They will quickly sort out your basic techniques or point you at someone else who can help.

There is quite a lot to consider when setting up the relationships between you and the bass for a really comfortable relaxed flexible technique with good posture and best use of both hands.

Too many questions! Are you a jazz player, standing all or most of the time, or are you sitting on a stool and using the bow a lot, or both? A bit more information about your use of the bass would help us.