Double Bass Bowing hand hurting after 2 measures.

[mizmor]

Now I'm pretty new to bowing in general and I'm working on an exercise out of the Simandl book, but after 2 measures I can't bow anymore due to pain between my thumb and index finger and I have to rest for like 20-30 seconds. Is this normal? Are there any hand exercises that help with this or is it merely practice and I have to just keep going?

Thanks!

 

[Lee Moses]

I assume you are using a French bow? It's pretty common to have some hand and thumb pain, but 2 measures is a little extreme. Make sure you have a natural, comfortable grip--ideally, you should have a teacher help you with this. Otherwise, it should go away as you build endurance with the bow.

Here is a previous thread you might find helpful: http://www.talkbass.com/threads/thumb-pain-fom-french-bow.741012/

 

[Reiska]

 

[DoubleBassBass]

Have a go at carrying your bow around the house and you will start to get a feel for the grip, its weight and balance away form the bass. A bent thumb is pretty important to avoid tension in the hand and it may be that you are using fingers and grip to apply pressure to the bow rather than the natural weight of your arm. One key thing - dont try and play through the pain!

 

[Hqubed]

My son had this problem which a number of teachers tried to help him through. Although he really wanted to learn to play UB, could not seem to get past it. Some recommended a latex sleeve which many report is a big help, did not work for him. Given his desire private teacher suggested giving German bow a try and he has never looked back.

 

[TonyD]

+1 try German bow - that will help you

 

[malloybow]

Hand pain is common when starting double bass playing. The key to alleviating it is to learn how LIGHTLY you can hold the bow and still control it. This is not easy at first. The left hand is the same. It takes time to learn how lightly to finger the notes so the left hand does not cramp. Several months, at least. This skill is more important than " getting stronger". They say the pros "make it look easy" and there is some truth to that.

 

[David Potts]

Look back at two threads by Enzo (07-16-2011) and Andy Mopley (09-30-2011) where this topic was discussed. The Andy Anderson videos are good value too.

IMO a cupped hand with bent fingers and thumb are essential for a relaxed sensitive hand and bow hold. The distance between your thumb and index finger is also fairly critical and is a balancing act between having too much leverage by stretching out too far (which causes the cramping, tiredness and pain in the vee between the thumb and forefinger, and base of thumb) and not having enough leverage (you work like a dog and cause the same stiffness and pain).

Cheers, DP

 

[jallenbass]

Hold the bow as if it were an egg and you don't want a mess on the floor. This applies to French or German. Use plenty of rosin so that you don't feel a need to press the bow into the string. Once you can do this with everything you play you'll be able to deviate a bit in a controlled manner.