Fretting hand issue (pictures)

[Hippos Melas]

Something is wrong with my fretting hand, and I'm not sure what it is that I'm doing incorrectly. Hopefully someone here can help me figure out why my hand looks so weird when I do octaves.

When I play octaves, 3 of my 4 fingers on my left hand almost group together, leaving my pinky sticking out by itself on the D or G strings. I would think that this is just the way my hand does this except for the fact that I don't feel that my pinky is getting very much support from the rest of my hand. I don't want to sustain any injuries from playing bass, so I'd like to get to the bottom of this.

This is a picture of what it looks like looking at the front of my fretboard.

I DO, however, play with correct left hand technique, as proven by this picture (my thumb stays vertical 99.9% of the time when I'm playing and never comes up over the top). In this picture, you can see that despite the correct thumb position, my fingers still group together like this.

Any insights would be very helpful.

 

[unclejane]

Doesn't look strange to me. You should see my left hand in position, I have 1/4" of my pinky chopped off since childhood so my hand does crank around a little more because of that....

But even with the shorter pinky my hand tends to lay out similarly when playing octaves especially up there in half position like you are.
If you're not having any strain or pain I wouldn't worry about it.

One mod you might try and see if it's more comfortable. Instead of having the thumb vertical and between fingers 1 and 2 or even under 2, try positioning it under finger 1 and pointed more towards the headstock. This is what Carol Kaye recommends and the technique she uses.
I've gone to this myself and it does feel like a stronger position. I can keep my wrist a little straighter this way too.

I might move my thumb further down between fingers 1 and 2 if I have a shift coming up so I can pivot on the thumb tho (another Carol Kaye technique).

LS

 

[fender_funk_man]

Question for you... If you play a show standing up why would you practice sitting down?

From what I can tell you have two problems. One your wrist is bent. That probably comes from sitting down. Try this. Stand up and angle the bass up a touch so that it leans against your body. Use your right hand as an anchor on the body so that the bass is stable and reach up to the low F. Your wrist should be straight and your fingers should spread out a bit.

The other thing you can do is tighten the strap a bit so it sits more on your gut then around your waist. If you feel tension or pain in your wrists re-adjust until you dont feel it anymore. Tension is bad for your hands.

As a matter of personal preference I dont really use my ring finger on my fretting hand. Rather then spread my fingers out to hit 4 frets I use my thumb as a pivot to move my whole hand. It allows me a 6-8 fret reach with less tension.

 

[Hippos Melas]

Question for you... If you play a show standing up why would you practice sitting down?

I actually don't play shows...I've only played for a month or two over 3 years and I don't feel my technique is good enough to be of much use to any band I joined (I came from a highly competitive high school, so I've got a poor mentality to start with). So, in my case, to practice sitting down is to practice playing like I would normally play, I suppose.

From what I can tell you have two problems. One your wrist is bent. That probably comes from sitting down...If you feel tension or pain in your wrists re-adjust until you dont feel it anymore. Tension is bad for your hands.

It's funny that you'd mention tension...whenever I play for extended periods of time I do feel some tension in my forearms, but I can't decide if that's just the muscles getting a good workout or if that's the strain I'm putting on them.

So you're saying that my wrist should be 100% straight on my fretting hand? I just ordered a MusicMan Sterling and that has a slim neck; however, I have rather large hands and this makes keeping my thumb vertical much more difficult. I think that's going to be a problem for me...I'm going to look up some pictures and see how my hand compares to them.

One mod you might try and see if it's more comfortable. Instead of having the thumb vertical and between fingers 1 and 2 or even under 2, try positioning it under finger 1 and pointed more towards the headstock.

I actually do this when I play on the lower frets, namely the bottom 3. Otherwise, it feels like it's just too much strain do to a pull off from low C on the A string. My teacher told me this was incorrect form, however. I'm starting to get a feeling that I need to reexamine my form, which isn't a good feeling at all.

 

[standupright]

try moving your elbow out away from your side to help your hand become more aligned with the neck.

 

[standupright]

but also know that, since you are still starting, eventually through continued practice you won't feel like your pinky needs support.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

So many things are involved in fretting and playing so follow the link for some info you can apply if need be.

Link Removed

 

[Nick Kay]

Believe it or not, your problem is poor sitting technique. Seriously.

Sit with the bass between your legs (ie: bottom hip resting against your left thigh, butt resting against your right thigh). The neck will angle upward in a very natural, balanced manner. Put a strap on and set it so that if you stand up, it's at the exact same height in relation to your body as when you're sitting down in the aforementioned position.

This position will allow easy access to all frets without bending your wrist or contorting in any way. Your thumb will naturally gravitate to a more central position on the back of the neck because you're not reaching down to get at the neck. Consider using 1-2-4 fingering when you play down low if you have small hands, but otherwise, you shouldn't have any problems.

Furthermore, it's damn near impossible to do a flamingo wrist with your picking hand when you set the bass like this. The only fingerpick positions you can use are floating thumb, moving anchor, and classical guitar. These are all MUCH better for you than the alternatives.

 

[Pilgrim]

I agree that more upward angle on the neck will change your hand angle for the better.

But I see no problem with the pinky extended out there. I play that way all the time - and every upright bass player does, too.

 

[fishsticks]

hold bass like this:

but try to look less like a kid toucher!

 

[Hippos Melas]

That guy in that picture DEFINITELY looks like a child molester...man that's creepy...

At any rate, I can't sit with my bass off my left thigh like that. The headstock and rest of the fretboard are WAY too far away from the rest of my body. But, if this is the right way to play I'll definitely work on it and see if I can start making it a habit.

Thanks to everyone for your help!

 

[INTP]

Try practicing more often, for shorter periods at a time.

It looks to me like you're still building strength in your left hand, so you're angling your hand and bending your wrist to gain extra leverage. It also looks like you're resting the inside of your palm on the edge of the fingerboard. The advice to raise the elbow will help if you also straighten the wrist and get your fingers and thumb lined up straighter.

Slow and steady wins the race.

 

[chrisrusty99]

But, if this is the right way to play I'll definitely work on it and see if I can start making it a habit.

There are ways you can adjust your body position to make playing easier, but IMO, there really is no "right" way to play. If a certain way works well for you and it's not limiting you or causing you to get an injury, then I'd say to stick with that.