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Grip It

CryingBass

CryingBass

Gold Supporting Member
Apr 8, 2016
5,970
10,277
#1
How many of you guys, in 2017, use one of these? And do you use the "Heavy Tension" model ( I do ) or something different?

I find it helpful, and I leave it near my keyboard for those increasingly-common "I lost my train of thought" episodes, which I find happen often-enough these days for me to get a bit of finger/grip exercise out of it!

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I find it to be a more-productive use of my idle time than when I sit one of these next to my keyboard...
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#4
No. I just practice regularly. My basses have low action. I know some players practice on high action basses and gig with low action ones. Seems kind of counterintuitive; I gig the same instruments I rehearse with. Plus, these grip trainers don't work your fingers the same way as playing does. I mean, build one that resembles a neck and fits your hand like one and I'd think it were a better concept.
 
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#5
J Posega said:
...build one that resembles a neck and fits your hand like one and I'd think it were a better concept.
Click to expand...

I really agree with this statement. Any form of simple resistance training is flawed in that it artificially works some specific muscle group in one specific way and doesn't get the supporting muscles. Plus, I would argue propping the neck up with the thumb is one of the most straining parts of playing.
 
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#6
When I first started and did not have a little finger of any real worth, I genuinely thought I needed one of those or be destined to play with 3 fingers. Haha! When I remember how frantically I had to play to cover the notes and the ground with 3 fingers and my useless little finger, hanging limp like a sailor with Yellow Jack.
At around the six month mark, I suddenly noticed I had plenty of little finger and that that device wouldn't not have accelerated the process one bit.
In the first flush of enthusiasm, I wanted a strengthening exercise I could do all day, anywhere. I found that slowly flexing my hands wide and then clenching a fist to about 60% strength over and over, seemed to be making the right things feel the right way. Oh, and heaps of stretching.
 
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#7
Good for you choosing exercise over a bottle.

I do but not related to improving Bass playing, these will not improve your playing, though for general strength training if used properly they are a useful tool. Grip strength is very important, you can not pick up heavy objects if your hands and wrist can not support it.

When you use it adjust to different positions and you will feel it working the forearm more than just squeezing with the elbow bent, what most people only do. Do slow curls with palm facing up while squeezing five to eight time on the way up and going down, then repeat curl with the palm facing down.
Hold your arm straight out in front of you palm down then squeeze five, hold, then ten fast squeezes, hold, five, hold. Then raise your arm up a few degrees and repeat, doing the range between your waist to your head.
Your forearms will be on fire.

I have long passed the usefulness of this devise but occasionally squeeze it while just sitting. Mostly picking up stones like retaining wall blocks by squeezing with only the fingers then hold them as long as can. Also doing curls and rows with them, rotating heavy hammers and a lot of bar hanging exercise.

Enjoy it. :thumbsup:
 
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#10
I'm a massage therapist and farmer so grip strength has never been an issue- but I wouldn't recommend using these for improving bass technique.

I post about this a fair amount- just summarized in another thread about DB technique on electric - and feel that most of us can generate enough power to play well if we focus on alignment of our larger muscles/joints and playing from a point of physical ease.

Check out cats like Bunny Brunel and Steve Bailey (who has managed to shred a gigantic bass for 25 years despite being a tiny little man) and adapt some of their techniques.

Playing a more ergonomic (usually non Fender) axe will also help tremendously.

Any activities that will increase your kinesthetic awareness will help make life's physical demands easier- yoga, pilates, meditation, and (small) cow wrestling are my favorites.

Pull ups/hangs with sponges or towels around the bar are great ways to improve grip strength. I also suggest hammer (beer bottle) curls, farmer/luggage walks, and simply making a tight fist and expanding the hand in alternation.

Good luck and hard work!
 
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#11
Brother Goose said:
I'm a massage therapist and farmer so grip strength has never been an issue- but I wouldn't recommend using these for improving bass technique.

I post about this a fair amount- just summarized in another thread about DB technique on electric - and feel that most of us can generate enough power to play well if we focus on alignment of our larger muscles/joints and playing from a point of physical ease.

Check out cats like Bunny Brunel and Steve Bailey (who has managed to shred a gigantic bass for 25 years despite being a tiny little man) and adapt some of their techniques.

Playing a more ergonomic (usually non Fender) axe will also help tremendously.

Any activities that will increase your kinesthetic awareness will help make life's physical demands easier- yoga, pilates, meditation, and (small) cow wrestling are my favorites.

Pull ups/hangs with sponges or towels around the bar are great ways to improve grip strength. I also suggest hammer (beer bottle) curls, farmer/luggage walks, and simply making a tight fist and expanding the hand in alternation.

Good luck and hard work!
Click to expand...


And to answer OP original question- I HAVE used one of these (a long time ago) when I played with my thumb vertical in the middle of the neck and usually behind my middle finger. My insistence on adhering to the "perfect" technique (taught to my by my chromatic blues shredder guitarist father) led to a good deal of pain in my left wrist -especially when I started playing wide six strings.

Long story short- I no longer fret my bass with these much curvature in my fingers and this motion would know feel alien and put too much pressure on joints and displaced carpal bones.
 
#17
lfmn16 said:
+1

Just my 2 cents, but it doesn't take a lot of strength to play an electric bass. If you want the strength and endurance to play the bass, you can get it by playing the bass.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I never thought grip strength was an issue on a properly set up bass. Barre chords on a heavy stringed acoustic guitar is much harder for me.
 
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#18
NullPorch said:
Ooh, actually, best grip exercise there is is rock climbing. 30 minutes of fun a b your gripping muscles will be completely blasted
Click to expand...
I climbed 5.12 in my day. The bulk strength and calluses don't translate as well as you'd think. But you will lose a lot of practice time to fatigue and recovery.

NullPorch said:
View attachment 1140389
I generally just squeeze this during my free time.
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This is the way to go, IMHO. I have one at home and one in the office.

CryingBass said:
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Think of that as training for soccer by doing squats, or for boxing by doing push ups. You work only a subset of the relevant muscles through only a subset of the relevant positions, and without regard to flexibility, coordination, or the appropriate speed of contraction and release.

That said, I do use an IronMind gripper when I run, but it's not for my bass playing.

Dead Guy Ale rules.
 
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#19
I've never used one of those before. They don't help with the muscles needed to lift your fingers up, which is literally half of the battle. When I started I deliberately avoided avoiding the use of my pinky, so its actually a little better than my ring finger.
I invented an exercise for those two weakest fingers. I would go up and down the neck, two frets at a time,playing up and down vertically using only those two fingers. If you try this make sure your fingers are already warmed up as it can be intense, depending on the individual.
 
#20
I never saw the point of these things. You barely need any strength to press a string against a fret. In fact, problems arise if you exert too much strength. So what use is this for?

Pointless, in my opinion. It doesn't do anything for dexterity and accuracy and it's not strength that you need to play bass,
 
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