Gripping too hard when fretting

[longfinger]

Edit to respond to your edit: That's a great idea, lowering the action to lower right hand force. For me the force in both hands is very much linked, so if I can back off on one it ought to help the other.

This is very normal, a mental quirk for all of us.
If we can't hear ourselves, we tend to pluck and squeeze harder. It just happens.


The comments above about turning up the amp and letting it do the work are spot on. In your general case, the bass should feel too loud for you, so you'll have the instinct to pluck (and fret) lightly and softly so the volume is right. This equals less stress on your hands.

New setup for low action is also appropriate for you. Take it to a setup tech for a better job if you don't feel up to it.

 

[micguy]

The narrower and thinner the neck, the less stress you'll have on your wrist.

This may work for some folks, but it's absolutely horrid advice for me. I have ginormous hands - on a small neck, things are so crammed together that my hands will end up tense to try to deal with that. On a big neck, I need a lot less pressure and tension to do what I need to do, and I also play much faster. I've contemplated building a 4 string bass on a 5 string neck (1 7/8ths wide), just to get a bigger neck than you usually get on a 4.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Lower action and lower tension strings are your best bet. Unless you really, really want to grip hard. Also, some players will plant their thumb instead of shifting it a little to reach notes with less effort.

 

[LBS-bass]

In my case gripping too hard went hand in hand with digging in.
Relaxed the right hand and the left followed.
I just keep reminding myself that playing should be effortless and both hands relaxed.

This is how it is for me, too. Both hands want to be equal in intensity. If I play more softly with the right hand, my left hand follows.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Climb into bed with your bass, lay flat on your back and and play. Feel how your fretting hand doesn't need your thumb any more. Your other arm will need to put some pressure on the bass to keep it from turning but that goes away when you stand up.

Yeah, I understood the original concept, but it doesn't apply (in any way I can figure) to playing the electric bass guitar.

Upright bass, totally.

I can ask, but I'm pretty certain my band mates aren't going to be willing to help me load my bed into the van, and haul it up on stage.

Besides, in this current climate, so you think any audience is going to feel comfortable watching someone looking like they're trying to perform from a hospital bed?

 

[Wasnex]

If your issue is when you are playing with a band, and you're going for punk stuff, then I'd wonder if the issue is how much you hear yourself when you are playing. I finally quit digging in when I went to in ear monitors because I had control of how much I can hear myself and I could finally play using a light touch in what I found to be energetic situations (all I do are energetic situations). If you find yourself competing, you tend to dig in to get a more aggressive sound, but that shouldn't be how it is. If you don't want to get a system that puts you first in your ears, make sure you got a system where some speakers are really close to head level and pointed right at your ears. That should back you off.

This is significant. IMHO people generally want to be about 10dB louder than everyone else when they are playing. It's generally not possible for a bass player to get the desired 10dB without being too loud. If you can't hear yourself well enough, the natural tendency is to play harder. This can be mitigated with mindful attention and discipline. You have to accept that you cannot be as loud as you want, and then consciously control o your technique so you don't over play.

Too much compression is another factor that typically causes people to overplay. As an example, putting too much compression on a vocal monitor is likely to cause the singer to loose his/her voice.


As a bass player I don't typically use compression live, but as an audio tech I tend to compress the bass in the main mix. My philosophy is the signal needs to be processed for different listening positions and purposes. For my on stage monitoring I want the bass to pop out of the mix so I can hear the nuances in my playing. For the FOH mix, the bass should typically provide a nice foundation for the rest of the band. I personally prefer a nice focused sound, but not necessarily as bright as what I use on stage. So the bass sound is processed to specifically to the acoustics and usage at each location.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Brace the instrument against your body with your right arm. This counters the force of your left arm pulling back and applying pressure to the strings through your fingers. Then your left thumb can relax, and the rest of your hand completely. Let your arms to the work.

I think, about the only time I pin the bass against my body with my right arm, is it I'm hammering away on an open string, and throwing devil horns to the crowd with my left hand (ie almost never).

There is no force from my left arm pulling the bass back towards my body.

The force is applied between my fingers, and variously the thumb, or the palm of the hand.

The instrument is well balanced on the strap, and it I take my right arm out of the equation, I can comfortably, and easily manipulate the position of the instrument with my left hand, whilst playing / fretting.

In practice, of course, I'm using both arms to adjust the position of the instrument, as I move around on stage.

I still can't get my head around how what you're describing, applies to electric bass guitar : it sounds as if you'd be pushing the instrument away with your groin, whilst simultaneously pulling it back with the deadweight of your arms - which doesn't sound very conducive to playing the instrument, to me.

 

[Wasnex]

In your general case, the bass should feel too loud for you, so you'll have the instinct to pluck (and fret) lightly and softly so the volume is right. This equals less stress on your hands.

This can definilitely help...however, IMHO a good professional bassists should control his/her technique instead of turning up too much.

 

[Wasnex]

This may work for some folks, but it's absolutely horrid advice for me. I have ginormous hands - on a small neck, things are so crammed together that my hands will end up tense to try to deal with that. On a big neck, I need a lot less pressure and tension to do what I need to do, and I also play much faster. I've contemplated building a 4 string bass on a 5 string neck (1 7/8ths wide), just to get a bigger neck than you usually get on a 4.

To some extent it will depend on what size neck your hands are conditioned for. I used to play an NS Design electric upright that had a concave channel running the length of the neck. The stated purpose of the channel is to make it easier to play, but my hand was conditioned for a standard acoustic upright, so the NS Design quickly tired out my hand unless I played it enough to condition my hand.

 

[LBS-bass]

This can definilitely help...however, IMHO a good professional bassists should control his/her technique instead of turning up too much.

In my case, I've never wanted to be loud, so I blend myself on stage to a point where I can just be heard. Other players are often asking me to turn up. I picked up this habit years ago as a way to avoid contributing to volume wars, because I am also a singer.

So I'm able to afford a little luxury in the turning-up-to-play-softly department. If you're already loud on stage, it's going to be more difficult.

 

[micguy]

To some extent it will depend on what size neck your hands are conditioned for.

Perhaps, but there is also a natural curve to your hands. Holding a 1/2 inch diameter rod is smaller than anyone's natural curve, and a 16 inch softball is bigger than anyone's natural curve.

 

[Wasnex]

Yeah, I understood the original concept, but it doesn't apply (in any way I can figure) to playing the electric bass guitar.

Upright bass, totally.

I can ask, but I'm pretty certain my band mates aren't going to be willing to help me load my bed into the van, and haul it up on stage.

Besides, in this current climate, so you think any audience is going to feel comfortable watching someone looking like they're trying to perform from a hospital bed?

You don't need a bed to do this. IMHO the idea is not to totally eliminate your thumb, but it is good to understand that it is unnecessary to pinch the strings between the thumb and fingers. Ideally the thumb provides a bit of lateral stability, but is not used to pinch the strings. To learn the difference you actually practice without using your thumb at all. As several others have suggested this can be done by bracing the body of the bass with your plucking arm.

When you actually play, the goal is for the thumb to glide lightly across the back of the neck. Thumb position and pressure varies depending upon the part of the neck (position) you are playing at. You may continue to use a light pinching action in low positions. High on the neck on an extended range bass, the thumb will rotate under the neck and possibly over the fret board...similar to thumb position on upright. In the highest range the thumb is not used at all.

 

[Wood and Wire]

When you actually play, the goal is for the thumb to glide lightly across the back of the neck. Thumb position and pressure varies depending upon the part of the neck (position) you are playing at. You may continue to use a light pinching action in low positions. High on the neck on an extended range bass, the thumb will rotate under the neck and possibly over the fret board...similar to thumb position on upright. In the highest range the thumb is not used at all.

That's exactly how I've always played.

What I'm not understanding is all these references to using the weight of your left arm, exerting a force towards your body, to do the work of fretting the strings.

That works when playing upright, but if you're doing that with your left arm, whilst standing up and playing electric bass guitar, the deadweight of your arms is exerted sideways - relative to the neck of the instrument - dragging the strings off the side of the board (= bad)

Wheras, if one were playing an upright bass, that force is exerted through the strings, down on to the fingerboard (= good).

 

[Wasnex]

That's exactly how I've always played.

What I'm not understanding is all these references to using the weight of your left arm, exerting a force towards your body, to do the work of fretting the strings.

That works when playing upright, but if you're doing that with your left arm, whilst standing up and playing electric bass guitar, the deadweight of your arms is exerted sideways - relative to the neck of the instrument - dragging the strings off the side of the board (= bad)

Wheras, if one were playing an upright bass, that force is exerted through the strings, down on to the fingerboard (= good).

Sometimes it is called pulling from the core. The idea is to use larger muscles to do the work, instead of overworking the smaller muscles that control you fingers and thumb to pinch the strings.


If you want to think of it as arm weight:

The downward force in green causes the rotational force in red.

It's not like your arm, wrist, and fingers are rigid. The joints at the elbow, wrist, and fingers translate the rotational force at the shoulder into the blue force at whatever angle is necessary to press the strings into the fingerboard.

 

[IamGroot]

Yeah, I understood the original concept, but it doesn't apply (in any way I can figure) to playing the electric bass guitar.

Upright bass, totally.

I can ask, but I'm pretty certain my band mates aren't going to be willing to help me load my bed into the van, and haul it up on stage.

Besides, in this current climate, so you think any audience is going to feel comfortable watching someone looking like they're trying to perform from a hospital bed?

I am glad I didn't suggest exercises, cuz you may look funny on stage in gym clothes.

 

[Strung_Low]

Play a song or scale or something that you know well and focus on playing it with as little pressure necessary to hit the notes.. repeat. Then every time you play remember to relax and keep in the back of your mind to loosen up. The idea is to microadjust your technique until you can comfortably play for hours. Also do hand/finger/wrist stretches to relieve tension. Dont play through pain

 

[Wood and Wire]

I am glad I didn't suggest exercises, cuz you may look funny on stage in gym clothes.

I'll have you know I'm a rock god, with a hot bod'.

You should see me in a unitard.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Sometimes it is called pulling from the core. The idea is to use larger muscles to do the work, instead of overworking the smaller muscles that control you fingers and thumb to pinch the strings.


If you want to think of it as arm weight:
View attachment 4409059

The downward force in green causes the rotational force in red.

It's not like your arm, wrist, and fingers are rigid. The joints at the elbow, wrist, and fingers translate the rotational force at the shoulder into the blue force at whatever angle is necessary to press the strings into the fingerboard.

I see where the confusion is arising.

That mechanical advantage occurs, if your playing position means that your hand is above your elbow.

Personally, I have a pretty long strap, with the bass well below my belt.

So, it turns out that I do gain that advantage on the lowest notes, but as I transition further up the neck I am gradually increasing the pressure exerted by my fingers.

If I'm playing seated, I get that mechanical advantage as far as about half way up the neck.

For those that use a short strap, you're probably getting that advantage most of the way along the length of the neck.

I've probably never encountered any of the O.P.s problems, because I learned to play with a light touch very early in my career.

 

[Sid the Kid]

I have been dealing with carpal tunnel pain for quite some time now. The best solution for me so far has been headless basses, preferably not too light that the neck still dives. Not having to support the weight of the headstock makes for less pain while fretting.

It’s not for everyone but pain sucks and playing is fun. I’m willing to go way off the beaten path to keep playing!

 

[IamGroot]

I see where the confusion is arising.

That mechanical advantage occurs, if your playing position means that your hand is above your elbow.

Personally, I have a pretty long strap, with the bass well below my belt.

So, it turns out that I do gain that advantage on the lowest notes, but as I transition further up the neck I am gradually increasing the pressure exerted by my fingers.

If I'm playing seated, I get that mechanical advantage as far as about half way up the neck.

For those that use a short strap, you're probably getting that advantage most of the way along the length of the neck.

I've probably never encountered any of the O.P.s problems, because I learned to play with a light touch very early in my career.

I like my string height very high, and I play aggressive OFPF. No carpal tunnel syndrome ever, but tennis elbow bad from bad upright technique.

In my case I use my arm weight plus I pull back from my shoulder on my fretting arm. My picking arm offsets this.