Hand Exercises & Stretches

There has been an increase in posts about wrist pain, shoulder pain, forearm pain, back pain etc..

Now first off, any pain needs to be identified, so if you have to workout if the pain is, a cause, or a symptom of playing.

When i say "cause" what i mean is that what you are doing is the direct reason you are having pain.

When i say "symptom" then it is something not related to bass playing causing the pain, but highlighting it.

Any pain that does not subside needs medical diagnosis.


So if you have a bad technique then that will cause issues, maybe quite fast, or as is usual, over time because you do not understand the where the pain issue is. "No pain no gain" is the worst meme ever for any musician, because it does not identify the source of the pain.

Now if you were ill, or had an injury in early life, then playing bass may expose the weakness, so the pain is a symptom of that injury/weakness...playing bass did not cause it. It may be an underlying medical condition, maybe your job, maybe even the time of day you practice/play.

OK, so you work a day job, so you are tired, then you get home and pick up a bass and practice/play with tired muscles...that will led to injury and pain in some sort of way, either in the present or the future.

So what we need is to "undo" the days use of the muscles and get set to use them in a new use.

This is where stretches and exercises come in, they relieve tension, warm up the muscles and get us prepared to play.

Now playing is a highly dexterous muscle use, so it needs energy/fuel, so make sure you are well hydrated and have carbs, or energy bars near by to help you as you practice/play

In the videos below i explain a few things about your hands, i also demonstrate some stretches to help counter your hands daily use, and "remind" your muscles/hands of the movement they are capable of.

In the second video i show why i use a warm up...the video explains it all.

In the third video i show a simple stretch for the body, so the back, neck and shoulders.

If any of these videos raise any questions, then please post them and i will, if i can, answer them.

For the record, i am a pro bass player, i have been playing 45+ years, i have been orchestral/classically trained. I have had access to top medical professionals throughout my life and what i talk about/teach is based on medical advice given to me, and advice i have used to great effect.
So i come to my conclusions via the experience of my chosen career and those i have had medical dealings with during it