/ Register

having trouble playing.......

Discussion in 'Technique [BG]' started by Frugle, Dec 2, 2005.

  1. Dec 2, 2005 #1
    Frugle

    Frugle Guest

    Sep 4, 2005
    Atlanta GA
    I dunno, its weird.... its only happened since it got cold.. (about 3 weeks ago)....

    I'm having a really hard time with my right hand (I'm left handed, so that is my fingering hand) sliding up and down the neck to the point where it is extremely hendering my performance...

    its almost as if my hands are sticky rubbing against sand paper.... I don't really know how to describe it, but I was wondering if anybody has the same experience, and knows how to fix it...

    even now as i'm typing my hand feels sticky on the keyboard, and before I started playing I washed my hands for at least 30 seconds...

    one of the weird things is, I play best when I have sweaty palms, my hand run very freely up and down the neck, and I always hit the note I inteded to hit.. but right now, I can barely make it (sliding up to) the 5th, its as if my hand is holding on to the string and I don't know how to fix it.

    it also happens on the back of the neck, its almost as if, if I had an unfininshed neck on my jazz than I'd be able to play it better.

    another odd thing is that it seems the frets might be uneven, cause I can slide up the neck (ingoreing my fingers sticking to the string) and my finger will stop in the wrong spot as if that fret is higher up than the last 5 or 6 I passed...


    please don't get me wrong, I don't feel I am an ingnorent bass player, I know i'm not as good as you, but I am not a beginner, this has only been happening recently, I've already got pretty good calouces (sp?)

    what also seems to help is if I put hand moisturizers on before I start playing.


    anyone else have this experience it? I know I wont be able to have sweaty palms all the time, so I want to figure out a way around this..

    thanks. :)
     
  2. Dec 2, 2005 #2
    Frugle

    Frugle Guest

    Sep 4, 2005
    Atlanta GA
    oh, forgot to mention, it seems to stick more on certain parts of certain strings more so than others... just a random bit of info.
     
  3. Dec 2, 2005 #3
    labgnat

    labgnat Inactive

    Oct 29, 2005
    outta this world
    how old are your strings? try boiling them. or buy new ones
    cause maybe there is some dirt build up. i'm not sure exactly tho. that's my best guess as to what the problem could be tho. and as far as the neck being sticky also, use some guitar polish to clean it and it should slick it up some.
     
  4. Dec 2, 2005 #4
    lemur821

    lemur821 Guest

    May 4, 2004
    St. Louis, MO, U.S.
    I can't help you if you're sticking to the strings, but if it's the neck you're sticking to then you might try touching it less.
     
  5. Dec 2, 2005 #5
    Frugle

    Frugle Guest

    Sep 4, 2005
    Atlanta GA
    makes since... I just like the support i guess...


    I put the strings on in the middle of october, so they shouldn't be going bad yet... (don't some people leave them on for years?)
     
  6. Dec 3, 2005 #6
    ninefingerbass

    ninefingerbass

    Jul 29, 2005
    San Diego, CA
    what do you do before you play bass? play with anything sticky? what kind of bass do you have?
     
  7. Dec 4, 2005 #7
    Frugle

    Frugle Guest

    Sep 4, 2005
    Atlanta GA
    nope, that would have been my first thought.... but I wash my hands for at least 30 seconds before playing (when I can)

    mexican jazz with medium boomers...
     
  8. Dec 6, 2005 #8
    naja

    naja Guest

    Oct 14, 2005
    East TN
    Has there been a drop in humidity in your area? That could be drying your skin out and causing it to feel sticky on the neck. Here in east TN the humidity drops when winter sets in. I have to lotion my hands about every other day in order to keep them from cracking.....sucks.
     
  9. Dec 6, 2005 #9
    Frugle

    Frugle Guest

    Sep 4, 2005
    Atlanta GA
    yeah, thats along the lines of what i was thinking (here in atlanta), but I wasn't sure if that would actually cause anything..

    guess that would be it.... oh well.. sucks.. maybe one day I'll have 3 inch thick caloucis (sp?) like the real people do :p
     
  10. Dec 6, 2005 #10
    naja

    naja Guest

    Oct 14, 2005
    East TN
    Try some lotion, and don't wash your hands so much before playing. Washing them will help them to dry out. You can also try some cetaphil (sp). It's a new soap product that cleans you hands but leaves the oil behind. I've been using it for about 2 weeks and it helps alot.
     
  11. Dec 7, 2005 #11
    WillBuckingham

    WillBuckingham Guest

    Mar 30, 2005
    I would say you definitely need to change your strings. My guess is they are starting to oxidize.

    Jaco Pastorius would eat fried chicken before he played to lube up his hands . . . I'd try changing the strings first, though, ir I were you.