I really have problems relaxing my hands while playing, after about a minute my hands cramp up really bad, what can I do to relax my hands? I'm also a really tense person to begin with and telling me to relax my hands really doesn't do much because it sounds silly but I honestly have no idea how to relax any part of my body let alone my hands.
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Double Bass How can I relax my hands
- Thread starter ziebarthc
- Start date
sounds like you have a bigger problem. have you tried yoga? meditation? stretching? doing these activities would probably help.
relaxing your body takes focus and great concentration, but with a calm mind. sounds like a contradiction, but it's not. it gets easier with practice, and eventually you don't even notice you're doing it.
relaxing your body takes focus and great concentration, but with a calm mind. sounds like a contradiction, but it's not. it gets easier with practice, and eventually you don't even notice you're doing it.
Go see a doctor too, you may well have a medical problem that would be good to know about, and might be fairly easily sorted out.
Sounds to me like you're holding the weight of the bass with your hand.
Let the bass rest against your body instead of holding it up. It should almost stand on its own. Think of it as a tree--your hand is just going up and down the bark of the tree, you're not holding it up.
Fingers are made to move--if you can type a message here, odds are that your hands are probably fine. Try balancing your bass properly, if that doesn't work and you continue getting cramps, I'd say go see a doctor.
Let the bass rest against your body instead of holding it up. It should almost stand on its own. Think of it as a tree--your hand is just going up and down the bark of the tree, you're not holding it up.
Fingers are made to move--if you can type a message here, odds are that your hands are probably fine. Try balancing your bass properly, if that doesn't work and you continue getting cramps, I'd say go see a doctor.
I have the same problem from time to time. I seem to tense up and I notice that I mash down to hard with my left hand. I try to make an effort to relax but still find myself making the same mistakes. Great question.
Make sure you analyze where the tension is coming from. That is the only way you can get rid of it. Tension in the hands can come from any number of places. Most likely upper back and shoulder blade tension. To alleviate shoulder blade tension, think like a boxer. Constant free motion... But do it gently. Small circles with the elbows. Before and during scale practice.
If you don't already, try playing sitting because it is much easier to support the bass with your body rather than your hand.
I am very tense and this translates to my playing. I usually spend the first 10 minutes breathing deeply and just doing long tones with the bow, usually a scale. I'll also run through a etude/piece I know really well so I can concentrate on my body (including hands) and staying relaxed.
If I don't do this or have to play cold my left hand will cramp just as you described.
If I don't do this or have to play cold my left hand will cramp just as you described.
Are you French or German bow user? I would assume otherwise that you are French.
There are a series of stretches and exercises that can work your body all the way from your spine between your shoulder blades to your finger tips. I can scan these and send them via email as attachments if you PM your email address.
Your cramping may also be due to your technique and the way you are using your hands. Tell us where you are cramping. Is it like a red hot ball in the large muscles at the base of the thumbs?
Tension can spread out from the basic source, eg what starts in one hand can travel around like a loop through your arms, shoulders and neck to affect the other hand. And expecting the pain to happen might lead to its cause(s) happening faster.
Try this wonderful all-round relaxer (please confirm this, Don Higdon). Lie on your back close enough to a normal-height chair that you can rest your lower legs on the seat with your hips at 90 degrees to the floor. Raise your head slightly with a few books. Spread your arms at 45 degrees to your body and rotate your hands in slightly. Close your eyes and relax. You will feel your back and shoulders gradually flatten and spread. You may even go to sleep!! But it really does help unwind a lot of mental and physical tension.
Best Wishes,
DP
There are a series of stretches and exercises that can work your body all the way from your spine between your shoulder blades to your finger tips. I can scan these and send them via email as attachments if you PM your email address.
Your cramping may also be due to your technique and the way you are using your hands. Tell us where you are cramping. Is it like a red hot ball in the large muscles at the base of the thumbs?
Tension can spread out from the basic source, eg what starts in one hand can travel around like a loop through your arms, shoulders and neck to affect the other hand. And expecting the pain to happen might lead to its cause(s) happening faster.
Try this wonderful all-round relaxer (please confirm this, Don Higdon). Lie on your back close enough to a normal-height chair that you can rest your lower legs on the seat with your hips at 90 degrees to the floor. Raise your head slightly with a few books. Spread your arms at 45 degrees to your body and rotate your hands in slightly. Close your eyes and relax. You will feel your back and shoulders gradually flatten and spread. You may even go to sleep!! But it really does help unwind a lot of mental and physical tension.
Best Wishes,
DP
ziebarthc,
If your problem is nerves based, here's a little exercise that may help. I used to suffer from a need to twitch my arms and hands and found this exercise in a book - that was well over ten years ago and I've never had any problems of this since.
You must do this for 21 days...
Relax, somewhere quiet, and close your eyes. Imagine that you are painting your hands with a particular coloured paint, a special soothing paint with a special ingredient that makes your hands calm and relaxed. It takes 21 days for this to become like a habit.
After this time, if you feel the tension returning, you just imagine slapping on another coat of that paint.
I'm not a new age person, or anything like that, but this exercise really worked for me - I guess you're really sort of reprogramming your brain.
Might be worth a try?
If your problem is nerves based, here's a little exercise that may help. I used to suffer from a need to twitch my arms and hands and found this exercise in a book - that was well over ten years ago and I've never had any problems of this since.
You must do this for 21 days...
Relax, somewhere quiet, and close your eyes. Imagine that you are painting your hands with a particular coloured paint, a special soothing paint with a special ingredient that makes your hands calm and relaxed. It takes 21 days for this to become like a habit.
After this time, if you feel the tension returning, you just imagine slapping on another coat of that paint.
I'm not a new age person, or anything like that, but this exercise really worked for me - I guess you're really sort of reprogramming your brain.
Might be worth a try?
Really glad to see it's not just me suffering from this problem...! I won't really say my hands 'cramp', it's just that they get tired like really quickly. I play for about 10 minutes and my hands are done! 
make sure your fingers are curved and thumbs opposing the middle fingers - also curved. Also, relax shoulders, you should not have to raise your shoulders at all while playing. Let your arms hang like dead meat, or try to reach as far down as you can without moving your body. If your left shoulder stiffen, the bass is too high, if the right stiffen, use your lower arm for moving the bow, and not the shoulder.
/One who just had an ergonomics lesson.
/One who just had an ergonomics lesson.
- Apr 19, 2004
- 808
- 42
- 48
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Conklin Guitars (Basses)
Great Advise guys, but,
I bet this is a breathing problem. Shallow or not breathing at all while playing. Take deep breaths. Line them up with your phrases. I bet you see a night and day difference. I redevoloped this problem recently. Its all about airflow.
I bet this is a breathing problem. Shallow or not breathing at all while playing. Take deep breaths. Line them up with your phrases. I bet you see a night and day difference. I redevoloped this problem recently. Its all about airflow.
Breathing is good; in through the nose, out through the mouth, and only what you need (any more and you put tension in your abdomen). You could also try hitting your hand with a mallet to break up the muscle tension. Doing this on all your muscles would be good. Be conscious of how much tension you have when you move and the amount will go down.
I've since made a discovery... If I make my endpin longer, my bass is at a slightly bigger angle ie lying backwards (I play seated), and this helps me a LOT in terms of relaxing my left hand. I can now almost play without using my thumb, whereas previously I used to press really hard with my thumb (bad habit from cello playing). What a difference! I used to be hung up about the whole "nut at eye-level" thing I've heard before, but I guess one cannot apply rules like that to everyone.
In which case, try it out a bit further, you might get another notch of improvement. You ought to be able to move your thumb while stopping a note; this is part of what makes the Rabbath pivot technique work.
Unless you are built like a giraffe (so many of you young guys are these days!!) have the nut at least as high as the top of your left ear when playing seated, or maybe an inch or so more. This brings your bow contact point closer to you and will give your right arm more comfort too. It is a compromise position that allows both hands to work best. Generally speaking try to never play with your left elbow higher than your shoulder and with as few twists and bends in your spine as possible. Relax both your hands back through the bass towards your body and hang your shoulders off your ears (metaphorically speaking). Come at both the LH "C"shape and the RH bow hold by opening gentle fists, so that your hands are cupped as you play. Cradle the bow in your hand and power the sound with relaxed weight of your arm. Feel that your two hands are connected by the string like an electrical circuit, a circle that starts with one hand and travels across your body to your other hand and the string. Rest your hands on the sound that your are making and reeeeeeeeelaaaaaaaax!!!!!!
Best wishes,
DP
Best wishes,
DP
Just noticed this. Yes.
It can be done without the chair with feet flat on the floor and knees up. Then let go of everything. The important thing is to elongate the lumbar curve.
The movement of air in and out of the lungs, when not interfered with, is a passive consequence of work done primarily by the diaphragm a muscle not under voluntary control. Things go wrong when (1) we interfere with the voluntary muscles (either consciously or unconsciously), or (2)are more or less permanently in a state of either rigidity or collapse
Therefore, any effort made to control the flow of air into or out of the lungs is counter-productive. To learn to breathe well is to learn how to get out of the way. Alexander work is a very effective way to bring this about.
No one has to instruct an infant how to breathe. They do it properly, naturally.
