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Double Bass Just got an NS NXTa4 - Help me make the transition!!

#2
Congrats - it’s a fun instrument! With the NS you really have to be conscious about moving into thumb position when you are into the high register. Because there’s no bout on the body to force your hand out and over, it’s too easy to keep your thumb behind the neck as you go up. That will put your wrist in a very vulnerable position for injury as you extend your arm. I caused myself a lot of pain when I first got mine after spending most of my time on my bass guitars rather than upright and had to back up and relearn proper thumb position playing (after my wrist recovered). Good luck!
 
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#3
Richard Blair said:
Congrats - it’s a fun instrument! With the NS you really have to be conscious about moving into thumb position when you are into the high register. Because there’s no bout on the body to force your hand out and over, it’s too easy to keep your thumb behind the neck as you go up. That will put your wrist in a very vulnerable position for injury as you extend your arm. I caused myself a lot of pain when I first got mine after spending most of my time on my bass guitars rather than upright and had to back up and relearn proper thumb position playing (after my wrist recovered). Good luck!
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I’m a big guy (6’5”) with big hands and never really had to keep my thumb on the back of the neck of an electric, but I’ve realized I really need to be aware of that in playing this thing. I’m also having to be cognizant of my right hand creeping up on the neck instead of staying down where I need to be.
I’m having fun so far.
 
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#4
GrooveWarrior said:
I'm an electric player of 30 years.

Any tips, advice, videos, instructional stuff that would be helpful in shifting my thinking to incorporate upright into my playing would be much appreciated.
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The scale of the NS Design is basically the same as a full size string bass. Due to the scale of the NS Design, I suggest learning Simandl fingering (1,2,4).

Also if you plan to develop much facility you will need to learn the proper hand shape and where your thumb should fall. This guy does a decent job of explaining.


Don't get too hung up on keeping your thumb directly behind the 2nd finger. The placement of the thumb will vary depending upon your physiology and where your hand is on the bass.

Do try to maintain a nice arch and open hand position. As your hand gets tired, your hand will probably ached and collapse. Over time you will develop new muscles and learn to play with out clenching or using excessive force, so your endurance will increase over time. If possible I suggest that when you can no longer maintain a proper hand shape it's time to take a break.
 
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#5
Wasnex said:
The scale of the NS Design is basically the same as a full size string bass. Due to the scale of the NS Design, I suggest learning Simandl fingering (1,2,4).

Also if you plan to develop much facility you will need to learn the proper hand shape and where your thumb should fall. This guy does a decent job of explaining.


Don't get too hung up on keeping your thumb directly behind the 2nd finger. The placement of the thumb will vary depending upon your physiology and where your hand is on the bass.

Do try to maintain a nice arch and open hand position. As your hand gets tired, your hand will probably ached and collapse. Over time you will develop new muscles and learn to play with out clenching or using excessive force, so your endurance will increase over time. If possible I suggest that when you can no longer maintain a proper hand shape it's time to take a break.
Click to expand...


I will definitely check this out.
 
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#9
I'm just busting your chops, but I'm not joking. On upright bass you don't want to use the thumb to squeeze the fingers down onto the fingerboard like on electric Bass. you use gravity and the weight of your arm coming through your curved fingers to hold the string down. I can actually play without my thumb on the back of the neck if I really want. This is not natural coming from electric bass and it takes years of practice. Took me a while but now it is totally normal. On the electric upright basses, typically the ones that I have played, if you try to do that they will fall over or bounce around like a diving board
 
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#10
shwashwa said:
I'm just busting your chops, but I'm not joking. On upright bass you don't want to use the thumb to squeeze the fingers down onto the fingerboard like on electric Bass. you use gravity and the weight of your arm coming through your curved fingers to hold the string down. I can actually play without my thumb on the back of the neck if I really want. This is not natural coming from electric bass and it takes years of practice. Took me a while but now it is totally normal. On the electric upright basses, typically the ones that I have played, if you try to do that they will fall over or bounce around like a diving board
Click to expand...

I don't think it will be a problem on the NS Design as long as the instrument and stand is adjusted properly and the instrument has a good setup.
 
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#11
Wasnex said:
I don't think it will be a problem on the NS Design as long as the instrument and stand is adjusted properly and the instrument has a good setup.
Click to expand...
My experience with an NS Designs as well. DB technique works on it. I suppose you could competently develop a new technique that's not DB nor BG but you'd be swimming in largely uncharted waters. If that appeals to you, do it. If not, start with a proven reference point and then experiment.
 
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#12
shwashwa said:
I'm just busting your chops, but I'm not joking. On upright bass you don't want to use the thumb to squeeze the fingers down onto the fingerboard like on electric Bass. you use gravity and the weight of your arm coming through your curved fingers to hold the string down. I can actually play without my thumb on the back of the neck if I really want. This is not natural coming from electric bass and it takes years of practice. Took me a while but now it is totally normal. On the electric upright basses, typically the ones that I have played, if you try to do that they will fall over or bounce around like a diving board
Click to expand...

The NS feels like a good place to start to see if I really want to go down this road. The hand fatigue is real. I'll see how it goes.
 
#13
Wasnex said:
I don't think it will be a problem on the NS Design as long as the instrument and stand is adjusted properly and the instrument has a good setup.
Click to expand...

The stand feels super substantial, and the setup seems great. It's much easier to play than any upright I've ever put my hands on, so that is good I guess. I have a lot of work to do here . . .
 
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#16
shwashwa said:
Yeah the idea of the technique that I mentioned is that there will be no hand fatigue
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IMHO "zero" hand fatigue is a bit hyperbolic, although I agree learning to use the weight of the arm and minimizing the pressure on the thumb will greatly reduce hand fatigue. However normally people learn a bit about the proper hand position before they learn how to draw energy from the core. IMHO, playing properly involves too much to think about at one time, so you have to learn incrementally.
 

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