Left hand fatigue

[Tahru]

I just turned 50 and I just started playing bass this month. It is fun and exciting for me, but I am experiencing a lot of pain on my left hand in the joint between my thumb and fingers. That is probably a side effect of the opposing pressure between the thumb behind the neck and fretboard fingers. But I am concerned of overstressing myself and I can't even make 6 measures without losing quality or experiencing extreme pain.

I have been playing guitar for almost 30 years more off than on. So I know what normal string pain is. However, my bass experience has been similar to bar chords on a guitar, but these are not bar chords.

What I am trying to find out from this post is if these is normal for bass converters or if I may be experiencing something more concerning. I so much want to play more than I can right now.

 

[Nashrakh]

It definitely doesn't sound normal to me.

My first thought was that maybe you use too heavy gauge strings or your action may be too high, both of which can greatly contribute to left hand fatigue in my experience because you then need actual strength to fret a note. But since you said you've been playing guitar for years, this should have been obvious to you if that were the case.

Dealing with fatigue meant for me to go lighter on the string gauge, use a softer attack and make a conscious effort to use just enough pressure in my left hand to make the fretted note ring out clear. Breaking bad habits is harder than getting them, I tells ya...

 

[Badwater]

I just turned 50 and I just started playing bass this month. It is fun and exciting for me, but I am experiencing a lot of pain on my left hand in the joint between my thumb and fingers. That is probably a side effect of the opposing pressure between the thumb behind the neck and fretboard fingers. But I am concerned of overstressing myself and I can't even make 6 measures without losing quality or experiencing extreme pain.

I have been playing guitar for almost 30 years more off than on. So I know what normal string pain is. However, my bass experience has been similar to bar chords on a guitar, but these are not bar chords.

What I am trying to find out from this post is if these is normal for bass converters or if I may be experiencing something more concerning. I so much want to play more than I can right now.

As a long time guitar player converting to bass, I had the same feel. Playing guitar you mostly use finger tips for bare chords and lead picking as well as fingerstyle. With Bass, you'll eventually get your fretting hand to play with less tension on the fingertips and use the finger print area of your fingers by flattening out your fingers on the strings. Also, you'll develop the fretting hand to mute unplayed strings. Thus, keeping all the fingers close to or resting on the fretboard and strings as you play helps the fretting hand to relax.

When I first started playing bass, I would use a lot of pressure on the strings to keep them from buzzing, much like a beginner on the guitar. And, I developed some serious callous on my fretting fingers. After a month, I learned to play with less pressure and more finesse as my fretting hand became more use to the movement that is required with the fretting hand to cover the wider fret spacing. In turn, this allowed me to relax my fretting hand and use little pressure on the strings. Thus, no more hand pain between thumb and fingers.

Unlike guitar, where the fretting hand can stay in one place and let the fingers do the walking, with Bass the fretting hand moves more to compensate for the wider string spacing. With guitar, you can play licks all day with 3 fingers on 4 frets without moving the fretting hand much. With Bass, I've learned to use 4 fingers to play 3 frets with less strain on the fingers and thumb.

Perhaps this will help. Good luck,

 

[5544]

Readers Digest Version.

Guitar: I am able to lift a 1 pound weight 100 time without getting tired.
Bass: When I am tired after lifting a 100 pound weight after one time?

 

[fearceol]

.

What I am trying to find out from this post is if these is normal for bass converters

Hi and welcome to TB.

In a word...NO...!!! Pain like you describe should never be a part of playing the bass. IMO you correctly diagnosed your problem...i.e. having a death grip on the neck. I suggest taking a few days off playing in order to give the hand time to recover.

When you resume playing try to incorporate the tips/suggestions in the clips below. I'd also advise you to play little and often until your hands adapt to this "new work" expected of them. Fifteen to twenty minutes at a time for now, then take a break and come back to it.

Best of luck.

 

[Mushroo]

Nope, not normal at all! Please don't try to "play through the pain" or think the pain will go away with practice. Adjust your hand position, the length of your strap, and the position of the neck, until the pain is gone and you can play comfortably.

Through the years, I've often come across the "pain/cramps at the base of the left thumb" problem that you describe. It is a very common and well understood phenomenon. The cause is simple: you are rolling your thumb in toward your palm and compressing the "life line" that a palm reader would look at. Does your palm look like a butt, with a crack down the middle? Try instead to relax and open your thumb out from your palm, like you are opening a catcher's mitt to catch a baseball. I think you will find if you adjust your thumb position, that your palm is flat and wide, not squished together like butt cheeks, and the pain will stop.

Also remember that your thumb is not used for power and strength when playing the bass. We are not lobsters, and our hands are not designed to pinch like claws. Rather, the thumb is just there as a guide and reference point, it should glide lightly along the neck as you shift position. Your hand and fingers should be as relaxed and tension free as if you are typing on a computer keyboard. It really does not take much physical strength at all to play the electric bass guitar. Play with a light touch, turn up your volume, and let the amp do the hard work.

 

[Tahru]

awesome feedback. thank you all very much.

 

[Jay Corwin]

I would also lean towards this being a technique issue, and over stressing those joints/ligaments/muscles.

 

[viper4000]

Read a post on here a few years back that suggested a practice routine that focused on achieving a lighter touch. With one string, with one finger, fret a note so lightly that the string buzzes. Then apply just a little more pressure so it buzzes less. Then apply a little more pressure so it buzzes less. You get the idea. Eventually you will find the exact amount of pressure needed to fret a clean note. You will notice this is much less pressure than you think you need. This is the "pressure goal" you should practice toward. Do this with each string and each finger. Eventually this becomes muscle memory and you will play with a much lighter touch.

If you need different amounts of pressure for each string, then you may need a set up. Dropping your action and turning up the volume will help reduce the pressure needed as well.

Welcome to the Low End and Good Luck OP!

 

[Tahru]

i think it is technique as well. i am going to focus even more on pressure reduction and my thumb placement. my action is already low and i am using light flatwounds. so much good information in this thread. i am glad i asked.

 

[JGbassman]

At 50 everything hurts more, and it's part of the joy of aging, and learning a new instrument only compounds it. Lots of good info here, and don't play through the pain. If I'm trying to learn a difficult or fast passage where I notice I'm tensing up, I do zen breathing, deep through the nose, out the mouth. As silly as this sounds, it helps me relax the tension out of my fretting arm and hand, and flow smoother. If you are gripping too hard, you might try that.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Everything above, plus: Lean heavily on Simandl 1-2-4 technique when navigating the fingerboard...call it conservation of energy.

Riis

 

[Joe Ty]

I am starting...again...at 50 as well. No pain but I do have to shift A LOT (even covering only four frets on the upper board) as I have shorter fingers and they don't stretch well. I am hoping over time I can stretch better but I'm not counting on it.

 

[looper]

To the OP, also consider what your hand posture is like during daily life as many of the things we do with with our hands at home and work can effect hand fatigue/pain while playing.

 

[Honch]

My first thought was that maybe you use too heavy gauge strings or your action may be too high, both of which can greatly contribute to left hand fatigue in my experience because you then need actual strength to fret a note.

This. Yes. And that you may press harder than needed. Also if your frets are too low (leveled with fretboard) it's too hard to get a decent note without buzzing. The thumb behind the neck should only be used as a "doorstop". You shouldn't use force on the thumb to meet your fingers on the opposite side. Do a test like this:

A. Release the thumb completely behind the neck.
B. If you fret with any finger on the other side, and fret, do you have to press so hard before a note gets heard that you are moving the whole neck and body in and out?
Does it wiggle or bounce? Bounce is what I mean that the bass goes back into a place it had before you did fret/press anything? You should press the frets/strings as much as needed, not more. Use just as much pressure that is needed, not more. Do this slowly, and think how much you really need to press before the note becomes "un-buzzy", i e a clear note. Then, hone it in, and woodshed, so you don't ever again use more force than needed. Pressing too hard makes the note go out of pitch too.
C. Then your tension, of strings are too strong, and too stiff, and you'd better check on ALL things first, like already mentioned:

1. String gauge. Go down to super slinky flubby 030s.
2. Action, string height plus relief? Must be adjusted accordingly and with great accuracy.
3. Fret height? Are the frets tall enough? because if not, you have to use excessive force to keep the string down. Especially at the first few frets. A refret can turn out expensive. But considering the cost of artrithis, carpal tunnel, pain in your fretting hand, and the medicals and visits to physiotherapists, it's very little in comparison.
4. Thumb behind the neck. Be vigilant and wary. Constant monitoring.
5. Angle of the neck/bass to your body while playing. Check it out, adjust strap to see if it becomes better or worse by raising it or lowering it.
6. Some won't believe this, but heavy NECK DIVE instruments may cause your fretting hand to keep the neck up all of the time, weighing down on your hand. Fatiguing in the long run. This is something most people don't detect at all, and think it's part and parcel of playing bass. Or any instrument. It's not.

I agreee totally, with the rest of the posters, something's wrong along the line.

If all else above have been seen to and checked out by professional setup repairman, then you just play too much and have to rest ever so often. Don't ever play through pain! Never Ever!

Here's a picture. Is the pain worse or better when alternating thumb behind the neck and thumb over the neck like in this pic?:

 

[Mushroo]

Another tip from a player over 40: spend time studying video (or, better yet, go see them live in concert!) of older musicians who have had long careers. My observation is that older players usually have very relaxed and comfortable playing positions, which might not be "textbook perfect" according to the younger generation, but work well for the old timers. We can learn a lot by studying veteran players like Paul Jackson, Sting, Paul McCartney, Francis Rocco Prestia, Adam Clayton, etc.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

these are not bar chords

You're right, because even on guitar, they're barre chords

I learned an exercise from a local bass player, who says he got it from Victor Wooten:

arms straight out in front of you, fingertips towards the ceiling & palms facing forward
stretch your fingers like you're reaching for the ceiling
now curl your fingers in like you're gripping something
repeat as fast as possible until you just can't do it anymore

I've been doing this every day for a month & have a lot less trouble with fatigue now

 

[Honch]

 

[rtslinger]

or maybe you need to get your bass setup if the string action is improper this can happen, I purchase a bass a long time ago, before I started doing my own setups and the action wasn't high but this thing had my hand hurting after playing it for a while, took it to have it setup and found out the string radius was wrong and I was working way to hard to play it. He fixed it for me and I still am playing this bass today. Just something to consider

 

[mellowinman]

I used to get a lot of right hand fatigue during adolescence...