Left hand fatigue

[nixdad]

If you end up needing to seek any medical attention if the other suggestions don't rectify the issue, go see a Chiropractor who is experienced in Kinesiology. Do not bother with a standard GP.

 

[fearceol]

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

As with the OP...you also were probably strangling "the neck".

 

[DavC]

at our ages ( i'm pushing 60 ) and i am playing a lot more guitar lately ( classically trained pianist for 53 yrs , bass for 40+ yrs ) ... i have experienced various pains , more from playing bar chords ..!

i use a small fairly soft exercise ball ... light weight wrist curls ... do some carpel tunnel stretching stuff ... and concentrate on hand/gtr/bass positioning ...

i advise very light strings and low action ..!

 

[madbass6]

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.

In my opinion it sounds like you're doing the very common mistake a lot of guitar players that eventually see the light and realize they're really Bass players deep inside do! The problem is by the time they realize they've gotten used to playing the much smaller,thinner neck on the guitar, Using the corect guitar techniques, finger positions etc. When picking up the bass they figure hey it's just 4 strings how hard can it be! Problem comes when they try to play the Bass using the same technique,fingering etc. As they used on the guitar! Creating very bad habits along the way for Bass playing! Problem with bad habits is they're extremely hard to break!! I sujest STOP now !!Find a qualified Bass teacher before you make it worst for yourself! Or even worse do some inreversable damages like copper tunnel etc. Good luck! By the way lots of good YouTube videos out there regarding proper Bass hand techniques finger positions etc. Hope this helps.

 

[mcnach]

A lot of beginners end up getting all tense without even realising and applying way too much force, much more than needed, on the fretting hand. Make a conscious effort to play lightly, and your hand will not tire as much and you will be able to play more smoothly and faster easily.

 

[Fender_Bender]

I think badwater had the same advice I would have given you. I would add that the only time I end up with cramping or pain in the area you mention is when I try to start playing immediately without doing at least a ten minute warmup first. You can aimlessly do a warmup by playing up and down the neck while watching tv etc. If the pain persists even after warming up and learning to relax, you could seek medical advice as you could have arthritis or something else going on there.

 

[trevcda]

The problem is by the time they realize they've gotten used to playing the much smaller,thinner neck on the guitar, Using the corect guitar techniques, finger positions etc.

A lot of good advise above me, but this would be my contribution as well. 30 years of muscle memory on a smaller neck and scale is going to need some retraining. I get the same thing when I play my fanned fret instruments after not picking them up for awhile. First thing is to stretch your finger, arms and shoulders before playing. This seems to allow you to spread your playing out a little easier. This is just good advice for playing anything as you get older, but more so when you're learning a new muscle skill. Second is to not over do it. Like any muscle development, pushing it will make it stronger, but trying to play through it, can do some damage that will take longer to recover from. Like was said above, working on relaxing your arm and hand while playing new things. Remember the death grip when learning sweep arpeggios on guitar? Same thing. Relax and slowly build it up. A lot less of your guitar skills apply here than you would think. Third, do some warm down stretching. If needed, consider finding someone that specializes in sports medicine messages and get your shoulders, arms and hands worked on occasionally. I don't recommend Craiglist for this!

 

[Bassmann79]

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.

My first thought would be that your hands are simply not conditioned properly and that will come with time. It takes quite a bit more strength in your fingers to play/bend bass strings versus guitar strings.

 

[5544]

Hi and welcome to TB.
...

He never blinks.

 

[HandsFree]

I'm assuming the fatigue issue is worse when playing low?
For that reason I always advice beginners to start playing around the middle of the neck, at a position where you can play without strain on the fretting hand. And then (over weeks) move towards the first position.

And when playing 1st position I always make sure that the neck is pointing upwards so my fretting hand stays a bit above shoulder hight. If the neck drops below that I immediately feel the strain in my hand increasing.

 

[Tahru]

After reading all these post several times over and watching this videos plus some more, I have a solution that I seems to be helping me a lot.

The second video @fearceol posted has a much more comfortable approach to thumb position which is really helping to relieve stress. That seems similar to what @Mushroo was talking about.

Also, the Simandl 1-2-4 suggested by @Zooberwerx was extremely helpful for relaxing in the low position. Never even heard of that before.

And I have been stretching in the manner described by @Killed_by_Death which is tougher than it seems. I am a software engineer by day, so my hands are subject to a whole different kind of stress there.

I am going to get my bass setup on Wednesday as the action could be a little lower. And I plan to spend my next bass lesson having another pair of eyes looking at my technique. Taking it slow as to not stress myself.

Thank you everyone for the solid advice! I must say that I am definitely feeling welcome in this community rich with solid people.

 

[fearceol]

The second video @fearceol posted has a much more comfortable approach to thumb position which is really helping to relieve stress. That seems similar to what @Mushroo was talking about.

Let the thumb go where it naturally needs or want to go. Here is another clip on the subject of the thumb.

 

[mambo4]

It could be the dreaded Beginner's Death Grip.

Dexterity is not Strength!
Often when a fingering is difficult our impulse is to press harder
But difficulty fingering should be a cue to pay attention to other things:
How you hold your bass, how straight is your wrist, using your arm not your grip.
It's an awareness issue. Gary Willis has an excellent exercise for building that awareness:



Notice the angle he holds his bass -it helps him use arm pressure not grip pressure
notice the straightness of his wrist - it reduces stress on the tendons and increases finger strength