I try to find alternate fingerings for just about any of my super repetitive bass parts so that I can move my hand to one of the alternates if I get crampy and then move back... simply altering the position of your hand can make a difference.
I try to find alternate fingerings for just about any of my super repetitive bass parts so that I can move my hand to one of the alternates if I get crampy and then move back... simply altering the position of your hand can make a difference.
Was thinking just this. I had fatigue/cramp playing on lower frets. Had the nut lowered. Also more water. OK now.May be time to do another setup? See if you could lighten things up a touch. I drink "Smart Water" the day of / during / after a gig. Never any problems.
I had a wrist problem a few years ago that took some Physical Therapy over a few months to fix. It was caused by keeping constant pressure on my hand while using the keyboard and also when playing bass. The main answer was to be aware of what postures and positions of the hand and wrist were causing tension and developing habits that didn't use those postures and positions. I used a wrist braceOccasionally I play bass with an artist and his sets are at least an hour long, with very fast paced songs. The last 2 gigs my left hand has been bothering me a lot, cramping and specially my pinky gets overworked. I have been playing bass for almost 30 years and this has never happened before. I don't have bad technique but I think I need to start stretching and strengthening my left hand more, daily.
Anything you would suggest?
I had a wrist problem a few years ago that took some Physical Therapy over a few months to fix. It was caused by keeping constant pressure on my hand while using the keyboard and also when playing bass. The main answer was to be aware of what postures and positions of the hand and wrist were causing tension and developing habits that didn't use those postures and positions. I used a wrist brace
So I'd suggest you check out the way you normally hold your bass while playing it. It's good to do this in front of a mirror so you can observe without looking down. If the way you hold your bass is that way down low look with a big bend at your wrist, that's probably the culprit right there. That big bend on the wrist puts a lot of tension on your little finger and also on the muscle on the bottom edge of you forearm. However you hold it, the more bending at the wrist you have, the more tension you are putting on your fingers and the muscles in your hand and forearm.
If you have that big bend at the wrist, try changing the angle of the neck of your bass so the head is up around ear level or so. It doesn't have to be a "Bill Wyman" straight up angle but just angled up and not parallel to the stage. When playing it with that rising angle of the neck, your wrist stays straight or close to straight at all times. That usually means you are actually holding it in a more relaxed position. Also make sure the neck of your bass is angling away from your body at about a 45° angle. Both of these will help keep tension out of your hand and fingers while allowing you to move freely around on the fretboard, especially if you need to play above the 12th fret from time to time.
Another thing you can do is play the notes on your bass the way Bobby Vega does. I started playing in 1965, so I'm an old-time guy and a contemporary of Bobbie Vega's - don't know him but same age, and his method is what I have always used - unbeknown to me. That involves holding the neck in your hand at an angle and using the pad of your fingers for notes that you want to wring out and for runs that aren't particularly quick. Your thumb will be above the upper edge of the neck from this position and not anchored in the middle of the neck ( I know, heresy, heresy!). Your fretting hand has very little tension in this position. When you need to play faster or make staccato runs, play those notes with your finger tips and place your thumb at the middle of the back of the neck. I think that method is why I am so critical of fat necks and why they are so uncomfortable to me. A 60's slim c-shaped Jazz neck is just more comfortable for me to play.
I toured with a nightclub group for three years in the early 70's playing 4-hours per night, 5-nights per week, 50-weeks per year - so about 750 performances over that 3-year stretch and that method just naturally became ingrained in me. That's a lot of notes per night over a lot of nights! It is both easier and more efficient to play like that because there is less tension in your hand, your wrist and your forearm when playing ala "Bobby Vega" style.
One other suggestion - wash your hands with almost hot water right before playing. That helps relax all the muscles in your hands.
Here's the video where Bobby Vega explains it to Scott Devine (Scott's Bass Lessons) and I have it cued up to Bobby's explantion (the rest of the video is worth watching too). Notice how his hand postion changes and what part of his fingers he's using to fret the notes changes as he goes back and forth from smooth and slower to fast and back.