So Im new to bass about a year. And I'm starting to get into playing some faster songs where the notes are really galloping. My forearm and wrist cramp up like halfway through a 2 minute song.! Any advice on how to alleviate this side effect so I can raise hell?
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Newb technique question
- Thread starter lucathakid
- Start date
Play more. Seriously, that's just something you're going to have to progress through.
The only other option is not playing fast songs.
The only other option is not playing fast songs.
There is an exercise thread up above. There's some great warmups and stamina exercises in it. Once you've been playing for a few months and do those exercises everyday it'll resolve itself faster than you think.
Make sure you stretch your hands both before and after. Start out with slow warm ups before you attempt to play fast. The goal here is to not damage your hands. Speed takes awhile to build so don't be discouraged if it takes some time to play comfortably.
Not a problem. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the thread or private message me. Happy playing!
Adjust your position so that wrists are not bent. They should be somewhat straight in line with your forearms.
It implies playing a bit higher than people usually do, with the nack at roughly 45° and keeping your arms away from your body.
The right forearm should float just above the body of the bass, even slightly touch the edge but not rest on it or it compresses the tendons.
It implies playing a bit higher than people usually do, with the nack at roughly 45° and keeping your arms away from your body.
The right forearm should float just above the body of the bass, even slightly touch the edge but not rest on it or it compresses the tendons.
- Jul 30, 2006
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- Endorsing artist:Regenerate Guitar Works Carvin, Micheal Kelly Guitars
And don't forget it takes dedicated time and practice to develop technique.
Speed is a product of technique
Learn the gallop at slow tempo
Concentrate on being relaxed and carefully study your plucking or pick strokes
Keep steady time and if you have good technique you should have no pain
Slow the tempo until you find a speed where you can effortlessly gallop for as long as you want
Practice that everyday for as many days as you can, just for 5 to 10 minutes a day irrespective of whatever else you play or practice
After how ever many days when you reach a point of getting bored with it leave the gallop for 3 weeks and do other stuff
Come back on 3 weeks and repeat all of the above
If you are patient and resist impatience and practice technique and not push through pain for speed you will build a technique where galloping will be second nature and the speed that you are physically capable of will come...
Same applies for any other techniques you want to build
Concentration, relaxation, execution, patience and dedication....
Speed is a product of technique
Learn the gallop at slow tempo
Concentrate on being relaxed and carefully study your plucking or pick strokes
Keep steady time and if you have good technique you should have no pain
Slow the tempo until you find a speed where you can effortlessly gallop for as long as you want
Practice that everyday for as many days as you can, just for 5 to 10 minutes a day irrespective of whatever else you play or practice
After how ever many days when you reach a point of getting bored with it leave the gallop for 3 weeks and do other stuff
Come back on 3 weeks and repeat all of the above
If you are patient and resist impatience and practice technique and not push through pain for speed you will build a technique where galloping will be second nature and the speed that you are physically capable of will come...
Same applies for any other techniques you want to build
Concentration, relaxation, execution, patience and dedication....
Your forearm cramps are good, that's where it should be, if your wrist is tired in relation to the forearm all is good, if it is sore and tight then it is not. All issues should clear within minutes, there should be no lasting tiredness as such.
Drink lots of fluids, eat an energy bar before practice, and have bites out of a bannana or another energy bar as you practice, and sip on fluids.
To increase your stamina, try this;
The warm up;
rub your forearms around a few times and shake your hands and wrists as they hang by your side to loosen them up.
The movement;
is to fully open and spead your fingers as wide as you can, then close them in to a fist, thumb stays on the outside and the wrist stay in line with the forearm...try not to let the hand wobble within the movement, so a firm wrist, but a comfortable firm, not a stiff firm.
The exercise;
is to fully open and close your fingers as describes as fast as you can.
The control;
for this exercise is, get a watch and time yourself over 20 seconds and count how many you do.
Never extend the exercise over 20 seconds ( a set ), the object is to do more repetitions within the 20 second set, not to do them for longer, that is not the exercise.
The warm down;
same as the warm up, or follow the link for some more warm up/downs to use,
When you can double your original starting numbers you do not need the exercise in this form anymore...it will have done is job and playing with do the rest for you so stop it.
You will notice that the cramp that slows you down in this exercise is the exact same feeling in the exact same places in the forearm as your playing cramp........this tells you the correct muscle groups are being targeted. But rather than taking minutes to cramp you, you are being cramped in seconds....and with a straight wrist.
Normally a rub of the forearms and a five minutes rest will see you recovered and able to do them again.
Do five sets a day for the first week, then do five twice a few hours apart in the second week, you should be done with this exercise within a few weeks to a month.
Drink lots of fluids, eat an energy bar before practice, and have bites out of a bannana or another energy bar as you practice, and sip on fluids.
To increase your stamina, try this;
The warm up;
rub your forearms around a few times and shake your hands and wrists as they hang by your side to loosen them up.
The movement;
is to fully open and spead your fingers as wide as you can, then close them in to a fist, thumb stays on the outside and the wrist stay in line with the forearm...try not to let the hand wobble within the movement, so a firm wrist, but a comfortable firm, not a stiff firm.
The exercise;
is to fully open and close your fingers as describes as fast as you can.
The control;
for this exercise is, get a watch and time yourself over 20 seconds and count how many you do.
Never extend the exercise over 20 seconds ( a set ), the object is to do more repetitions within the 20 second set, not to do them for longer, that is not the exercise.
The warm down;
same as the warm up, or follow the link for some more warm up/downs to use,
When you can double your original starting numbers you do not need the exercise in this form anymore...it will have done is job and playing with do the rest for you so stop it.
You will notice that the cramp that slows you down in this exercise is the exact same feeling in the exact same places in the forearm as your playing cramp........this tells you the correct muscle groups are being targeted. But rather than taking minutes to cramp you, you are being cramped in seconds....and with a straight wrist.
Normally a rub of the forearms and a five minutes rest will see you recovered and able to do them again.
Do five sets a day for the first week, then do five twice a few hours apart in the second week, you should be done with this exercise within a few weeks to a month.
Lots of good advice. Ultimately you will be faster the more you can relax. If you're tensing up on the fast parts it's not really helping you to play faster. I know it was posted above, but it's good advice worth repeating.
I'm not sure why so many people are making it sound like you should just ignore cramps/soreness because you really shouldn't. When you feel pain its your body telling you to stop, so unless your doing a gig or something important then you should call it quits for the day if you start getting cramps or anything. If you just keep going like i did last summer you'll start to get carpel tunnel or tendinitis, i managed to keep damage to a minimal by wearing a wrist support and using my hand/wrist as little as possible as soon i knew something was wrong but it still "comes and goes". So seriously just give it time and it'll stop in a few months after you gain some muscle.
If you feel pain or are cramping stop, but if you feel a bit of burn in your muscles it is ok to keep on for a couple of seconds. It is like any other exercise. The burn is necessary for muscular development.
Pain, on the other hand, is a sign to stop. It is also an indicator that there is improper technique being used.
Just remember to stretch after practice and warm up before strenuous playing.
When you play fast and start to feel the burn, play for a couple for seconds, then stop and stretch out. When the burn is gone, and you feel like your hand/forearm is back to normal, do it again. Keep this up and eventually your muscles will relax, and you will be able to play at that speed effortlessly. Then step it up 10bpm.
Just remember to maintain proper technique, mind the angle of both wrists, and plenty of stretching. When you reach the point that you feel like you are really having to push for basic patterns, call it a day. Dont forget to add a day of rest, too.
Pain, on the other hand, is a sign to stop. It is also an indicator that there is improper technique being used.
Just remember to stretch after practice and warm up before strenuous playing.
When you play fast and start to feel the burn, play for a couple for seconds, then stop and stretch out. When the burn is gone, and you feel like your hand/forearm is back to normal, do it again. Keep this up and eventually your muscles will relax, and you will be able to play at that speed effortlessly. Then step it up 10bpm.
Just remember to maintain proper technique, mind the angle of both wrists, and plenty of stretching. When you reach the point that you feel like you are really having to push for basic patterns, call it a day. Dont forget to add a day of rest, too.
That's what I love about Talkbass... lots of good people with lots of good advice. Talkbass has proven to be a valuable resource for everything bass related for me over the years! My wallet hates Talkbass, but my tone LOVES it. lol
Lots of good advice, particularly warm up, warm down, and good positioning. Focusing on not being tense is a good one too... I have to remember to keep my plucking hand loose when I play Rocco/Tower of Power!
danielfnj96 makes an important point... if things start to hurt, pretty important to stop immediately!
5sg.
We had this awesome warm up before we did combatives in the Army (basically MMA), where we'd rotate every single finger and both thumbs 10 times each. I do it before I start playing and It seems to help.
Also, remember: If it burns, keep going until you can't stand it. If its sharp or dull pain, stop for a while. If its always sharp or dull pain, consult a doctor. I found one that told me my fixed anchor position on a 6 was jacking my stuff all up (yes, he worked with me even though he wasn't a musician) and recommended I find a smaller instrument or change techniques. A doctor doesn't need to be Vic Wooten to know if what you're doing is harmful.
(I didn't listen and my hand pain become too much to handle in a few months, causing me to put down bass playing for years, and the Army made bass playing near impossible because I was not putting a good bass in the barracks where people could, and often did, steal things. I'm very adamant on player health because I've felt the effects and losing out on that time sucks)
Also, remember: If it burns, keep going until you can't stand it. If its sharp or dull pain, stop for a while. If its always sharp or dull pain, consult a doctor. I found one that told me my fixed anchor position on a 6 was jacking my stuff all up (yes, he worked with me even though he wasn't a musician) and recommended I find a smaller instrument or change techniques. A doctor doesn't need to be Vic Wooten to know if what you're doing is harmful.
(I didn't listen and my hand pain become too much to handle in a few months, causing me to put down bass playing for years, and the Army made bass playing near impossible because I was not putting a good bass in the barracks where people could, and often did, steal things. I'm very adamant on player health because I've felt the effects and losing out on that time sucks)
I have this great exercise that I assure you will help.
Get a metronome. Mark what tempo you are playing at.
Now, slow down. Just 5-10 beats per minute. Once you feel you've mastered it at the slower tempo -- slow down again. Master it at a still slower tempo. Then slow down again. Master it at a really slow tempo. Make sure you are playing every note carefully, and without any undue stress in your hands.
If you want to go Jedi Master on this trick, slow it down to 40 BPM, and then put the metronome at 80 bpm, double the beats, and keep slowing down (basically make every 2 beats at 80 one beat at 40, then you can go to tempos below 40). Slow it down until it's sick. Play it several times like that.
Now play fast again, and see if your hands aren't like 1,000,000 times more relaxed. This whole process should take about an hour, and I bet you will be stunned at how different the song seems after you've taken the tempo down like that.
The important part of this is the slower you go the more careful you can be about rehearsing your hand position, so it's easier to get your hands to relax. in a hurry, you try to grip the bass as hard as you can because you're working harder. You rehearse that tension, you play it back when you perform.
Slow down and rehearse without the tension. Then your hands won't get tired as quickly.
Get a metronome. Mark what tempo you are playing at.
Now, slow down. Just 5-10 beats per minute. Once you feel you've mastered it at the slower tempo -- slow down again. Master it at a still slower tempo. Then slow down again. Master it at a really slow tempo. Make sure you are playing every note carefully, and without any undue stress in your hands.
If you want to go Jedi Master on this trick, slow it down to 40 BPM, and then put the metronome at 80 bpm, double the beats, and keep slowing down (basically make every 2 beats at 80 one beat at 40, then you can go to tempos below 40). Slow it down until it's sick. Play it several times like that.
Now play fast again, and see if your hands aren't like 1,000,000 times more relaxed. This whole process should take about an hour, and I bet you will be stunned at how different the song seems after you've taken the tempo down like that.
The important part of this is the slower you go the more careful you can be about rehearsing your hand position, so it's easier to get your hands to relax. in a hurry, you try to grip the bass as hard as you can because you're working harder. You rehearse that tension, you play it back when you perform.
Slow down and rehearse without the tension. Then your hands won't get tired as quickly.
I have gotten loads of advice, more so in the electronics side of things and frequencies. Is a great website alright. I must get the money to help contribute too. Have always had my questions answered I truly needed help.
On topic. The gallop for me, is a triplet feel. For that I use ring, middle, index finger in succession over and over(Say for the trooper). For songs like say disposable heroes by metallica, it has triplets and and standard fast notes, I'd switch between 3 and 2 fingers. It just depends on the song. Most important thing is to practice. Across every string.
There is a lot of great advise here, especially on how to tell "good" pain from "bad" pain. I would add to check your setup and tone... after years of following the "Flea" approach to bass (play every note as hard as if it would be your last) which gave me some reasonable stamina and punch, the idea of a low string setting combined with high volume and a light touch has grown on me. You may as well find, that you will be able to play fast and complex lines for a long time with a very balanced attack and tone. Also try some lighter gauged strings to get used to higher frequency finger style... you can put on heavy gauge for the gigs
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