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Ow! Knuckle pain on right hand

bobbybass85

bobbybass85

Supporting Member
Dec 19, 2005
1,246
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Nashville, TN
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#1
Hey everyone!

I'm banking on the collective knowledge of our wonderful community here to help me with this.

I'm playing Footloose (the Kenny Loggins original version) at church this weekend along with 4 other songs. If you haven't listened to the bass in this song, it's a B#%CH. Fast, lots of movement, etc.

I noticed tonight while practicing that on my right hand (plucking hand) my ring finger, middle knuckle is really sore during and after playing. I'm not using a 3 finger plucking technique, only my middle and index. My ring finger does move with the other 2 as I play, but it's not utilized.

The pain is moderate, and is a somewhat sharp, cramping sensation. Kind of like when a joint needs to pop, but hasn't. I stretched out my hand in all directions and there were no pops or pulls. It doesn't hurt to stretch, only while I'm playing.

This weekend I've got rehearsal, and 4 services with and additional full pace dry-run. The song will be played at normal pace at least 8 times.

So the question is what can I do to:
A.) Help the pain in the immediate time?
B.) Do to prevent further pain in the future?

Thanks guys! I'm REALLY hoping you can save my.... finger... ;)
 
#3
Hey there Bobby! I have a few questions for you in order to hopefully help you with your problem. How do you position your plucking hand? I am assuming that you are playing finger-style from your post. Do you sit or stand and play?

If sitting, do you rest your forearm sharply on the top of the bass body, allowing the wight of your hand and arm to be supported by the thin part of the body (the side facing upwards)? If you do this, you are restricting blood flow to your hand and digits and putting extra strain on your forearm muscle, which will not allow the energy of your forearm to flow freely to your fingers. Since this muscle connects all the way down to your fingers, especially your pinky and ring fingers, it may explain why you are having finger pain in your ring finger. Another problem that this position creates is that is makes your wrist angle out sharply at about 90 degrees in order to hit the strings. This again impedes the natural flow of motion down to your fingers, and puts extra strain on your whole plucking hand. Instead, either don't rest your arm on the bass body at all, or rest it at a more gradual angle, allowing the FRONT of the body to rest more parallel against your forearm, instead of the top of the bass body putting a sharp point of pressure, causing a "pinch" of the forearm muscle. This will not only allow your forearm to be unimpeded, but will also put your wrist at a more natural angle. If you are standing and playing, this is probably not so much of an issue, because your right arm tends to hang down parallel to the body more naturally, and your arm is usually straighter without having to think about it.

Along the lines of technique, many seasoned bassists say that you shouldn't anchor your thumb on the pickup all the time. Adopting a "floating thumb technique" for your right hand mutes eases the tension on your right hand. There are plenty of videos online that show this technique. Scott Devine has a good one on youtube.

Another thing you can focus on in the short term is letting the bass amp do the work instead of your fingers. If you are playing a fast song that requires your focus, you may tend to tense your entire body up, including your hands. You may also be hitting the strings harder than you normally would with an easier song, because you are so concentrated on hitting the quick notes. It may be counter-intuitive, but try to relax when going fast. Turn your bass amp up to compensate the volume for a lighter touch.

In the long run, work on your hand massages and stretches before and after. Maybe also take some fish oil supplements to lubricate your joints, and extend the life of your hands.

One last thing, pain is a warning signal. Muscle fatigue is okay after a long set, but muscle and joint PAIN is different. Do not "play through the pain" because you have musical obligations. It is not smart in the long run to damage your digits permanently because you just had to play that last gig no matter what.
 
#4
Thanks Matthew!

I rarely play sitting down, and I've worked to get away from anchoring my thumb on the pickup and using the floating thumb technique. What I am noticing though is that as I play the higher strings I tend to roll my wrist over the top as I reach up there. When I play on the E and A strings my wrist is pretty straight, but it does bend almost 90 degrees when I play the D and G strings. I'll work on some techniques for that.

Also, I do need to work hard on playing faster, without playing HARDER. I absolutely start pounding when I get up to a certain speed.

Thanks again.
 

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