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Please Explain How You....

ZenG

ZenG

Guest
Dec 13, 2013
6,465
13,121
You can't get there from here
#1
Manage to play your bass with both arms just about hanging straight down...(even though you have a strap on your bass)....

I see guys on shows doing this all the time ...with the thumb on their fretting hand hooked over the neck....

I wear my bass higher......but just to see what it's like I've tried the ' low slung' approach a number of times....and I can't effectively play a damn thing like that.......it just does not work...

So how does it work for you? How do you get past the completely screwed up "play" angle?
 
#5
That is the right word. Can not believe I have not thought of that.:D It will come along by getting used to it. You'd have to be standing up when practicing as to get consistent with your form.:bassist: I found it hard before when sitting down at home practicing then standing at band rehearsals and gigs.
 
#7
Argassab said:
It is a balance of looking cool and technique.
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and comfort, I've always played with the bass low so it just feels comfortable for me,, having the bass under your chin puts my arms & wrists in uncomfortable positions and my thumb barely touches the neck so it doesn't matter if it's behind or infront although it is on the back most of the time.
 
#9
I never thought I played my bass low, but this weekend a friend saw these pics and made mention of it. Seems totally natural to me, and I feel my wrists are in a much better position that those who wear them there bass necklaces.
 

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#10
I like to keep my bass fairly low slung. Better ergos on my plucking hand. But I have the neck pointed upward at a fairly severe angle (better ergos on fretting hand). This allows me to play comfortably, hopefully reduce the chance of carpal tunnel, and it helps with fitting onto small stages.
 
#11
BazzTard said:
Isn't that Sid Vicious?, he couldn't play the bass AT ALL
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Yes it is, and no he couldn't :-) I guess if you are thumping out open E/A and octave E/A at the 7th all night it doesn't really matter - for anything else

ZenG said:
So how does it work for you? How do you get past the completely screwed up "play" angle?
Click to expand...

It doesn't!! When playing bass I have the bridge at waist height and neck angled to bring the nut to about chin height. Right arm almost straight and fingers of both hands are perpendicular to the strings with my left wrist vertically under the fingerboard and thumb just below the centre-line of the neck. Anything else just feels alien and whilst it might look 'cool' is a sure-fire route to Tendinitis and/or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
 
#12
The neck plate on my P bass matches up exactly with my belt buckle, gnawing holes in my T-shirt unless I'm careful. This lets me play with my picking arm in a fairly relaxed position (elbow and wrist nearly straight), and I don't rest my arm on the edge of the bass. I had the strap a fair bit shorter when I started out, but kept lengthening it because my right shoulder would hurt after a while from holding the picking arm up.

The fretting arm would certainly like the bass slightly higher, but it works well like this as long as I keep the bass at the correct angle. I regard "bass wants to stay horizontal" as neck dive.

As a result from always practicing standing up with the bass at this height, I can't really play while sitting down. While recording a particularly challenging (for me) part a few months ago, the drummer suggested it might be easier if I sat down. After one try, he suggested that I never sit down to record again. :)
 
#16
When I used to play just with a pick I wore my bass lower. Now it's just about on my gut (same height as sitting and playing.).

If I'm slapping a lot on a gig it comes up a little higher. It's all about comfort.
 
#19
ZenG said:
Manage to play your bass with both arms just about hanging straight down...(even though you have a strap on your bass)....

I see guys on shows doing this all the time ...with the thumb on their fretting hand hooked over the neck....

I wear my bass higher......but just to see what it's like I've tried the ' low slung' approach a number of times....and I can't effectively play a damn thing like that.......it just does not work...

So how does it work for you? How do you get past the completely screwed up "play" angle?
Click to expand...

I don't do it. I wear my bass high same location when I'm sitting or standing. Main reason I like to be able to - using a high stool - sit down and take a break but still play.
 
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