Double Bass Posture/Stance Correction

[debris]

I have been playing upright for almost 9 years, and just today I was able to make what I think is a significant change in my standing playing posture.

I had in the past been instructed to stand with the bass between my left knee and anchored into my side, so as to not have the bass fall when I took my hands off of it (i.e. not be suporting it with my hands to make shifting easier). However, the way I have been doing it angles the bass towards my body such that long bow strokes on the E string were blocked from their full range of motion.

I was wanting to change this after seeing said effect on my playing about 2 years ago in an orchestral ensemble, and observing that another player in my section, much my senior, was angling his bass more away from his body and had his arm out across the instrument more. However, the way I was standing really wouldn't allow for it, so I just kept doing what I had been doing.

This year again I saw another bassist in my section, again much my senior, playing with his feet more apart and with the bass angled more away from him, which made me think again about my stance.

Somehow in rehearsal today I just kind of corrected myself. The bass ended up where it needed to be right when the downbeat was being given, and I guess I just went with it. It felt very natural, and there were several noticable differences which I saw as I played.

First, the lower strings were much more accessible, and longer bow strokes were no problem. The higher positions were also easier to reach, as the bass was supported more effectively.
Second, there was equal pressure on my feet. The way I used to stand would lean almost entirely on my right foot, to the point where I noticed I could even lift my left foot off the ground while playing. I am a very physically conscious person, and I knew there was no way that was a good thing--so I'm glad I changed it.
Third, my right arm was more arced over the bass, which I felt gave me more power and bow control.
Fourth, my lower back, which would start to hurt a little on the right side from leaning like I had been after playing for a while, didn't give me any trouble. Again, I'm glad I changed my posture--I could have foreseen problems with that particular issue down the road.

My upper back and shoulders were a little tired right after my concert today (the aforementioned rehearsal was before the performance), but that's undoubtedly just due to the new playing stance and the more elevated position of my shoulders. It was a muscular sensation, like the kind you would normally get from holding a certain position for a long period of time, rather than joint pain or anything I would be concerned about.

Needless to say, I am very happy with my new posture and have some new incentive to practice, which is always a good thing.

One final note: I have always seen the photo of Dave Holland from The Czech Ease ads in BassPlayer, where he's standing with his feet apart, and wondered if my stance should look more like that. I'm glad I can share in the posture of the pros now!

 

[Square Bear]

glad to hear this is working for you. if your back and shoulders were a little sore after the performance, this is a good thing. those muscle groups should always be engaged while playing. they won't get wore out the way smaller muscles (as in the hands and forearms) do.

 

[debris]

I have noticed before that my right forearm can feel strained after extended upright playing, which I hope my posture correction will alleviate.

This is from applying pressure to the strings with the bow, which seems like it should be a little easier with my bow arm more over the bass instead of pushing into it.

 

[Mike Goodbar]

I have noticed before that my right forearm can feel strained after extended upright playing, which I hope my posture correction will alleviate.

This is from applying pressure to the strings with the bow, which seems like it should be a little easier with my bow arm more over the bass instead of pushing into it.

Make sure you're using primarily gravity and the weight of your arm to bring the bow into the strings rather than "torque" from your elbow and wrist (a little is required as you reach the tip of the bow). I would have forearm pain, too, until I started approaching it this way.

With your new stance, I would think this should be more achievable.

 

[debris]

I did learn that gravity/your arm's weight was the main thing you're supposed to rely on a few years ago, but it had never worked out as well as I had thought--presumably due to the way I was standing now that that's come under scrutiny.

I agree, more bow pressure should be much more achievable after my change in position.


My bass lives primarily in the music building at my university, and I won't get at for the next few weeks, as my orchestra has stopped meeting for the semester and it's gone to my house--I can't wait to go practice these things.

It's kind of funny that I've known about several of the issues that came up in this thread, but they are only coming together now that I am standing in such a way that is conducive to their correct function. I'll say it wasn't a moment too soon!

It's kind of irritating in a way, because now I feel like I was held back through one improper technique even though I was aware of others that depended on the first's correct execution. I can't stand that.

 

[Square Bear]

welcome to the club. if you keep working at it, you'll learn new things about the bass and about yourself all the time. i do almost every time i practice. i'm glad this adjustment is working for you!

 

[debris]

I totally agree.

Probably one of the most significant things I've learned about myself especially in relation to my partnership with the bass has been over the last couple of years.

In June of '07 I put my left arm through a plate glass window at the end of a foot race and ended up with what look to be a lifetime injury.
I had multiple lacerations of my ulnar nerve and some serious tendon and artery damage in my left forearm, which has had some serious impacts of my playing, having initially paralyzed many of the muscles in my left hand and contributing to a loss of feeling in parts of my hand as well.

For starters, I couldn't play at all for about 10-12 weeks, and now I play almost exclusively with my first and second fingers. There just isn't enough dexterity in my third and fourth fingers to hold the string down on upright. I can do a little more with electric and acoustic bass guitar, but it's more or less limited to practice--I can't hit notes with them with enough accuracy where they can be incorporated them into performace just yet.

In addition to this physical impairment, which has radically altered my playing style and given me a lot more work to do physically than a bass player should probably have, I went through a lot of emotional turbulence dealing with the loss of ability and strength, both of which are traits I have always held in high esteem. Additionally I had to watch my peers progress while I was held back by somewhat of a restart on my instrument, as I was in high school when this happened.

Today I am not only able to play just as well as I could before, but in fact much better, as my mental growth as a musician was not really inhibited. If anything, it was spurred by the fact that I was handicapped physically. It's kind of amazing when I think about it that I am able to play with only two fingers on an instrument that requires such power and mobility and is so huge compared to others. I think if I had played guitar, my career would have been over, as chords would likely have been out of the question. I am trying to develop a tapping method involving more of my right hand to form some chords on electric bass, which is coming along. I believe the single noted nature of the bass has been part of the equation that enabled me to keep playing and growing on the instrument.

Another thing that amazes me is that no one really notices that I play that way unless they see me do it directly or I mention it to them. I just did a program with DBR, a violinist from NYC with this huge piece he composed for chamber orchestra, piano, voice, spoken word and solo violin, performed in my town of Raleigh, NC, and not one of the performers seemed to pick up on the fact that I was playing the way I did, or at least if they noticed they didn't say anything to me about it, which I would have expected knowing them. My stand partner and my conductor are the only people who know about my playing condition in my orchestra, but they treat me just as if I played normally. These facts really give me hope, as they allude to the fact that my playing sounds just like that of any other bassist, which is a testament to how much I have overcome my physical challenge and kept up despite my disability.

That is definitely the first thing I think of in regard to my evolution on bass. It's a completely different element than I imagine anyone else has to deal with, and I have no idea how it will turn out later in my life. I was 16 when it happened and I'm 19 now, this being my ninth year of playing upright and my sixth on electric, so I'd wager there's a lot left to see concerning my injury and my musical career.

Again, you're absolutely right--there are discoveries every time you practice, and this posture adjustment marks one of my first non injury-related ones in recent times. It makes me happy to see that I am making "regular" bass discoveries rather than discoveries that have resulted from my injury!

 

[Mike Goodbar]

Wow! That's really an inspiring story. Big kudos to you for pulling through that experience and having the kind of positive outcome you've achieved.

You belong to the same club as guitar legend Django Reinhardt, whose left had was burned in a fire and left him the full use of only two fingers. Guess he managed to play pretty well in spite of that.

Congrats!

 

[debris]

Thanks man! I had considered posting about that before, and I'm glad it came up in this thread. As many times as I've told that story, there haven't been too many bassists on the recieving end. It's really good to hear feedback from the low end.

I learned about Django shortly after injuring myself, and now he's one of my musical heroes. I imagine he had some injury similar to mine, possibly with the ulnar nerve, but I'm not sure.