Quality straps that won't cost a lot

[Ryan L.]

4" Italia....they have pretty good "private" sales and you can usually score 2 for the price of 1 or less.

This. I've been using Italia straps for years.

 

[Jim C]

Exactly in front of me is today's takeaway happy fun meal (brought to you today by the syllables that complete the words "physical therapists") is how conscious awareness of our own muscle groups can alleviate shoulder pain. YMMV, I am not a doctor and I don't play one on TV or teh Interwebs, if symptoms persist for more than five hours ....

In the course of treatment for tendonitis of the left shoulder from calcium deposits and some minor arthritis, it appears to me useful to precisely inform the physical therapists of how I use my left arm with my bass.

"When I tell my doctor I am a bass player twice that I play bass, it is not to inform him of what a terrific human being I am," I say to the physical therapist who has worked with my recovery since April. "To some people," I opine, "the musician is the hired help."

"When I play I have this range of motion," (demonstrate), "and reach here to tune, and do this" (demonstrate) when I put it on and take it off."

A very simple matter and now she sees whet I am talking about. The exercises she shows me are now refined with all this in mind. More importantly, she makes certain I can feel the muscle groups so that I can hold that awareness day-to-day. And off I go.

Personally, having dealt with this shoulder for a while (it is my shoulder, after all, or so it appears to me) is a three inch wide fabric strap is most comfortable.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled realities. Ciao tutti

Great post.
Can you describe the exercises or perhaps reference a book?
After being rear-ended in a car accident I have about 15 minutes of neck exercises every day.
Maybe time to add a few more.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Thank you. I can do the exercises because I learned the exercises by being shown how to pay attention to what muscle I exercise. Uncertain I am able to describe them and in any case I see the doctor again in three days. Very eager to avoid surgery, so most of my attention is spent not on exercising those muscles, but becoming aware of and releasing tension there. Putting tension in that shoulder appears to be a long habit so it's a full time job.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Enough infos for a different post -

What I observe when I play bass is the more relaxed I am, the more relaxed my whole body. And I observe that when I teach myself something new my body will tense in different places until the new thing is integrated.

This relevant to bass straps as to me a strap should be able to move with me as I play. The freer I am to move as one with my physical bass, the less pain I feel in my body.

And I need a longer strap for this bass, and a shorter strap for this bass and it's back to browsing straps again

(that said, very happy with: Levy's 3 inch woven cotton strap; Franklin cinch cloth strap; and the groovy Dog Days strap. Also the original leather / cotton strap that came new with my 'Ray almost 40 years ago. That strap is retired but not gone )