Right hand wrist angle...?

[MistaMarko]

I notice when I play, the palm of my hand is at a right angle with my forearm.

Is this improper? Or does it matter? I read that after so long of playing with a bent wrist you can develop problems.

 

[Tony G]

You should play however is comfortable to you. I often find my wrist pretty well bent as well.

 

[MikeT]

I think it might depend on what you're playing. When I first started I usually played sitting down with my wrist bent at a 90 degree angle, and didn't have any problems. After I'd been playing for a few years I started getting into faster and more technical stuff, I found that after playing fast for an hour or so I started to develop some numbness, like "pins and needles" in my lower arm and hand. I play with my wrist straight now, and stretch my wrists and warm up before I play and haven't had any problems since.

 

[IanStephenson]

keep both wrists as straight as possible - not doing so is storing up trouble down the line...

Ian

 

[Johnny Crab]

Been doing this since 1965 most likely. It varies between what you see in the pic and 90 degree angle....mainly the song, how it's played, speed, etc. calls for different wrist angle(IMO). When sitting and figuring stuff out or tweaking sounds or practicing in general...it's a lot of 90 degree angle. This is from 1984 or so. It still looks the same now when I play most of the time:

thumb dug that hole in the wood over more than a decade of use.

 

[HaVIC5]

Bent wrists lead to RSI's. That's a medical fact. Adapting technique to allow for both wrists to be as straight as possible is the only way to avoid carpal tunnel and tendonitis.

 

[fearceol]

You might like to take a look at the "Floating Thumb" technique sticky near the top of this forum. With this, the wrist is straight and you can also mute the unplayed strings with your thumb.

 

[MistaMarko]

Well, I notice it's really only right angled when I'm sitting. When I stand it's more like 45 degrees. It just seems too hard for me to 'dig into' a bassline with straight wrist because I can't really use the meat of the finger...I'm almost forced to use the tips.

 

[Pacman]

Bent wrists lead to RSI's. That's a medical fact. Adapting technique to allow for both wrists to be as straight as possible is the only way to avoid carpal tunnel and tendonitis.

Hang on there, cowboy. Bent wrists are a factor in RSIs. I've been playing with around a 90 degree bend in my right wrist for over 20 years - not one problem. First and foremost, be comfortable. Then, play only as hard as you need to get good tone.

here's me, 20 years down the road:

 

[Dr. Eagle]

I keep mine relatively straight unless soloing or during fast passages. My music teacher and I watched Entwistle do his solo from the Quadrophenia tour from the late 90s and he noticed he used a semi Flamenco guitar hand position bent way over the strings during that solo.

 

[DocBop]

keep both wrists as straight as possible - not doing so is storing up trouble down the line...

Ian

+100

Look at classic guitarist they are one of the instruments old enough that proper position for playing without injury has evolved. Left hand the neck is up and elbow down. Almost a straight line between forearm, wrist, and hand. Right hand elbow out and minimal wrist bend.

I was lucky when I went to music school we had a doctor who was a musician and studied the injuries and problems that can come from improper playing position and not warming up. Just briefly hold you forearm up and left your wrist drop. That is the most you should let your wrist bend. In fast move your finger like you are playing and bend the wrist further, you will feel the tenstion build in your wrist.

I have been doing a lot of receptive motion playing music and working on computers since the 70's and no problems. Only thing I have ever done to try not to bend my wrist any more than I have to. Then if I do develop any persistent pain, I figure my body is telling me something and I work on my position.

 

[Cristo]

The bent wrist will increase the likelihood of having some type of repetitive stress injury.

It is not guarateed to happen, evidenced by the fact that some people do it and are just fine. You could call it a "risk factor," like smoking and heart attacks. Not all smokers get them, but smoking increases the chances.

If you can play with a bent wrist, and like to, and it doesn't hurt, then you are OK. If it starts giving you problems, you will need to straighten the wrist, or else suffer the consequences.

It's not like it is a sudden onset irreversible thing - if it starts bothering you, change, otherwise you are apparently OK.

 

[Sheep Man]

As an occupational therapy student...
I have to agree with Pacman up there. And Cristo.

Personally, I tend to have my wrist bent at a comfortable angle, kind of flopping down simply due to gravity. I tend to leave my bass hanging at around stomach height, so depending on how far I stick out my arm/shoulder, the angle will vary between about 45 and 90 degrees. It hasn't led to any problems for me, and if I keep playing this way I don't see it developing anything, since I've never felt any discomfort in my wrists to date.

 

[doctorjazz]

I'm pretty much at a right angle whenever I play a 6 string, it helps me get a consistent attack across all the strings. When I play a four, it might go down to a 60 degree angle, but still pretty far bent. It comes with the territory when you wear the bass as high as I do.

 

[MistaMarko]

How do you play without any wrist angle? Just trying I can't find it possible...unless you bring your right elbow way up in the air...I mean it seems like you almost have to have wrist angle...but my question is..how much angle is too much?

 

[theshadow2001]

How do you play without any wrist angle? Just trying I can't find it possible...unless you bring your right elbow way up in the air...I mean it seems like you almost have to have wrist angle...but my question is..how much angle is too much?