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Thumb behind the neck.

P

Poop-Loops

Inactive
Mar 3, 2006
5,488
8
40
Auburn, Washington
#1
I've been having trouble with keeping my thumb behind the neck of the bass. If the "meaty" part of my thumb (with the thumb print) is on the dead center of the neck, my wrist bends horribly and it hurts. Teacher said it doesn't have to be dead center, so now I play with having my first knuckle (closest to thumb nail) at that spot, instead. It helps with the wrist issues, but I can't press down the strings as well because of the angle.

Anybody have any suggestions?
 
#2
The first thing that comes to mind is, how is the bass positioned? If you are standing, how low is the bass hanging on your strap? Yeah, I know that many folks may disagree and say it looks cool to hang the bass low, but it's a real killer for left hand technique! If you are in a sitting position, try raising the angle of the neck so that the headstock sits a little higher.

If you think about it, most of the respected players with good technique are those who do not hang the bass too low, and do not rest the left hand thumb on the top (E string or B string) side of the neck.
 
#3
It just takes time to build up the strength. i play with it dead center. its usually about even with my middle finger on the other side of the neck. but like i said in the other thread, shortcuts will catch upto you int he long run. play the best way you can but dont stray too far from the proper way.

take the proper way and make it your own.
 
#5
alot of ppl may disagree with me, but i find whatever feels best works best. as long as its not too weird and waaaaaay off the textbook method, ul be fine.. i just play however feels comfortable. build up ur own technique over the years, or do what ppl say, even if it feels uncomfortabel (which is advice i suggest u dont take).


just my 2 cents
 
#6
I play in the classical position and try to keep the bass at a 45º angle. Anything else is uncomfortable. I also think it's neck heavy, because when standing, it wants to go almost horizontal, and that sucks. :(

No, I have strength when I'm playing dead center. But my wrist is also super bent. When I put my knuckle on the "center" instead of my thumb, it gets easier on the wrist, but harder to press down.

Should I bend my thumb when I play? I keep it pretty much straight...
 
#9
PrimusNut said:
alot of ppl may disagree with me, but i find whatever feels best works best. as long as its not too weird and waaaaaay off the textbook method, ul be fine.. i just play however feels comfortable. build up ur own technique over the years, or do what ppl say, even if it feels uncomfortabel (which is advice i suggest u dont take).


just my 2 cents
Click to expand...

+1
 
#12
I do think that technique is important. I am an orchestra director and I've learned that there are a lot of "wrong" ways to hold/play a violin. When I try to correct students; they may say, "That feels weird/strange/uncomfortable."

They aren't able to see far enough into the future of their playing. The way they choose to hold/play their instrument will keep them from being able to do more advanced techniques later on (like vibrato, double stops, triple stops, and shifting to higher positions).

I understand that we are all built a little differently and we each have subtle differences in our technique; however, I believe there should be some parameters.

It's frustrating to re-learn later on down the road. Find a good/patient/organized teacher to help you.

Joe
 
#14
Bassist4Life said:
I do think that technique is important. I am an orchestra director and I've learned that there are a lot of "wrong" ways to hold/play a violin. When I try to correct students; they may say, "That feels weird/strange/uncomfortable."

They aren't able to see far enough into the future of their playing. The way they choose to hold/play their instrument will keep them from being able to do more advanced techniques later on (like vibrato, double stops, triple stops, and shifting to higher positions).

I understand that we are all built a little differently and we each have subtle differences in our technique; however, I believe there should be some parameters.

It's frustrating to re-learn later on down the road. Find a good/patient/organized teacher to help you.

Joe
Click to expand...

+1 on that
The 'what ever works for you is good' -thing only takes you so far.
 
#16
PrimusNut said:
alot of ppl may disagree with me, but i find whatever feels best works best. as long as its not too weird and waaaaaay off the textbook method, ul be fine.. i just play however feels comfortable. build up ur own technique over the years, or do what ppl say, even if it feels uncomfortabel (which is advice i suggest u dont take).


just my 2 cents
Click to expand...

That's all good and nice until you get a few years under your belt and start to find that your hand cramps from bad playing technique.

Trust me, I'm playing that little game right now.
 
#17
im just saying what was told to me by a friend of mine who is a guitarist. there are right and wrong ways. like i said, if it isnt too far off the textbook method you should be fine, this way if you do have to adjust it wont take much because you werent far off in the first place.

i have seen les claypool play with his thumb hooked over the top of the neck. alot of musicians dont always go by the textbook method
 
#18
Bassist4Life said:
An image might be helpful. This is from
http://www.adamnitti.com/bass_player_03.shtml

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Hope this helps.

Joe
Click to expand...


Actually... it does! The picture explains a lot, thanks.

Yeah, I'm real big on doing things right the first time. I really don't want to waste time having to relearn something. That's why I got a teacher instead of doing it on my own. He has been trying to help me with my holding, but the picture just makes it more clear.
 
#20
I had my best practice to date today, actually.

My new strap came. Before, I had a 2" strap that would pinch a nerve or something and my hand would tingle and go numb after like 15-20 minutes of playing. The new strap is 3.5" so it's much wider and more comfortable. My hand started to tingle a bit anyway when I was playing low on the neck (I suspect bad technique), but then I just started doing something else that requried me to play higher up.

Instead of practicing scales as usual, my instructor gave me a jazz/blues piece on CD with charts (I guess that what you call them?) and said "these are the notes that will sound good. Keep with the beat, and have fun." and it was. I can't say I got real creative, but it was cool to experiment and still know what I'm doing (instead of experimenting by playing random notes...)
 

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