What is this condition?

[Iron Miska]

Hi,
In my fretting hand, there is a tingling sensation even when it's resting or holding the mouse. It's not very pronounced nor painful, but it's noticable. Mainly affects the muscle between my thumb and index finger, and the middle of my palm.

Then there are other random sensations; like tiny needles, popping up and subsiding randomly in my hand. Sometimes I get the tingling feeling in my fingertips.

This whole thing started after a few weeks into learning Teen Town. I practiced slowly for an hour every day. Then the base of my thumb started to ache after around 5 weeks so I stopped. Since then, I only play for like 10-15 minutes a day. The pain disappeared after a few weeks and now I only have these tingling sensations and occasional little pains.

I went to a bass teacher who praised my fretting technique and said that there is nothing wrong with it.

I bought a good strap and switched to super light gauge strings and even got a pro setup. Hard to tell if it helped because this tingling and other slight sensations are constant throughout most of the day. It didnt get worse when trying to play.

I'm afraid playing more because I don't want these effects to become more pronounced. I'm not sure about what I did wrong in the first place.

 

[fearceol]

My suggestion would be first to seek the advice of a doctor or physiotherapist. The cause could be your technique (despite what the bass teacher said) or simply over playing. Aches in the base of the thumb sounds like you may be gripping the neck too tightly. Another issue could be the action of the strings. How close/far are they to the fretboard, though you did say you got a pro set up on the bass.

Stop playing or cut it down drastically until you get a medical diagnosis and a treatment programme. In the meantime you could do some reading from this link.

Health Related Issues To Playing

Best of luck.

 

[Mushroo]

Probably caused by bad technique, most likely your thumb position. Do not ignore these warning signs!

I know you said your teacher likes your technique. (Probably because they're the one that taught it to you.) At this point I recommend a "second opinion" from a different teacher. Or post some photos or a video clip here, and we'd be happy to give you our thoughts.

Without seeing you play, I'm just going to take an educated guess that your thumb is in an uncomfortable position and/or you are stretching your fingers too far apart.

A final comment is that there are video clips on YouTube of Jaco playing Teen Town. If you are struggling with Teen Town then make sure you study how Jaco did it. What you will probably notice if you study, is that Jaco is more relaxed than you. Teen Town was in his comfort zone, and he's not really "pushing the envelope" of his abilities. Or maybe a particular section you're struggling with, you'll see Jaco used a different fingering, and it will push you past that roadblock.

 

[Jainarayan]

I discovered this with the guitar, because I’m primarily guitar just getting into bass. But I see the same potential problem. Placing my thumb on the back of the neck puts that strain on my same thumb area. I found it goes away when I wrap my hand around the neck. I just have to make sure he heel of my palm is far enough out to not mute the e or b on the guitar, or G on the bass, or make them sound like a sitar.

 

[Iron Miska]

@all Thanks for the answers.

Probably caused by bad technique, most likely your thumb position. Do not ignore these warning signs!

I know you said your teacher likes your technique. (Probably because they're the one that taught it to you.) At this point I recommend a "second opinion" from a different teacher. Or post some photos or a video clip here, and we'd be happy to give you our thoughts.

Without seeing you play, I'm just going to take an educated guess that your thumb is in an uncomfortable position and/or you are stretching your fingers too far apart.

A final comment is that there are video clips on YouTube of Jaco playing Teen Town. If you are struggling with Teen Town then make sure you study how Jaco did it. What you will probably notice if you study, is that Jaco is more relaxed than you. Teen Town was in his comfort zone, and he's not really "pushing the envelope" of his abilities. Or maybe a particular section you're struggling with, you'll see Jaco used a different fingering, and it will push you past that roadblock.

I sought out this teacher to identify the bad things in my technique and solve this pain issue. It wasn't he who taught it to me. I developed it myself.
At first I bent both my wrists in a nearly 90 degree angle. I thought this was OK because I saw so many people doing the same. Now I see that it's a terrible thing to do. My teacher saw me playing after I corrected this.

My theory is that I damaged some nerve running through the wrists by curling them so severely at first. In my opening post I forgot to add that my plucking hand has the same issue. Some days it's the same intensity as my fretting hand, but usually it's a bit less pronounced. What's frightening about it is that even weeks after correcting this, I still have these little pains.

Interesting thing is that I don't have any issue clenching my fists, or exerting force with my fingers (i.e. opening doors, picking up things etc).

I will try to make a video about my playing tomorrow.

 

[Gorn]

I recommend consulting a licensed physician.

 

[Malcolm1935]

I had problems like you mentioned and cured most of them by fretting with the pad of my finger not the tip. Fretting with the pad puts the wrist in the "correct" position.

Went to the Doctor and surgery was necessary. In office not a big deal. Pre-CT condition was corrected on the other hand with a brace I wore while sleeping.

Long story short, see a Doctor.

 

[Jack Deth]

nearly 90 degree angle

That is almost certainly the issue, but a qualified doctor should definitely be consulted immediately. Wrists should always be kept as close to straight as possible so tendons do not get strained/damaged. After enough time, they actually get severely damaged by moving against the bones when the angle is too great. Think about rubbing a rope back and forth across a sharp corner, similar scenario.

 

[hbarcat]

I developed numbness and tingling some years ago and discovered it was because I was spending too much time every day on a PC using a mouse. I cut back my computer time and the problem went away.

I'm now in my 50s and play bass 10 - 12 hours per week with zero hand problems.

 

[sean_on_bass]

I've experienced this multiple times over my playing career. Your body is telling you something, and it likely relates to your left hand technique or overuse of your left hand. Take a week off from playing to allow your body to heal, then start practicing again but deliberately working on a lighter and more comfortable left hand technique. Take note of the variables that help you play without strain, like your wrist angle, arc/spread of the fingers, amount of pressure on string, etc. If you start to feel strain while playing, stop playing for the day immediately.

Other things to think about:

-Are you spreading your hand in lower positions to line up each finger to a fret? You may find that spreading your hand over 3 frets rather than 4 is more comfy.

-Do you squeeze your hand when fretting a note? You may find that pulling your hand back using your arm/shoulder strength is more efficient than squeezing.

-Try changing your thumb position behind the neck. Some folks like to have their thumb relaxed and pointing toward the headstock. Others might actually bring the thumb up over the top of the neck a la Jimmy Hendrix. There is no rightest way, just finding which way is the most comfortable for you.

 

[Jack Deth]

Others might actually bring the thumb up over the top of the neck a la Jimmy Hendrix. There is no rightest way, just finding which way is the most comfortable for you.

Over the top thumb position is wrong and can severely damage tendons. Pivoting on the thumb with palm not touching the neck is the optimal technique as it aids in keeping the wrist as straight as possible (which is the goal). I have a 7 string bass I play often along with multiple 5 and 6 string basses. I exclusively use the pivot technique, and have not had any issues with tingling or numbness. There is an excellent book written by Dr. Randall Kertz for maintaining your health while playing bass, strongly recommended.

 

[sean_on_bass]

Over the top thumb position is wrong and can severely damage tendons. Pivoting on the thumb with palm not touching the neck is the optimal technique as it aids in keeping the wrist as straight as possible (which is the goal). I have a 7 string bass I play often along with multiple 5 and 6 string basses. I exclusively use the pivot technique, and have not had any issues with tingling or numbness. There is an excellent book written by Dr. Randall Kertz for maintaining your health while playing bass, strongly recommended.

Don't agree in the slightest, sorry. Also if you play extended range basses you are likely to use different technique than those of us that stick with 4 strings. I could see myself using your technique if i used a 7 string bass too, but i generally prefer to actually get gigs.

 

[WrapRough]

Over the top thumb position is wrong...

Look at this clown playing the bass all wrong!

 

[arbiterusa]

See a doctor. Could be (and probably is) a nerve issue, but you want to rule out a cardiac issue, because what you’re describing is very similar to what my drummer buddy was feeling in his left hand for a few weeks before his emergency bypass surgery.