When Your Wrists Let You Down

[sal4bass]

Craig, I'm glad you made it thorough all 10 pages of this post! You have a great asset that I did not have at your age - the ability to communicate with other bass players through the internet.

It is great to see a younger player taking possible RMI injuries seriously. Listen to your body and keep good technique and you should be just fine (and by all means get that knee looked at).

Thanks for the post and best of luck with your bass playing.

BTW, my parents used to say the same thing to me in the late 1970s when I switched from upright to playing blues and rock on electric - "It's just a fad and then he'll go back to playing the REAL music" (LOL).

 

[sal4bass]

"""I recently declined 2 offers to join bands since it would involve dragging my full bass rig to events (4x10, 1x18 cabs plus rack gear). I knew in a short time my wrists would be shot from moving the equipment around."""

You sure you need that much equipment? I thought so too until I switched to a Genz Shuttle, and a light 112 cabinet. Certainly if you are playing through a PA you don't need that much. Get a single 112 up on a stand by your ear and let the sound guy worry about your FOH.

Great point! I should downsize my rig. Some of the Markbass gear looks interesting to me for the light weight of their combo amps.

 

[Andrew Jones]

I just want to get a little love.

Feb 1st or so of this year I skier thumbed my left thumb ( torn ligament) serious injury.

Well after surgery, cast, rehab and 11 months of hell. I think I'm strong enough to start looking for bands again. I can practice at home for long periods of time but nothing puts the stress on like gigging.



Aj

 

[2x4strgkramers]

Wenth through this in my mid to late teens. Was playing sevral instruments in sevral different bands and also scholastic projects.

Found some dietary problems with issuficient consumption of proper nutriotion were alot of the cuase.

(Sorry for long post). I am frustrated. In the 80s and 90s I was a regularly working bassist in a variety of groups (classic rock, blues, country, and hard rock). Before that I played upright in school, my local symphony, and swing band. 12 years ago, my rock band began a recording session. Midway through the first night, my left wrist started to feel very weak. It became difficult to fret notes accurately even with low action and light gauge strings. I had no numbness or pain, just unexplained weakness. The next night within 30 minutes of playing, I suffered a painful sensation of "electrical shocks" run through my forearm and wrist and my ring and middle fingers were twitching involuntarily. I could not physically continue to play my instrument. 6 months later I still couldn't play for more than a night or two without weakness and numbness returning and throbbing wrist pain with swelling now accompanied the other sensations. I had to drop out of the groups I played with.

Doctors told me I suffered from chronic tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. They told me I most likely had a buildup of scar tissue in my tendons formed by years of playing bass. (I’ve playing since age 7 on upright bass. I have small wrists which I am sure contributed to the problem). Tests which showed my condition to be 7 out of 10 on the severity index. The specialist indicated he preferred not to operate as in some cases it makes the condition worse, and felt with strong anti-inflammation meds it would over time resolve itself. For the next 2 years I tried to rehab my wrists (wore wrist braces and took large amounts of anti-inflammation meds (which caused my ears to ring constantly). In the end I decided my music days were behind me and sold off much of my gear and stored the rest.

During this time my wife and I had a family. A couple of years ago my oldest began to play guitar and my youngest saxophone. They listened to my old band recordings and wanted to “jam” so I got out my gear and we played for fun at home. This led to the purchase of a digital recorder we use. I had no reoccurrence of problems. About a year ago my church found themselves in need of a bassist. I told them I could read music and agreed to fill in for a while, which turned into playing regularly. I love it! I even bought a couple of basses over the past year. I mostly play Fender Jazz Basses with low action and extra light strings (40-95) to keep things as easy on my wrists as possible. I also have a Peavey Cirrus 4 that is strung with DR Hi-Beams in extra light gauge (40-95). Again low tension strings and low action.

I stretch carefully and try to keep my posture and hand positions as correct as possible. But suddenly last week without warning the weakness and pain in my left wrist returned almost overnight. Within a couple of days it became severe. Now I am on Advil round the clock. I can still play but it hurts. I don’t want to have to quit playing music again – heck I just got my chops back.

Has anyone been down this road before with chronic tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome? If you could share your experiences and suggestions it would be an encouragement to me. I have an appointment with a specialist next week. This is really depressing.

 

[gai113]

i was playing alot a few days ago finger style and was obviously striking the strings too hard... i was plugged in through a PA and couldnt hear my bass so i played harder... as a result my tendons started burning.. but i kept playing rest of practice... its a few days later and my tendons feel super sore....... i might switch to using a pick..

but ive been massaging my forearms and wrist everyday... im afraid to play but want to play soo bad..... ive only been playing bass 1 year and feel like i was loose it...


Things i have changed are..

Keep wrists straight as best as possible and use as little tension to pluck strings..

When do you guys think i could start playing again

 

[sal4bass]

No way to say since only a doctor could make that assessment. It may take several more days for your wrists to fully recover. If the pain persists I would have a medical doctor examine them. My guess is they will be back to normal in due time if you have not experienced these problems before.

Above all don't play through pain and stop playing if you find the pain returning. Pain is the body's way of telling us something is not right. I made the mistake of thinking minor wrist discomfort when I played was no big deal many years ago and am still paying the price for it today. If you adjust things (instrument height, string gauge, truss rod settings, etc.) to eliminate discomfort you should be able to avoid RMI.

Best of luck.

i was playing alot a few days ago finger style and was obviously striking the strings too hard... i was plugged in through a PA and couldnt hear my bass so i played harder... as a result my tendons started burning.. but i kept playing rest of practice... its a few days later and my tendons feel super sore....... i might switch to using a pick..

but ive been massaging my forearms and wrist everyday... im afraid to play but want to play soo bad..... ive only been playing bass 1 year and feel like i was loose it...


Things i have changed are..

Keep wrists straight as best as possible and use as little tension to pluck strings..

When do you guys think i could start playing again

 

[srptopdog]

Only recently have I really been concerned about keeping the health of my wrists. With that said, I have been reflecting on my practicing routines/technique and I think my main concern is overusing the tendons in my fretting hand.

I do practice a lot of scales, arpeggios, etc. and I have been maxing out at 4 notes per 130 bpm (around 520 technically)... I love playing fast melodies but I'm starting to think that practicing too much at this speed is going to cause trouble in the future in terms of health. I sometimes practice that fast for at least an hour everyday excluding some exercises at relatively slower speeds (for another hour) .

Anyone think that there is such a thing at practicing too much? I really don't want to loose my current speed or fluidity in playing but then again, I don't want to get an injury... this is pretty tough for me to consider. I'd appreciate if I can get some feedback on this.

EDIT: Also considering lighter strings. Just hope that I will won't be disappointed in the tone or depth.

I’ve been off this forum for a while, but I have been reading the posts and now that I have a bit of free time I can interact within our community again.

In a word; yes. I believe you can practice too much.

I am a self-taught bass player, but have studied piano and percussion for many years with many teachers. To achieve speed in drumming often we are taught to play slowly and evenly, always with a click or drum machine (I like a ‘click’). Contrary to popular assumption, playing exercises quickly will not necessarily improve your playing or enable you to play faster. With drummers, there is a tendency to tighten-up as they play faster. Of course we know this is not the proper approach to playing any instrument.

I believe however, that once your muscles are trained to respond they will not need the same amount of work to maintain them as it took to get them there. So if you aim to play fast, and you now can do so comfortably, you shouldn’t have to practice long hours to maintain your skill. You just need some ‘touch-up’ to keep you chops. I would suggest reviewing your practice routine so your can maintain your skill but not injure yourself doing so.

Good questions to ask:

1.) Can I play fast very softly?
2.) I can play fast, but is every note even in sound?

I would possibly go in the other direction. Set you metronome to ‘slow’ and practice exercises so that your playing is so perfect that you can no longer hear to metronome. Practice slowly and evenly. Practice slowly and at PP (double pianissimo, as softly as possible). Playing slowly well is not easy to do, and often will unmask a players weaknesses, which is a good thing because then you will know what to work on.

I have practiced intricate drum patterns very slowly for as long as it took me to play them properly and musically. Once I had the patterns down I realized I could come back to the kit (bass in your case), and sit down cold and play those same patterns very well at much faster tempos, and they sounded even AND musical. I guess I’m saying that speed, accuracy, and most importantly - musicality, can be achieved without having to practice fast.

Regarding strings, have found a brand and a set that works well for me, and this helped me tremendously in alleviating my discomfort from tendonitis. I also make sure I have the best setup attainable on my particular bass. I had to take some time to experiment with these variables, btw. Also, I learned to ‘turn up the amp’ and let the amp do the work and play less forcefully. This also was a big revelation for me. And guess what? I liked the tone better, and realized I had a better range of sounds to choice from.

Anyway, I hope this gives you new ways to think about practicing/playing. Keep in mind however; what worked for me may not work anyone else.

P E A C E …

Salvatore ~

 

[srptopdog]

wow, i've read all 10 pages.. a WEALTH of information in all of them! I'm 16 years old, no wrist problems thank to god but i have tendonitis in my right knee above the knee cap. Playing linebacker for high school i get flare ups every day in practice. Usually have to take anti-inflamatories before each practice just to get through them, then i go home take a nice hot bath and stretch.

One this this thread has taught me is now that the season in done i'm going to see a doctor next week to start getting it treated. Another problem i have is that my knee pops whenever i extend it, its not from tendonitis but i'm checking that out too. Now onto the real reason why i wasnted to post.

~Sal, and Sal, not only have you guys scared the crap out of me because i'm only 16 and hope to be playing for the rest of my life, i now stretch before i play just to be preventitive, but the thing that has really moved me and i feel has really started to take an effect on me is how much you guys are willing to go to continue to play bass. I own one bass its an old Ibanez srx 400, I don't love it but i could not bear to part with it. It amazes me the lengths you guys have gone to continue playing when last year i stopped for a while because my bass had a bad setup and i didn't know what to do. got it fixed and got way back into. Bought my first amp, a 100 w ampeg and am gifting it to myself this hanukah.
Seeing you guys go to such great lengths though has really wanted to start playing more and more now. I realize that we have different playing style ( i play heavy metal, my parents say its a stage in life) but i still now sit down for about two hours a day learning new music and practicing the stuff i know. I now experiment with how i play and found that i can't play my bass up high like some jazz players do, i have to wear it lower because my wrist can't stand to be at a 90 degree angle over my bass to play it, so i practice standing up.
I'm sorry about the long post, but i've been reading all 10 pages and felt *inspired* to tell you how your guys' presistence has affected me.
I hope i don't run into this stuff later in life, and I truly wish you the best of luck, no joke, i hope you guys can return to playing normal and doing what you guys love to do.
Best of luck to everyone who posted

~craig

ps WOO 200th post~

Hey Craig –

It’s great to hear a story like yours. That is what I love about this forum – people are willing to set time aside from their busy lifestyle to contribute and interact with each other so we can all learn and grow.

I wish you and you loved ones a happy and healthy Hanukah. I hope we continue to hear from you.

P E A C E

Salvatore ~

 

[srptopdog]

i was playing alot a few days ago finger style and was obviously striking the strings too hard... i was plugged in through a PA and couldnt hear my bass so i played harder... as a result my tendons started burning.. but i kept playing rest of practice... its a few days later and my tendons feel super sore....... i might switch to using a pick..

but ive been massaging my forearms and wrist everyday... im afraid to play but want to play soo bad..... ive only been playing bass 1 year and feel like i was loose it...


Things i have changed are..

Keep wrists straight as best as possible and use as little tension to pluck strings..

When do you guys think i could start playing again

STOP!

First off, you need an amp you can use without having to torture yourself. I have been in several situations where the soundman didn't put enough bass in the monitor mix, or find I am plugged into a PA for a practice and am constantly pleading with the guy running the PA to please turn up the bass. SORRY FOLKS – HOMIE DON”T PLAY THAT (way) NO MO!! Nope – I won’t do it.

I always have a small practice amp in my car that I bring everywhere, particularly when I’m told ‘oh, you don’t need an amp for this gig, you can just plug into the PA.’ These are the situations where I KNOW I need to bring my amp! I always make sure I can DI to the house rig, but still plug-in to my small bass amp. If it turns out I don’t really need it too much – great! But if I encounter a situation as above where I can't hear what I am playing I can just turn up my little monitor amp and hear what I am playing.

I won’t (and really can’t anymore actually) try to pull the strings off of my bass just to be heard. If you think about it you won’t get much more volume anyway, it’s really a question of a tone change at that point, probably the difference between you playing metso-forte and double-forte.

Perhaps a different question needs to be asked? If you can’t hear the bass in the mix, how is anyone else? Which brings up a question I know I’d be asking… ‘Do they know there is no bass in the mix? Followed by ‘if no one notices there is no bass in the mix, should I be playing music with these people?!’ (Sorry 0 I just could't resist that one. I realize the situation could be very different)... anyway...

I played through discomfort just like you did, and that is what caused my chronic tendonitis. I wish I knew better, but I did not. Hopefully you are catching this early enough to avoid further or permanent injury.

As Sal4Bass said earlier, there is no way anyone here can determine when you should resume playing. Try to play and see what happens, even if it is only for five minutes, but shorter if necessary. Use a light touch, turn up your amp and give it a go. Play slow, and try to discover what hand positions cause discomfort and which positions do not. A big part of my being able to play regularly again was learning about my own physiology. Certain positions cause stress to my tendons and I have learned to avoid or minimize those positions.

Massage is always good therapy, so I would massage the hand, wrist and forearm of the offending appendage about 20 minutes before you play. Heat is best for tendons, because they will cause pain more so when they are shrunk and tense (search my other posts). Try a heating pad prior to playing and as part of your therapy. Ice should be avoided unless you are in pain AFTER you play a gig, rehearsal – whatever, but just long enough to reduce swelling/inflammation. Ice should not be a part of a daily therapy routine.

Please keep in mind, I am talking about tendonitis, and not everyone who posts to this thread has the same ailment, therefore read through this thread carefully for other information. There is a lot of great information here that can be applied in a general sense, like good nutrition, avoiding caffeine, etc.

It’s one thing to gather info from this forum, but if you have the means please see a doctor if your condition persists, or even if you think you may have already injured yourself in some way. A second opinion is always a good idea (read through Sal’s early posts regarding his doctor’s visits - yikes!).

I hope this helps.

Salvatore ~

 

[srptopdog]

No way to say since only a doctor could make that assessment. It may take several more days for your wrists to fully recover. If the pain persists I would have a medical doctor examine them. My guess is they will be back to normal in due time if you have not experienced these problems before.

Above all don't play through pain and stop playing if you find the pain returning. Pain is the body's way of telling us something is not right. I made the mistake of thinking minor wrist discomfort when I played was no big deal many years ago and am still paying the price for it today. If you adjust things (instrument height, string gauge, truss rod settings, etc.) to eliminate discomfort you should be able to avoid RMI.

Best of luck.

yea.. what he said.

 

[beelzelboss]

thanks salvatore, I went to a knee doctor that my family knows, turns out i do have tendonitis in right and left knee in the tendon right above the knee cap. I also have ostenslaughters(? don't know how to spell it) in my left knee which is also causing me discomfort. He gave me a schedual during football/when i work out (so pretty much year round) to ice for 20 minutes before i practice or go to the gym, stretch it in some special stretch he showed me, then afterwards i have to ice for 15 minutes every hour for three hours and if it gets really bad i go back for a prescription for an anti-inflamitory. I wish i could figure out what caused all of this ><

~craig

p.s. Sal(s) what kind of music do you guys play?

 

[Andrew Jones]

Thanks for the Love Guys

Unsubscrbed

 

[Xeperu]

I&#8217;ve been off this forum for a while, but I have been reading the posts and now that I have a bit of free time I can interact within our community again.

In a word; yes. I believe you can practice too much.

I am a self-taught bass player, but have studied piano and percussion for many years with many teachers. To achieve speed in drumming often we are taught to play slowly and evenly, always with a click or drum machine (I like a &#8216;click&#8217. Contrary to popular assumption, playing exercises quickly will not necessarily improve your playing or enable you to play faster. With drummers, there is a tendency to tighten-up as they play faster. Of course we know this is not the proper approach to playing any instrument.

I believe however, that once your muscles are trained to respond they will not need the same amount of work to maintain them as it took to get them there. So if you aim to play fast, and you now can do so comfortably, you shouldn&#8217;t have to practice long hours to maintain your skill. You just need some &#8216;touch-up&#8217; to keep you chops. I would suggest reviewing your practice routine so your can maintain your skill but not injure yourself doing so.

Good questions to ask:

1.) Can I play fast very softly?
2.) I can play fast, but is every note even in sound?

I would possibly go in the other direction. Set you metronome to &#8216;slow&#8217; and practice exercises so that your playing is so perfect that you can no longer hear to metronome. Practice slowly and evenly. Practice slowly and at PP (double pianissimo, as softly as possible). Playing slowly well is not easy to do, and often will unmask a players weaknesses, which is a good thing because then you will know what to work on.

I have practiced intricate drum patterns very slowly for as long as it took me to play them properly and musically. Once I had the patterns down I realized I could come back to the kit (bass in your case), and sit down cold and play those same patterns very well at much faster tempos, and they sounded even AND musical. I guess I&#8217;m saying that speed, accuracy, and most importantly - musicality, can be achieved without having to practice fast.

Regarding strings, have found a brand and a set that works well for me, and this helped me tremendously in alleviating my discomfort from tendonitis. I also make sure I have the best setup attainable on my particular bass. I had to take some time to experiment with these variables, btw. Also, I learned to &#8216;turn up the amp&#8217; and let the amp do the work and play less forcefully. This also was a big revelation for me. And guess what? I liked the tone better, and realized I had a better range of sounds to choice from.

Anyway, I hope this gives you new ways to think about practicing/playing. Keep in mind however; what worked for me may not work anyone else.

P E A C E &#8230;

Salvatore ~

Cool, I agree with every word you say. I think we are sort of on the same page however, I started my crusade on speed training almost a year ago. Started with 50 bpm divided into quarter notes, I gradually built up speed over the last 9 months to get to my current speed mainly to ensure that my intonation was correct.

I generally try to be as motion efficient as possible, which in turns means I can do speed runs without much effort. My main concern is the possibility of injury even with the lightest touch at high speeds. I do find though, that when playing these speeds its mainly my fretting hand that is doing most of the work. I'm not sure if this is how its supposed to be, but I generally always had the impression that in order to achieve even tone, a good expression of hammer ons and pull offs are essential.

I do need to practice odd time signatures though... my brain is almost always set to 4/4. I will conclude in saying that I'm not completely obsessed with speed, I like down tempo music a lot since I listen to a lot of doom, gothic, atmospheric/ambient black metal. And yes, 100% agree with you, intonation >>>> speed.

What kind of strings do you use? My preference is DRs, always used standard gauges but I wonder if lighter stringer will actually work. Is it true that that the lack of weight in lighter strings is compensated by having to pluck harder or to dig in more? I can only draw this comparison logically since if the strings are lighter, then it might mean that one would have to dig in more, or possible use more pressure to draw a note.

Cheers

 

[ZeSharc]

So I've been reading this thread quite carefully... I've been playing guitar since I was 10 and bass for about a year now (I'm 26), and just last week started using a Jaguar bass as my main bass, after honing my skills on a cheapie jackson C20.

I may have overdone it last week, had a gig where I needed to learn 11 songs in 3 days, so I'd say I was averaging about 4 hours a days (not straight, I know better than that), plus the gig.

Since then, my left forearm hasn't felt the same - consequently, my hand strength feels weak. Can't go 20 minutes without feeling some kind of strain. Playing guitar seems fine, though. I'm seeing my orthopedist in 20 minutes, actually.

I find it strange that this is happening to me, having switched to a bass with a shorter neck than before. I've always gone to great lengths to protect my hands and wrists (never a rehearsal or gig without stretching).

Hopefully I'll have some better news when I come back, I'm freaking out just a tiny bit.

 

[sal4bass]

Probably just a strain, but you are doing the right thing to stop and get it examined before making the situation worse. Let us know how it turns out for you.

So I've been reading this thread quite carefully... I've been playing guitar since I was 10 and bass for about a year now (I'm 26), and just last week started using a Jaguar bass as my main bass, after honing my skills on a cheapie jackson C20.

I may have overdone it last week, had a gig where I needed to learn 11 songs in 3 days, so I'd say I was averaging about 4 hours a days (not straight, I know better than that), plus the gig.

Since then, my left forearm hasn't felt the same - consequently, my hand strength feels weak. Can't go 20 minutes without feeling some kind of strain. Playing guitar seems fine, though. I'm seeing my orthopedist in 20 minutes, actually.

I find it strange that this is happening to me, having switched to a bass with a shorter neck than before. I've always gone to great lengths to protect my hands and wrists (never a rehearsal or gig without stretching).

Hopefully I'll have some better news when I come back, I'm freaking out just a tiny bit.

 

[sal4bass]

Hi Salvatore! Great to see you posting again.

I’ve been off this forum for a while...

P E A C E …

Salvatore ~

 

[ZeSharc]

Probably just a strain, but you are doing the right thing to stop and get it examined before making the situation worse. Let us know how it turns out for you.

So i've basically got a slight case of tendonitis coupled with a slight case of hypertrophy of my left forearm. No bass or guitar for a week, taking an anti-inflamatory, sleeping with my wrist in a brace, and some physical therapy. Nothing that bad, aggressive, or terminal, the doctor says.

But I'm convinced it's the Jags neckdive that's behind this. I was doing more work than usual with the hand just to keep it from going down. Lighter tuners (hipshot ultralites) and a Badass II for me. Plus a wider strap more likely.

 

[sal4bass]

Sounds like a good plan, and I'm glad it was nothing more serious. The key is to avoid having it occur regularly which can produce a chronic condition. If the Jag still causes problems in the future, then it might be best to try out some different basses to see if anything is more comfortable to play.

I spoke with a guitarist recently that I used to play with in the 1990s and he indicated that he finally had to sell his favorite guitar (Music Man Eddie Van Halen signature) due to the neck profile causing problems with wrist pain and swelling. Now he plays Les Pauls exclusively and his symptoms are largely gone.

Strange how just the smallest differences in neck width, shape, fretboard radius, etc. can cause issues to arise or disappear.

So i've basically got a slight case of tendonitis coupled with a slight case of hypertrophy of my left forearm. No bass or guitar for a week, taking an anti-inflamatory, sleeping with my wrist in a brace, and some physical therapy. Nothing that bad, aggressive, or terminal, the doctor says.

But I'm convinced it's the Jags neckdive that's behind this. I was doing more work than usual with the hand just to keep it from going down. Lighter tuners (hipshot ultralites) and a Badass II for me. Plus a wider strap more likely.

 

[srptopdog]

So I've been reading this thread quite carefully... I've been playing guitar since I was 10 and bass for about a year now (I'm 26), and just last week started using a Jaguar bass as my main bass, after honing my skills on a cheapie jackson C20.

I may have overdone it last week, had a gig where I needed to learn 11 songs in 3 days, so I'd say I was averaging about 4 hours a days (not straight, I know better than that), plus the gig.

Since then, my left forearm hasn't felt the same - consequently, my hand strength feels weak. Can't go 20 minutes without feeling some kind of strain. Playing guitar seems fine, though. I'm seeing my orthopedist in 20 minutes, actually.

I find it strange that this is happening to me, having switched to a bass with a shorter neck than before. I've always gone to great lengths to protect my hands and wrists (never a rehearsal or gig without stretching).

Hopefully I'll have some better news when I come back, I'm freaking out just a tiny bit.

(Hi Sal)

Yes, I agree with Sal, too. Fortunately you sought medical attention sooner rather than later. Great! As I have said in some of my earlier posts, I wish I went to a doctor much sooner.

Now that you know what's causing your discomfort you can begin to form a plan of action that will work for you.

If my memory serves, the Jaguar should be a good bass to play. Get a good setup first. It's a short scale, yes?

Second, (and I wouldn't mind some other more knowledgeable opinions here), changing tuners and bridge shouldn't effect your string tension much - if at all. IMO, the bass should be setup so that it is comfortable to play (and in tune, too!), with the hardware it has, first. If the bridge is damaged so that you can't work with it, then yeah, I guess you need a new bridge!

If your bass can be setup so that it is comfortable for you, than I would first experiment with various strings, since this will have a very direct effect on string tension. I settled on DR High Beams. I like the sound and they're comfortable for me to play. Sal (sal4bass, the OP) likes TI Jazz flats on some of hsi rigs (which I plan on trying in the near future too).

BTW, I did install a Bad Ass II bridge on my bass and I liked the upgrade, (although my factory stock bridge was a pretty good actually).

Some people on this thread went with a short-scale bass. I did play the Jaguar which sounded great BTW. I owned a Gretsch for a bit, but returned it because SS basses for me presented some slight intonation and others issues I didn't like, and I just wasn't feeling the vibe, but that's JMHO). Sal has an Allen Woody SS that he likes.

How are things going now?

Best,

Salvatore ~

 

[srptopdog]

Cool, I agree with every word you say. I think we are sort of on the same page however, I started my crusade on speed training almost a year ago. Started with 50 bpm divided into quarter notes, I gradually built up speed over the last 9 months to get to my current speed mainly to ensure that my intonation was correct.

I generally try to be as motion efficient as possible, which in turns means I can do speed runs without much effort. My main concern is the possibility of injury even with the lightest touch at high speeds. I do find though, that when playing these speeds its mainly my fretting hand that is doing most of the work. I'm not sure if this is how its supposed to be, but I generally always had the impression that in order to achieve even tone, a good expression of hammer ons and pull offs are essential.

I do need to practice odd time signatures though... my brain is almost always set to 4/4. I will conclude in saying that I'm not completely obsessed with speed, I like down tempo music a lot since I listen to a lot of doom, gothic, atmospheric/ambient black metal. And yes, 100% agree with you, intonation >>>> speed.

What kind of strings do you use? My preference is DRs, always used standard gauges but I wonder if lighter stringer will actually work.

<<< >>> I use DR High Beams. They sound great, wear well, and I like the string tension.

Is it true that that the lack of weight in lighter strings is compensated by having to pluck harder or to dig in more? I can only draw this comparison logically since if the strings are lighter, then it might mean that one would have to dig in more, or possible use more pressure to draw a note.

<<< >>> Hum. I am no expert on this subject, but for me I don't find that to be the case, IF I have enough headroom on my amp and can turn it up so that I get the output I need to rattle the china (just kidding). Pulling/plucking harder to compensate of a deficiency elsewhere just doesn't make sense to me, particularly for when I do that I find I need more pressure on my fretting hand and this is very thing I need to avoid. That's not to say I won't attack and accentuate a note or passage now and then if needed, but I just can't play aggressively without really hurting myself. Frankly, I like the variety I can get as just described. I find I can get a VERY fat, round articulate sound if I play less aggressively and turn up my amp. I find I can discover lower frequencies that are sometimes obscured if I just 'wail away' animal like.

The thing I do is play with a pick about 20% of the time. I'm playing in a power-trio-ish type Christan band, and there are times I play some runs and lines that benefit musically by using a pick (think 'classic rock' stuff). I can play the lines w/o pick, but again it's a sound/style thing. when I do use a pick I am not trying to saw the strings in half! I strive for a lighter touch so that I get the biggest fattest tone with good articulation.

P E A C E...

~ Salvatore