Scott wears his bass high enough for it to breast feed. He discusses the wrist specifically about 5 minutes in.
Bill Wyman was no dummy.
Bill Wyman was no dummy.
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Wrist Pain
- Thread starter strawberryelf
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- small hands technique
I should have also stressed the importance of a gradual warmup, especially in the winter. It takes me about 15 minutes to get the fingers and forearms warmed up. If I try playing when cold that’s when cramping and discomfort occurs. You can do this warmup while watching tv etc if you wish.
Another important point Scott made that can help this quite a bit. If your bass has a skunk stripe use it.
I can't believe it takes to page 2 to get to this.
1. You need to see a doctor to get a proper diagnosis. Do not take medical advice from strangers on the internet.
2. Book some lessons with a professional bass teacher. They can work with you on technique to make sure you are not doing yourself any injuries.
1. You need to see a doctor to get a proper diagnosis. Do not take medical advice from strangers on the internet.
2. Book some lessons with a professional bass teacher. They can work with you on technique to make sure you are not doing yourself any injuries.
Does your bass have neck dive? (You have to support the neck with your fretting hand when either sitting or standing otherwise it will rotate towards the floor).
If so, it could be a contributing factor.
It can be reduced with a wide grippy strap and/or light weight tuners such as Hipshot Ultralite or Gotoh GB350.
If so, it could be a contributing factor.
It can be reduced with a wide grippy strap and/or light weight tuners such as Hipshot Ultralite or Gotoh GB350.
Yeah
Thanks for the reply
I've added some picture, can you confirm whether you fret in a similar way or if there's something different?
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Your wrist looks severely bent to me. Ideally, both wrists should be as straight as possible. Also, it looks like you are trying to incorporate "one finger per fret" on the lower frets. This can be too much of a stretch for some. Have another look at the clips I posted in post number five.
That bend in your wrist is a perfect recipe for tendonitis and various other physical ailments. Make sure to have you bass at a height and angle that playing anywhere on the neck can be done with a more or less straight wrist.
And with small hands, one finger per fret is generally not a productive technique on the lower frets. Index, middle and pinkie+ring is substantially easier on the hand.
And with small hands, one finger per fret is generally not a productive technique on the lower frets. Index, middle and pinkie+ring is substantially easier on the hand.
+1 on what fearceol and Rune Bivrin wrote above. You should keep your wrist as straight as possible.
You need to adjust your strap so that when you're fretting or grip the neck, your wrist is as straight as possible.
Adjust the length of your strap, so the bass guitar is comfortable to you and doesn't cause any pain....not the other way around, i.e., don't adjust your grip to fit the bass or bend your wrist so that you can grip the neck.
You need to adjust your strap so that when you're fretting or grip the neck, your wrist is as straight as possible.
Adjust the length of your strap, so the bass guitar is comfortable to you and doesn't cause any pain....not the other way around, i.e., don't adjust your grip to fit the bass or bend your wrist so that you can grip the neck.
+1 to the 3 posts above me, but also: I don't think it's an all-or-nothing thing. Sometimes your wrist will bend a bit, sometimes less - it's all about moderation, and also about being relaxed throughout.
One thing that's apparent from the photos is that you can wear the bass much higher: try standing up, shortening the strap, angling the neck up (so that the bass isn't parallel with the ground but more like 45%), and experiment with pulling the neck a bit further back). These will significantly change the angle of your left hand and wrist. It will not all be straight and it will all look pretty much the same, but still the slight changes in angles of the wrist should provide a much more relaxed posture.
Try this at least 3-4 sessions in a row. Don't just try for a few minutes and give up. The change is subtle, but important.
One thing that's apparent from the photos is that you can wear the bass much higher: try standing up, shortening the strap, angling the neck up (so that the bass isn't parallel with the ground but more like 45%), and experiment with pulling the neck a bit further back). These will significantly change the angle of your left hand and wrist. It will not all be straight and it will all look pretty much the same, but still the slight changes in angles of the wrist should provide a much more relaxed posture.
Try this at least 3-4 sessions in a row. Don't just try for a few minutes and give up. The change is subtle, but important.
Go find a good teacher to work with. Playing through the pain will only make the pain permanent.
Looking at your hand selfies, a lot of teachers might consider it "proper technique." But I have never had good luck with it, personally. It seems to put a lot of tension at the base of my thumb, which gradually spreads into my palm and wrist if I try to "push through" the discomfort.
The most important tip I can give you is: Don't make your palm look like a butt! Your left hand palm should be smooth, flat, and open, like you are about to catch a baseball in a glove. On the other hand, if your palm has a deeply creased "life line" that looks like a butt crack, then that is a recipe for disaster; you are compressing your nerves and tendons. Avoid the dreaded "Kung Fu death grip." Playing bass should not feel like squeezing a tennis ball; that is exactly opposite of the correct physical sensation.
A couple other tips are, 1. Straighten your wrist! Adjusting your strap length and thumb position will help. 2. Relax your fingers and let them come closer together. It's fine to keep your pinky close to your ring finger; you don't have to extend it like a British tea drinker.
I like to visualize that I am holding a baby and cradling its head in my left hand. Would you rather hand over your child to someone with tense, twisted, claw-like hands? Or to someone with wide, relaxed, open, gentle hands?
The most important tip I can give you is: Don't make your palm look like a butt! Your left hand palm should be smooth, flat, and open, like you are about to catch a baseball in a glove. On the other hand, if your palm has a deeply creased "life line" that looks like a butt crack, then that is a recipe for disaster; you are compressing your nerves and tendons. Avoid the dreaded "Kung Fu death grip." Playing bass should not feel like squeezing a tennis ball; that is exactly opposite of the correct physical sensation.
A couple other tips are, 1. Straighten your wrist! Adjusting your strap length and thumb position will help. 2. Relax your fingers and let them come closer together. It's fine to keep your pinky close to your ring finger; you don't have to extend it like a British tea drinker.
I like to visualize that I am holding a baby and cradling its head in my left hand. Would you rather hand over your child to someone with tense, twisted, claw-like hands? Or to someone with wide, relaxed, open, gentle hands?
I didn’t read all the replies, but your left hand looks very wrong to me. Your wrist should not be bent that far forward. This is the cause of the issue and will cause injury if you don’t rectify it.
To fix, find an arm position where your wrist is straight, or has the slightest bend forward. You may need to adjust your strap so that it’s higher on your chest to achieve proper wrist angle (or no angle).
Good luck. Take a few days off to heal. Then work on your technique. Slow! So you can focus.
check out this amazing product that stopped my fretting hand pain cold. i went from not being able to play for more than 5 min due to pain and numbness setting in, to playing for hours no problem when i installed mine - it fixed my form so my wrist is not bent now plus i dont overgrip anymore becasue gravity does the work of fretting for me, and it stopped my neck-dive issues too!
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To help me in the lower position I usually use a modified Double bass fingering rather than the one finger per fret standard
Your bass is practically horizontal.
Raise your bass angle and your elbow away from your body.
Raise your bass angle and your elbow away from your body.
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How's your setup? If your action is really high, you might benefit from lowering it. Also, you might consider trying a short scale bass to see if it makes a difference.
If you watch the Adam Neely video he contradicts the second video which Adam calls the standard wrong instruction on safe left-hand position. He recommends not placing the thumb behind the middle or the first finger, but rather angle it (point it) towards the headstock--not all the time, a free flow, but no pinching. Adam's teaching has allowed me to resume bass playing after years off due to wrist pain.
