AhlyxMU

These past few weeks, I’ve noticed that the fingers on my right hand will often feel this faint static shock sensation when touching the pickguard or pickups on my bass. Concerned that it was a sign of an underlying problem, I took my bass to a local technician to check it out. He found no issues with the electronics on my bass and said it was correctly grounded. As for any problems with the amp I use (a Fender Mustang Micro), he doesn’t believe it to be the source of the problem either. He thinks the material of the pickguard causes the static shock sensation and recommends I occasionally rub it down with dryer sheets. However, I was wondering if there was another solution to this problem. Any thoughts?

Instead of just learning a new song and moving on to the next one once I can play it, I’ve recently been trying to break down the songs I’ve been learning by analyzing them more closely. You know, looking into what scales and chord progressions are being used, how the song structure is laid out, etc. The problem is that I don’t really know how to do this effectively, at least in a way that can help me better understand the basslines in the songs I’m learning. I’m also unsure of how I can effectively apply what I learn from analyzing these songs into my own bass playing. With all that being said, how do you guys break down and analyze songs? How would you recommend I do so to improve my playing?

So I recently bought some Schaller S-Locks for my bass and noticed that the screws for them were quite thick. Paying no attention to this at all, I took out the original screws on my bass and put in the Schaller S-Locks with no problem. It wasn't until after I installed the S-Locks that I did some research online and found that forcing in thicker screws can cause the finish to crack and chip. I would like to mention that when installing the new S-Locks, the finish of my bass did not chip or crack, but now I'm scared that it will over time. What should I do? Should I go to a luthier and have them check the problem out? Do I need to worry at all?

Hey everyone! I bought my first bass guitar a little over a month ago and have been practicing pretty regularly during my spare time. Although I feel like various aspects of my playing have improved these past few weeks, my right-hand technique still feels off. I should note that I’m currently trying to learn the floating thumb technique since it’s what feels the most natural and comfortable for me. With that said, I have some questions regarding my forearm position and how bent my wrist should be when using this specific technique. I’ve found that the most comfortable position for me when holding my bass is when I’m resting my forearm on the body. This also allows me to create the counter-pressure needed to fret notes without using the thumb on my left hand. However, when looking into whether or not I should rest my forearm on the bass body on different forums and sites, most advise that I shouldn’t. If that’s the case, are there any ways that I can avoid resting my forearm when playing? Does it even matter? Regarding the wrist, I’ve found that it tends to bend significantly when playing on the higher strings. I know that the whole point of the floating thumb technique is to keep your wrist straight to reduce strain, but I find this pretty uncomfortable, especially when trying to cross strings since my forearm is constantly shifting/sliding up and down the body. Are there any ways to address this issue? Should I think about changing up my right-hand technique entirely?