silverfoxnik Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Hi Folks Just lately, I've found that my left hand technique is getting really sloppy and that my wedding finger and little finger are not as dexterous and flexible as they used to be or as I need them to be.. And as a result, my left hand is cramping a bit on longer gigs and getting tired more easily. Could be just age of course, but whatever the cause of this problem, I'm sure there's some kind of method for addressing it.. So, if anyone has some advice/tips etc, then I'd be really grateful.. Thanks Nik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Two things to look at first, one is strap height, mine is adjusted reasonably high. low slung basses may look rock and roll but create an angle on the fretting hand wrist and i find it leads to fatigue, also there is the possibility of tendonitis etc The other is warming up, if i warm up with a bit of gently noodling/scales i can play for much longer and with greater accuracy. The exercise i use ( not my own invention ) is finger permutations you start with the index finger and go through all the possible fingering variations ie 1234,1243,1324,1342,1423,1432 next start with the middle finger 2134,2143,2314, 2341,2413,2431 ring finger ....3124,3142,3214,3241,3412,3421 little finger 4123,4132,4213,4231,4312 4321 I use one finger per fret and run through it slowly on one string concentrating on good finger placement and control of non fretting fingers, you can make up variations which include string skipping etc its a proper left hand work out and can be surprisingly tiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cooke Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 the book Bass Fitness... [url="http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/09/details.html"]http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/09/details.html[/url] real killer workouts... very boring to do though... and they really stretch you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraham Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Standing helps a lot, much more natural posture. After scrutinizing many MANY bassists both internationally renowned and local, I have come to the conclusion that the majority of bassists really do not think carefully or wisely about how their posture affects their playing and their bodies. Classical guitarists have had decades to centuries to hone good posture and technique, similarly with classical bass. Because our instrument belongs somewhere between the two, take what is necessary from both. Bring your guitar in close to you, don't have the neck sticking out at a 45 degree angle from your torso, bring it in so that the body is almost flat against your stomach, your arms won't have to reach as far and you won't be straining to reach things. Raise the bass height and get the angle right so that you can comfortably reach the 1st fret without reaching too low, too high, or too far left (too far right wouldn't seem to be a problem!). And the angle should help you with keeping a straighter, less cocked wrist on your right hand. Oh and lighten up your attack, no need to tickle the strings, but relax, same goes for the left, don't strangle the neck. Keep the thumb behind the neck (at least for practice) and stretch out before playing, wrists and fingers on both hands, back too if you like. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 Thanks for all the replies folks! All very useful but I've been so busy I haven't had a minute to sit down and try anything out yet...That '1234..' exercise looks particularly punishing Steve!! Much appreciated, Nik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Go diagonally from 1st fret G, 2nd fret D, 3rd fret A, 4th fret E, then 1st fret E, 2nd fret A, 3rd fret D, 4th fret G, playing one finger per fret. Then move up a fret and repeat, until you reach the top of the neck. Then go back down. My thanks to Lincoln Goines! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='130414' date='Jan 30 2008, 01:36 AM']And as a result, my left hand is cramping a bit on longer gigs and getting tired more easily.[/quote] Also, turn your amp up and lighten your touch. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey D Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 [quote name='alexclaber' post='136339' date='Feb 8 2008, 10:11 AM']Go diagonally from 1st fret G, 2nd fret D, 3rd fret A, 4th fret E, then 1st fret E, 2nd fret A, 3rd fret D, 4th fret G, playing one finger per fret. Then move up a fret and repeat, until you reach the top of the neck. Then go back down. My thanks to Lincoln Goines! Alex[/quote] I got this from a Satriani article yeeeears ago...has also helped my r/h for string crossing. Along with 'Patitucci's' spider exercise, these two helped my left hand the most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 [quote name='Mikey D' post='137434' date='Feb 10 2008, 02:20 AM']I got this from a Satriani article yeeeears ago...has also helped my r/h for string crossing. Along with 'Patitucci's' spider exercise, these two helped my left hand the most.[/quote] +1 for the spider very good for even practise due to the similarity of the movements by each finger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 Thanks guys! I used to use the spider years ago but forgot about it.. It's back in my warm up and exercises now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 [quote name='Paul Cooke' post='130588' date='Jan 30 2008, 12:28 PM']the book Bass Fitness... [url="http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/09/details.html"]http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/09/details.html[/url] real killer workouts... very boring to do though... and they really stretch you...[/quote] I've got this. Ouch! Is all I can say. I'm a little at odds with some practice regimes. Yes, they do improve flexiblity etc, but at the expense of making you play in a slightly mechanical fashion. If I have to s-t-r-e-t-c-h for something, I sort of like it to sound like I had to work for it, but still nailed it anyway. That suits my style of play. If I did it too effortlessly, it would seem to remove some of the "excitement"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishICouldWalk Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Nik, why d'you sell me such a nice bass - I've gone nuts on the practise front and now I've got numbness and tendon pain in both my hands and forearms... So, whatever exercises you adopt, go easy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 [quote name='WishICouldWalk' post='138500' date='Feb 11 2008, 09:57 PM']Nik, why d'you sell me such a nice bass - I've gone nuts on the practise front and now I've got numbness and tendon pain in both my hands and forearms... So, whatever exercises you adopt, go easy![/quote] Sorry about that Isaac! I'll take your advice on that I think... Very glad to hear you're still enjoying the DJ5 and that the honeymoon period is far from over! I've got to say that I'm having a great time with the Fender 5 now Bernie's sorted the pick ups out for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishICouldWalk Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Yeah, it's great - I'm able to groove properly again. Glad you're enjoying the Jazz, hope you sell the other pups. I think the extra inch of scale on the DJ takes a while to adjust to, I can see why you didn't want to be switching mid gig. All the best matey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 [quote name='WishICouldWalk' post='138634' date='Feb 12 2008, 07:12 AM']Yeah, it's great - I'm able to groove properly again. Glad you're enjoying the Jazz, hope you sell the other pups. I think the extra inch of scale on the DJ takes a while to adjust to, I can see why you didn't want to be switching mid gig. All the best matey [/quote] Cheers Isaac. See you soon and maybe next time I'm at Bernie's I'll give you a call... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderthumbs Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 (edited) [quote name='Mikey D' post='137434' date='Feb 10 2008, 02:20 AM']I got this from a Satriani article yeeeears ago...has also helped my r/h for string crossing. Along with 'Patitucci's' spider exercise, these two helped my left hand the most.[/quote] Is that the one with 1st finger 1st fret, then 3rd finger 3rd fret, then 2nd finger 2nd fret, then 4th finger 4th fret on alternate strings, then repeat switching strings (e.g. 1st and 3rd on D string, 2nd and 4th on G string, then 1st/3rd on G and 2nd/4th on D) up and down the neck. Then repeat it two strings apart, then again three strings apart, etc? If so, damned good exercise that. Do it myself...but nowhere near as often as I should. Edited February 13, 2008 by Thunderthumbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 [quote name='Thunderthumbs' post='139233' date='Feb 13 2008, 02:01 AM']Is that the one with 1st finger 1st fret, then 3rd finger 3rd fret, then 2nd finger 2nd fret, then 4th finger 4th fret on alternate strings, then repeat switching strings (e.g. 1st and 3rd on D string, 2nd and 4th on G string, then 1st/3rd on G and 2nd/4th on D) up and down the neck. Then repeat it two strings apart, then again three strings apart, etc? If so, damned good exercise that. Do it myself...but nowhere near as often as I should.[/quote] that is indeed the one. most important aspect is doing it in time. so metronome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderthumbs Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 [quote name='jakesbass' post='139521' date='Feb 13 2008, 02:21 PM']that is indeed the one. most important aspect is doing it in time. so metronome[/quote] I must admit, if I've got one [b]really[/b] bad habit, it's that I don't spend enough time doing it slowly (no Finbar Saunders jokes please). I build up my speed far too quickly, so therefore am not doing it as effeciently as I suppose I should. I think it comes down to having not a great deal of patience. I'm the same with DVD players, etc. I never read the instructions, I just plug it in and expect it to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 [quote name='Thunderthumbs' post='139560' date='Feb 13 2008, 03:02 PM']I must admit, if I've got one [b]really[/b] bad habit, it's that I don't spend enough time doing it slowly (no Finbar Saunders jokes please). I build up my speed far too quickly, so therefore am not doing it as effeciently as I suppose I should. I think it comes down to having not a great deal of patience. I'm the same with DVD players, etc. I never read the instructions, I just plug it in and expect it to work. [/quote] slow is soooooo important (and my wife agrees ) your muscles/brain develop abilities by muscle memory (ever seen someone who is really good with Nunchakas) If bass playing were an equivalent martial art lots of us would be dead or at least concussed. Of course the real threat to playing is less likely to be injury than just not doing something very well. so slow is sooooooo important, give your muscles a chance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenofthedepths Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 If you can set your metronome to 9:8, try this one: [font="Courier New"] G 4-3-----2-1-------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|--------5-4-3-2---| D ----4-3-----2-1-4/|5-4-----3-2-------|------------------|------------------|--------6-5-4-3-6\|5-4-3-2-----------| A ------------------|----5-4-----3-2-5/|6-5-----4-3-------|--------7-6-5-4-7\|6-5-4-3-----------|------------------| E ------------------|------------------|----6-5-----4-3-6/|7-6-5-4-----------|------------------|------------------| [/font] And then repeat up one fret until your hand falls off... It's much better/worse on 5-strings and ERBs Sorry if the tab's not very easy to follow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 (edited) [quote name='queenofthedepths' post='141754' date='Feb 16 2008, 11:02 PM']If you can set your metronome to 9:8, try this one: [font="Courier New"] G 4-3-----2-1-------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|--------5-4-3-2---| D ----4-3-----2-1-4/|5-4-----3-2-------|------------------|------------------|--------6-5-4-3-6\|5-4-3-2-----------| A ------------------|----5-4-----3-2-5/|6-5-----4-3-------|--------7-6-5-4-7\|6-5-4-3-----------|------------------| E ------------------|------------------|----6-5-----4-3-6/|7-6-5-4-----------|------------------|------------------| [/font] And then repeat up one fret until your hand falls off... It's much better/worse on 5-strings and ERBs Sorry if the tab's not very easy to follow![/quote] you can't exactly [i]set[/i] a metronome to 9/8, you can count nine quavers to a click or you can count in three and subdivide triplets into each beat (or whichever configuration of groups you desire in 9/8) Edited February 20, 2008 by jakesbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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