Wrist feels uncomfortable!!??

[bubinga5]

Hi people. Ive been having a bit of difficulty with my wrist on my plucky hand. Ive recently bought a Jazz bass and have my strap quite high. When im playing, my wrist feels very tense and uncomfortable. It doesnt hurt,it just feels under pressure. I try to play with a straighter wrist by lifting my elbow up, but its hard to maintain, and when im concentrating seems to fall back into this bent wrist position. I used to play a smaller bodied bass,and never had this problem and was wondering if the bigger bodied jazz, was the cause of this.??
I dont want to damage my wrist. But dont like the lower bass position..
The bass sits just below my chest by the way...

This is not me, but i spotted this guy and my wrist is very much in that position.
Any thoughts..

Edited March 4, 2008 by bubinga5

[burray]

I get the same thing, in both wrists. It comes and goes though.

I don't know all that much about particular techniques, but perhaps a copper bracelet would help? Either that or some stuff called tiger balm.

I know it's not going to stop damage if that's the problem, but it'll be a bit more comfortable whilst you think of a solution.

[jakenewmanbass]

Hold your bass in your normal playing position and think hard about how it feels, really concentrate and see if you can feel any points where there is strain, pressure or pain. If you manage to locate them look in a mirror (with bass in hands) and see if you can see why its hurting, adjust the position of your bass until those pressures are relieved.
Now this bit is [i]really[/i] serious:
It will be easier to adjust to a different playing position now (however much of a ballache it seems) than to recover from the damage you could do to muscles, tendons, nerves etc
Jake

Edited March 4, 2008 by jakesbass

[franzbassist]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='150984' date='Mar 4 2008, 11:58 AM']When im playing, my wrist feels very tense and uncomfortable. It doesnt hurt,it just feels under pressure. I try to play with a straighter wrist by lifting my elbow up, but its hard to maintain, and when im concentrating seems to fall back into this bent wrist position.[/quote]

Hi there

I think this is something all players go through. There is no right or wrong, and I am not qualified in such things so this is just what has worked for me, but there are certainly some things you can do to maximise the comfort, both short- and long-term, that will make sure you can keep playing.

First of all, do you stretch and warm up your arms and hands before you play? If not I find it makes a big difference. A great simple exercise is to put your palms together, fingers facing up as if praying, and then just move your wrists down while keeping your palms together.

Second, ideally your wrists [b]should[/b] be straight. The optimum height for your bass therefore is when your wrists are both straight when you play; anything else and you run the risk of CTS. How you wear the bass across your body (i.e. flat across the chest or with the neck out in front of you) can affect this so try it both ways.

Third, avoid resting the forearm of your plucking hand on the body of the bass.

Fourth, use a wide (say 3.5") strap. This will spread the weight of the bass and reduce the likelihood of bad posture adversely affecting your playing. Related to this, have you adjusted your strap since you changed to the bigger body shape? It may be worth revisiting the ergonomics of your whole setup?

I hope this helps.

Gareth

Edited March 4, 2008 by walbassist

[Merton]

[quote name='jakesbass' post='151047' date='Mar 4 2008, 01:36 PM']Now this bit is [i]really[/i] serious:
It will be easier to adjust to a different playing position now (however much of a ballache it seems) than to recover from the damage you could do to muscles, tendons, nerves etc
Jake[/quote]
+1
I try to avoid overly bent wrists though I am aware my bass height tends to push me in that direction; an important thing is to ensure you are relaxed and not tensing your arms/wrists/hands/fingers coz that won't help.