Drax Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Been honing in on slap technique recently, and started getting aches and 'flashes' down outside of arm / along top of right shoulder (I'm right handed). Conscious every practice session is not doing it any favours, but being the belligerant sod, don't really want to scale back. Aside from the usual 'playing' warm ups, can anyone recommend any worthwhile 'non-instrument' stretching that has worked for them? (any good online resources out there?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuNkShUi Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I would say this could point to your overall technique. Does your arm move at the shoulder when your slapping? Because the movement should all be at your wrist. Pronating and supinating. Im not sure if these terms are relevant for the wrist, but basically what i mean is your wrist should "roll" towards your body, and away from your body. You dont need to move at the elbow or the shoulder. Obviously there will be some movement there, as your not a statue, but it shouldnt be a purposeful movement to acheive the "slap and pop" If you feel you are doing this, and your shoulder is still giving you "flashes", you may have problems with your back..... Fingers crossed its not your back though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 No idea why you be getting these and can't imagine what you are doing to promote aches and flashes..? How long have you been doing it... if not long, there may be some uneconomical movement going on in your 'technique' Slap style comes from the wrist and lower arm at the most...IMO...there should be no great movement in the arm above the elbow.... apart from what the bicep is driving but that is muscle movement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I’m a total newcomer to slap and have been practising some routines recently… and after a couple of hours I’ve also experienced some shoulder pain (not so much ‘flashes’ of pain, just an ache as though I’ve been using some previously undiscovered muscle). No pain down the outside of my arm, however. I try to play as loose and relaxed as possible, focusing on a rotation of the wrist alone, but I’m a total beginner so my technique may well suck. For me, the shoulder seems to come into play more with ‘popping’ rather than ‘slapping’, which might be where the problem lies. I dunno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 How high or low is the bass ..?? Too low is a compromise too far, IMO, and too high means you have to hold the position up..but going from fingers to slap style should transition easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 Cheers all. Yeah I've been slapping for years and thought I've got the wrist 'roll' down, no movement past the elbow. I've recently increased the amount though, maybe just doing too much too soon, possibly not relaxing enough (ironic as like many of us I play to unwind after a day at work). JTUK completely agree on height - obviously practice a lot sat down, and when standing, the bass sits about 2inches lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I always have the bass the same height...either sat down or standing up.. That is the point of my practice regime..all things consistant and easier to reproduce. A lot of my stuff is all about instant muscle memory recall....I can't do it not having picked up the bass for ages, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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