coffee_king Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Currently learning the Britpop classic 'Hey Dude' by Kula Shaker and its a right bee-otch on the fingers and wrist during the intro/verse as there's a load of hammer-ons up at the 8/10th and its bloody relentless for the first 1m08secs until there is a slight pattern change. Its more about doing the same patterns for this very long time that gives me major hand cramp. Ive been playing bass for 20 years so I feel a little daft asking this question but does anyone have any suggestions on technique / help to make this all a little easier? I'm a Precision man and it was obviously written and performed on a Jazz, so thats why its harder to play on a P-Bass, but I'm not about to buy a Jazz for one song. I play my bass not too high or too low, so I guess I could adjust the strap up a bit, but I really don't like having to slow down the tempo of the set by adjusting things inbetween songs. Ive been outvoted at not playing the song, but have managed to convince everyone to slow it down by about 5% but the cramp is still excruciating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Just try and relax. It is not that hard (am listening to it now). You know it's hard and, as a result, I suspect you are tensed up, gritting your teeth and holding the bass neck too tight. Step back from it and let it flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee_king Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 Cheers for the response but I never said it was hard (As in complicated). Ive been playing it for months now and can play it with my eyes closed. Its just incredibly painful to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 I have struggled with issues like this throughout my time playing bass. Last week at rehearsal my right arm ceased up and I could barely move my fingers, had to stop for a few minutes... I know it's poor technique and as Bilbo says above, I'm gripping the neck too tight and digging in too hard with my plucking hand, it's a difficult habit to break. I find when I really concentrate on playing and fretting lightly I have no issues but as soon as I stop actively focusing on playing lightly I'm digging in like a neanderthal again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 I play Testify by SRV in a trio, and it usually gets counted in faster than the record. I try to think of something else when I'm playing it. If I focus on the 16 to the bar beat I always tighten up. I try to relax, play with a light feel and breath. This is an athletic performance, so you need to stretch and warm up first. Don't push it. Take breaks and you'll get your speed up to where you need it to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IzzyT2807 Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 turn up, play softer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 All of the above!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Do you warm up before a gig or practice session ? If not, try doing some gentle stretches before you even touch the bass. Search You Tube and you will find them. [size=2](Just noticed that ChrisB beat me to this suggestion !!).[/size] [size=4]Staying well hydrated also helps in preventing cramp.[/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 A lot of cramping is psychological. It's often your mental state that contributes as much to physical discomfort as your physical discomfort does to your mental state. One thing you can do is to take lots of deep slow breathes and try to calm yourself down a bit - try thinking to yourself how easy you're finding it. It sounds weird but you can sometimes think it into being so. Annoyingly, focusing on the fact that you're getting cramped up will make you even more tense! Try to think of the pain signals from your body as a warning light on the dashboard of your car. You think "Oh, I probably ought to see to that" and you will take action to consciously relax, but you're mentally still somewhat detached from it (which prevents your reflexive tensing up). Often good technique comes when your body is most comfortable. It's an odd comparison but you hear reports of people who have lost limbs suddenly being in shock and not feeling the pain. Some report initially looking at the damage as if it was on somebody else's body. Aim for that level of detachment from your discomfort. (Disclaimer: don't saw your hands off). I also find that practising the passage at full speed with a metronome at half speed (i.e. metronome clicking every other beat) seems to make the phrase feel different and more comfortable/relaxed. Try counting it like that when you play it too, feel that half time beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essexbasscat Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 [quote name='Hector' timestamp='1416941580' post='2615340'] A lot of cramping is psychological. It's often your mental state that contributes as much to physical discomfort as your physical discomfort does to your mental state. One thing you can do is to take lots of deep slow breathes and try to calm yourself down a bit - try thinking to yourself how easy you're finding it. It sounds weird but you can sometimes think it into being so. Annoyingly, focusing on the fact that you're getting cramped up will make you even more tense! Try to think of the pain signals from your body as a warning light on the dashboard of your car. You think "Oh, I probably ought to see to that" and you will take action to consciously relax, but you're mentally still somewhat detached from it (which prevents your reflexive tensing up). Often good technique comes when your body is most comfortable. It's an odd comparison but you hear reports of people who have lost limbs suddenly being in shock and not feeling the pain. Some report initially looking at the damage as if it was on somebody else's body. Aim for that level of detachment from your discomfort. (Disclaimer: don't saw your hands off). I also find that practising the passage at full speed with a metronome at half speed (i.e. metronome clicking every other beat) seems to make the phrase feel different and more comfortable/relaxed. Try counting it like that when you play it too, feel that half time beat. [/quote] Well said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scalpy Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 This was a problem I was having, so did a little bit of research. The guy from megadeth, not someone I could ever say I've even heard, suggests concentrating on how you lift your fingers, making sure they're relaxed on the way up. This is obviously a bit left of centre and needs practice, such as when you warm up with some scalic exercises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee_king Posted December 24, 2014 Author Share Posted December 24, 2014 [quote name='IzzyT2807' timestamp='1416934201' post='2615226'] turn up, play softer [/quote] I realised that I can play this fine at home to the orginal but when I'm rehearsing with the full band I struggle. I now think its because I play quiter as a full band then when I do by myself at home. So I've cranked it up a bit in rehearsals and its all much better now. Thanks for the helpe everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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