BigBadBassman Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Hi Guys, I play electric and upright basses in a variety of blues, jazz and rock bands. I've got a couple of EUBs and an acoustic upright which I mainly use for the jazz projects - from a guitar/bass duo up to a 6 piece Hot Club type combo. I've been playing the upright for 10 years now, but in the last few months I been experiencing quite severe pains in my left wrist whilst playing. This has increased in severity and I can only play for about 20 mins. before I have to stop. I don't have this problem with the electric and guess that it's due to the way I hold my wrist when fingering notes. I've tried strapping my wrist and make sure I warm-up before I play - but to no avail. I'm assuming that it's RSI although it could be carpel tunnel syndrome. Has anybody else out there had similar problems and what have you done to overcome them - or do I just have to live with it? The other thing I would like to pick your brains about is being heard on stage. I have no problem hearing myself when playing upright in a jazz context, but as soon as I try the Willie Dixon thing and play with 2 noisy guitarists in a 4 piece blues band, I might as well just beat out the rhythm on the open E rather than walking. I play through a PJB Suitcase combo and add a 4B extension cab. for extra volume which is fine for the bass guitar, but I can't get a good sound that cuts through with the Stagg or the Palentino EUBs. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks guys, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrkelly Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 My advice is stop playing upright now and go to your doctor. If you keep playing through, you'll end up with a severe injury. Check out these guys for advice specially tailored for musicians. [url="http://www.bapam.org.uk/index.php"]http://www.bapam.org.uk/index.php[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Agreed - I tried upright for 2 years (1998?) and damaged my hand. I still get pains today but, fortunately, it doesn't effect my electric playing. I cannot, however, take up the upright as a result and, consequently, lose gigs I may otherwise have got (i.e. everyone books the local upright jazzer first and I only get the gigs he can't do). Get it looked at asap and stop trying to play with the injury. It will only get worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jecklin Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 (edited) Post pub reply so take with a slight pich of salt: It may well not be carpal tunnel syndrome (usually that is signified by pins and needles in the thumb and first fingers) but it could lead to it. The wrist is very finely balanced and any problem can have a knock on effect. I get tendonitis flair ups in my left forearm. In fact I'm in the midst of the worse one I've ever had now. You shouldn't play through it. Stop all your playing and as already said see a doctor, but the NHS is sadly not very well equipped at dealing with chronic issues such as these. their usual line: The bass causes the problem, it goes away when you don't play bass....so don't play bass. thanks Something has gone out of whack in your arm. The bad news with these type of injuries is once you have them they are there for good. easily brought back. The good news is that they are manageable, but you will need to change your approach somehow. Chances are there is something in your playing that is out by a tiny tiny tiny amount and it has taken a long while to become an issue. I found that my little finger is (out of proportion) a fair bit shorter than my other 3 fingers so that when stopping the string using it I kink my wrist slightly. Only a tiny amount but enough to introduce a tension. this tension over hundreds of uses puts a stress on the tendon rather than the muscle. et voila! So now I face a long lay off, loss of muscle and a relearning period in a couple of months time, but it is worth it. What you'll need to do when you start playing again is to play every single day, but very measured practice routines for a short amount of time. Gradually build this up. Do not gig or practice with a band for a long time! I suspect like me it's these longer band practices that really do the damage. And being heard is possibly a cause too. sadly the only solutions are get a louder amplification system (not why ones plays double bass I know) or to play with a quieter bunch. Put your bass in its bag and don't take it out for a long time. Hard I know. I'm in the process of finding a teacher who is very ergonomically minded and a physio catered for musicians. edit>>>[b][color="#FF0000"]Great Link Chris!![/color][/b] They'll be london based, but I'll pass on numbers if required. Good Luck Tim Thomas Edited September 19, 2008 by Jecklin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviedee Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Sorry to hijack the thread but what is the best way to avoid this happening?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 I used to get pains in both hands towards the end of gigs. I was able to prevent this from happening again by letting the amp do more of the work and play with a much lighter touch. I use very floppy strings on my BGs - Thomastik TI324.on the mustang and TI344 on the jazz/precisions. My EUB is an NS CR5M with the stock strings. I have no problem with it cutting through the drums & two loud guitarists by using a blend of the piezo & magnetic pickup. There's a great book by Dr Randy Kertz who is also a bass player: [url="http://www.drkertz.com/bassistguide.html"]The Bassist's Guide to Injury Management, Prevention and Better Health[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBadBassman Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 Hi Guys, Thanks for all the advice and your own take on the problem. Chris, thanks for the link to the BAPAM site - very informative. I've spoken to my GP about this issue and his response was pretty much the one quoted by Thomas - not exactly helpful! I've all but given up on the upright for the moment because of the wrist problem - typically I was recently offered quite a lucrative gig in a swing band, but had to turn it down. Other than that I've not lost any work from playing the electric bass rather than the upright. Having said that, I am having problems with a one guitarist excepting my 5 string! Interestingly enough as per JLP's suggestion, I've been working on playing with a lighter touch on the electric for the last year or so and I think it has made me a better player for it. By letting the amp do the work I have a much better and consistent tone in what ever style I'm happen to be playing. I'm also experimenting with different strings at the moment on both my fretted and fretless basses both for tone and ease of playing. This proving expensive but illuminating. I've been an Ernie Ball man for years, it looks like DR Sunbeams are the way ahead for me. Thanks JLP for pointing me in the direction of the Injury Management book - next stop Amazon. Thanks again everyone, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 [quote name='BigBadBassman' post='287943' date='Sep 20 2008, 12:33 PM']Thanks JLP for pointing me in the direction of the Injury Management book - next stop Amazon.[/quote] Glad to be of assistance. I think you can only get the book from Randy's site - I ordered my copy direct and he signed it for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 [quote name='chrkelly' post='287206' date='Sep 19 2008, 12:04 PM']My advice is stop playing upright now and go to your doctor. If you keep playing through, you'll end up with a severe injury. Check out these guys for advice specially tailored for musicians. [url="http://www.bapam.org.uk/index.php"]http://www.bapam.org.uk/index.php[/url][/quote] +1 pain is not something to get through, it must be addressed, If not you may be unable to play upright for a long time perhaps never. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I'd recommend seeing a good osteopath. I prefer osteopathy to physiotherapy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBadBassman Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 Mr Funk, What's the difference and which hurts the least? Yours cowardly, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPJ Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 [quote name='jakesbass' post='288886' date='Sep 22 2008, 12:27 AM']+1 pain is not something to get through, it must be addressed, If not you may be unable to play upright for a long time perhaps never.[/quote] Makes you wonder how the guys used to do it in the old days with no amps/PA etc... They must have been brutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 (edited) [quote name='TPJ' post='292205' date='Sep 25 2008, 09:28 PM']Makes you wonder how the guys used to do it in the old days with no amps/PA etc... They must have been brutes.[/quote] Three serious answers. 1. everything (especially drums) was quieter, if certain notable jazz drummers are to be believed. 2. Some player (especially in big bands) used to stand on wooden risers that were hollow, and consequently amplified and projected the sound. 3. Playing loud does not mean playing hard, therefore not necessarily strained. I'm sure some players in that era had trouble too. Edited September 25, 2008 by jakesbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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