Hand pain

[keefbaker]

Hi everyone,

My bass teacher has asked me to go through a few exercises in the ionian/mixolydian modes on G at first position. For some reason I've always avoided that position and it turns out after a while I end up with pain in the "blade" muscle on my hand (ie: hunder the little finger).

My thumb is level with my middle finger, I'm trying not to put too much pressure on but always after a while.... ouch.

Is there anything I can do to mitigate this or has anyone else had a similar situation?

[mybass]

Yes, all to do with arm/wrist/hand position. You need someone to watch (you playing). I'm cautious to comment without knowing how you hold the bass.
My double bass tutor of many years ago got me to raise my (fingerboard playing ) elbow a little as I was getting lazy and dropping it towards the bass body which was cramping the wrist, causing some pain. The smallest change of your hand position will probably help. Maybe try dropping the elbow a little and relaxing the hand overall anyway.

Edited April 22, 2016 by mybass

[SubsonicSimpleton]

Are you attempting to play 1 finger per fret?

[keefbaker]

Yeah, 1 finger per fret.

[Steve Woodcock]

[quote name='keefbaker' timestamp='1461321112' post='3033620']

For some reason I've always avoided that position and it turns out [b]after a while[/b] I end up with pain in the "blade" muscle on my hand (ie: hunder the little finger).

My thumb is level with my middle finger, I'm trying not to put too much pressure on but always [b]after a while.... ouch.[/b]

[/quote]

Hi Keef,

You should be careful with any overly repetitious finger-per-fret exercise down on the lower frets as they can be quite a stretch. You say you are experiencing pain 'after a while' so my advice would be to limit these exercises to shorter bursts and rest your hand whenever you feel any pain or cramping - technique builders like this are best performed little and often to prevent injury.

[SubsonicSimpleton]

One finger per fret is asking a lot of your physiology that low on the neck, especially if you don't use light strings and a very low action. The answer IMHO is to use Simandl double bass fingering (index, middle, pinky(supported by ring) spanning 3 frets) and shift your whole hand using the thumb as a pivot rather than trying to stretch your fingers and remain in one fixed position, and only use one finger per fret higher up the neck where doing so is comfortable - of course different people have different hand and body structures, so there isn't a one-size fits all approach.

Tell your teacher that what they asked you to do hurts, if they insist you persist in hurting yourself, get a better teacher pronto IMHO.

[EvilSmile]

I've just gone through the process of having my left wrist compacted - due to getting lazy with my left hand technique on both electric and upright. Having it treated and then going through the process of identifying the causes and adjusting my technique to prevent it. Without being to prescriptive of exactly how to do it (as everyone's hands are a bit different) here's are the steps i took to identify my 'optimal' left hand fretting technique:[list]
[*]I relaxed my fretting hand completely with my palm facing upward. I then grasped the neck of my bass and relaxed my hand and adjusted my posture, bass high, elbow position etc. until my left hand was in the same relaxed state whilst having my thumb placed on the back of the neck and fingers gentle touching the strings.
[*]I then would start fretting notes whilst keeping my hand relaxed - note not to stretch out your fingers to cover one per fret, just fret notes that naturally fall under your fingers. Again, keeping your hand tension free, the idea here is to get an idea of the minimum amount of force needed to fret a note.
[*]Then stretch out and start to play one finger per fret. To keep things comfortable do this where your hand naturally can spread out over the frets.
[*]During all this time also keep a check on your thumb. Make sure its not locking up and is loose. If it starts locking up, relax your hand, do the step again but focus on keeping your thumb loose.
[*]Last thing is to be mindful of where your strength is coming from, to keep your hand relaxed it can't come from your grip/wrist. For me I draw on double bass technique on my electric and pull the strings down using my arm.
[/list]
As an extra note, I found forcing my thumb to be always level with my middle finger to be one of the points that caused tension in my wrist, naturally for me it wants to sit between my index and middle. Stretches as are great, spreading your hand and fingers out as far as they can go (without causing pain),holding them for a short period, then fulling relaxing your hand can help to warm the muscles up that you require when playing 1 finger per fret in the lower registers.

Not having pain and preventing the injury is, in my opinion, worth the extra steps and additional mindfulness that all this entails!

Edited April 22, 2016 by EvilSmile

[Coilte]

[quote name='Stickman' timestamp='1461328939' post='3033740']
You should be careful with any overly repetitious finger-per-fret exercise down on the lower frets as they can be quite a stretch.
[/quote]

I agree. OP...use the ring and little finger together and/or use the thumb as a pivot to move the whole hand instead of stretching.

I would also advise against having the thumb level with the middle finger. This constricts the carpel tunnel, through which the tendons that move the fingers pass. This in turn can lead to all sorts of injury problems over time. Keep the thumb in the neutral position.

Check out this clip ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRkSsapYYsA

Edited April 22, 2016 by Coilte

[luckydog]

+1 on advice so far: It shouldn't ever hurt and don't push through any pain.

Reminds me of Tommy Cooper: "Doctor it hurts when I play G mixolydian" Doctor: "Well don't do it then!"

We find our own fingering that works for us. I think that someone else's fingering is like someone else's toothbrush: it might look very nice but you wouldn't want to use it !

Oddly enough, I got a bad cramp in my left forearm last week at rehearsal playing a song which needed repetitive full stretch at the first fret........

LD

[keefbaker]

Ok, I've put my elbow in pretty much direct contact with my trunk and moved my thumb to the ringfinger and it seems to be a lot better. Thanks everyone.

[Coilte]

[quote name='keefbaker' timestamp='1461511523' post='3035274']
and moved my thumb to the ringfinger and it seems to be a lot better. Thanks everyone.
[/quote]

Let the thumb go to where it naturally wants.. or needs.. to go. Even with it behind the ring finger, the CT is narrowed. It's not a sin. .(though I'm sure some will disagree..) to point it towards the head stock.