Is the baseball bat grip really that bad?

[Zalastar]

Many, many years ago when the world was young and I was but boy, my mtorcycle and I had an altercation with an Alphasud (yes it was THAT long ago...)
As a result of said altercation I have some limitation of movement in my left wrist and can only bend it downwards about 30 degrees. Because of this lack of flexibility I really struggle to get a good hand placement on the bass neck, when I do get that nice flat handspan across the frets with the thumb planted behind the neck I have no strength and struggle to fret the strings.

All in all this means I'm really stuck with a baseball bat grip and the resulting lack of technique, for now this is not a problem... I'm new, I'm learning and all seems to be ok.... in the future however I'm keen to understand how much would this hamper my ability to play with any real competency?

I Guess the real question is does this lack of technique mean I'll miss 10% of what is possible or 90%, if it's 90% is it worth investing the time?

[Acebassmusic]

I would persevere with trying to get a good technique as it will help you long term.

Something doesn't sound right to me about you not having the strength to fret a string when you've got your thumb behind the neck. It shouldn't take much pressure to hold a string down. Is your bass hung too low and your wrist is bent? With your max 30 deg bend in your wrist it will cause problems if you don't have the bass neck reasonably high. As you're learning, do you have a tutor who could check this out for you?

[Zalastar]

I think it's more to do with the way the tendons were restrung when the hospital put the arm back together, the more I flex from horizontal the less strength a get across in my grip. Let's just say  I wouldn't let the surgeon that did the job restring my bass!

When my had is in the correct position across the front I struggle to move my thumb onto the neck.

I'll try lifting the neck when I'm practicing later see of that makes a difference, sadly no tutor other than YouTube.

[Acebassmusic]

Have a look at this for ideas....SBL - Bass Position

[Dood]

Firstly Zalastar, you are not alone. I have had at least a couple of students who have also had serious bike accidents and now suffer limited movements in their hands and wrists which led to left hand positioning problems. One certainly found it easier to 'broom handle' the bass neck rather than having an open position with the thumb on the back of the neck.

Secondly, as Ace' has suggested quite rightly, you may benefit from an excellent tutor who can look at your hand position to see if there's anything that can be done to assist. I've heard that even physio could help loosen up muscles if they have gotten used to their limited movement. I'm not a doctor so maybe seeking some professional advice there could assist too.

[songofthewind]

Also consider a short or medium scale bass. The Chowny in Scott Whitley’s videos look to me to have narrower string spacing too, but I could be wrong.

[chris_b]

There is a bass called the torzal natural twist from the Little Guitar Works which has a twist in the neck which might help.  Maybe try to lower the action on your current bass, and see if that helps. The bottom line, if a baseball bat grip is what you've got then you can make it work for you.

[Zalastar]

Thanks all, definitely some things there for me to think about. In terms of bass choice, the one i have was the perfect price for my finances... it was free :-). I like the thought of a short scale as i also have small hands, however at 6ft 2 is suspect i may look like I'm playing a ukelele.... however if i get to a position where a new bass is an option I'll definitely give one a try.

The Torzal looks.... different but does look like it would be a better playing position.

I'll definitely look into better neck positionong and I'll continue working on the  physio/ stretching as they  are options in my current price  bracket.

Off to SBL now to view that bass position video.

P.S. 

6ft 2, small hands and deformed wrists... i am not a freak.... honest!

[wal4string]

I play both  a 34" scale Musicman 4 string Stingray and a headless 32" 5 string headless Status bass. I could play Green Onions all day on the Status  (Green Onions is a 4 finger stretch) but on the Stingray after about 30 bars my left hand begins to cramp up.  (I have told the wife for years small is best). I recall reading somewhere (so don't quote me) that Paul McCartney's violin bass was a 30" scale. And watching videos of Chris Squire (again don't quote me on this) always looked as though he was playing a far shorter scale bass Rik than the one I owned. A shorter scale bass with the right strings will sound no different. I would highly recommend a Status though, a graphite neck wonderful. 

[Roxy]

Just thought I’d chip in on this topic. I’ve played for many years and was always a snobby “perfect neck hand position” discipline. I’d scoff at lazy players who didn’t play with the perfect position ( but nobody can prove what is the least damaging long term wrist / hand position).  Anyway, last few years I’ve developed fretting arm issues. Started with “golfers elbow “ symptoms and shoulder aching. Best advice  Ive received is from a ex athelete who owns the health club I use, who takes a larger holistic approach to injuries. Gave me exercises to strengthen all areas of my shoulders and arms (not heavy weight lifting but light intricate movements and starches)and to reassess how I position my fretting hand, even switching from perfect position to thumb over the top at random  as I want to, and doing a lot of “waiter “ stretches- and eventually cured my elbow and shoulder pain! 

I have tenderness in the part of my hand on the little finger side, but accept that’s probablly age related. 

So, my little contribution is- do whatever is best for you! The audience don’t care if you fretting hand is “correct “, or you have a big fat ugly thumb hanging over your e or b string! Oh, and of course rest when needed.  Good luck!

[Paul S]

Doesn't seem too hold this old fella up too much! 

 

 

[Roxy]

25 minutes ago, Paul S said:

Doesn't seem too hold this old fella up too much! 

 

 

Yep- proves the point exactly - thanks ! 

Wished I hadn’t been such an arrogant idiot years ago! 

[adamg67]

I noticed that MonoNeon doesn't use a "proper" left hand grip either, but he also has really long fingers.

I thought I was going to have to do the same thing after some wrist problems, but exercising and stretching seems to be helping. I wasn't too worried, I already play guitar with a dodgy left hand, with the approval of my guitar/bass teacher.

I think it's a 10% thing, but that's just some theoretical difference versus a "proper" left hand position done well and that's feels good. Going with baseball bat style and having a left hand position that you're comfortable with and that let's you practice and play lots and enjoy it will make more difference than that IMO.

Edited September 30, 2018 by adamg67

[adamg67]

Just remembered, these two youtube videos helped me find a left position that works without stressing my wrist. I don't take any of it verbaitim, but the biggest thing for me was pointing my thumb up the neck instead of having it across - this helped me take nearly all the bend out of my wrist. What I do now is a cross between the two really, or maybe closer to Scott's, I do keep may hand pretty flat for most things but I point my thumb at the headstock. On top of the stretches, doing some work on that and just monitoring the angle in my left wrist and keeping it as close to straight as possible has really helped my wrist, I've gone from hardly being able to play to practising for an hour or two (with breaks) at a time. I always play standing up as that seems to put the neck in a much better position to keep my wrist straight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsDbh0buYHE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRkSsapYYsA