Do you play with your watch on?

[Richard R]

Simple question, do you take off your watch to play bass?

I was struggling with some fretting a couple of weeks ago, and my tutor suggested I take my watch off. I'm right handed so wear a watch on the left wrist as traditional. It's not on tight at all, and I couldn't feel it restricting movement , but I was surprised to find that removing it did seem to make a difference. So now I take off my watch to play,

What are anyone else's experiences?

 

 

 

[BreadBin]

I don't wear a watch!

[ped]

I wear mine, it helps me keep time

Thank you

[Sté]

My watch didn't survive to the 20th century... But i move my left hand ring to the right hand when I play.

 

[PaulWarning]

I'm a lefty and used to wear my watch on my left hand, till I scratched a Stingray with the metal strap , I changed to wearing on my right hand (fretting hand) after a while of taking it off altogether, which didn't make any difference to my playing I really can't see it being an issue unless it's the weight of a diamond encrusted Rolex

[Richard R]

Trust me, I don't own a Rolex. I think it was just pressing on the tendons slightly, and as I am still getting the hang of things any slight problem is a bigger one.

[Hobbayne]

I do wear a watch, but I dont wear any rings. Not even a wedding ring. It gets in the way of my playing and the wife doesnt object to it, being as she wears hers.

[MartinB]

I used to take mine off, thinking it might get in the way. But then a couple of times I forgot - which made me realise that it doesn't make any difference.

[Woodinblack]

I wear a watch and a wedding ring, neither get in the way although I used to slide the ring on the edge of the neck, but doesn't seem to happen any more.

I only recently started wearing a watch again, which is why I can say it doesn't make a difference.

[ahpook]

When I used to wear a watch, I'd take it off to play - I didn't like the way it slid around when I played.

 

[hubrad]

Watch.. yes, very light strap and not at all restrictive. Worn on left (fretting) wrist.

Wedding ring.. no probs on electric, but tends to clatter occasionally on double so move it onto right hand.

[Baxlin]

Never given it a thought, tbh.  But I only remove my watch to go in the shower, so it’s like it’s part of me.

[paul_5]

I don’t like anything round my wrist when I’m playing; I even roll shirt cuffs back if I’m playing a ‘suit do’.

[Stub Mandrel]

They one time I took a watch off to play I left it on the mixing desk 😞

It was my great-uncles solid gold Sekonda from a time when solid-gold Sekondas were a bit special ;-(

Yeek tatty one without original strap on eBay for £270...

[pete.young]

7 hours ago, Richard R said:

Simple question, do you take off your watch to play bass?

I was struggling with some fretting a couple of weeks ago, and my tutor suggested I take my watch off. I'm right handed so wear a watch on the left wrist as traditional. It's not on tight at all, and I couldn't feel it restricting movement , but I was surprised to find that removing it did seem to make a difference. So now I take off my watch to play,

What are anyone else's experiences?

 

 

 

I always take mine off, for bass or any other stringed instrument. Can't abide rings either.

[mep]

I haven't worn a watch for many years so can't comment.  If it works for you then great.

[Moos3h]

Took me a long time to get used to playing with my wedding ring on, but it didn't pass unnoticed me taking it off as I left for the gig. That took some explaining...

[Bobthedog]

Always wear a watch except in bed (my stopwatch measures in 100ths of a second thankfully  )

[KK Jale]

Usually happen to have a watch on when gigging... it's pretty light and on a nice comfy nato, doesn't seem to affect me at all. 

An ex-pro once told me that if you turn it so the watch is on the inside of your wrist, you can easily take a sneaky look at the time without showing the audience that very obvious turn of the hand with its unspoken message of "When's this fecking set going to end?"  

Edited March 21, 2019 by KK Jale

[BigRedX]

I haven't worn a watch for a long time (since the late 90s). In the days when I did wear one, if would always be removed before playing as it didn't go with the band image.