Beginer help needed...

[roycruse]

Hi...

Not sure this is the right place for a question like this as the forum description mentions "pushing the boundaries" Maybe a beginer forum would be a good idea as I feel like im a bit out of place.

Ive been teaching myself to play bass for the past couple of months using a book "Crash Course Bass" which basically gets you practicing for a least an hour a day every day for 8 weeks. The first 2 weeks are the very basics then it sets out to touch on a different musical style every week after that. week 3 is blues, week 4 pop and week 5 disco and so on.

Anyway Ive got to week 5 and the disco style of pumping 8th note octave bassed lines are really causing me alot of pain. After sailing through the book to this point im suddenly hit with finding the lines physically tough to play. Im finding that after only 1 minute of playing one of these lines my little finger is on fire and completely fried and cant do it any more.

Im not struggling to learn the actual exercises (not any more than the rest of the book anyway) but just finding it physically tough on my little finger, so on to my question...

Is this normal - is swapping from your index finger to your pinky back and forth rapidly just tough and ill get used to it or is my technique or hand position bad ([url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTZ7p0zgTNc"]please see video clip for a poor quality recording of my left hand[/url]) at the end of that clip my hand was burning with lactic acid

I can paractice literally for hours on the pop and blues style lines with no fatigue but the disco lines are killing me.

Any help, comments, criticism gratefully recieved.

Edited March 11, 2009 by roycruse

[Adrenochrome]

I can't watch the video as I'm at work.
Yes, octave runs can be fairly hard work, so it's probably not just you.
If the bass in the avatar is yours, then I've got one, and the neck shouldn't be causing problems as it's overly wide or anything like that.

[Musky]

I didn't look at your video, but that sounds pretty normal to me. It takes a while to build up strength in your left hand and your little finger is always going to be the weakest digit. Just keep up the practice, taking a break when it starts to hurt. It will get easier with time!

[chris_b]

In no particular order:
Start slowly and build up speed over time.
You don't need to press the strings down too hard.
Use warm up exercises to gently loosen up your fingers, muscles and tendons before you start.
Stop if you are experiencing pain.
Keep at it as it gets easier.

[Lemuel Beam]

<quote> You don't need to press the strings down too hard. </quote>

+1. Gary Willis has some great advice on developing a feel for the minimum pressure required to fret a note. It's much less than you might think, and it saves a lot of pain and effort if you can develop this skill.

[The Funk]

Don't worry - this is the right forum for questions like this. All of Chris's advice above is excellent.

I've watched the video. Your left-hand positioning's horrendous! (It's just like mine was before I realised that's why I couldn't move my wrists for a day after a long gig).

First off, your thumb is way too high up. It shouldn't go above half-way round the back of the neck.

Secondly, you should be using your thumb to pivot when you go from string to string (and from low to high on the fretboard).

Thirdly, get your elbows out. They're wedged into your ribs at the moment. Move them out away from your body.

Fourthly, try to keep your wrist as straight as possible (in line with your forearm).

And then last of all, use your ring finger together with your little finger to fret the octave. It might help, it might not.

[roycruse]

Thanks for the tips - I will spend some time trying to improve my hand/arm position in the morning.

[YouMa]

practice hard if you want to get anywhere good. Otherwise get a fishing rod. Best of luck.