Back tension

[iamtheelvy]

Any advice on keeping your back free of tension? I’ve always tried to keep my basses at the “correct” height, ie no strain to either wrist, but with my strap set to seated height, or even just below I get a lot of tension built up in my back and shoulders.

 

Lowering the strap, even just a notch or two, almost immediately relieves it, but leaves the bass in a slightly sub-optimal position.

 

Anything I can do to make this better, or should I just embrace the rock stance and get on with it?

[Lozz196]

Embrace the rock stance if it’s better for your back, if it means practicing a lot to get used to it then put the work in. Ironically I’ve had to do the exact opposite, heighten my bass for my back, doesn’t seem right to me but the back says thanks.

[Pea Turgh]

Excuse my misreadings of the original post.

 

As you were.

Edited Thursday at 20:58 by Pea Turgh

[Burns-bass]

Some people reckon it’s hippy BS but this could help you:

 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alexander-technique/#:~:text=The Alexander technique teaches improved,posture and move more efficiently.

 

I suffered from back pain after a motorbike injury and this - as well as some work at the gym - has  transformed my posture. 
 

Im not medical expert so always speak to a professional before doing anything but don’t ever risk your back.

[iamtheelvy]

Appreciate the input guys. In general, it’s probably overthinking things - the difference in height is about half an inch, but it makes the difference between obvious tension and a nice even weight distribution across shoulders and back. The lower setting is still higher than many wear their basses, so guess I’ll just get on with it!

[Grooverjr]

Many things start heading towards the floor as we age. Why should the bass not join them? 

[chris_b]

I've heard good things about  the Alexander Technique. Coupled with a good work out routine, to strengthen your core, should resolve most problems.

[KingBollock]

I don’t quite know why I am mentioning this because it is probably stupid and impractical…

 

I am quite a large fella, I’m mostly all belly (parts of me look like they belong to a much fitter/thinner person. I wish that the rest of my body was as lean and muscled as my legs!). This puts a lot of  pressure on my already damaged back.

 

Anyway, one day I was out at a quarry collecting rocks for a vivarium setup. I ended up with a rucksack on my back with about 50lbs of rocks in it. My back hadn’t felt so good in a long time!

 

So, I am wondering if attaching some kind of counter balance to the back of your strap might help? I don’t know what you’d use, and it would probably be best if it was not obvious. Maybe a small dumb-bell weight covered by something? Or a bag of sand/rocks. It wouldn’t have to be huge as it only has to counter balance some of the weight of your bass. Something small but dense. I don’t know, like I said it’s probably stupid.

 

It might only have to be used for a short time while you work on strengthening your core. It might even help with that because as well as a counter balance, it would be extra weight. It could work like those weights that people carry or attach to their ankles while out jogging.

[SteveXFR]

Have you tried lowering your strap? If I have my bass anywhere near seated height, my back is on fire in minutes. Nice and low is much more comfortable. I prefer it slightly lower if I'm using a pick than if I'm using fingers but since I like to swap techniques, I've got a bit of a compromise. 

I have got old injuries in shoulders, back and arms so if it's not right, I soon know about it. 

[miles'tone]

Yoga.

[ezbass]

I go for the strap at sitting height. However, I know that my posture is different when standing, which means the strap length is slightly different. Fortunately, this doesn’t give me any issues. Therefore, set the strap for being comfortable when standing and if everything else stays comfortable, that’s your strap length.

[Boodang]

Play sitting down?! 

Depends on the music genre I guess (still, could be a novelty in a punk band, you could have a steam punk chair!). I don't play standing up anymore, I literally can't be @rsed. But then I'm not playing bass in a punk or metal band. Still, since playing only sitting down I've had zero physical issues associated with playing, and I have two crushed disks in my lower back.... which is also the the reason I play drums with a back rest on my throne. 

Other alternative, play an eub, then zero wait on your body. I've got an NS Design, which actually just sounds like a giant fretless so good for other than jazz, and I have that on a stand and play it standing or sitting on a bar stool if I'm feeling lazy. Looks good on stage as well, always gets comments from the punters.