Hand Cramping When Playing Bass
 

As most of you know by now, I'm a bass player and while playing a show on Saturday night my right hand (pick hand) began cramping up like a motherfucker around the third song.

It started paining right in the fleshy part of my thumb, on the palm of the hand. I could hardly hold on to the pick and at a couple of points I had to drop the pick and play with my fingers.

Please don't give me any bullshit about how "real" bass players play with their fingers...that's not going to help me.

Any advice (aside from ^ that) would be greatly appreciated. Do you guys have any warm-up exercises you could recommend? I jerk with my left hand, so that's not going to help either...

Thanks.

rolleyes:

Next...

might be carpal tunnel... i really have no tips for warming up the pick hand.. i really only warm up my fret hand with scales and whatnot.

This may sound very odd, but you could try to do some piano warm-ups. For our guitar methods class, they sometimes make us do piano warm-ups to loosen up the fingers and wrists. If you want me to explain in more detail I'll be glad to.

From a musician's forum I frequent: "Sounds like you're holding your pick too tight. Tension leads to pain, and eventually, permanent injury. Learn to relax and not only will your pain go away, your technique will improve."

I think there may be something to what this guy said. It was our first official show and maybe I was clamping on the pick pretty hard due to nerves/adrenaline. I hadn't noticed too much cramping when we'd go through the whole set list in practice.

I'll try to drink more and relax...oh and stretch. Yes, stretch.

I was about to say that, stretch out. This is gonna sound funny but when we goto the shooting range for the Marines, if you haven't held the rifle in a while your hand cramps at your wrist from holding it funny for a hours. I usually stretch my wrist out prior to the range.

Ill ask the bassist in my band tonight at practice on what he does for warm ups and Ill post it on here for you.

Thanks dude. I'd appreciate that. beer:

the damage that that guy is talking about is similar to writers cramp. It's a permanent form of nerve damage that can actually be remedied with botox injections in the upper arm. However, warm-ups and stretches will help prevent this. piano warm-up work really well, stiff-finger waves will help and also stress balls. I also might recommend warming up without using the pick This will also stretch out the muscles and tendons in your hands and fingers

i'd recommend warm-ups on the flesh flute, i can also explain in more detail if you want

i've had the same exact problem before in the middle of a show and had to drop the pick and play with my fingers. the pain is mostly around my wrist, and that guy's right, relaxing the hold on the pick helps a lot

Thread's over with what the other dude said. Just need to move the wrist more around the string rather than powering through it.

maybe you should stop fapping 50 times a day zoner rock:

i always relax my hand before playing zee bassguitar

also, lots of people put lots of pressure in their pick, try loosen up