Q: I met you several years ago at NAMM when I worked for Alfred Music and I filmed you when you played at our booth. Anyway, I have since switched careers from Video Editor to Massage Therapist and I still play bass – jazz on electric and classical on upright. Because of my involvement in the San Diego music scene, a lot of my clients are musicians. I have decided to dub 2016 as “left handed death grip” year. It seems like I get client after client of string players (not just bass) with left hand pain and tendonitis who all reluctantly admit that they are hanging on to the neck for dear life. Of course, I tell them to stop playing like that but I haven’t been able to find any resources to direct them to as to
To stop doing it. I was lucky in that an early teacher of mine was crazy about the left hand being relaxed but it’s hard to describe how to do it. I have enjoyed reading your posts on No Treble and I was wondering if you could address the left hand tension problem. I can’t seem to find anything adequate on this issue on Google so it seems like a problem that needs addressed.
A: Nice to hear from you, and thank you for the question. I am lucky in as much as I just naturally fell in to good posture and technique, so I’ve never had any issues with my hands. That said, I have plenty of students who have had issues and here are some things that I recommend.
Secrets Of Finger Pressure For Bass Players
The one thing that you will notice when you watch your favorite players and the best of the best: they are almost always relaxed (both physically and mentally). There are exceptions to the rule, of course, and I find myself wondering how certain musicians hands to go into spasm when I watch certain people play. But it is much easier to play well when you are relaxed both physically and mentally.
If you cramp up when you are practicing, simply stop and gently shake out your hands and arms. Take a few minutes to relax before getting back to it. There are a lot of muscles – both big and small – that need to develop in order to physically work an instrument comfortably. Give them time to grow and stretch and don’t try to force them to do anything they aren’t ready to do. Take it slow and listen to your body.
Although I never really warm up, I do tend to shake out my hands, massage them and get the blood flowing before a performance. Do whatever gets your head in the game mentally and don’t forget to warm up those hands in some way. Wether you rub them back and forth for a minute or run some scales.
Bass Guitar For Small Hands [practical Tips & Guide]
Have a question for Damian Erskine? Send it to [email protected] . Check out Damian’s instructional books, Right Hand Drive and The Improviser’s Path.There is one instrument in every band that doesn’t get its deserved attention and praise: The bass guitar. Often, the bass guitar is one of those things you only notice when it’s not done right. A skilled bass player contributes to the band’s playing a lot but remains in the background while the vocals and guitar take the spotlight. Still, a skilled bassist can steal the show with a solid bass line or a well-timed solo.
If you’re one of the brave people who have decided to learn how to play bass guitar, we can help you get started on your bass-playing journey. Here are some helpful tips and steps that’ll come in handy when learning to play the bass. Read on and let’s get started!
Breaking things into steps makes things easier to grasp. Don’t try to take everything in at once, but follow these steps instead when starting to play bass guitar. Learn the foundations before moving on to the next step. There’s no need to start learning how to tune your bass before knowing what bass strings are or to start practicing bass lines before you know how to hold the instrument. First, let’s get familiar with your instrument: the electric bass.
Daily Bass Guitar Exercises For Beginners (with Guitar Tab)
As any skilled musician can tell you, once you’re experienced enough at playing an instrument, it becomes almost like an extension of your body — you don’t even think of it as separate from you. The bass guitar is no exception. However, when you’re still starting out and learning how to play bass guitar (or any instrument for that matter), playing is going to feel a bit awkward. That’s why it’s important to get familiar with the different parts of the bass guitar and what functions the different parts serve.
Knowing the parts of the instrument will come in handy, especially when buying your very first beginner bass guitar. Get familiar with at least the following bass parts:
Are you committed to learning how to play the bass guitar? Good! In that case, you’re going to need an instrument of your own. Buying the right beginner bass guitar can be a daunting task, but there are some things to look for in a beginner instrument.
How To Position Your Left Hand On The Bass Guitar
Things that may influence your decision include the type of bass guitar you want, number of strings, scale length, material, and price just to name a few. Did you know that there are both acoustic and electric bass guitars? If you want to play electric bass, you’re also going to need an amplifier.
If you want to read more about buying a good beginner bass, check out our bass guitar buying guide. There you’ll find some great recommendations as well as tips on what kind of gear and bass accessories you might want to get.
“Of course I know how to hold a bass!” you might be thinking. However, don’t underestimate the importance of good ergonomic posture. It’s also a good idea to ensure you’re holding the bass correctly right away. Unlearning bad posture later on is going to be much harder than learning the right way in the first place. Here’s how to hold a bass guitar when sitting down:
Bass Guitar Chords Lessons
Playing any stringed instrument isn’t fun if the tuning is off. Whenever you pick up your bass guitar to play, remember to check that the instrument is in the correct tuning. Most songs use the standard E-A-D-G tuning (from the lowest string to the highest one). You don’t need to worry about alternate tunings yet since you are just learning to play.
Skilled bass players know how to tune their instrument by ear. However, a reliable bass guitar tuner is a great tool for everyone regardless of their bass-playing skills. Physical tuner devices can be a reliable tool for tuning a bass guitar. Unfortunately, they also tend to be quite expensive, at least if you want an accurate bass tuner. Luckily, there are bass tuner apps you can download completely free without having to settle for lower quality. Check out GuitarTuna, an online tuner app that you can download free of charge for your Android and iOS devices.
Should you use a pick or your fingers to play the bass? The decision is up to you, but the two different playing styles are good for different things. Playing with a pick allows you to play faster, alternating between upstrokes and downstrokes (also known as tremolo picking). Playing with a pick also produces a sharper and punchier sound which makes it a good choice if you want to play more rock, punk, and metal genres. However, playing with a pick may not fit all musical styles and genres that require more versatility.
A Guide To Buying A Bass Guitar For Beginners
Playing with your fingers is the most common way to go, and it fits many musical styles and genres. Playing with the fingers of your right hand is sometimes called fingerstyle. You pluck the strings with the index and middle finger of your right hand, although some players use more than just these two fingers to play. With fingerstyle, the sound is rounder, and you’ll have an easier time changing between different strings. More advanced bass guitar players can also incorporate different techniques, such as slapping the strings with their thumb or plucking multiple strings at the same time.
To get familiar with the instrument and gain control over the strings, you can start playing as a beginner by using just your fingers. As you get better and more comfortable playing, you can learn to play with a pick as well. Overall, having the skills to use both playing techniques is a good decision. That way you can change between playing with a pick or your fingers whenever you need to.
Knowing how to read sheet music is a useful skill to have but one that takes a lot of time and effort to learn. A simpler and more accessible format of musical notation for the bass guitar is tabs or tablature . The four (or in some cases more) bass guitar strings are represented by horizontal lines and notes by numbers. The numbers in
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