What’s so hard about playing bass? You pick it up, hang it on a strap, and pound the crap out of it with your hand. You can play it around your knees like Geezer Butler, or play it with the headstock pointed at the ceiling like Fieldy. It ain’t rocket science. Is it?
If you’re unconcerned by carpal tunnel syndrome and impervious to fatigue — read no further. However, if you think your present way of playing is hurting your back, your hands and your sound — read on.
Standing Up: Most of us learned to play while sitting down. It’s the most comfortable thing in the world. I remember that when I first tried to stand while playing, it felt completely awkward — like I had to learn to play all over again. The reason? The instrument wasn’t in the same position relative to my body as it was before.
Strap Length: Adjust your strap so that your bass is in exactly the same position when you stand, as it is when you sit. Follow these steps. (1.) Sit, with your hands on the bass in play position (2.) Stand. (3.) If you feel that the position or angle of your hands and arms has shifted because of the instrument being raised or lowered, re-adjust your strap length. (4.) Repeat until there is no discernible difference between the standing and seated instrument position.
Instrument Balance: The amazing variety of bass body styles these days is a double-edged sword. It’s easy to find an instrument that looks cool, but more difficult to find one that balances correctly. The B.C. Rich Ironbird is amazing to look at, but you’re constantly having to lift the neck as you play. Your fret hand is already being exerted fingering the notes… do you really need to make it work harder? Rather than give up your precious Gibson Flying-V bass, a new strap might be in order. Wide leather straps are a good choice. They distribute the weight of a heavy instrument over a larger surface area, saving your back. They also tend to “stick” to your clothing, allowing less slip. Take your bass to the music store and experiment. A $40 strap pays for itself if it saves you one trip to the massage therapist.
Plucking Hand: Some bass players complain that they tire easily because the strings are “big”. They say that the bass is a “strength instrument”. Obviously, they haven’t seen all the tiny female bass players I have. 🙂 Bass players who tire easily tend to have poor plucking hand technique. To conserve energy, the right hand (for us right handed players) should move as little as possible. First, let’s assume we’re playing a 4 string bass in standard tuning. Make sure your thumb is resting on the pickup above the E string. It doesn’t matter if your bass has P’s, J’s, or humbuckers… there’s generally some ledge for you to anchor your thumb on. If possible, always keep the thumb at a right angle (perpendicular) to the surface of the body. Now, pluck with your fingers, as if you were trying to bring your fingers up to touch your thumb. This is the same natural, comfortable movement you use to pick up a small or narrow object… like a pencil. The only time your thumb should move from its place on top of your pickup, is when you are playing your G string. In that case, rest the thumb on the E string instead of the pickup. Not only does this give you a better reach at the G, it mutes the E. Practice this. Look at your thumb from time to time. Watch that your fingers are always pulling up and towards the thumb. Master this technique, and you won’t tire as easily.
But I Use A Pick!: Do you pick bi-directionally, or just downward? Guitarists are often guilty of this, too. If you just pick downward, your arm has to do twice as much pumping for the same number of notes. Play something fast, and you might as well forget it. Learn to pick in both directions. Play every song so that you alternate up and downstrokes. Begin musical lines with upstrokes, just to remind yourself to pick both ways. Downstrokes are a hard habit to break, and it will take time until your downstroke and upstroke notes sound the same. Get to work on it now.
Fingers: Some players only use 2 of their 4 fingers on each hand. Practice using them all! Yes, your pinkies are kind of useless, but every little bit helps. When I first started trying to use all 4, I found my fret hand pinky was a good starting finger for fast downward runs, but was not as great at holding notes. It was very weak in the beginning, and I often had to brace it with its next door neighbour. With time, its gotten stronger. The pinky on my plucking hand lends some help wherever it can. It can be particularly useful for popping notes on my high C string. Third fingers are useful most of the time, especially for playing (tah-dah!) triplets. On my fret hand, my second or third finger will fret a note, depending on which one is closer, or faster. If you usually pluck with only two fingers, why not try using your third as an alternate finger, to give your second finger a rest? It’s just as easy to play 8th notes with 1 and 3 instead of 1 and 2.
Back to Standing Up: So… your bass is at the correct height, both hands are making the most of your energy — what about your feet? Standing in one place is fatiguing, especially if you play a 6, or another heavy solid wood bass. If you absolutely must remain motionless, keep your feet spaced apart at shoulder width. Avoid leaning back and forth from foot to foot. Keep a stool nearby in case you need a rest. But to really keep your feet from tiring, I think it’s more straightforward (and more interesting) to just move. I see too many bass players on MTV and Muchmusic that just hang in the background like wallpaper. On the other end of the spectrum are players like Flea that bounce all over the stage. Why not try for something in between? Personally, I enjoy playing more (and I think I play better) when I move to my own groove. Audiences like it too. The guitarist and singer can’t be everywhere at once. Fill some empty space up front, and make a connection with the audience. There’s no need to jump around like a chihuahua on acid; simply walking around and swaying a little will keep you loose and the crowd watching.
Now go practice.
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