Example Of Straight Wrists.

[jdthebassman]

I play my bass at the same height standing up or sitting down. I could care less what others think on how I wear my bass or what color it is that is my choice and have yet to have anyone tell me different. Wearing the bass low or slopping the thumb over the neck limits where you can go and will cause problems in the neck and shoulders and hands. check out my avatar. PS I have never had a problem in 40+ years of playing.

 

[Corbusier]

IMHO if a bassist keeps his bass more upright, his wrist should stay straighter. If the bass is more horizontal, the wrist will be bent more. Arm length can make a difference as well. So whatever works best for each one of us, is fine in my opinion.

I think this is right. Mark Farner played almost upright in the early days.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I've been doing OK in regards to my fretting wrist, however, recently I tried learning a song (Turn Me Loose by Loverboy), which is all octaves around the first 3 frets for the first 3 minutes of the song. I stink at octaves so I wanted to learn a song where I would be forced to practice them. After a couple of evenings of practice I had to stop playing and took a full day off yesterday.

I play a short scale bass using a pick and my thumb sits on the back on the neck. I'm definitely not what you would call a low slinger. In fact, I wear my bass fairly high and I only play seated due to lower back problems.

I'd like to learn the song, but I'm afraid it's just going to be one of those things to avoid completely. Tonight I'm working on Rock You Like A Hurricane by the Scorpions and am paying very close attention to keeping my wrist as straight as possible, which definitely helps in my case. My wrist is doing fine with this tune as with most of the songs I play.

I've had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands, but this seems to be a problem when using the ring finger. I always struggled with power chords when I played guitar a few years back, which is one of the reasons I switched to bass.

I'm 61 years old and don't have much in the way of flexibility in my joints. Never really did.

 

[Lobster11]

I've been doing OK in regards to my fretting wrist, however, recently I tried learning a song (Turn Me Loose by Loverboy), which is all octaves around the first 3 frets for the first 3 minutes of the song. I stink at octaves so I wanted to learn a song where I would be forced to practice them. After a couple of evenings of practice I had to stop playing and took a full day off yesterday.

I play a short scale bass using a pick and my thumb sits on the back on the neck. I'm definitely not what you would call a low slinger. In fact, I wear my bass fairly high and I only play seated due to lower back problems.

I'd like to learn the song, but I'm afraid it's just going to be one of those things to avoid completely. Tonight I'm working on Rock You Like A Hurricane by the Scorpions and am paying very close attention to keeping my wrist as straight as possible, which definitely helps in my case. My wrist is doing fine with this tune as with most of the songs I play.

I've had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands, but this seems to be a problem when using the ring finger. I always struggled with power chords when I played guitar a few years back, which is one of the reasons I switched to bass.

I'm 61 years old and don't have much in the way of flexibility in my joints. Never really did.

Yeah, I'd say that if playing a song requires you to take a day off afterwards, you should probably avoid playing that song. Or... maybe just play it an octave higher? It won't sound quite like the original but at least you could enjoy playing the song without hurting yourself.

 

[2saddleslab]

Mostly a thumb hanger [don't try that at home, kids] but can do the thumb behind the neck when required.

 

[GTHintz]

I think thumb placement and not trying to iron grip the neck is more important than wrist position. Your thumb is the starting point and your fingers kinda follow. I allow my wrist to be neutral. Not flexed and not extended. Just comfortable. I usually don't think about anything of the sort and just play but the times I have really looked close at my technique I found the reason why I wasn't able to handle certain riffs and why my hands weren't moving as fast as I'd like. A lot of it comes down to thumb and how hard you're pressing the strings. Smooth set up really makes the difference as well.

 

[swagbotbilly]

Bummed that Fergie's videos are private now. Would love to see them!

 

[India_Sierra]

Mostly a thumb hanger [don't try that at home, kids] but can do the thumb behind the neck when required.
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View attachment 4510251

Noting this 'thumb over neck' claw-grip in particular, it is something that a player can get away with for years if not indefinitely so long as the music played is relatively slow (left hand-wise) and without complexity. I always recommend newer players focus on keeping their thumb in line with the neck and keeping a relaxed grip to reduce stress on their wrists.

Out of interest, I presume you are mainly playing just the root notes generally?

 

[2saddleslab]

Noting this 'thumb over neck' claw-grip in particular, it is something that a player can get away with for years if not indefinitely so long as the music played is relatively slow (left hand-wise) and without complexity. I always recommend newer players focus on keeping their thumb in line with the neck and keeping a relaxed grip to reduce stress on their wrists.

Out of interest, I presume you are mainly playing just the root notes generally?

I wouldn't recommend my technique either, hence the warning to the kids. Stanley Clark I ain't. But having been blessed with large hands you'd be surprised how many notes I can strangle. Some of them are even advantageous to the song.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

Bummed that Fergie's videos are private now. Would love to see them!

Sorry to say, the musical content was cited for copyright by Youtube, so i had to make them private until it is sorted out.
Any song used by me for demo purpose's, or any part of a song, got a copyright infringement notice, even songs i wrote and recorded in some instances.

Hopefully it can be all sorted out and the videos can be back i the public domain, along with the instructional technique ones, i took everything down so i do not have to use time to keep checking on the Youtube site for new issues.

 

[Cristo]

A suggestion for those looking to get straighter wrists while playing in order to help with pain, CTS, or other cumulative trauma type problems, try getting some of those velcro wrist splints:

Your fingers will be free but the splint will force your wrist to be straight.

With one on each hand, you can now experiment with the bass position - height of neck, strap height, and perhaps more interestingly the rotation of the bass as it sits on your body. I find that the bass has to be not directly against my front but positioned a bit more on my right side (as a right handed player.)

Although the part of the splint that goes through your palm might interfere with your playing, the splints force you to find where the bass should be located on your body in order to be able to play with straight wrists. I'm not necessarily suggesting that you play with the splints on, but rather just use them as a tool to reposition the bass.

You might also find them helpful to wear when not playing if you are already having discomfort.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

Hi all, the situation has been resolved and the videos are now back on-line.

 

[Hertz]

Fergie, thanks for the post, video and discussion. I recently decided to revisit the bass and had been struggling with wrist position, strap height and overall technique. Bending the left wrist was no longer working out for me. Focusing on a straight wrist has helped improve my comfort and skill level.