Developing Safe Left Hand Technique for Bass Guitar
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 พ.ค. 2010
- A lesson on developing on safe and comfortable left hand technique for bass guitar. My own problems with RS injury lead me to develop my concept of "neutral position," which I teach to my student in hopes that they don't have the same problems I did.
Here are some of the things I talk about in the video that are important to keep in mind.
1. The shoulder holds up the arm, and allows all the rest of the arm to relax and go limp.
2. The elbow is most relaxed when it is bent at moderate angle.
3. The wrist is relaxed, flexible and straight.
4. The joints of all the fingers are curved, and the finger tips are all on the same horizontal plane
5. The thumb is to the left of the index finger and is roughly perpendicular to the second finger segment.
Hope you enjoy!
EDIT: Here are some photos of me playing in the lower positions on a 7-string bass. The same lessons apply for all you ERB people.
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Adam doesn't age
They only play the BASS
i knew it
If you didn't say it, I would have. I call it "Keanu Syndrome"
its only been 9 years, its not like hes a preteen here
He looks about a decade older, although I'd agree that he looks good for his age
You colud totally revisit this topic with proper quality just so more people would see it. Very helpful
killme But what about the *M E M E S*
So true, was about to skip because of video quality. Thank God I gave it a chance
? This has taught me how to not injure myself, that's the goal.
And lose the "In my bedroom at my parent's house" vibe!?
Yes plz
Adam, you are my hero. No joke... 20 years ago I was taught to position the thumb between my middle and ring fingers... I commited to this and for the life of me I could never play bass for more than an hour a day before it got too painful. And now this 10-year video has lifted that pain away. Thank you so much.
Ugh.... And this is why you don't learn bass from a guitarist....
hey man, I'm a guitarist and think this is fucking uncomfortable too hmmph
The same staff. I'm new to bass-guitar and started with this "academic classical position"& After 2 weeks my wrist was hardly bended because of the pain. When it get more painful I started to look for some videos like this one. And as soon as I tried to hold the neck with my thumb moved a bit to the left, the tension, that caused pain is gone. No, my wrist still hurt because it's already injured. But it doesn't get worse when I have guitar in my hand. So I hope that if I give my hand a rest and then continue playing with proper left hand position I will avoid this painful feeling. Thanks god that this guy recorded this video! 🙏🙏🙏🙏
I'm a guitarist and I must agree. Even Jimi Hendrix didn't put his thumb on the neck often
Hey man, retired professional drummer from Los Angeles here, at the young age of 57, finally bought a bass and this video, even 13 years later, helped me out tremendously, thank you bro.
As a physiotherapist i agree with you completely, important video folks!
1) Shoulder 0:53
2) Elbow 1:03
3) Wrist 1:18
4) Fingers 1:35
5) Thumb 2:09
I was recommended this video by a Redditor. I've been playing for nearly a year and have around 30 tunes down for a covers band I joined. I want to step up my playing, so was following advice on fretting and thumb position which led to my hand clawing up, just as demonstrated. My hand and wrist are still sore from just 30 mins practicing with me forcing my thumb behind index and middle fingers.
What this video has shown me is that I was on the right track to begin with. My thumb was to the side a bit and pointing up headstock. And it felt good. I got no hand or wrist fatigue even after rehearsal sessions of 2+ hours.
Thank you for the reassurance. You have yourself another subscriber.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Finally an instruction on left-hand technique that doesn't say put your thumb behind your index or middle finger. I kept trying but my wrist was uncomfortable and was bent. It just didn't make sense. I was starting to wonder if my wrist was deformed since I couldn't follow the "Common" technique. I have always had my thumb pointing to the headstock. In fact, it lays down completely against the neck when I have to stretch my pinky to a fret.
Yes indeed, I'm new to bass and I was finding the recommended thumb placement very awkward. I notice too that many bass players wind their thumb over the top of the neck. I suppose the recommended thumb placing is best for long term technique and super skilled playing but for most of us it may not be necessary and we can just go with what feels most comfortable.
Lol 5 year old comment
pringelsthegamefreak
Whaaaaa......
@@pringelsthegamefreak 10 year old video.
@@NickHarman so is it different than guitar technique where you are supposed to do that? I’m learning guitar also and everyone says thumbs should be in line with the string I’m playing on and it should be behind my middle or index but idk what I should do and I’m not sure if the thumb to the left of the hand applies to guitar also??
naturally started playing like this but everybody keep telling me "NO you have to keep your thumb in the middle of the fretboard and never ever pointed toward the neck like a hitchhiker." your video just confort me to play in a more natural position no matter what so called expert says. thanks for this another great video.
I would argue that Adam Neely is the expert, meticulously researching content for the betterment of his students. Whilst the expert apprentice will teach you the prior teacher's knowledge.
Who even are those "experts" who make such nonsense claims?
I'll gladly hitch a lift to groovesville (instead of the osteopath)
Me too,now ive seen this video i can i can go back to my natural position,ive only been playing bass a few months.
another thing to keep in mind is how hard you press the strings down. Youd be surprised how little force is actually required to cleanly play a note.
I was having wrist pain because I was too tense. a lot of the tension was going directly to my thumb and wrist simply because I wasn't relaxing my hand enough. being a beginner is hard, folks. but with enough practice anything is possible :)
JingTheChickenWing Is there a way to build a feel for the top strings? I keep getting a lot of rattle when I use my pinky or ring fingers
jumping in to +1 Larrys comment same with mei get the same problem but it seems to just be some frets not my fingers
Oh my God... thanks.
I find that as my finger tips toughen I can use less pressure. Initially I had to press down very hard because my fingertips were just so soft.
Was the paing on the thumb side of your wrist? I'm finding that at tye moment
Finally someone who's teaching safe ergonomic techniques. So many folks that teach don't get this right!
You are a natural born teacher. I'm brand new and you just took the pain out of my left wrist
was doing some googling and this video was the top result. I'm a fan of the channel and subscribed but these old videos never show up in the recommended videos. Man, you've come a long way! In terms of production quality; the content is great as always.
I'm so glad that this was posted. I played Bass for 16 years in bands and loved every minute of it, but after breaking my hand in a car accident and 2 surgeries I couldn't use my left-hand to play the fingerboard. Now if I can play lefty Bass, I will be able to play again. This will be a big help. Now I can really look into doing this! Thanks again
Did you recover, I hope you did!
12 years later and this is still extremely helpful. So happy I found this video!
Love your channel!
I just picked up bass after years of playing guitar and was killing my left hand trying to apply the same (classical guitar) technique. This video saved me a lot of pain. Thank you.
As someone just starting out on the bass, this is by far the most helpful piece of instruction I've seen so far. This makes things so much easier even though I still don't really know what I'm doing yet. Thank you.
Dude thank you. I keep being told relax your hand. But no explanation whatsoever how to do it. Your explanation worked for me immediately. Even while have pain currently tried your technique. Relieved my pain and could still hold my bass.
13 years after you posted this, I’m glad I found this video it’s super important. Thank you. If you see this. Lol
@fingerboy18 Hopefully the photos I just added to the video information will help you... I took them when I owned a 7-string bass. Try angling your forearm at more a parallel angle to the neck that you might be used to. Remember also to point the thumb towards the headstock.
It's hard to help without being there to show you!
Just started playing the bass and no one has advocated the thumb aligning with the headstock.... Thank you for your wisdom - this stopped my niggling aches.
Almost five years old and still helpful.
Thanks, insightful and well presented.
Great video, as a pro bass player who's been injured and had to stop playing for a whole year I confirm this is the way to go. It took me years to change posture but the thing you want is NOT TO BEND your left hand wrist, and play with your fingertips, it's good for health and also to get a better tone. Unfortunately many - probably too many - really good, and famous bass teacher all use the C-shape on the left hand, and play with their wrists bent. And many of them actually teach that as the correct way to go to not experience pain, while it's actually quite the contrary. The point is: if you're genetically blessed with strong wrists and tendinis, and have a certain shape of arms, height and shouders, you may never experience pain bending your wrist... but most of the player will, because, as you perfectly said, it is a very tense and unnatural position. Thanks again man!
Totally agree. I've been playing a long, loong time and never really paid attention to technique. Recently started trying to break the habit of hanging my thumb over the top of the neck. All the vids I found online were telling me specifically not to point the thumb towards the head-stock and bend the wrist.. After four days of trying their approach my wrist was cramping and hurt like hell.
Adam's approach here is much better. I can keep my thumb planted in the center of the neck up and down the neck with no pain. The 45 degree angle tip for the lower positions helps too!!!! Thanks Adam!!! :-)
I'm having trouble keeping my wrist straight
@@loavesofbread2911 if you want follow me on tiktok as @zeusmichele I do give tips about this or DM on insta, same handle
I'm a sax player and recently took up bass (full scale G&L Tribute LB100). Even playing 20 minutes a day is killing my left wrist. I thought I pulled a muscle at the gym or something. I appreciate your weighing in, from the pro experience that this guy is onto a better way with his "natural" position thing. Is it possible to get carpal; tunnel from playing bass? I have no such problems with guitars.
@@spiketaterman5181 unfortunately yeah, it is possible. But I wouldn't bother with that for now, I had pain for years and then I recovered just changingn posture, strenghtening my tendinis working out, stretching... it takes a looong time though to both recover and find your perfect position. Anyway I recently did a vid about this on my tiktok if you want, you'll find me there as @zeusmichele good luck!
@AdamNeely, dude. Wow. I just learned my first song on my first bass last night and was experiencing wrist pain. This was so good to learn, especially at this infancy stage of my development. Thank you so much.
I wonder how far you've went in the past 5 years? I hope your bass journey has fared well :D
You're probably a beast now!
@@apetska4817 yeah, I stopped after a month. Not because I was frustrated or anything, just didn't have passion enough to keep doing it.
Brilliant adam! You're not only a fantastic bassist, but an insightful communicator as well. Your right and left hand neutral position vids addressed my needs as if you read my mind. You answered my questions of many years spot on, in eloquent and concise manner. You're a great educator! Thank you and please keep posting. Keeping the bass safe is a noble endeavor indeed.
You have such a gift for teaching. Explaining and showing every angle down to the degree... it’s perfect for how my brain learns! Truly, this has been the most helpful video I’ve seen on fretting technique. Thank you!
Brilliant. I’ve always believed in letting the body’s natural physiology guide your technique, no matter what instrument.
Oh this is timely. Mr Neely thank you for simplifying complex ideas.
Thank you for this almost 11 year old video. I'm a self-taught guitarist and have been playing for 20 years this year. I recently saw some videos talking about "proper" left hand technique, which was as you describe with the thumb behind the middle finger, which causes my wrist to bend uncomfortably. I had a moment of wondering if I'd been doing everything wrong for such a long time that I'd never be able to unlearn it, until I thought "surely lack of tension is the goal, having to try harder to play worse and be less comfortable doesn't seem like good technique at all" - Thanks for confirming that for me, it's put my mind at ease.
@joncast64 There is a very real and constant threat of painful repetitive stress injury that can come from playing bass, or any instrument, without body awareness and safe technique.
These videos about hand position technique are so helpful! I switched from guitar to bass while keeping the same teacher (I just like bass better lol) but I wasn't ever taught any technique. My shoulder, wrist, and knuckles hurt after 30-40 minutes of practicing but these positions have helped me so much:)
This helped so much. SO MANY of the videos I was watching said very vague things that weren't helping my issues with stretching or my issues with wrist pain. Its nice to know that my hand should just feel comfortable and how it rests naturally.
My first instrument is drums and I ALWAYS make sure someone is holding their sticks properly when they ask cause its the same situation where if you grip too hard, or in the wrong way you could really impact your playing and the health of your hands.
Best first Bass lesson(s) ever.
As a studied violinst trying to learn the Bass from scratch on his own, this was rly enlighting.
I would love to see you revise this topic to see if you've modified this technique any throughout your years of playing. It is stellar advice though, Adam. Thank. you so much for this!
I have just started playing the bass, been at it for a short while and my left hand and wrist was killing me as I simply could not keep my thumb behind my middle fingers. It felt wrong and unnatural to do so and it was ruining my enjoyment of the instrument, now though with my thumb pointing towards the headstock as I am naturally inclined to do I am getting on much better. Your video was the most clearest no this subject and has encouraged me to keep going as I was at the point where I would throw in the towel, Thanks for your clear instruction..
Found this video after developing shooting pain in fretboard thumb and palm whenever tried to play. Might be too late for me to heal the damage done by fretting as I was taught. But this could save others from ending up with an injury that can end your playing days.
This is really helpful. I've been playing for a while, but I've never really considered moving my thumb to the bottom of the neck in the upper positions. I just tried it, and I immediately noticed a huge difference. Thanks.
This is a "Must-See" video of all guitarist, bass and otherwise. I've been teaching these physiological needs to my students since I started teaching way back when...
Im 32. Im a guitarist who has had a bass since I was 17. I NOW am learning so much in just the first 4 and a half minutes of this. So stoked. Im finally teaching myself how to properly play bass and it’s just so exciting.
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this! I've been looking for someone to help with this forever, and frankly, every successful bass player I watch does NOT do the thumb-at-the-back-of-the-neck technique, yet all of them tell me to do that! Then they go up on stage and do this thing where the neck is cradled in the V of their thumb and forefinger and the thumb is creeping over the top, their whole hand engulfing the neck, nothing like what they tell me to do. (I used to wonder if it was just because they were men and their hands were bigger, but I see other female bass players do it too.) I have no strength doing the thumb-at-the-back-fingers-perpendicular thing, my shoulder hurts like hell and my wrist looks like it has a palsy. I look at the shape it makes my wrist take and say 'THAT CAN'T BE GOOD FOR IT. YOU ARE ALL ON DRUGS." I'm so glad to find someone who advocates for not hurting yourself. I'll be checking out your other stuff. Thanks again!
Such a brilliant suggestion for position of thumb - no more pain! Thank you!!!
Absolutely agree with your philosophies. I have completely abandoned any 'formal' methods which are inflexibly applied to all body types regardless of (unnatural) discomfort. And thanks for the upper neck thumb position tip!
Dude, this is gold. You capture the fact that everyone's body and style is different. I saw some advice that put me in an uncomfortable position and I wondered why. Now, I know! Thank you.
This just fixed so many of my left hand issues I built up from learning incorrect guitar thumb position, great stuff!
I've played the guitar for close to 18 years now and have always studied proper technique. Whenever I've dabbled in bass I tend to take a very punk, anything goes approach. This video really helped to show how to apply some of what I like to call the straight arrow technique where you're making sure everything is in line and anatomically relaxed! Thanks so much for this!
thank you. im going to be practicing with this way of using my left hand and go to a teacher to fix any other bad habits i may have. that relaxed shoulder thing is the same one my bass book teaches me but you go into farther detail. I want to have a strong safe foundation of basics before i start practicing more intensely.
Thanks Adam. It's blowing my mind how far from healthy my bass posture has been all these years.
really great video..thanks a lot.. just had my new 6-string bass delivered yesterday and was wondering why my wrist was sore after only a few minutes of playing...great advice...and thanks again
Thanks a bunch. Been trying to understand what was causing all the tension. This helps immensely. I appreciate the knowledge you're sharing!
Thank you Adam. I play one-finger-per-fret and find that the "neutral position", especially thumb placement, makes it much easier to play. It works for me.
This video is extremely helpful and I'm beginning to send it to students after using it myself to begin my serious bass journey probably 6 years ago. Thanks Adam!
The best left hand instruction I have ever seen!! Thank you Adam!!
Lol! Adam, I watch your videos every day, and the new ones as they come out. In some of your Q&A's, you mention keeping your wrist straight, and so I go searching for TH-cam videos to show me how to get that right. And here you are - just a pup! - in your nascent TH-cam phase, with a killer lesson from the man himself on how to get this right. Time warp from the pro TH-cam studio of 2021 to the bedroom of 2010, but still delivering the goods.
This is great. Thanks so much for this and all the knowledge you've given me.
I giggled when I realized that I've been doing this wrong for a while two years. Thanks for this extremely important insight!
Finally! I have been playing bass for about a year, was taught the thumb to middle finger technique and just got a sharp pain in my wrist for the first time. It never made sense to me how unnatural an uncomfortable that postion was, This feels so much better, easier and fluent. Thank you, you saved my life! :D
Really helpful video. I would have never guessed that the thumb was the main culprit in all my left hand woes.
Much appreciated.
Wow this really helpful!! I've been playing the ukulele for years and I recentky decided I wanted to learn bass. I had forgoten how dificult it can be to learn fundamentals for a new instrument, especiallu when all your instincts experience are wrong or don't apply. Thanks for helping me with my form!
Simply saying to point the thumb towards the headstock... blew my mind!! Thank you! Thank you! My wrists thank you too!
I was teaching on of my friends how to play bass, and I couldn't articulate to them how to properly fret without fighting the bass. I pulled up this video and they instantly got it. Amazing stuff.
AWESOME!! I was having a very difficult time with the fingers thinking that I should have my thumb in a certain way, This Helped alot Thanks!!
Great rundown. I picked up the bass after 25 years. I practiced until I was more capable than I had ever been back in the day.
The improvement was so marked, my band leader pointed it out. The he feeling of encouragement was so great, I started practicing daily. Then the pain started in my left hand. Thank you for this I watched several videos on left hand technique, but this puts it all together.
One that thing I would stress more is practicing scales with the thumb off the bass altogether, pulling the bass towards your body with the right arm and pulling back the fretted note with the left arm instead of pinching it between thumb and fretting finger.
I got this piece from Ian at SBL.
I'm at a point where I'm good enough to play pretty complex stuff, sort of like inbetween an intermediate and advanced player, and I just felt like my playing form was holding me back from getting any better, and when I stumbled across this video, it was just what I needed to relax my form and feel better while playing, thanks for the tips adam
A great lesson for a sore-wristed player. Really helpful. Thanks a lot! ❤
Thanks so much for a clear explanation. I understood that my left hand was pained because of the acute angle at my wrist but couldn't work out the remedy. Thanks again.
Man. This video was great. Way better than the ones from “professional” instructors. I started learning how to play the bass about 6 months ago, and this is the first time My fret hand feels comfortable while playing. Thanks, great job.
Thank you, this is exactly what I needed. I couldn't figure out why I was having so much pain in my wrist despite following the guide in my bass book, and the instructions on youtube, etc. It was probably from trying to keep my thumb in that weird position. It was alright until I started learning to fret with my pinky finger... there was so much contortion to keep my thumb "in place". Going to wait for my wrist to feel better and then try playing like this.
I've been playing for 15 years and this video has helped hugely, thank you. I've been keeping my thumb behind my middle finger and my wrist has been all wrong. I do find that my middle finger now seems glued to my 1st finger though.
Eye opener to my left hand pain! I've been teached to pinch mi middle finger with my thumb and have been playing like that for years...Now on my recently purchased 5 strings, it hurts bad... Thanks a lot for this lesson Adam!
Recently started playing again regularly. I've been playing since the 80s but this time I've got a problem with my left arm. Very painful from the outside of the point of my elbow down the thumb side. The difference has been, lower strap position and, sitting. I'd completely lost the neutral position eing talked out here. I think this is going to be a great help. THANK YOU.
You are awesome dude! I am still pretty new to the bass & I have been trying to learn to play "Gravity" by A Perfect Circle. It was killing my wrist, I couldn't play the song all the way through because it hurt so bad. But now that I do the neutral position technique I am able to play it so much better & without pain! Thank you for this valuable lesson! ❤️
This lesson has helped me so much. Thanks, Adam!
Thank you! I am playing my guitar and bass comfortably again! The part at the end about playing high up the neck especially helped.
There are a few things that you say here that are just enlighting.
Thanks man, you saved my hand!
Thanks a lot! i just started play bass and i felt a lot of tension on my left hand because of the thumb. now it's better!
This is a pretty awesome lesson in guitar ergonomics too. Wish I'd seen this a few years ago! What I would say about teachers is that they often don't really think deeply about ergonomics. I had two guitar teachers over 7 years, and neither attempted to correct my poor posture (even though one of them was heavily into Alexander technique). My posture problem involved having the elbow too far forwards and dropping the wrist, which I think I started doing in order to reach wider stretches more easily. I only started thinking seriously about changing my posture once I left lessons altogether. The main point is, if something about your technique doesn't seem right, experiment and look for more sources of information. Teachers haven't always had the same experiences as you and might not see the problem.
This is really useful stuff, I feel like so many guitarists (especially self taught ones like myself) don't consider the principles required to play efficiently and safely.
This is great Thanks so much for the Neutral position concept .I'll definitely be re positioning the left hand
This really is the best instruction I've ever seen on this topic. I wish I'd found this video back in 2010!
Adam, thank you I was trying to place the thumb behind the middle finger and it caused a lot of pain. This helps a lot.
Excellent lesson. Very clear.
Great value to the bass community. Thank you!
I love avoiding injuries! Thanks for explaining
Great advice Adam! Ergonomics is even more important when playing the bass and one has smaller hands.
thanks for your insights. been playing bass for less than a year...been developing left hand wrist problems using the technique i learned from a teacher - with the thumb perpendicular to the strings...just trying out what you demonstrated puts tons less stress on my wrist...
Damn Adam, I'm loving these videos you made a long time ago that were just about bass. It's nice to get a glimpse of where you were at that point in your musical (and youtube) journey.
Thank you so much. This helped me.
I used to have problems with my thumb when I was around the first three frets!
Still a great video that I revisit on occasion just to check up on the very basics. Aged great.
Thank you!! :D The thumb is really the only problem here. I just tried what you said, and my hand wasn't in pain at all!
I concur. I blew out both of my wrists with bad technique about 13 or 14 years ago. I've only recently been able to really dig in again.
The threat is real; and it is ultimately quite painful to disregard comfort in left hand position in the long term.
Thank you! I appreciate everything you're doing!
Your voice is really great for explaining, also, your video was very helpfull ! I just start with bass (I'm a guitar player too) and i had some problems with the position of my hands, thanks again, you're doing an awesome job.
I need a video like this but for guitar playing too!!! great video.
How come literally no other source - at all - teaches this thumb position?
I really like the philosophy behind this!
Went from this level of speaking to a presentation for Ableton. I'm so proud of this community.
Oh my god I want to hug you so hard! I have been playing guitar for more than 3 years. And I was always taught to keep my thumb behind my index. This technique showcased in the video helped me so much with everything, because I never even thought of relaxing my hand. I know, silly... Anyway thanks 💘
This deserves a remake.
I've been playing with that ****ed up grip for so long thanks to the 3-4 months of lessons I took long ago, sheesh. But to aleviate discomfort I've been playing with the body so high and neck so angled that well, practice is different now. Thanks.
I'm playing a 4-string bass. I'm having trouble playing my E string when employing this technique. I'm having trouble reaching it while trying to keep my arm/hand in the neutral position.
Really well done and informative video. Thanks for posting.
thank you so much! I'm 15 and I got my first bass 2 weeks ago and this video helped me with my terrible technique!😅