AM1

[quote name='joe_bass' post='361079' date='Dec 22 2008, 03:21 PM']Don't see what switching to a left hand bass would achieve in the long run? If you don't address the problem right now then what's to stop it from then happening to the other wrist as well?[/quote] Hi, the other wrist doesn't have a lump on it. This is the source of the pain in my left wrist when using it on the fretboard.

OK cheers then it looks like that's probably the way forward for now, or a left hander bass, though spending coin is a last resort ha ha, will take a look at Fleabay anyway. EDIT - I forgot to ask, can you get the same basses as left handers that you can as right handers????

[quote name='beerdragon' post='361039' date='Dec 22 2008, 02:54 PM']Can i ask what scale bass you are playing AM1?. When i got back into playing after a lengthy layoff i found the Pbass i was playing tough going on my hands and i have fairly large hands.[/quote] Hi, yes that is fairly relevant as I definitely notice the problem getting much worse a lot faster on my own bass (MIM jazz). i played a few other basses last week with lower actions (maybe slightly thinner necks too) and was able to play for about 3/4 hours, of course, maybe that has made things worse as my hand is now too sore to play and a bit numb. The action on my own bass is probably a bit too high also, but I kind of like it like that!

Hi, good advice, cheers. Is a lefty bass much more expensive than right?? Why can't I just turn my right handed bass upside down and then re-string it upside down, so the low E string is back at the top again etc etc. Or is there anyone that plays upside down and strings wrong way round? It probably sounds weird but as I'm just starting, it should make no difference as I don't have to "unlearn" anything. Cheers AM [quote name='yorick' post='361030' date='Dec 22 2008, 02:48 PM']I don't have any of these problems, but i'm a lefty player who has tried to play righty. This was mainly due to being skint at the time and there being no decent lefty basses available. Swapping round and being comfortable with it will take ages. I'd been playing for five years on a piece of crap lefty when i tried. You've only been playing for a wee while, so it probably won't be as bad. Getting a comfortable playing position is a good start. Then if you're going to be playing finger style, get a metronome and work on your plucking finger speed. When you're upto a comfortable speed, then start on your fretting hand. If you can stretch out to one finger per fret at the first fret great, if you can't just move up th neck , say to the fifth fret. An example Two notes, alternate plucking fingers. Fifth fret, first finger. Two notes, alternate plucking fingers. Sixth fret, middle finger. Repeat for sixth and seventh frets and ring and middle fingers. Then work your way across the strings. All very dull and repetitive, but it gets your head into the basics. Then you can start to apply stuff you've already picked. Hope it helps... Ps. I'm now richer and can afford decent lefty stuff, so i've been back lefty for some years.[/quote]

[quote name='Rich' post='360979' date='Dec 22 2008, 02:02 PM']I had a ganglion cyst on my right wrist a couple of years back. I went to a doctor, who wasn't a c***. He referred me. They checked it. Operated. Bloody good job they did, as it was in danger of encroaching on the major blood vessel in my wrist. This would have caused [i]very[/i] serious problems. Seriously, in all honesty, change your playing style or whatever, but I implore you to please [i]please[/i] get the lump checked out. I am forever grateful that I did.[/quote] You have PM.

OK - still throbbing pretty bad today. Just played two songs and had to stop. This is SOOOOO frustrating! There must be someone who has tried playing with the bass flipped over...

[quote name='ARGH' post='360641' date='Dec 22 2008, 12:36 AM']As have you.[/quote] Ditto.

[quote name='ARGH' post='360632' date='Dec 22 2008, 12:16 AM']Nope,I had them,for ages,years,and things turned a bit nasty during GCSE music,15+ years ago....all that tapping (Hard to believe I was using .85,60,35,25 in regular tuning...I now use 110 heavys) If you have only just started,I think you may have just caused a strain,as 'building up' takes a fair amount of time,and no squeezing of loorolls ,tennins balls,excercise machines is going to help....its simple weight training,stop,play,rest...etc A Chinese masseur might be able to get the swellings down,and sort out the pain,probably sort out a few probs. I wont tell you how I had mine removed,but they are a HELL of a lot easier to deal with than CTS.[/quote] You have PM.

[quote name='ARGH' post='360612' date='Dec 21 2008, 11:43 PM']Ok AM...Numbness IS BAD... The cysts are causeing pressure on the nerves,you may have had a 'sublux' in the wrist too (sublux,very mild ,small dislocation in the joints).[/quote] OK, do you have the same thing?? PM if preferred. I started playing the bass on 6th December. It seemed natural to play it the conventional way i.e. left hand on the fretboard but now I am obviously looking at other ways to play. What's your workaround?

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='360164' date='Dec 21 2008, 12:26 PM']EDIT I've had pm's with Alex from the Bass Gallery. His concern is genuine, and I would not want to dissuade anyone from going to The Bass Gallery in Camden.[/quote] That almost sounds like an apology. Your initial post was very strong. Would you care to share the details of what happened? It is not acceptable to damage the reputation of a small business, upon whom, as musicians, we all depend, if potentially damaging comments have no proper basis. We are all too quick to criticise poor service and far too slow to praise good service. I have nothing but praise for the Bass Gallery, as already stated, they always go the extra mile and have a great selection of equipment. Regards AM

[quote name='ARGH' post='360580' date='Dec 21 2008, 11:10 PM']Whoopee doo..you have what I had on both wrists,Ganglion cysty things....They are harmless frustrating leaking tendon fluid,they used to piss me off summat chronic,anyways...could be worse,but they as you have found are a tad restrictive...how high upon yourself ,do you have the instrument? Waist...slung low ..real high near the chin.... coz positioning is the key here. And I can stop a bad spine too.[/quote] OK - do you also have a feeling like numbness going into your fingers during/after playing? I have the instrument at mid level but the neck angled up quite far as I just physically cannot play it otherwise due to the angle of bending. I have wanted to play bass for years and never had time to learn until now, but this is a major setback, after only a few weeks. Playing an instrument again has massively reawakened my passion for music but this is just so disappointing and frustrating. I just need to find a way to adapt.

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='360578' date='Dec 21 2008, 11:05 PM']I would normally recommend you get a copy of Randall Kertz's book "The bassist's guide to injury management,prevention and better health", but he's a doctor (& bass player) so I guess its not an option. Only available from [url="http://www.drkertz.com/buy_book.html"]http://www.drkertz.com/buy_book.html[/url] as far as I'm aware.[/quote] Actually that book looks good. What does it say, if anything, about ganglion cysts (if that is what it is). Rgds AM

[quote name='ARGH' post='360561' date='Dec 21 2008, 10:55 PM']Is it a tightening feeling?[/quote] Yes. Then pain starts building up, but it was manageable right up until the last few days and now there is just pain there all the time even when not playing. I am deeply, deeply, deeply pissed off at this!

[quote name='ARGH' post='360554' date='Dec 21 2008, 10:45 PM']Hello Anne Marie. Welcome to the world of Bass,its,as you have found out a tad physical,and causes pain,I dont know how old you are,or what style you play,or anything,but hey here goes,the ARGH is in..... OK,when practicing,or playing,are you standing,or sitting? can you post a piccy of how your left hand is,in regards of position,in relationship to the neck,when fretting notes on the instrument,and where is the pain,is it subtle (dull throb) obvious...it happens and hurts and stops when you stop (like a touched bruise) or is it sharp and instant...(like a trapped nerve).[/quote] Hello Thanks for the reply. I mainly stand when I am "practicing" but if I'm just messing around playing along with music, I tend to sit down. I am currently working on pentatonic scales and it is the bending of my wrist to play notes four frets apart on the lower strings that has absolutely jacked up the pain level this last week. I will ask someone to take a pic of my hand tomorrow on the neck or I can take one with a mobile phone and a photo of where the lump is on my hand so you can see what happens when I play. When I bend my wrist, the lump pops out, when my wrist is flat, nothing is there. So it's the bending that is the problem. It's not the physical nature of it that's the issue, I can carry roughly 140 lbs of diving equipment, which is more than my body weight and I am fit. It's just this stupid, annoying, frustrating lump on my hand that's the problem. Regards AM

[quote name='Mokl' post='360552' date='Dec 21 2008, 10:44 PM']There is that guy who manages to play the bass one handed, he is absoultely amazing! The problem you will face is that you'll have to flip the bass over (or buy a lefty bass) and learn to fret the neck with your dominant hand. I wouldn't hold out much hope of being able to use your left hand for plucking if it is giving you as much pain as you say it is - it is often the plucking hand which experiences the most tendon and wrist problems.[/quote] Hi Thank you, this is the constructive advice I was after. There is no pain in my hand normally, it is the fact that when I bend my wrist (more than say 40 degrees), the pain starts building up. If I can pluck with my left hand, then there will be less bending, therefore less pain. I don't know which guy you mean, do you have any more info? I have already tried flipping the bass over but this means that any tabs I want to use are then unworkable because the strings and fret positions in the tabs are for using the bass in the conventional position. I haven't yet seen a lefty bass, will have to look into it. Regards AM

[quote name='misrule' post='360542' date='Dec 21 2008, 10:29 PM']I agree totally with your points -- but I used to hang around in Audi forums, and car fans moan about dealerships in exactly the same way we do about music shops. One 21-year-old son of a millionaire told me how a salesman shouted at him across the floor: "Get away from the car, you can't afford it." He strolled over, showed the bloke his bank statement then replied: "I was going to buy a car today but I'm not now." Cheers Mark[/quote] I had a similar experience when I bought my first 911. Highly amusing. Regards AM

[quote name='Kirky' post='360539' date='Dec 21 2008, 10:24 PM']Well, whatever you reasons, and no matter how valid they are, do you really think you can go through life without ever needing a doctor? You have to come to terms somehow with your issues. Have you [i]never[/i] seen a doctor you trusted? Who was helpful? Ever?[/quote] Hopefully. No. No. No. I apologise for the inappropriate nature of my comments. I am just a bit frustrated. I just want some practical advice on adapting, whether that means switching playing style or switching the bass around.

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='360529' date='Dec 21 2008, 10:13 PM']I'm sorry but you're nuts... and I mean that in a purely constructive way. Right now it's just a painfull wrist but what's going to happen if something really bad happens to you that requires urgent medical intervention?[/quote] Been there, done that, in SPADES. Not doing it again. [quote name='thepurpleblob' post='360529' date='Dec 21 2008, 10:13 PM']I have more than enough life experience (being old) to have brushed up against a lot of medical professionals in lots of different places to have a view and it is complete contrary to your own.[/quote] Your age and your experience is irrelevant. My experience is relevant to ME. [quote name='thepurpleblob' post='360529' date='Dec 21 2008, 10:13 PM']sh*t happens, doctors are people and make mistakes but you can't let your experiences screw up your life.[/quote] I didn't. Those mistakes nearly cost me my life, several times. [quote name='thepurpleblob' post='360529' date='Dec 21 2008, 10:13 PM']Please, go and get some help for your phobia and THEN your wrist![/quote] It is not a "phobia" - it is an inherent mistrust issue with extremely valid underpinning reasons.

[quote name='Kirky' post='360525' date='Dec 21 2008, 10:08 PM']Somehow I didn't expect you to listen to any good advice.[/quote] I didn't expect YOU to bother listening to the fact that I have an innate [b]FEAR [/b]of going near a doctor. Practical advice on adapting/working around is what I am after, not your pathetic criticism.

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='360515' date='Dec 21 2008, 09:56 PM']Stop playing immediately. Go and see a doctor. Thinking all of them are bad just because you had a poor experience with one is stupid - listen to yourself. However, a physiotherapist might be just as good if you don't mind paying.[/quote] It is not just one and my opinion is not based purely on one personal experience with one doctor. There are multitudes of negligent doctors, as evidenced by any medical legal journal. Regarding personal experience, again, my opinion is not based on events with just one doctor and it's not just my experience, it is also that of friends and family, including one of my best friends, whom's cancer diagnostics and treatment has been repeatedly and grossly mismanaged since day one. Anyway, the purpose of the thread wasn't to instigate a debate on medical matters. Telling me to go to a doctor is all well and good but if it involves some sort of treatment on my hand, then it's pretty much out of the question. I would rather switch around and play the fretboard with my other hand, if the worst comes to the worst. Has anyone tried switching around, that is really what I am interested in, not repeatedly being told I should go to a doctor, when I have made it clear I inherently mistrust them. Regards AM

Hi, thanks for the replies. Is a bass synth the same as a MIDI keyboard synth? Can you actually create sounds for example using sine and square waves?? Or is the bass synth pre-programmed and you just select a sound? Rgds AM

[quote name='paul h' post='359867' date='Dec 20 2008, 08:49 PM']As a follow up to leschirons thread about a guitarist who couldn't improvise, I have to confess...it's the only thing I can do. I have only ever learnt a couple of bass lines in my life. 99% of the time I just work out what key the song is in and roughly what happens during it and then make the rest up on the spot. And when I say key, I actually mean I just work out a couple of chords on the guitar because I am never 100% sure what the key is. I tend to just go by the first chord and use my ears for the rest! So when I learn songs for a band, I actually learn it on guitar. And when I say learn it I really mean find the first chord of the verse, chorus and middle 8 sections. The exception to all this being original compositions where I tend to closely stick to my original bass part. Close to 25 years of playing bass and I still can't be bothered to learn someone else's bass line. Paul.[/quote] That's EXACTLY what I want to be able to do and the way I would prefer to learn but decided to take some lessons instead, mainly for technique reasons. Regards AM

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='360174' date='Dec 21 2008, 12:44 PM']Sounds dodgy to me. If he(she) is a MU member they have public liability insurance. The area of musical instrument teaching is unregulated though. I wouldn't trust any instrumental teacher who couldn't read music, and didn't know about the Alexander technique.[/quote] Is this for real? So anyone can teach music, even without any music or teaching qualifications???? Regards AM

[quote name='Jase' post='360485' date='Dec 21 2008, 09:02 PM']Then you deserve no sympathy![/quote] Believe me, if you had been through what I have, at the hands of downright incompetent and negligent doctors, you'd see my point. Regards AM

[quote name='Mokl' post='360456' date='Dec 21 2008, 08:22 PM']I'd lay right off the playing and get it checked out by a doctor asap. Trying to play through it may just exacerbate the problem and make recovery a much more drawn out process. It may be something very minor, but I would urge you to get it looked at - for peace of mind if nothing else. Good luck![/quote] F_ck that - doctors are C*nts!