Rodulator Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Has anyone ever exerienced this? I had a gig at the weekend and about half way into the first song this set in. Needless to say the next 30 mins were total agony. Normally after a 3 hour practice my wrist gets kind of tired especially in some parts of songs that have insane stretches but never that quickly or to the same magnitude. Does anyone have tips on how to avoid this happening? I have since started hitting my power ball again a lot to try and strengthen my wrist fingers etc in the hopes that it will help in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Strap length! However, you don't say if it is right or left hand cramp. Saying that, strap height is still very relevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Add bananas, cranberry juice, and salted crisps to your diet. All are good for the circulation, so should have a preventative effect. I suffer from poor circulation and as a result, cramp in my calves when it`s cold, and without these, it`s much worse. Touch wood, not had a bout for a fair while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodulator Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Sorry left hand cramp from a right handed player. Yeah I think you might be correct to bring in strap length on this. I prefer to have it low as I can get away with then bring it up a little bit. This is mainly due to lots of ultra fast picking and having the guitar too high puts a wierd strain on my elbow on my right arm ( queue bad technique discussion ). @Lozz196 I think you might be on to something here as I have recently started getting cramps in my calves as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobVbass Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I used to suffer from this a lot when I started playing mad rock n roll on the double bass, keep hydrated, water or lucozade sport but more importantly warm your hands and arms up, try sweatbands if you like, warm up exercises or if you're really in a rush stick them under the air blower in the loo for a few minutes! Bananas are supposed to be great too, potassium rich etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChick Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I have suffered with cramp a fair bit (not whilst playing) and I was told to have something salty and to eat bananas, so I concur with what's been said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dark Lord Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Yep. Got cramp in left hand (right handed pick player) during the last few songs of the second, and last, 1 hour set a couple of months back. Skipped dinner that day and intended to eat afterwards .... won't do that again. Fingers locked together and would hardly move. Couldn't do encore ... so we didnt do one. Got it again, in a minor way in the middle of the first set a couple of weeks back. Got some non-diet coke and some peanuts at the interval and managed to survive second set. I now pay more attention to diet before a gig and stretch my hands/fingers before and during sets. It's a bit of a worry though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 [quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1363674434' post='2015515'] I was told to have something salty and to eat bananas[/quote] Or just salty bananas! Now there's a good name for a band.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irvined Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Hi, This happened to me many years ago. Was playing in a pub band at the time and my left hand would freeze up. I eventually started to take choclate bars to get some sugar which fixed it. Two years later I developed type 1 diabetes which is not normal when you are in your 40s. Not saying that is what's happening with you but it's what happened to me. Hope it doesn't happen as it's a real pain. Best wishes. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChick Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1363685611' post='2015651'] Or just salty bananas! Now there's a good name for a band.... [/quote] The band I'm auditioning for tomorrow haven't sorted a name yet.... I may suggest it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Dave Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I'm liking the banana advice. I tend to get left hand cramp playing bar chords on guitar and they stop sounding properly , must get into this more musaceous diet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 +1 A gentle warm up and something sweet should help in the short-term (ie, on the night). Long term, you need to look at posture, strap height and your practice regime. Another thing to look at is your set-up. Setting the strings higher than you need to means that you need to apply more pressure to the strings with your fingers; lowering the action means it'll be less effort to fret the string. Cramping is also an early sign of tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome; if these symptoms persist against these measures, get it checked out! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynottfan Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 If you are playing a lot and intend to carry on that way, taking a break for a bit and adjustments to instrument setup/gig diet will all help but I would also go and see your Doctor asap, with CTS or Tendonitis it is best to have it looked at quickly, as simple treatments now, if required, can prevent a lot of issues further down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Eating crisps and bananas is all well and good but if your posture and technique is wrong then good circulation won't stop you damaging yourself. I used to get sore hands after playing, but a few lessons from a good teacher to focus on left hand technique helped loads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Were you playing a different bass? The only time this has happened to me was when I played a Fender Geddy Lee or an old Rickenbacker 4001 - much slimmer necks to what I was used to at the time which resulted in cramp in my fretting hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shizznit Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 My guitar player suffers from cramp a lot and he makes sure that he drinks plenty of fluids that contains high sodium and potassium an hour or two before a performance. I think he drinks a combination of Lucozade and that bright blue drink that Coke does (I forget the name). It seems to really help since he began drinking that stuff over a year ago. But, he did consult a doctor first to make sure it was just muscle cramp or perhaps CTS. Eating a banana or drinking a hydration beverage doesn't fix CTS and you can do further damage if you don't treat it medically before the injury becomes permanent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 I get cramp from thinner necked basses personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjay69 Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 I've suffered the odd left hand cramp too, mainly during that long repitetive fast guitar solo part in Dazed and Confused ! our drummer suggested having a packet of ready salted crisps, but that just made playing it virtually impossible, i dropped nearly all the crisps . Seriously it did help a bit for the rest of the rehearsal, but i found there was no substitute for practice and building up the stamina where it's needed. Oh and bananas and a low action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 [quote name='bob_pickard' timestamp='1363673529' post='2015510'] Bananas are supposed to be great too, potassium rich etc [/quote] Mmm ... potassium! best, bert [IMG]http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/r525/basstractor1/Homer-banana_zpsbe243ffb.jpg[/IMG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodaxe Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Did you have any trouble hearing yourself? I've had my left hand lock up once on a sit-in due to that. For some inexplicable reason instinct told me that pressing the strings [i]really[/i] hard would make them louder... had a forearm like an iron bar for half an hour afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChick Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 [quote name='jjay69' timestamp='1363792835' post='2017731'] I've suffered the odd left hand cramp too, mainly during that long repitetive fast guitar solo part in Dazed and Confused ! our drummer suggested having a packet of ready salted crisps, but that just made playing it virtually impossible, i dropped nearly all the crisps . [/quote] PMSL!!! You've just made me choke on my glass of wine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VRkSsapYYsA Check this vid out. I was playing for 22 years and getting probs like have been mentioned here. Saw this and it's helped me out no end. No cramps anymore! It's only 8 minutes of your time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkHeart Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 i had this happen during a gig and had to play dancing in the moonlight from above the neck, people thought i was showing off but i was in agony haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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