Here’s a question from an overseas reader–feel free to chime in with some advice in the comments to this post:
I’m not really sure what is the right way, to avoid injuries and other stuff, how to hold the bass in thumb position.
My teacher says holding the neck on your shoulder blade can cause some trouble but on the other hand, is there another way to stabilize the bass in that position?
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Have you heard of falling forward and falling backward positions for the bass? Just let the weight of the bass lean into your hand, but only a little. That is one step to not using your shoulder but you still must adjust your posture and search for how you can personally get it to work.
Hi,
I assume that you stand to play the bass? Here are two possibilities:
1) try sitting to play. In this way the back of the bass rests against your left knee and stabilizes it, thereby solving that problem. I sit on a stool to play about 50% of the time. The only issue this presents is playing with the bow. I play French bow, so sometimes might right shoulder gets a bit sore due to the angle.
2) When standing, I do not know of anyway to play with dexterity and facility in the thumb position without allowing the neck of the bass to be cradled between my collar bone and neck. However, I will also say that I have never found this to be a problem in terms of injury. I’m 55 years old, so if it were a problem from injury, I would likely have experienced it.
Do you mean holding the neck of the bass on you collar bone? Not holding the bass on your shoulder blade (which is on your back).
A question that come to mind has to do with the shape of the instrument. For instance, my main instrument has a nice slope to the shoulders, making it easy to get around. I play french bow, and sit on a low stool, in a very cellistic fashion.I don’t have to touch the neck with my shoulder, even in the highest position.
My bassist wife, on the other hand, plays german bow, and sits quite high. She has an old French bass with high shoulders. It’s a beautiful bass, but the high shoulders make it difficult to play standing. Seated, it’s quite a bit easier.
What type of bow do you use? What shape are your instrument’s shoulders? Is it possible for you to post a picture of yourself in your “normal” thumb position?
You want to start with how you’re holding the bass in first position. Assuming you’re standing, you want to have the instrument balanced on your hip in such a way that you can remove your hands entirely and the bass won’t fall. (Unfortunately this is easier to demonstrate than to describe in writing!)
Once you’ve got this down, you can practice moving from first position up into thumb position. You should only have to make minor adjustments to the balance of the instrument to keep it balanced in thumb position.
Some people suggest using your left knee on the back of the instrument to rotate it out a bit. Experiment to see what works!
I think it’s okay if the instrument comes in contact with you shoulder a bit – but your shoulder shouldn’t be supporting it.
I hope this helps – happy playing!
The answer to your question so much depends on your physique, the size and shape of your bass, whether you sit or stand, the kind of bow you used and what kind of music(s) you play. The one addition I can add to the previous comments is this: don’t get caught in the trap of following your left hand with your chin ie, keep your back in as healthy and balanced a posture as you can when you move up the neck with your left hand. Obviously this is so much easier when sitting. I tell my students to “bring the bass to you” rather than contorting your posture to “get into” thumb position. Check out Jeff Bradetich or Francois Rabbath for good examples of great players who take care of their spines!