Dang-I recently took on a bass gig and had to put the Stick down for a bit-seems that my muscles and tendons aren't used to the transition and I get some cramping going back and forth between the two instruments-I can easily sit for many hours lost in Stick World but now I have to be carefull that I get my proper amount of exercise on the 4 string bass or it's Cramp City!!
Mike

Hi Mike

I have found this to happen as well. The problem tends to lie in the 4 stringed beast. There is often more anaerobic muscle work involved in bass playing than in proper stick technique. This is even more evident in upright work (i have finally given up on being in upright shape).
I suggest trying to develop a lighter touch in your bass playing. Jeff Berlin really advocates this. Lower your bass action and really try to use larger muscle groups as in stick playing. If you feel the need to dig in then turn up instead.
Usually once you have played bass for a while the cramping will go away, but be conscious of you bass playing technique, you may be overstraining your muscles and tendons unnecessarily. This may lead to problems down the road.

Good luck
Brett

I guess after 45 years of 4 string bass I need to pace my Stick time...but a good dose of horse linament seems to help....
Mike

Hi Michael,

yeah, that sounds familiar to me...Be very carefull:

- setup the String action as low as possible (Check out Gary Willis and his Setup advice an www.garywillis.com)

- setup the Neck as straight as possible (Check out Gary Willis and his Setup advice an www.garywillis.com)

- use as little pressure on the strings as needed (again Gary Willis. Video about String pressure on the d'addario website)

- play with a lite touch (check out Gary Willis and Jeff Berlin's comments on this)

I had to learn this the hard way, hurt myself and couldn't play electric bass for months.

Take care

Hi again,

here is another article / piece of information / book you should check out:

http://www.bass-musician-magazine.com/G ... =902306734

Cheers