Welcome to our next installment of Three Bassists, One Question, the feature where we ask three skilled musicians a single question concerning various bass related subjects.
This time, we picked the brains of Sean O'Bryan Smith, Lane Baldwin, and Roy Vogt. So here we go!
Playing the bass is your living. How important is it to keep your fingers/hands well-tuned and in good playing shape - what do you do to keep things limber?
Sean O'Bryan Smith says:
"Finger athletics are absolutely a thing and is imperative to keep your fingers moving if you want to stay on top of your game. It's also a bit of a chase to figure out what works best because, it varies from instrument to instrument. 4, 5 and 6 string basses all are a different stretch. Upright bass is a different set of muscles as well as piano and guitar. Considering, I play all in my career these days it is a constant challenge to keep all of those muscles limber.
Of course, the best thing is just practice. Take the mundane parts of life and pick up an instrument. If the file is downloading, play the bass. If you're on hold on a call, play your bass. If your spouse is taking long getting ready, play the bass. If you're somewhere can't play the bass, play the steering wheel, chair, little brother's head, whatever. Just keep your hands and your fingers moving at all time.
Another thing that helps is staying as loose as you can. A simple way to do this and recover from gigs, etc. is a hot bath. I can have a heavy playing schedule and soak in a hot bath and my hands bounce back pretty quickly. Other than that, just make sure you take care of your hands as much as you can. They're going to hurt sometimes but, there's always a way to persevere."
Lane Baldwin says: "My hands are the most important part of the “instrument,” so it’s extremely important to keep them in good shape. That includes not injuring them – burn, bash, slash… And it’s important to keep them in fine running order, in terms of dexterity and stamina.
Every time I play – practice, rehearsal, recording or live – I always wash my hands with warm water and soap before playing, and dry them with a cloth towel if at all possible. I will then warm up with some basic scales, riffs and such, beginning in the high frets (closer together) and work my way down the instrument. I start slowly, then build speed as I go. This process allows my muscles to warm up slowly instead of being jarred into action. At the same time, I’m also preparing mentally, so the process works on several levels at once."
Roy Vogt says: "It's pretty important to me. However, I have bass in hands about 80 hours a week playing and teaching! Limber is not a problem. I play a lot of String Bass these days and it's definitely keeping my hands in shape. I'm really careful to not over-bend my wrists in either hand, not overdo coffee (that's a vaso-constrictor), and rest when possible. A day off won't kill you, especially if you're playing all the time. If for some reason I'm feeling a little stiff getting around I'll usually run some scales and modes in 3rds and 6ths. (That's melodic, deals with string skipping, and stretches out my hands)."
Thanks to each of you for participating in our feature! What about the readers? We'd love to hear what you do to keep limber!
Stay tuned for more bassists and more questions.
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