The Bass Geek

The bass guitar has only been around for fifty or so years (pause to remember Leo Fender, please), and it doesn’t look like anybody has hashed out a standard and accepted playing technique for it yet (like the Simandl method for the upright bass). Folks keep tinkering with the body and necks, too - something I’m sure those who work on classical instruments would find abhorrent. Most of the time, though, it’s differences in body shapes or electronics. This thing takes an ergonomic look at the neck, and the results leave me interested, if a bit seasick. The only pain I’ve ever experienced while playing usually came in conjunction with doing a lot of typing at work, and leaving that job seemed to make a lot of difference (both mentally and physically). I did notice that switching to a trackball mouse made a lot of difference, especially on the “clicking” finger. I had that lock up once while playing, and it was a scary experience. Stretching, warming up, and washing your hands briefly in warm water before playing (helps keep the strings clean, too) are great ideas.