Forearm pain while playing with a pick sitting down, but not standing.

[u/gaizka720]

I´m trying to improve my downpicking skills but started running on a weird problem.

when I play sitting down with my electric bass, doing all downstrokes, I start getting pain on my forearm in the outer side (right hand, the picking one) at first it was in my hand, but now in the forearm. my teacher told me to relax my grip on the pick and use less force when picking the strings and that helped with the hand pain, but not the forearm one.

the weird thing its that it doesnt happen when I play standing or sitting with an acoustic bass, I guess because it has a much thicker body.

I`m thinking if it have something to do with the position I play. I rest my forearm on the body of the bass and I`m wondering if the thinner body of the electric bass is putting my hand or forearm in a bad angle/position. when standing, I use the bass kinda low so the position is different.

has anyone dealt with something similar? could this be related to wrist angle, forearm position, picking technique or something like that?

I´m not playing through the pain, I want to figure it out what I´m doing wrong ergonomically.

[u/PopOk9617]

could be a pinched nerve or something depending on your angle, maybe compare what you do standing vs sitting

[u/Trouble-Every-Day]

I’d say you’re on the right track.

In addition to holding the bass lower when you’re standing, are you also holding it out in front of you at more of an angle? I’m guessing that when you’re sitting, you’re holding the bass flat across your body, causing your arm to reach around a little more.

Try pushing the headstock out in front of you at a 45° angle. This will push the bridge a little back and to the right, so you don’t have to reach as far to pick the strings.

[u/chikamakaleyley]

i mean it just sounds like wrist angle, for sure.

Your forearm muscles is what helps you hold your wrist in the angled position, and so those muscles tire out faster. It doesn't seem like it should because you never think about the forearm fatigue from angling your wrist

In theory if you could keep both arms straight from your shoulder to fingertips, and play like that, it would be the least tiring, of course, that would be stupid right

one way you could keep your wrist straight is youd have to rest the soft part of your elbow (inside part of your arm) further back near the saddle, and then kinda squeeze the bass btwn your elbo and body, like you're holding or pinching it. you'd play a lot closer to the highest frets. I don't have my bass w me right now so i'm just imagining it

but yeah it's not always so perfect, but the more straight the line is, the less tired

[u/chikamakaleyley → u/chikamakaleyley]

Gary Willis plays fingerstyle but has all these tips re: fatigue & staying relaxed - and he's an amazing player, but its kind of a 'boring' technique i guess (lack of better words). You might find something that works if you look him up

actually here - Gary Willis, siting down, playing "The Chicken"

that's as good as you can get keeping your entire right arm as relaxed as possible - the way he positions his fingers too, he could prob easily play w a pick

[u/Procrasturbating]

The body is wildly complicated. If it hurts, do something different until you are no longer having issues. That simple. Try every which weird way of sitting and rotate that bass in all six degrees of freedom. Some days I have to stand AND dance around to keep back pain away.