Left Shoulder Position for Upright Bass

Left Shoulder Position for Upright Bass
The left back, neck, and shoulder regions are most frequently injured by upright bassists. In fact, forearm tendonitis is typically a symptom of poor positioning of the rest of the body.
In this video, we discuss a position for the left upper body that reduces the positional tendencies that tend to be associated with the development of injuries in the left upper body.
As we have discussed in previous videos, the human body is not symmetrical. We all have a tendency to orient the body to the right (even if you are a lefty). This is likely due to the structure of our internal organs and our neurological wiring.
The rightward orientation position is reinforced while playing upright bass, and while this position alone is not a bad thing, when it is prolonged, we can limit our movement options to the point where the probability of pain and injury is increased.
In this video, we discuss three strategies that will help reduce compression in the left upper body and reduce the likelihood of injury from playing upright bass.
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[@Ml4zobass]

Great info!

[@CubedNightShot9777]

Would a similar concept apply to fighters who typically fight in an orthodox stance?

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Hi there. I am not familiar with the position you are talking about. But I'm not sure it would be exactly the same, because the left foot would likely be planted to create a delay strategy on the left side to allow the right to come forward when throwing a punch or kick with the right side. Is this a left foot forward and right foot back position?

[@CubedNightShot9777]

@@ChaplinPerformance Orthodox is left foot forward and right foot backward and southpaw is the opposite. So fighters would typically use orthodox would benefit from training in southpaw sometimes?

[@MrDaraghkinch]

Thanks for your tips, I am sure they will help me. Lately though, I have been practising a lot in the upper register of the bass, where there is some extreme force on the left shoulder, extending the arm forwards and down over the body of the bass and pressing the hand inwards into the fingerboard, towards the torso. I feel a lot of pressure in my teres minor (I think). I am not sure how to alleviate this while achieving this wide arc with the left arm to reach over the body of the instrument and applying the necessary pressure on the fingerboard. I would appreciate any help or guidance. Thank you

[@ChaplinPerformance]

Hi there! Is your arm somewhat short?
You will definitely have to create a downward force somewhat to apply the necessary pressure, however learning to leverage the weight of the arm and the rest of your body rather than relying on active tension from the shoulder alone is likely going to be your solution.
Also, making sure the bass is coming to you, will probably be helpful.
If you are still having trouble, feel free to send me a video of you playing to [e-mail] and I would be happy to give you some feedback!

[@MrDaraghkinch]

@@ChaplinPerformance Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I honestly didn't expect it. You have definitely given me something to think about. I will focus on this idea of leveraging my body weight and relaxing my shoulder. I will take it very slow. Thanks again, it is hard to find guidance on the nitty gritty details of finding an ergonomic approach to this big, inherently unergonomic instrument.