I’ve been getting a lot of questions about left-hand tension lately. In a lot of ways, tension is unavoidable on our big lug of an instrument (I say with love), but we can reduce it so it doesn’t get in our way.
We can do this by auditing the movements we’re making that actively contribute to tension. One that I see all the time is popping the fingers up in the air when they’re not being used.
The Problem With Flying Fingers
Lifting the fingers in the air indicates we’re squeezing the hand, and squeezing equals tension. I probably don’t need to tell you this, but when we play with tension, we get fatigued quicker, meaning we can’t play as long without pain.
Hover, Don’t Pop
Instead of lifting your fingers away from the string when you’re not using them, try hovering them just above it. This helps maintain the shape of the left hand, so we use much less energy than when we pop the fingers high off the board.
That energy is better spent elsewhere. Shooting hoops, for example.
I like to think about releasing the fingers from the string. My friend Kate Jones talks about “keeping the players on the bench.” Use whatever imagery helps you keep your fingers from popping up into the air.
The goal is to keep your fingers as close to the string as you can and keep your hand relaxed.
How to Practice This
Take something simple like a scale or even just two notes at a time and actively work on keeping the unused fingers as close to the string as possible. See how little you actually need to lift your fingers off the string.
When you get the hang of it, apply it to more complex music. This will likely seep into the rest of your playing quite naturally if you’re consistent about working on it.
If this is new for you, it might feel a bit stiff at first, and that’s normal. The more you do it, the more you’ll be able to play with less tension, so you can play longer and without pain.
For more of Lauren’s insights, visit her Technique Tuesday series and sign up for the Double Bass HQ newsletter to have the series delivered to your inbox each week.
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