I've tried off & on to start to teach myself to play electric bass, but after 10-15 minutes of playing the fingertips of my left hand (I play standard right handed) start to go numb. The numbness gradually wears off over the next few days, but if I try again, they go numb again.

Anyone heard of this? Had it happen? Know if it ever stops happening?

I'm thinking I may just have to give up on it, but that would...really kind of suck.

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"[English] not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary."
-James Nicoll, can.general, March 21, 1992

well im not a guitar or a bass player but im thinking its the same concept as weight training and conditioning. The first couple of times it hurts soooo much or in your case your finger get numb but you cant rest, if you do then it will turn numb the next time and the next time, etc. You've just got to bear the numbness and keep going till it stops. Kinda like conditioning for your fingers lol. No pain no gain. Well this is my guess anyway. If you dont get another response from a guitar player i'll ask my friend who plays guitar and get back to you.

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Common sense just isn't that common

Yep, the previous reply is correct. Just keep going. Eventually your fingertips will get accustomed to it and they'll harden so it stops hurting. Good luck and have fun with your bass!

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Tokyo Illusion

No, it doesn't hurt at all, just goes numb. And it's kind of hard to practice when I can't feel where the strings are, so I have to wait until the numbness goes away, and then as soon as I try again they go numb again.

Believe me, I'm familiar with sore muscles, and also blisters and calluses, and this is something different.

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"[English] not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary."
-James Nicoll, can.general, March 21, 1992

I can't say I've ever heard of it.

Now, it was ages since I tried to play the bass. But as I recall, it hurt at least my fingertips less than playing a regular guitar with steel strings. It was much more tiring for the muscles in the forearm, though. None of which has any connection with numbness, of course.

Oka-chan,

So you're basically saying that there's no pain/soreness and it's just a numb sensation?.... is it the prickly "pins n needles" kind or just total loss of feel?

Okay, if it's not the usual "seasoning your fingers until it doesn't hurt anymore" problem...... it may be to do with the way you position your left hand. It's probably something to do with the nerves somewhere on your wrist (although I would rule out CTS or nerve compression since you say there's no pain).

It might be a minute case of peripheral neuritis..... don't get alarmed if you google this and see all sorts of crazy diagnosis (stupid specialists tend to blow everything out of proportion to sponge you of your money)... it's just a common occurrence with some people.

I'm sorry I can't help further since I never had this problem and don't really mix with many other guitarists in the first place.... and I also have zero medical knowledge.

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~Point & Squirt~

It's just numb, no pins-&-needles, no pain.

Actually "peripheral neuritis caused by pressure on the nerve" is about what I figured was going on. And if that's it, then I may as well quit now because for whatever reason the pressure of the strings is causing the nerves in my fingertips to not work right, and I doubt that's going to stop happening.

Many thanks for the reply; I didn't know the term "peripheral neuritis" so that made it much easier to find information.

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"[English] not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary."
-James Nicoll, can.general, March 21, 1992

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you lose heart... and it may not have anything to do with what I mentioned (I'm an idiot).

Why don't you try changing your hand/wrist position or posture first and see if the problem's still there?

One more thing, if it's just numbness (lack of sensation) at the fingertips and you're movement isn't affected, you might be able to use that to your advantage.... no?


Last edited by G-17 at 8:12 am, Jan 16 2009

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~Point & Squirt~

Don't worry about it, it's not really that big of a deal.

It's only on the fingertips that I use when I try to play, so I doubt it has anything to do with my hand/wrist position, but I'll give it a try.

How could the numbness be used to my advantage?

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"[English] not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary."
-James Nicoll, can.general, March 21, 1992

mmm. as a guitar and bass player i have had the same problem when playing both instruments and in both hands.
once i was told that doing anything for half an hour a day for five years will make you an expert at whatever you are doing. i took that to heart and just practiced for four years so far (only been playing for 4 years).
enough practice and the feeling will go away.
best of luck!

With no pain (numbness!), you can, to your advantage, play until your fingers bleed, and as such, improve much faster XD moderate scarring makes for very hard and guitar/bass-friendly tissue

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http://myanimelist.net/profile/davve

So, miss Tofu, still having problems with your fingers?

There are a few things to check if your fingers are feeling odd, be it pain or numbness or whatever, due to playing.

First, make sure you are using proper technique. In my experience, improper tech is the quickest way to messing up your hands.

Second, is it just your finger tips, or are you also having numbness in your hands and wrists? If that be the case, try standing up while you play. Or changing your posture, at the least. This should 1. help your technique and 2. get your blood flowing correctly.

Third, use lighter strings.

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Listen here
Livin just to keep from dyin

Haven't tried for a bit - been busy with other things - but it's happened every time I've played.

The numbness is *only* the fingertips. Fingers, hands, wrists, arms, etc. are fine.

Technique...well, I've tried to follow the instructions I've found various places, but I'm sure I could be messing something up without realizing it. Unfortunately I don't have anyone knowledgeable that's handy to ask, but I'll see if I can find someone.

Lighter strings, hmmmm I'll have to look into that, that's a promising possibility, thanks.

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"[English] not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary."
-James Nicoll, can.general, March 21, 1992

How long have you been trying to play for? I've been playing the guitar myself for 8 years now and know that if i stop playing for x amount of time i get that numbness/pain again, but just as someone said in an earlier post i think you just need to keep at it and try to keep up the playing!

And if it's just numbness leading to inaccuracy being the problem then that too will be cured by practice as muscle memory will kick in! =)