Playing Position

When I started playing ska I had to sit down to play bass. My hands were going numb. I found that, if I sat, I could take the pressure off of the shoulder strap, and also use my right arm to stabilize the bass, allowing much less stress on my left hand.

But...ska is dance music...and I'll be damned if I'm going to sit on stage to play ska.

So in addition to trying to memorize my parts (cause I'll be damned if I'm going to read music on stage), I've been trying to figure out how to get out of my seat.

Last night I put my strap in the "high" position. I have my strap set to a certain length that I like for playing...but there are two holes for the strap on the tailpiece. The one I normally use makes the strap slightly longer...the other takes about 4 to 6 inches off. Even in the "long" position...I'm still wearing it way higher than most bass players. But in the "short" ...or "high"...position..it is just stupidly high.

But, it seems that this high position makes it possible to play. In the long position I find myself constantly pushing up on the neck trying to get it more vertical. In the short position I don't find this happening...and it seems to take the pressure off my left hand in a similiar (though not as thorough) way as sitting did. Sitting is still way better...but I think that I'll be able to play standing now in this super high position.

People on the outside have no idea the evolution of musical learning.