Hi all,

I have been playing my Pbasses for the last 8 years and love them.
However, about 2 months ago, while playing a Dm7 arpeggio walkup (1-4-2-3-1), something hurt when I put my pinky down. Muscle pain along the inside of the pinky when I put it down on the 4.
I rested it for a month, started playing for the last few weeks, and now it is acting up again.
Any advice on how to heal up quick so I can continue playing?

I play with the left hand Carol Kaye technique, which is really safe and offers lots of support for the pinky, so I don't get it.

I have small hands. Maybe the wide P neck (1.75" at nut) is getting to me? I don't get it.

My advice would be "GO TO THE DR."
My pain started about a year ago and continued to get worse untill all my fingers hurt. Finally my wrist began to hurt. As it turnes out for me, I have a vitamin D deficiency, and as a result I have softening of the bones in my hands, and several broken bones in my wrist. It hurts like the dickens and I cant play at all, not even a little bit, untill everything heals up. In the mean time they have me taking Vitamin D and wearing an arm brace. The Dr. told me today he wants me to go in for an MRI so they can get a good look at what is going on. I'm haveing the same kind of pane though not as severe in my shoulder and left hip.
----Danny,

Sounds like inflammation - see a doctor! (xrays)

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Just my two cents:

I had a similar problem which I solved by shifting my fretting hand, catering to the pinky fretting and then back. Premising this won't work for you, if it is convenient, go to a local music store which has a decent variety of basses in stock with varying and assorted neck shapes/thicknesses; play a few of these. If the pain doesn't manifest on certain necks, well, there's your answer. Keep in mind though that you've currently inflamed something and so, you'd have to wait for the pain to completely go away again before even trying this. Conversely, if the pain comes back and is present no matter which bass you play, it's time to see the doctor.

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You dig?

Thanks for the advice, guys. I am thinking of avoiding that movement I made when the finger got hurt by fingering that arpeggio differently from now on.

Also, I want to try some J bass necks as the 1.5 measurement at nut may be better for me than the 1.75 of the '62RI I have. Though I'd hate to stop playing Pbasses.

If it is an ergo fit issue, and the 1.5 feels good, I may have to switch. Maybe play the P's less.

Martian: what did you mean by shifting your hand and catering to the pinky? Like moving the whole hand , pivoting off the thumb and moving the fingers all together to then land the pinky?

Yes, exactly. I had broken my fretting hand's wrist when I was a teenager and as a result, can instantly tell if a neck is for me or not. If it is, I play with absolutely no pain. If it is not, then I'm constantly manipulating my fretting as you've described above which in turn, keeps me out of pain. In my case, this isn't necessarily just for the pinky either. It all comes under the heading of, "Ya gotta do what ya gotta do."

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You dig?