3 Steps to a Strong Left Hand Set-Up

From Boston to Berlin, wherever I teach bass, I see the same left-hand problems: elbows resting on the block, hands and thumbs collapsed, fingers clamped together. Bass strings (especially those on student instruments) are hard to press down, so without proper instruction, bad habits can develop super-duper fast. I use this 3-position system with my students to help build the muscles and awareness necessary to maintain a strong left-hand position:

Position 1: Birds on the Wire

All four fingers are lightly resting on the string in either first or block position.

Position 2: Hover Fingers

All four fingers hover closely to the string, but do not touch the string.

Position 3: Fingerboard Landing

Start in Birds on the Wire, slowly press the string down to kiss the fingerboard, return to Birds on the Wire.

”Birds on the Wire” helps students establish a good left-hand position without any added tension. “Hover Fingers” helps students understand where their fingers should be when they're not being used to hold down a note. “Fingerboard Landings” help students build the muscles needed to hold down a note with a good left-hand position. Before starting to learn tunes, I combine these three positions into “Strength Training” challenges to sequence students towards left-hand confidence and success.