{"id":3370,"date":"2025-11-23T14:05:30","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T13:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emilserios.com\/?p=3370"},"modified":"2025-11-26T16:23:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T15:23:36","slug":"relaxed-double-bass-posture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emilserios.com\/en\/relaxed-double-bass-posture\/","title":{"rendered":"Relaxed Double Bass Posture: Finding the Right Height"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Relaxation While Playing, Part II \u2014 Finding the Right Height<\/strong><\/h1>

Just like my friend Eli needed time to relax before she could finally float, we also need time to explore our posture with the instrument and find that calm state before focusing fully on the score. Otherwise, it\u2019s like trying to swim without knowing how to float.<\/p>

(And if you don\u2019t know Eli\u2019s story, that means you missed the last newsletter \ud83d\ude1b)<\/p>

Posture starts with letting go<\/strong><\/h2>

Just like floating becomes easier once you let go, posture does too.
Then again, one small adjustment can change everything: the height of the endpin. When the instrument is set too low or too high, the body tries to realign itself and compensates for the imbalance with tension. One shoulder lifts, the lower back tightens, and soon neck discomfort appears. I didn\u2019t realize this for years \u2014 until pain became part of my routine.<\/p>

When I first started, I used to practice for as many hours as I could. The moment to rest was marked by pain: sometimes in my back, sometimes in my forearm. That\u2019s how I knew it was time for a break, as if it were normal for pain to set the limits.<\/p>

Then I heard about a teacher named Rafael Berm\u00fadez, who used to tell his students:<\/p>

\u201cThe only thing that should hurt after playing is your head\u2014from thinking so much.\u201d<\/p>

That phrase stayed with me. I began searching for everything I could find about playing with ease, about what relaxed technique really meant.<\/p>

And finally I understood it\u2019s not normal to play through pain.
We usually stop only when it already hurts \u2014 but real progress begins much earlier, the moment we learn to listen before pain appears.<\/p>

If the body is tense, the sound can\u2019t flow<\/strong><\/h2>

It made me realize something simple but powerful: when the body is tense, sound can\u2019t flow.
How can we produce a good sound that way?<\/p>

The solution is simple \u2014 awareness.
And today, we\u2019ll look at one way to start cultivating it: finding the right height for your endpin<\/strong>.
(As you know, this is the second part of our three-part series on relaxation.)<\/p>

How to find your height<\/strong><\/h2>

Aligned and free shoulders.<\/strong>
If you have to lift or drop one shoulder to reach the strings \u2014 losing the natural line of your posture \u2014 the endpin is either too high or too low.<\/p>

Neutral lower back.<\/strong>
If you collapse or bend toward the instrument, it\u2019s too low.
Remember that your body weight should rest gently on your heels.<\/p>

Stay close to the instrument.<\/strong>
This helps, especially in the beginning when we rely on visual references on the fingerboard.
If you stand too far and try to look at your left hand all the time in the lower positions, you\u2019ll end up with neck pain.<\/p>

My advice: take your time in front of the mirror.
Make small adjustments, try two or three short passages in different areas of the instrument, breathe, and adjust again until your body feels stable, aligned, and free.<\/p>

Video<\/strong><\/h2>

I recorded a short video some time ago that might help you understand these ideas better.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Subscribe to my newsletter for the double bass community and receive weekly study ideas, exercises, videos, and lots of motivation to keep advancing with the double bass.<\/strong><\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe here<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover how relaxed double bass posture begins with finding the right endpin height and releasing tension for a freer, healthier sound.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1793,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sin-categoria"],"yoast_head":"\nRelaxed Double Bass Posture | Emilse Rios<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how relaxed double bass posture starts with the correct endpin height. 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