Let's talk about straps.
Wearing a strap is really
important when you're playing bass
because it helps keep
your bass in position
and balanced so that you
don't have to do that stuff
with your hands, while
you're trying to play.
So, here's how straps work.
You can see there are these
two little metal knobs
here on the bass, these
are called strap buttons.
And, all I have to do
to affix most straps,
is you can see there is
a little hole in the tabs
at the end of the strap,
and that's where the strap
button fits through.
So I just find my strap button here
and then stick it through
the center of the strap.
And if you have a brand
new strap, this hole
might be a little tight.
You might even need to
put a knife in there
and make it a little bit bigger.
If you can't get the
strap button through it.
But that's how most straps will work.
And then, to adjust the length,
again, there's more than one design here,
but this is the most common one.
You can see I've got
doubled up material here,
and not doubled up material here.
So, the more I double
up, the shorter it gets,
the more I make non doubled
up, the longer it gets.
So this is longer, I go
on and make it shorter.
I just pull on the doubled
up side, and make it shorter.
And again, what I'm shooting for,
let's see if I got it right just now
when I was adjusting it.
It should have the bass hanging no lower
than my waist.
So, this feels okay.
I would actually go a
little higher for myself,
so I'll just double a little bit more
of the material over.
And then I've got it hanging.
You know your strap is too
loose if there's no tension
on it when you're sitting down.
Because then it's not
doing anything for you.
So it should actually be
hanging off your left shoulder.
Like I said, there is a lot
of different kind of straps.
This is the one I actually
use with my Peavey Cirrus,
which is what I take out
on gigs most of the time.
You can see it's a lot
bigger, and bulkier.
It's got all this padded
neoprene going on.
And, in particular what
I wanted to show you
is I have something on
here called strap locks.
So these do not attach the
way a normal strap does.
I actually have special
strap buttons on the bass
that allow the strap to lock into it,
so that it can't come off,
which is really important
when you're moving around on stage,
and you don't want your beloved instrument
falling out of your hands,
crashing onto the stage floor.
So, some kind of strap
lock design is great.
These are called Dunlop strap locks,
there are a few other
designs you can check out.
But that's the basics on the strap,
the most important thing being,
keep it somewhere between your ribs
and your waist level.
