“I had an injury from from using my fingers too much… using the pick actually saved my hands”: Social media bass sensation April Kae burned out her hands from nonstop playing, producing and editing – playing with a pick was her saving grace
The Fever 333 player reveals how having to be a content creator, videographer, editor and producer in addition to being a bassist caused repetitive strain injury
(Image credit: Fender)
April Kae is a bass sensation who has managed to turn TikTok virality into a globe-trotting career. As the bassist for the rapcore outfit Fever 333, Kae is noted for her off-white P-Bass and smooth basslines. However, upon joining Fever 333, Kae had to adapt to playing high-intensity riffs. This new territory required playing bass with a pick, a challenge that came with an unexpected saving grace.
“I think if there's any challenge, to be honest, it's playing with a pick,” says Kae in an interview with MusicRadar. “I think some of those riffs just don't really work with fingers. I think it's fun to play them [with fingers], and it can work at home, but I think playing with the band and playing in that riff-based style [works better with a pick].
“Adjusting to the pick has been a new challenge. I love playing with my fingers. I feel like it's part of the dance. I dance with my body and my hands, and it extends to my fingers. I’m trying to figure out how to do that with the pick and have the precision that I want. I think it's a challenge, but in a fun way, like a video game. I've got to master this level so I can do the next thing.”
However, using the pick also had a pretty significant positive impact on her health. “I had a hand injury from overuse, from using my fingers too much,” she reveals.
“Musicians have to be content creators and videographers and everything, right? That's a lot on your hands if you're an instrumentalist. I fucked my hands editing and producing.
"Literally, I was editing, producing video, producing music, producing bass and playing bass – and it fucked my hands up. You're not supposed to use your hands to do every single thing in the day, right? So using the pick actually saved my hands. I like that I can do both now and incorporate both in my playing because I now have that versatility and I think it'll really help my longevity as a player.”
Fever 333 will be hitting the US in October and early November, before kickstarting their mainland Europe tour in mid-November and wrapping up with a UK leg in late November/early December.
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Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.