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Howdy all you kind folks - I have been getting into guitar for a little bit now and am really enjoying it a lot and have been making good progress, but I'm getting held back by stiffness and soreness in my fretting hand. Fingertips are fine (feel like they've been dipped in superglue) but some chord shapes seem to bother some knuckles and tendons. I stop playing when I feel something and and trying to have a light touch but it's still sore in the mornings and I just can't play for as long as I want to each day. I'm hoping I just need to build up strength and flexibility in that hand as I've never had these issues before otherwise. Other than that is there anything I should do or try to avoid?
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Jan 5, 2021 14:20
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 11:40 |
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Same as everyone else, I started with Justin Guitar (and also Andy (?) I think his name was? I used his uke videos before), looked up charts on ultimate-guitar.com to strum along with stuff when I knew the chords, then found a local teacher to keep working on what I'm really interested in pursuing (currently fingerpicking stuff.) Also people say this all the time and I know it but it's really hard to actually force myself to do - don't play something with 90% accuracy at the speed you think it should go. Play at whatever tempo makes it 100% accurate. Otherwise you'll be making the same mistakes day after day after day, and reinforcing them. Practice doing it right, not wrong. (At this point I'm really just talking to myself.) That said at the end of a practice session I kind of let loose just to see what happens. Also if your hand gets sore or tired to where you start making mistakes, take a break, otherwise you could put yourself out of commission for a while which is really frustrating. As far as other books I like Guitar Aerobics but it's a little much to start with for a complete beginner I think. I also got a book on memorizing the fretboard which really could have just been a pamphlet but it had a lot of helpful tips and patterns for that. Mozi fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Mar 4, 2021 |
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Mar 4, 2021 16:52
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Funnily enough I have an ME-80 but got a Katana because my other amp sucked and it still seemed like a good amp for the price. Sort of trying to figure out what to do, think I'll run into the ME-80 and bypass the Katana amp stuff mainly just to keep using the pedal.
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Mar 6, 2021 00:02
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Man, it's nice when you spend all day practicing something going slower and slower and slower because your brain just isn't getting it but then the next day you wake up and bang it out first time. (Then screw it up the second time, but I'll take it.)
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Mar 9, 2021 15:32
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My ring finger on my fretting hand started to bug me again - took about a month last time for it to recover - so I changed my practice approach with good results over the last couple of days. Now I use my hand grip strengthener squeezie dealie before practicing, only practice for 30 minutes at a time with a 10 minute break if I want to go for an hour, and then do the hand and finger stretches afterwards. Have been able to do over a couple hours per day over the last couple of days with good results. It's a weird issue because the finger feels fine when playing but hurts when I wake up in the morning so it was hard to get a hold on what was going on, but if this approach keeps working it'd be a big relief.
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Mar 10, 2021 14:36
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It's this one which seems good to me so far, though I think I know the ones you're talking about, with the separate finger springs? I had tried stretching before in the past and it didn't seem to help a lot so I dunno. Time will tell if this is good or not I guess. The most helpful thing is not getting carried away and doing stressful stuff for 90 minutes in a row though, for sure.
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Mar 10, 2021 15:26
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I actually switched to standing up while practicing all the time which is definitely more comfortable (my lower back disagrees a bit). I also got a comfy mat for use with a standing desk to stand on which is really great as well. And my hand is fine when practicing - after a while I'd feel it getting tired and stop - but then the morning after it (just the ring finger for some reason) would be stiff and painful for a little while  Kilometers Davis posted:
I've only been using it to warm up a bit right before playing, I'm not constantly crunching on it. Probably useful for me in any case because my hands were pretty weak to begin with in general. I actually did get some of those finger outward-stretching band things as well. Really trying to do everything I can! Think my basic problem is I'm trying to make up for lost time and just push it a little too far every day which builds up over time. Which would be fine if I was 15 and not in my mid-30s. Mozi fucked around with this message at 17:44 on Mar 10, 2021 |
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Mar 10, 2021 17:41
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avoid those in my opinion. Very few people need grip strength training for guitar. You need proper technique, leverage and stamina. The strength should come gradually and only in the way you need for guitar. Those things will just shortcut you to false confidence and plus you’re grabbing and squeezing things all throughout the day most likely and need to be instead be stretching in the opposite way (finger extensions) to get your hands relaxed and ready to play without pain whenever.
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creamcorn posted:the amount of pressure it takes to depress a guitar string enough to make it make contact with a fret is miniscule relative to the grip strength of even a weak adult human. static stretching before strenous activity doesn't prevent injury, you need to avoid straining while playing instead of trying to perform a ritual before picking up the axe. Just to be really clear I'm not using the hand thing as an exercise, I'm following the instructions which say 3 5 seconds squeezes per hand, that's it, no reps. Just 30 seconds total, just as a warmup. And I'm not pressing hard on the strings either. I have been trying to have proper ergonomics and posture and I do have a teacher but if I'm doing something wrong I guess it's hard to see over Zoom. The only thing I think I might be doing wrong is that with my electric the neck is really really comfortable to have in the palm when I'm playing open string chords, which might be leading me down some bad habits especially when I shift from an easy open chord to add in some other fingers as part of the fingerpicking songs I'm learning, for example going from a C to a C7 (pinkie on G string A#) and moving my ring finger back and forth on the 5th and 6th strings, or being on Am and sticking my pinkie on the 6th string 3rd fret. When I tried to keep my palm further away from the neck it made my wrist twist more which was uncomfortable. Yesterday I tried tightening up my strap to get the neck higher which seems to have helped a bit with that posture. The plan I came up with was to put the strap on my acoustic with a traditional wider neck and see if I can get away from fully gripping the neck at all (even when it feels really comfortable to do so...). In any case my finger felt OK this morning so at the very least I'm not making it actively worse right now while I figure this out. -_- Mozi fucked around with this message at 14:49 on Mar 11, 2021 |
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Mar 11, 2021 14:42
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If Dan is my huckleberry, who's my dingleberry?
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Mar 16, 2021 13:25
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Oh I wanted to thank everyone who chimed in with advice for my hand, I tightened my strap way up to get the guitar neck well above my elbow which made it a lot easier to use proper posture with my palm generally well beneath and perpendicular to the neck and I haven't had any soreness since, which is honestly a huge relief for me. The part I don't really understand is that I can see videos of people playing and it seems like a bunch of them are doing it exactly as I used to, with the hand fully gripping the neck most of the time and the neck around the same height as the elbow. Oh well. I also got a knee cushion for use when playing while sitting, I put it on my left knee and it works very well.
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Mar 16, 2021 15:02
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The Empress reverb, BigSky, and Space all seem around the same price point... I think I'd go with BigSky? If I were spending that cash, of course.
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Mar 18, 2021 13:18
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This Machine Kills Rainforests
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Mar 20, 2021 18:21
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Might not be helpful but I think of it like dancing with your right hand and just go with what feels right.
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Mar 26, 2021 17:50
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I got the Digitech Sdrum pedal because I wanted an easy way to get some custom beats when I'm So what would be a good, easy to use drum machine I can poke at to get some stuff going while I play guitar? If it matters I'm more into ambient spaciness and not metal or rock at all. Would also be great to have it at the end of my pedal arrangement (like a Beatbuddy or whatever) so it can all go in my amp the same way. Also I'm using the Empress Echosystem as a looper if that matters as far as syncing things up. Mozi fucked around with this message at 19:23 on Apr 6, 2021 |
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Apr 6, 2021 19:09
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Thanks for the suggestions! Have to say I'm very intrigued by the Elektron Model:Samples, that thing just feels very cool for some reason.
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Apr 6, 2021 23:03
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Playing something "correctly" naturally evolves over time, I'd say.
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Apr 10, 2021 03:25
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a foolish pianist posted:If you’re willing to spend a couple of dollars, Christopher Parkening’s first classical guitar method book starts with the very basics and gets you pretty far with a nice progression. I'm halfway through this myself and can second the recommendation.
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Apr 10, 2021 21:24
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Pretty sure I know the answer already but just to vent, does anybody else have those weeks where you're putting in the time and trying to practice things correctly but you just feel that you're getting worse and worse? And your brain keeps coming up with new and different ways to gently caress up?
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Apr 15, 2021 20:18
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I wanted to get Mini Vent II but the price on those has gone up so much I ended up ordering a regular Vent II instead. Now that's being smart!
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Apr 26, 2021 19:25
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a_gelatinous_cube posted:Has anyone here kept their nails grown out for finger picking? Nail picking seems like the only way I can keep the thumb pick from overpowering the fingers when I use it and I like the tone a lot, but I hate having nails. I might break down and get a file this weekend and try to keep them out slightly and see how manageable that is. I've been doing this and my advice is to use a good glass nail file. I have one of those 4-sided nail blocks as well for buffing it up. Shape the nail so the string touches both nail and flesh when you pluck it, and shape it so the note rings out clearly but doesn't catch or hang up on the nail. This will just take some experimentation. Don't just file a flat line when looking down at the nail from the top as the arch of the nail will mean when you pluck it's not actually a smooth line but will catch, it needs to be shaped a little more than that. Each of your fingers will be slightly different, just keep plucking as you file and worst case if you take too much off just wait a couple days. I also use Hard as Hoof nail strengthen cream and it really works, my nails weren't weak to begin with and now they are really hard and strong. Also not using a thumb pick, that nail is a little trickier to figure out for me but I like the contrast of flesh thumb w/ nail fingers sometimes. And I haven't seen any classical guitarists mention this for some reason, but my nose picking game has never been more on point. Mozi fucked around with this message at 16:58 on Apr 27, 2021 |
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Apr 27, 2021 16:43
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there's only one way to play drums, in my opinion
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Apr 27, 2021 18:13
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Helianthus Annuus posted:since the thumb picks downwards, and the other fingers pick upwards, i file the thumb opposite when compared to the other nails. Yeah that's what I'm doing, but the two issues I'm having are it's harder to get a nice clean tone, I feel like I can hear the thumbnail moving on the string. And something about how it sticks out on the left side makes that part of the nail more susceptible to being creased and then torn. VVV I have to admit - I don't mind the nail stuff. Filing, buffing, using the hardening cream. It's only annoying when they get in the way, need to wear gloves when gardening and so forth. When something breaks or tears I'll probably change my tune. Mozi fucked around with this message at 18:28 on Apr 28, 2021 |
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Apr 28, 2021 17:15
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BonHair posted:Nail chat really makes me wish I wasn't a compulsive nail biter. Please continue, so I might be convinced to quit my lovely habit. Also post pictures of your meticulous asymmetric nails. If you're really that curious, here you go. They are rather short because I also do fingerstyle on the electric and this length seems to work OK for both that and nylon. My ring finger nail is about twice the length of the others because my fingerpad seems to extend further. On my thumb I need the pick area to extend further left but I'm growing that out again after that part was torn.
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Apr 28, 2021 20:02
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While we're on the topic, if anyone would be so kind as to subject themselves to my amateurish playing and have a listen to this song I made, I would really appreciate any thoughts or feedback. Messed up a couple of times and didn't finish at the same tempo I started at but hopefully that can be overlooked. My approach was just a combination of trial and error, and thinking of it in my head and trying to figure out which note I was thinking of. I'm interested in what I should study to make this process easier in the future (I know basics of theory), but if this sort of music reminds anybody of other stuff I'd like to get more
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May 5, 2021 14:17
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Thank you, I appreciate the kind words! Cleaning up my playing (read: practicing guitar) is definitely number one on my todo list. But I'm glad to hear my ear isn't leading me astray. I think the part you mentioned is going from C to Gmaj7, by way of C->Cm6->Gm->G#dim->Am->Am7->Gmaj7. I cobbled that through trial and error to fit those two sections together but I don't know enough theory to know what I'm really doing there or what else might sound good offhand. But it's kind of fun to just fumble around and come up with something so maybe I'll try going back to a blank slate for that and fiddling some more. Edit: maybe even cut it all out and just go Cm6->Gmaj7 Mozi fucked around with this message at 21:18 on May 5, 2021 |
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May 5, 2021 21:09
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GreenBuckanneer posted:edit2: what do people think about 2/3 for G instead of 1/2/3 for G? I was looking at Justinguitar and he says to do 2/3 and it seems slightly easier and I can't honestly tell a difference in the sound You can really do the G a bunch of ways. You don't really need the low B in there when you're strumming it, makes it a bit muddy IMO. But if you're doing basslines it's good to have on hand. But try sprinkling in the high D in there as well, it's a nice sound. Really as long as you have the low G just try poking around at the other strings and see what sounds good.
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May 11, 2021 12:37
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Eh just apply a little autotune and it'll buff out, no problem.
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May 12, 2021 17:25
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Helianthus Annuus posted:experiencing wrist pain today after playing way too much guitar last night! Me too, couple felt I was cranking my wrist around a little too much doing some G shape and C shape w/ the pinky on the high E stuff but pushed on for a little too long and felt it the next day. I gotta back off and take it easy, play slower so I can focused on staying relaxed and in proper form. No other way to keep moving forward. That's a good thing about playing every day - if you do something wrong and feel it the next day, you know you have to make a change. Otherwise it just doesn't work out. Was thinking of asking, anyone have any other tidbits to offer I could sprinkle in with my daily practice routine? Currently it's like this: - Take a note, incremented a half step from the day before (yesterday I did A, today I do Bb) - Find that note on each of the lower 12 frets, go around those with a metronome - Repeat with upper 12 frets - Go through the CAGED shapes for that root note and maj7/7/m7/m7b5/dim versions of each - Major scale and minor scale on that note, slow and fast. Then do both with octaves on each note. - Pentatonic scale on that root, slow and fast. Then do that with alternating strings - Two different spider exercises from that note - 16th note chromatic exercise Then I finally get started on the exercises from my book (the Parkening book) and that gets me to about an hour total when I start getting tired and take a break. Work on songs later in the day.
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May 12, 2021 18:47
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a.p. dent posted:angling your neck up is a big help, learn to play that way as soon as possible. it'll help you avoid injuries in the future I got one of these to use when playing sitting down and I don't think I could play without it now. Or if I did, it would wreck my wrist.
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May 14, 2021 00:24
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I don't particularly love listening to jazz, but when I'm actually playing guitar jazzy stuff feels really cool.
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May 14, 2021 12:37
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Make sure you're not gripping the neck, as well. The only things on your left hand that should be touching the guitar when playing the C chord are your fingertips and thumb, with your palm horizontal below the neck. Honestly recently I've been finding it easier to play barre chords than open chords. If I'm hopping around between E, F, A, C, D, and minors, etc, it just seems easier to barre those all between the 3rd and 10th frets. Easier to think about playing something higher or lower as well, lots of options. I think I probably need to learn how to take more advantage of open strings when I can, though.
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May 14, 2021 16:51
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No that seems weird to me. Ring finger on 5th string C, middle finger on 4th string E, index finger on 2nd string C.
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May 14, 2021 16:55
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^^^ He's saying that 1 would indicate you fret with your index finger, not that you put it on the 1st fret. I'm not sure how to interpret the 1 over the G in the final measure of the York piece as either a fingering or fretting, though. FWIW I'm a little over halfway through Parkening pt 1 and haven't noticed any typos. Mozi fucked around with this message at 18:39 on May 15, 2021 |
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May 15, 2021 18:37
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I'll take a shot at it... that image is showing how if you progress from one note to another in fifths, that corresponds with the key signature (number of sharps or flats). And it shows the relative minors for each, as they share the same key signature. BEADGCF! FCGDEAB!
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May 18, 2021 15:20
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I'm still just trying to nibble away at theory a little bit over time, I think if I try to go whole hog on it I'll just bounce off but as long as I'm exposed to a little bit every day over time I'll... uh... grow music theory cancers, or something that fits the metaphor. It's maybe a different perspective but when I'm playing I try to think of where I want to go as being relative to where I am right now, and just internalizing what interval I need to play to get that sound I want. So major scales or minor scales or modes or whatever, I want my ear to tell me 'semitone here, two here, semi here, two here, etc'. If I'm not sure just pause and listen in my head to what it should sound like. Pick any ol' note anywhere on the fretboard and be able to go wherever I want relative to that as a starting point. Still practicing scales and everything but this approach just feels right to me. Drawing out a bunch of scales or something on a paper fretboard to 'know' what notes are 'safe to play' or whatever is probably helpful but that's not really how I want to think about it - the notes are all over the fretboard, ripe for the plucking, and as long as I'm playing a good note I should be able to feel where I need to go from there, and practice enough so my fingers know how to get there. Edit: just playing around with the circle of fifths, noticed if you're playing a C shape barre chord you just move the pinky over to get the relative minor. Nifty, no wonder that sounds nice Mozi fucked around with this message at 18:13 on May 18, 2021 |
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May 18, 2021 17:54
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I visualize music theory as some kind of extraordinarily complicated, intricate machine that seems completely obtuse at first glance but over enough time it becomes intuitive. Like I'm a COBOL greybeard or something working on some mainframe (a very rock and roll metaphor).
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May 18, 2021 21:47
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Huxley posted:CAGED clicks for me in bits in pieces. Maybe this is a little pedantic but it's not really a G or a C, is it? If you move it down to the G position wouldn't you call it a G/B or something? Maybe I'm just not hip to 'modern' stuff - at least where I am currently I always have the root note at the bottom. I think I get your point though, there's all sorts of voicings hidden in the standard barre chords. Mozi fucked around with this message at 00:13 on May 19, 2021 |
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May 19, 2021 00:09
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Huxley posted:Yeah, you'll see that B-on-top inversion named G/B a lot, particularly when that B is part of a moving baseline. But I think it's fine to call it just a normal chord when you're messing around with that moving shape since there's not really any context to it. Yeah I was thinking about this more and realized that given that B is part of the normal chord it's really just a different voicing of a regular chord. Sorry for being a nit! I use this for a guitar support, it's not as nice or nifty as the one above but it's cheap and you can toss it around. I've been doing my nails every other day but any less often and it gets annoying. It's nice having built-in picks on your fingers but the advantage of a normal pick is it tends to stay the same shape...
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May 19, 2021 13:17
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Mak0rz posted:Any hitchhiker's thumb-havers in here? Lately I've been doing more barre chord stuff further up the neck of my acoustic and I've started to feel discomfort and sometimes pain in the most distal thumb joint. This is something I was hoping to get figured out with an instructor when I start seeing one again, but I'm more concerned about it now that the pain is pretty consistent. To try and help with this... obviously not seeing it in person means it's hard to say really, but just from my own experience of doing things wrong, getting thumb pain, changing things and then not having pain anymore, I'll throw out a couple of tips: - Don't have your thumb like this, arched out with all the force going directly through it:  - Do this instead, a little flatter and to the side:  - And if your fingers are kind of spread out, don't put your thumb way up front like this:  - But try to put it more in the middle of where the combined force from your fingers is:  And obviously - try to use as little pressure as possible. It's far better to jam another finger on top of the barre if possible to assist with a tricky note than it is to press harder with your current fingers. And don't push it once you start getting tired, take a minute and massage it out a bit.
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May 19, 2021 18:55
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 11:40 |
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Mak0rz posted:And this is good? Hm - I might shift it down a just bit towards the middle maybe? I feel like the force is pushing into the middle of the pad of my thumb right down into the hand, as opposed to into the tip or the knuckle. But we do have rather different thumbs so just listen to these folks...
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May 20, 2021 02:30
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