Eliminate Left Hand Wrist Pain Playing the Guitar (1 of 3)

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kevinoshaughne...
Hey! What's new and exciting?
Today, I've got a quick tip on how to relieve pain in your left hand (or right hand if you're left-handed) when playing the guitar. When combined with the other two, you should be able to eliminate left hand pain all together. Sound too good to be true? Check it out for yourself.
You can view another resouce on the subject here:
• Get Control of Your Fr...
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[@Captainrobert007]

Thank you so much this has been my only pain when playing

[@UnknownGamer-pq4bv]

I have been struggling with my thumb position for so long! I needed this advice, and none of the lessons taught it

[@l_cat885]

Thank you my thumb couldn’t take it anymore 😅

[@Nickshreds890]

Thank you so very much! This is very helpful. I think that it's very easy to forget that we do not want any tension coming into our playing as guitarists. Especially if you play something that is difficult. I think it's important to slow down and breeze. Thank you again! :) I'll be sure to try this I find that as I play faster or when I play solos my technique sometimes changes. Because of that I've been practicing my alternative picking and holding my pick in a different manner. The basics are so important and if you're self taught it can be harder. I have become much more economical since changing my picking.. My guitar teacher helped me a lot with that. I can share the exercise if anyone else is interested.

[@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar]

Please do!!

[@Bigbuddyandblue]

Great advice, but my lack of skill causes me the most pain😊

[@shash-onemanband6140]

Please add an advice for light and consistent pick attack especially for power chord players. Usually, people break their high E string while tuning or playing. I carry the international award for breaking my thickest i.e. low E string while playing faster songs like One by Metallica or Easy Living by WASP or Painkiller by Judas Priest. Though I eventually learnt fast how to stop this madness when my second album was published which had this 'dynamic' pick attack. Well done in starting a new series of essential elements. Please carry on and reach the 1000 mark as soon as possible.

[@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar]

That's a good idea. Look for it in the coming weeks.

[@bailey1722]

Thank you!!!!

[@RafaelCarrasco-ju8bk]

Thank you it really works ❤

[@flower-z6m]

Thank you very much!

[@Xxxxxrrr6464]

If thanks

[@watchfan6180]

Thanks

[@Zagura90]

Moving from electric to acoustic and struggling immensely.

[@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar]

That can be tough. If you haven't done so already, make sure the acoustic is set-up with a low action and light strings. Any guitar store should be able to do this. Acoustic guitars tend to have a higher action and thicker strings, making them a little harder to play. If the neck has any warping to it (which is easily corrected with a truss rod adjustment) that could also contribute to the problem. If you're still having trouble, trying tuning the guitar down a half-step and adding a capo at the first fret. The lower tuning should lessen the string tension, and the capo will do double-duty first by effectively bringing the guitar back into standard tuning and then by lowering the action for you. Give it a try and let me know what happens. Good luck!

[@qtpieamongus8954]

@@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar Or just tune it down a half or full step only. I do this and have never used a capo. Somebody said a semi tone detune is what guitars used to be tuned at?? And is the ideal frequency ?

[@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@qtpieamongus8954Sure. The capo is optional. As for that being what guitars were originally tuned to, I’d have to research that. The “ideal frequency” thing to me seems like a bunch of BS. That usually refers to tuning to A 432 instead of A 440. People claim that A 432 sounds better somehow. I don’t know how the average listener can tell the difference.

[@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar]

@@qtpieamongus8954 The capo is used mainly if it's desireable to bring the guitar back to standard tuning. This works really well if the songs you're playing use a lot of open chords. Other than that, it's not necessary. As for the "ideal frequency", it's my opinion that's total BS. Some people think a Fender Strat sounds better when tuned a half-step down. I don't notice a noticeable difference though. There are others who believe the standard tuning pitch of A440 should be dropped to A432 (roughly a helf step down), claiming it's somehow better. But again, unless one has perfect pitch, or has something to use for comparison, I don't believe there's a way to tell the difference.

[@JBittermusic]

Is the action is too high can it cause pain?

[@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar]

Absolutely. Sometimes, a high action is desireable though. My understanding is that bluegrass players tend to favor higher action. That's what I've heard at least. I don't know how true it is. They also don't seem play much in the middle of the neck where the effects of that action would be the most obvious. If you can't lower the action, then you want to make sure you're only applying enough pressure to get the string to touch the fret (don't try to push it into the fretboard), and that you extend your thumb toward the headstock a bit to avoid cramping of the muscle in the palm of your hand. I hope that helps.

[@JasonSmith-wj2ht]

I'm getting tendonitis in the middle of the back of my hand between the pinky & ring finger. It's severe & I can't find anything online about it.

[@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar]

Hmmm. That may be worth a visit to the doctor. Did it start with playing guitar or are there other factors involved?

[@kevdavidskate]

This only happens to me play acoustic 😭

[@bumblebootwiddletoes5185]

I play chords with my thumb tho

[@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar]

@@bumblebootwiddletoes5185 As a general rule I tend to discourage that practice. The thumb is meant to provide counter pressure so the fingers can more easily press the strings to the frets. If you remove that pressure the fingers need to work harder. That said, if you only use your thumb for a couple of chords, and you can generally keep your wrist straight, you should be able to adapt this method and continue using your thumb for those chords. Does that make sense?

[@lilboer5340]

No more thumb pumps for me