FAQ You #9:My trick for reducing tension while playing guitar and MORE!

instagram @BenEllerGuitars
unclebeneller
Hey guys! On episode #9 on FAQ You, we're gonna chat about some real important topics... reducing tension while playing, my recent obsession with Knower, the biggest challenges of the recent Andy Wood Live at the Bijou album and concert film, my Hogwarts house, and more!
I'll show you a guitar meditation trick i picked up years ago from a book called Zen Guitar that helped me dramatically reduce the tension in my arms, hands, and elbow. Take your time with this and i'm sure it will help you stay loose and relaxed while playing!
Thanks for watching and let me know whatever questions you'd like to see answered on a future FAQ!

[@highway5123]

beginners will never guess how massively important is this issues with tension and one day they will get frustrated with their lack speed and quilt praying altogether. This is the single most crucial thing to comprehend, so that countless hours of practice does not go to waste....

[@michaelandrews9718]

Wish I'd accepted this 15 years ago!

[@anandkazanka2438]

Im begginer (for quite to long now) and understand. trying to learn playing relaxed. Came here because of super tens lip, but whole body need to learn to relax too

[@sole__doubt]

Ive been playing since the late 80s and tension is my biggest issue. I didnt realize how bad it was until I recorded a video of me playing in my house.

[@Gregorovitch144]

I didn't know about this tension thing for years, and now suddenly everywhere I look I see videos by folk who know about it. I heard one exercise to deal with it: set metronome to 60. Real slow. Pick a string beat 1. Beat 2 r-e-l-a-x. Beat 3 pick again. Beat 4 relax again. The slowness gives you time to get the relax bit to work. What happens is you start to like being relaxed in between each pick during the exercise and you really notice how tense you get when playing normally at full speed and get pissed off about it. So you're really motivated to practice the exercise a lot more and speed it up so you can be like that all the time you're playing. Meanwhile you're getting the muscle memory in there for shorter and shorter between pick relaxes.

[@VaIentineBaker]

Interesting. I will give this a try

[@djabthrash]

Nice ! Will try that :

[@ubershredder1989]

unnecessary tension is responsible for 90% of mistakes. It sometimes changes from too, when I started playing guitar, I had this habit of having my mouth open. Now I actually have tension around my eyes

[@samsammy95]

Did it ever get better? I'm having this issue

[@ubershredder1989]

@@samsammy95 no, it progressed to focal dystonia

[@BlakeSpohn]

@@ubershredder1989 oh sorry, about that

[@ubershredder1989]

@@BlakeSpohn thanks very much for the kind words. I am almost cured... been a hell of ride tho...

[@BlakeSpohn]

@@ubershredder1989 good to hear man

[@sole__doubt]

Uncle Ben even has the best video on tension control for guitar players. You are one heck of a teacher, brother. \m/

[@interestingthings8598]

Breathing is important. Whenever i try difficult licks i breath in. When i change gears while driving i do it on breathing in too, somehow i tense my body when i change gears.

[@stevesmith8157]

Interesting Things I also tense when changing gears, breath gets tight & laboured. Think its something to do with going from a relaxed state into performing an action that demands precise concentration, can be a shock to the system... demands.

[@SleepingLionUK]

I've realised I hold my breath sometimes and the tension is unreal. Hope yours got better after this. I'm gonna relaaaaaax

[@CaptnShred]

Unnecessary tension has been kind of a problem for me, and only recently I’ve begun to address it. Thanks for the exercise and book recommendation uncle Ben!

[@sole__doubt]

Yeah I didnt realize how bad mine is until I recorded a video of me playing.

[@MrTheog1989]

The tension part really resonates with me. As someone who plays death metal there's a lot of tremolo picking in my bands music and I'm starting to develop tension issues as a result (16th not trems at 240bpm are hard man!). I'm definitely incorporating the tension chug into my practice regime.

[@Diversified_amogus]

theo goslett how did u reach 240bpm 16th notes speed having a tension in your body?

[@jhanzen8562]

Probably by using the forearm and not the wrist, same problem used to occur in my trem picking.

[@MrTheog1989]

Jhanzen is on the money. I'm definitely using my forearm. I'm trying to transition over to a wrist based technique though.

[@jhanzen8562]

theo goslett Good luck man, that problem is a bitch to fix, but it is possible after many tedious hours...

[@MrTheog1989]

I'll do my best... It's especially hard because I can play considerably faster and more accuratlely with my arm than my wrist. But I'm definitely feeling the painful effects of it (tennis elbow).

[@moonshinebandit6158]

you are absolutely correct. I have played 38 years the wrong way and my muscles are almost shot not to mention I lost the tendon on my left bicep last year that did not help my playing situation at all but it is very important to play relaxed. The Technique I use now works well for me. when Im playing I stop and put my elbows shoulder height arm bent 90 deg angle with hands above head while keeping them relaxed shake them till they feel like pillows then staying relaxed and trying to focus on keeping that pillow feeling I do scales and hammer on and pull off excersizes stopping when I feel myself tensing up. its almost like you tell yourself im to lazy to do this and play with limp relaxed hands, kinda hard to explain but this has worked great for me. try it, It's like keeping yourself in a state of meditation.

[@Dubnot]

Also...Valid lesson. You are one of my favorite people Ann Perkins.

[@b.cguitarcovers2347]

Very true about tension i used to hold my breath in at times when played a difficult part of a song.

[@SleepingLionUK]

Ditto!!!!

[@SpectralUltra]

I've had major issues with that muscle tension. I hate it. I'll try this.

[@KaoswareMetal]

Thanks Ben, I'm ordering the zen guitar book as I'm typing this. I've been struggling with tension and muscle pain since a couple of years now. I hope to see more of those topics on your channel ! Cheers!

[@KaoswareMetal]

thanks for the advice dude!I am actually seeing a specialist since a few months... but it's a slow and frustrating process (it almost feels like re-learning how to play the guitar from scratch)

[@jm0122]

I have tennis elbow and know exactly how you feel, Don't worry brother, you will win.

[@KerbacheKerboom]

@@jm0122 same here mate, been on and off for nearly 6 years now. Can you play guitar again?

[@goodtimehotline69]

Regarding noticing unnecessary tension, look into something called Alexander Technique, it's used by sportsman, musicians public speakers etc.

[@zebes2694]

Exactly what i needed! my forearm is really tense since yesterday after playing all the afternoon nonstop (which i shouldn't) thanks uncle Ben!

[@univacbill]

45 years playing acoustic and you just told me why my neck is screwed. The tension is actually on my left. I'm tensing my shoulder/neck when I'm above the third fret or so for no good reason. I probably thought it looked cool when I was a kid.

[@mrs.hollerbredkennels-jana7891]

This is the ONE video that I haven't found of your's & its something I've needed for 2 YEARS!!! I HAVE NO IDEA HOW I MISSED IT! I was practicing just then & not long into it my hand & arm started killing me to the point I had to quit. It takes bad pain for me to stop. I'm desperate to find out what I AM DOING WRONG!!! Its holding me back big time. THANKS SO MUCH UNCLE BEN!!!! TAKE CARE:)

[@SchmirtleFirpOmPomWemgyulan]

Uncle Ben! I’ve referred so many folks to watch your videos because while you seem like you haven’t forgotten what it is like to be a beginner. After playing for almost 30 years, there is still so much to learn. I look forward to another 30, and with hilarious videos and titles like FAQ You and Why You Suck...you’re Stepson personality is just what all players need to not take themselves too seriously! Thanks Step Brother... My sister say Hi!

[@instrumentalist28]

I can never stop thinking of Guitar, especially when listening the genres that have no guitar, usually I m thinking where I can add shreddy or chugging parts lol.......I still fight tension...used to stick my three fingers out for years because I noticed George lynch did it and it really got me no where, once I just relaxed and stopped that, playing got so much better.

[@kiplukewhitehead8522]

Alexander Technique is king. Great video

[@Shirley0850]

Thank you for posting the information on how to relax while playing.

[@StavisGuitarist]

KNOWER are unreal. Saw them play here in Dublin in November. They're even better live. Already have tickets for their return show in March. Can't wait! 🤘🤘

[@jadeowenhamblyn4405]

Knower - YES! And this album is amazing. You just went up even further in my estimation Ben lol.

[@mczensun8610]

Ya! 🌞⛈️🌈

[@Mixolydio]

Thanks for addressing tension Ben!

[@ScottfromBaltimore]

Back of my elbow, too. I tried a song with much faster down-picking than I normally do, and I've been sore for a week. Partly because I'm over 50, most likely. Now I have a new area to work on keeping relaxed when I practice. It's good to know that a badass like you has worked through a problem that I have now.

[@BriddahOnFire]

Very helpful video! Thanks!

[@JE12334]

Still of the night guitar solo please

[@flyme2themoon720]

Great advice Ben..i can tell your viewers that i am struggling with injuries from over 40 years of high tension..i struggle now with longevity and stamina playing through songs with alot of fast lead lines throughout..Guys its real important to take what Ben's saying seriously..when I was learning in the 80's there wasn't any focus or awareness on the effects..learning from Paul Gilbert,Yngwie..etc..it wasn't until late 90's I found an article with Steve Vai that talked about the importance of relaxation and how your breathing...

[@SixGorillion]

That intro is killer.

[@OrangePony75]

I bought and read “Zen guitar” years ago and I completely forgot about this point. I’m definitely going to read that again. Great book.

[@joonasniinivaara5393]

A thing I’ve found extremely helpful for battling tension is to do learn how to give your body a signal of “relax” - meaning for example every four or eight bars of improvising you allow brain power for an internal “engine check” whether there’s any tension and where it is, and correct accordingly.

[@markwalters7498]

Hey Ben Love your approach to playing and life in general! I am an aspiring lead player at age 62 and one thing I have found that seems to work is that I talk to myself while I play leads. It can be nonsense stuff and unrelated to the lyrics or theme of the actual song, just make up little ditties in my head that go with the rhythm. It takes the focus off of the notes and puts it on the timing and groove. Thanks for helping us out!

[@benosborn267]

Hey Ben, I use to play really light, and could play really fast, but I started adding a bit more tension in my right hand so I can pick more aggressively, and the tone just sounds way better. It seems that when I play harder, I can play faster as well. I think its not just about reducing tension, but the main thing being economy of motion. Either way my picking went from 200bpm triplets to 250, and Im stoked. This comment was kind of pointless, but im not going to remove it. Lol

[@Cognitoman]

Nice dude

[@monsterk7603]

That carrying stress tip is fantastic. Something I've never thought of, but I'm sure I do. Lol.

[@thepoozer]

Totally get that. Omd - if you leave is one of my favourite songs and has pretty much no guitar

[@VM0451]

Thanks for both the tension trick AND for recommending Knower. I play both guitar and keys and love to program drums in various weird and wacky ways, so this is extremely useful for inspiration in many ways for me. Thanks uncle Ben!

[@mczensun8610]

Absolutely love Knower!!!

[@MichaelBruceTaos]

Hey Ben. Knower is GREAT. Thanks for the heads up. I play guitar but I cheat with dance music. Gonna be my new fav band for awhile!

[@Dubnot]

Pop music baby. That's why Ben is the man

[@sideralsignal8833]

The tension is in my eating muscles including my tongue. I don't know how and why, but it's there. Thanks to this video, I've discovered it and I'm sure I will find more. I will work on it to relax, wish me luck!

[@Aruk02]

That's actually something i noticed in myself, when i started playing master of puppets for a bit, i noticed i was like shaking as all hell, gotta work on this tention thingy...

[@mlite84]

Love your videos Ben, great stuff. The info on tension really has helped me a lot. Thanks again and hope to see a lot more in the future!

[@kewlbns69]

that book is fantastic! everyone should read it!

[@kristianmalinovic50]

This channel is just Amazing.

[@SamuraiDud3]

Hi there, Uncle Ben. My question for you is: how difficult was it to earn a living while doing only music related stuff? Or do you still have a job or a trade (maybe not full time) that you do to support yourself? If you're only making a living off of music, how long did it take you to get to that point?

[@FunkyMonkey-ip4xy]

Based on the two main brands of guitars we see you with on here, you must be over the moon with the new Ibanez Suhr model.

[@anthonystark9390]

Hey, I'm Ravenclaw too!

[@jeremyb2108]

This was an extremely helpful video! Thanks uncle Ben!

[@mwangaza6722]

This is a very important video! Thanks a lot dude! Also for the book !!

[@gordo907]

Ok Ben, at first I thought Knower kind of sucked, then I listened to Hanging On, and couldn't turn it off...pretty cool stuff!

[@alifnapit5865]

The new intro is cool

[@rdr.erased]

you always have the best advices on yt

[@Capntoolbox]

aww yess!!! i tagged you in one of their vids! im sure im not the first one lol. but damn its soooo good!!!

[@79blackbelt]

I had some small vinyl stickers made that say "RELAX" and I put them on the front top edge of all my guitars so only I can see it. It helps remind me not to tense up.

[@arsenaultgilles4557]

Thinking I have to stop playing when all this time I was exaggerating the movements great sounds and speed has improved

[@Nope.900]

I've been playing quite a long time. Digging your lesson approaches, having a fresh look at my own chops👍

[@michaelseidl1562]

there are much guitar teachers but i really like your flow talking and playing

[@mcguimen]

Bom dia Ben! Estou com 66 anos e não sabia desse detalhe. Muito obrigado pela sua dica. Sempre toquei minha guitarra muito tencionado. Grande abraço e que Deus continue iluminando a sua vida

[@guitardude1981]

Thanks Ben! Kyle Renfro says hi!

[@mollyrosenbaum]

ayo im 3 years late but this seriously helped me a lot. i’ve been out of practice for about 3-4 months now and i am not used to holding the guitar lol

[@seblonghorn]

Exactly what I was looking for, thanks so much.

[@duncanmathers76]

Good teacher, great lesson, very very useful.

[@darrelpennington3489]

Very Relative , I used to Tense up walking on Stage , Fatigue, and other unnecessary physical & Mental , Shit , I Realized Tension Of Any Type Wasn't going work , Realization of A problem Allows Us Correct It ! As Usual , Great Info !

[@fprintf]

Well brother, I guess I've been sorted into Ravenclaw also (65.5% match). Great idea.

[@msmoon6011]

Sometimes when I'm really focused during practice, I forget to breathe properly. :)

[@mitchell-612]

I hope this technique helps with chronic guitar face. I'm over here looking like a Great Value Mr Bean and losing gigs cuz of it

[@joe-un1ky]

Great Value Mr. Bean. Perfect

[@pmd7914]

Been having running issues with guitar tension injuries. Gunna order Zen Guitar, thx for the tip.

[@godtoHrD]

The last question helped me so much

[@pika9985]

i'm one of humans from earth who playing guitar . trust me , this exercises is important .

[@onsonginternational5391]

good channel you have Ben.

[@tristanyoungquist7121]

What are some essential skills/knowledge that you think a guitar teacher should have? And do you have any advice for someone like me wanting to pursue teaching as a career? Thanks for all the great videos Ben. \m/

[@namenotfound34]

Here's a point on the tension thing maybe someone can help me out, whenever I start picking or sweeping even, soloing, at my absolute limit, which not to toot my own horn, but is pretty fast (toot fucking toot), I start almost hyperventilating, like my breathing just fucks up and I start breathing incredibly deeply, or for some reason I feel overcomed with anger, I'm being dead serious, I'm in complete control of what I'm playing just my breathing gets all weird. What the fuck is wrong with me.

[@jameswrist2924]

Still thinking about doing beginner series? my friend is just starting out and I would definitely recommend your channel to her! you are best guitar teacher on youtube

[@xxFABRI56xx]

greetings uncle Ben... i need this videos because i play metallica songs and my arm die playing songs like mop, blackened or other songs that are very fast, i hope this help me and even without understand 100 the english, your videos help me a lot. I hope in a future i can understand your videos completly. anyway, thank you so much and i hope this video help me when i play metallica and my arms gets tired ( and if you can do another video talking about this i will love you

[@TheSixStringGuy]

TheMaverick13 just play the songs, after a while you'll build up dexterity and arm strength.....lift some weights for a few and stretch before at rating to play. That's what I do and it helps. I can play for hours and not worry about hurting.

[@PatrickLGuitar]

thank you I needed this one bad

[@TobyKBTY]

The tension part is so interesting. Because yes, I try to play as lightly as possible when practicing stuff like scale runs and sweeping (to good effect as well!) but when it comes to my rhythms, I just don't get that extra tight, chunky James Hetfield chug down. It's been months since I tried easing my playing muscles, but rhythms still seem as soft and lacking in balls as ever. Do I just keep up the light approach and practice rhythms even more? Or should I try to find the balance between going more tense for rhythms and chugging but not too tense to make my picking hand wear down?

[@djabthrash]

I have the same problem, and i think you should try this (which i'm gonna try this) : - to get as much picking power as possible from just fingers/wrist (try to not use arm/shoulder power) (also think about picking angle/technique to get the right sound with less effort) - use power when you pick, but learn to relax right after See the exercise mentioned in a comment above for that : "1234gregor 5 months ago I didn't know about this tension thing for years, and now suddenly everywhere I look I see videos by folk who know about it. I heard one exercise to deal with it: set metronome to 60. Real slow. Pick a string beat 1. Beat 2 r-e-l-a-x. Beat 3 pick again. Beat 4 relax again. The slowness gives you time to get the relax bit to work. What happens is you start to like being relaxed in between each pick during the exercise and you really notice how tense you get when playing normally at full speed and get pissed off about it. So you're really motivated to practice the exercise a lot more and speed it up so you can be like that all the time you're playing. Meanwhile you're getting the muscle memory in there for shorter and shorter between pick relaxes. "

[@GormlyKeep]

Great subject and rarely covered

[@mikeoutlawpunk]

Thank u 4 the valuable info.i seem to carry alot of tension on the underside of my picking wrist

[@doogdoogdoogdoogdoogdoog]

Oh man, I saw that live house session a while back; totally blew my mind, they're so fucking tight and FUNKY, _HNGHH!_

[@spectrecut]

very useful tips I like it

[@shane2613]

Seeing a new FAQ you video tickles my funny bone.

[@ejectkid26027]

We got a real sushi lady here, to make sushi sandwiches. Sushi meat, peaches and guacamol! Great vid uncle Ben!

[@jerzyluciano3985]

I thought the thing that is happening on my shoulder is unnecessary tension but because of this video I'm already enlighten that it's only necessary because after I play a solo my shoulder just relaxes on it's own when I stop playing, but still confuses me if it's unnecessary or necessary tension haha.

[@indrajeetad]

Thank you for this video! 🤘

[@Gigity8014]

Is there a better order to learn guitar in? As in chords, scales, theory, technique, playing along to songs, soling and the rest. My goal is to perform live. Love your work, learnt a lot from you already

[@angiemuziek3500]

Awesome lesson! 👍

[@Amber57499]

How about a beginners fingerpicking lesson for someone who's only played electric guitar and shreddy metal solos?

[@nathanzucker1907]

find a teacher, that shit takes time to get right.

[@jackshera1094]

When ever I’m play super fast bpm songs I don’t know how to not tense my shoulder because if I don’t keep it tense I can’t move my pick as fast because it takes a lot of effort (I use .88 picks and 10/46’s) what can I do to play fast like 200bpm and not be praying for the song to end because of my shoulder

[@theelderskatesman4417]

I have a spinal injury in my neck and can only play for about 15 minutes without incurring severe pain for hours. So I play for hours every day anyway.

[@3lc0y0t3]

Funny af (and good!)

[@thepessimist9043]

Hello, just want to mention, you seem to only play on stratocasters, so the thing with the right shoulder being tense to keep the arm up on strings is always there. But i recently got a second guitar with Rhoads shape, and it doesn't require that tension. And overall, playing in classical position feels very natural and i can relax much more. Please try that some time and share how it feels!

[@WeAllFloatHere]

I tense up as soon as I start downpicking at about 100BPM. Otherwise I'm fine but the second I do some heavy downpicking, I might as well put the guitar in the case and take a few days off lol. My shoulder gets so tense that sometimes I'll just have to stop playing all together for a few minutes before coming back and the rest of that playing session I'm a few BPM slower than normal. Slowly trying to do speed exercises without tensing to correct it.

[@cloudvsephiroth215]

Is it sacriledge to enjoy shredding on a strat (american vintage 65)?

[@BenEller]

Jacob Mortensen I hope not!!!!

[@cloudvsephiroth215]

Everyone hears about 7.25 radius and goes "oh no you can't shred on that". I just love it though. Can't put it down.

[@bestboy897]

Nah man

[@pilotamurorei]

If so, Yngwie would be out of a career.

[@scottjames8431]

Absolutely not.

[@moonshinebandit6158]

love the new intro lol

[@ToastedCigar]

Great advice, thanks! Btw, how do you keep your fretting hand agile, like flexibility of fingers and all that?

[@CruciatusVXS]

Dear Uncle Ben, I've been having this issue with the upper part of my guitar's body not lying flat against my body which makes my picking arm move away as well. When I do palm-muted rapid downpicking or alternate picking, it really becomes a bitch since either my tricep starts to ache from the tension and awkwardness or, if I try to push the guitar against my body, the whole arm gets tense and tired. I don't have any archtop to make it more comfy and the slanted part on a Strat seems badly placed (how high must you hang a guitar, damnit?). Could you help me out on this or is it something to bear with? Cheers

[@joejackson2388]

Great tip!

[@kindnick58]

For your heart

[@RockyLikesPews]

This should be taken with a grain of salt, but I've found that holding the guitar in a classical position created less tension because I could relax my picking hand more and I didn't have to lean in or raise the guitar for higher notes.

[@stacey_1111rh]

Knower rules

[@calamityjohnny1646]

Hey Ben. Can you tell us about the artwork on the wall behind you?