WhyISuckAtGuitar.com - Reducing Fretting Hand Tension - Part 2

[@MrCosmo314]

OMG, best advice I never got before...Improved my playing overnight. I try to play for 1 hour each day and my fret hand is usually numb after that...and hurts the next day...NOW with this it feels like I could play for 3 more hours. Thank you! played for 30 years and never noticed my jaw clenched.

[@jamescard113]

I have wrist pain from a combination of injuries and these videos helped almost eliminate the pain entirely while playing guitar! Thank you so much!!

[@Whyisuckatguitar]

That's great news, James! Glad the videos were helpful.

[@SuiOni]

This defenitly need more views! I had big problems with my wrist of my fretting hand. I really enjured them and got a tendonitis.. Now i think with this lesson i could get over it! Thank you very much!

[@Whyisuckatguitar]

@SuiOni Thank you for the kind words. Glad to help.

[@assafyi]

Great lesson. I love the way you dig in and explain things

[@mikedillon6778]

Best lesson I’ve seen in 3yrs

[@Whyisuckatguitar]

Thanks so much for your comment. Glad you liked what you saw. FYI - I'm rebooting the channel and have added new content recently, with more to come.

[@Whyisuckatguitar]

Great news, MrCosmo314! Glad the lessons are helping you.

[@Whyisuckatguitar]

It doesn't really matter. I like "throwing" my fingers up off the fretboard sometimes, but the idea is to release tension that you no longer need. Whichever way helps you the most is the one you want to do.

[@Ultimagtr650]

Great video about a very common problem.

[@sammyjames6296]

lol... I have like 12ish guitars...but 90% of the time I play with a Ibenez RG standard tuning 10-60 gauge strings (works magic for accuracy.)The other guitar I use is a LTD with 13-73 tunned down to C standerd(CGEbBbFC) Big stubby 2.0mm and 3.0mm picks(once again works magic for accuracy) I sit down most all of the time, I hold the guitar more like a classical guitarist even when standing...the strap is not set high, but I have the neck pointing more to the sky than the average guitarist.

[@trentmartin1061]

WhyISuckAtGuitar.com Do you have any tips on fretting hand position for people with double jointed thumbs? My thumbs kind of "snap" so that the ends are angled back because the bottom joint pops inwards towards the inside of my palm. Seriously my thumb is pretty much forming a right angle when you look at it and keeping my thumb straight on the back of the neck is hard because there's almost no resistance it just snaps back at the slightest bit of pressure.... Please any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[@MissMyoozikal]

Hello! Thank you for your videos! I have trouble with pain and tension with my fretting hand thumb and index finger. The biggest probelm that I have is, I cannot figure out where to put my thumb on the fretboard to reduce stress. The hardest part for me is keeping my thumb from hurting. Where do I put my fretting hand thumb on the back of the fret board? Especially when I am playing several barre chords and continuously moving up and down the neck holding so many strings down with each chord. Oh yes, I noticed how in your videos you said to rotate my wrist outward, but I am not clear on the direction I should rotate my wrist. Thank you soooo much!!! P.S. I have been playing for 7 years

[@Whyisuckatguitar]

Hi Miss Myoozikal - The thing you have to understand is that your fretting hand is always compromising. If you need to play a chord shape that includes all four fingers, for example, the final position you choose will be a compromise. There are very few fingerings, for example, where your hand will be in the optimum position for both your pinky AND your third finger. My videos are sets of conceptual guides to give you the tools to start working some of this stuff out. Watch the videos again in a few weeks. I guarantee you'll pick up some things that you missed. As for your thumb, I do cover that in one of the videos on reducing fretting hand tension (the first one, I think). All other things being equal, your thumb will happiest "outside" your fingers (instead of directly under them), though there will be times when you need to make certain compromises. As for barre chords, you need to consider the weight of your arm against the fretboard. You might want to check out the video on finger independence and the "other fingers method." You might also want to think about using some lighter gauge strings and/or lowering the action on your guitar (assuming it's adjustable) while you're building up strength and coordination. Hope this helps.

[@MissMyoozikal]

WhyISuckAtGuitar.com Thank you SO much! Your videos are so informative and helpful! I really appreciate the advice and encouragement. Have a NICE day!

[@sammyjames6296]

Last...lol...The last thing I can think of and the only real difference between practice and play time is I use a metronome during practice(accuracy is king...lol) ,and that is where I find another funny thing about my playing, it is so much harder for me to maintain 16ths at a slow pace(60-120ish BPM) and fast pace (150-220 BPM) is easy and I do it on autopilot...lol...but I really have to think about the slower paces. Sometimes I use a drum machine as well. Well, thank you...lol

[@Whyisuckatguitar]

Tell me a bit about what's different between when you play and when you practice. Are you sitting down vs. standing up? Playing a different guitar? I would expect someone to say the opposite... that they get more tension when they perform vs. when they practice. I'm intrigued. Any additional details you can give me would be helpful.

[@Whyisuckatguitar]

So you stand when you perform but you sit when you practice? Or do you sit when you perform as well?

[@MrGogocad]

Hi. Thx for the videos. I m just wondering why at music conservatories they tell us leaving the thumb outside the other fingers is not technically correct. Technically correct is the claw position. I wonder why.... Cheers

[@Whyisuckatguitar]

So do I.

[@dd8194]

Have you ever heard of tendonitis in the left shoulder due to poor technique or excess tension?

[@pauldillard8658]

My finger fluidity seems fine, but my wrist is always crooked. When holding the guitar my wrist always seems to bend inward and to my right, so I'm hitting all the notes at an angle that makes proper fretting really hard and I get a lot of buzzing from being to close the fret. This is the posture that come naturally to me, but I know its all wrong for playing. Any exercises I can try to correct this?

[@mrmaybe]

I seem to get pain on the outside part of my wrist. It seems to happen when I play on the lower frets(1-3) which causes my wrist to bend. I don't have any discomfort when playing on the upper frets. Please help!

[@sammyjames6296]

I only have tension during practice(in both of my thumbs) what could I be doing different then when I play Vs. when I practice? I don't feel as if I am consciencely garbing any harder...so lol what do you think is going on? and side note...lol I am not actually new to the guitar(started 13...I am 30 now) and this has been going on only for a few years now....

[@tzelegend9783]

both the muscle under my pinky and my wrist tend to be the pain spots for me even when i’m playing extremely right idk if it’s my wrist angle no clue what to do

[@Whyisuckatguitar]

Pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong. In general I'd say move more freely and you'll identify your problem tension areas, but that assumes no existing medical conditions. If the pain persists either stop or see a medical professional.

[@gauravsobti11]

I feel tension in my wrist when I play 5th and 6th strings. please tell me what should I do?

[@Whyisuckatguitar]

Hi Guarav. I think you should review the information in these videos again and apply the concepts to your own playing. The position of your guitar relative to your body is a possible culprit. The amount of forearm rotation you have (or don't have) is a possible culprit. Thumb placement is a possible culprit. How tightly you're holding on to the fretted notes is a possible culprit. Keep testing things and you'll come up with a solution

[@gauravsobti11]

Thank you.

[@Whyisuckatguitar]

I haven't, but that doesn't mean that it's not possible.

[@gram440a]

\ə-ˈjā-sənt\

[@MattMadgarr]

Whenever I have my index finger on a fret and I hold a note, I can freely move all my fingers except for my middle finger, I can move it but I can't fully extend it. Is this due to tension? If so, how can I work on this because I've been trying to extend my middle finger while doing that but I can't do it.

[@DanVuksanovich]

It could be tension, it could be just the way you're built (or some past injury affecting your playing). When you're not playing the guitar, can you move your first and second fingers independently of each other? If so, there might be a tension issue there. Whatever you do, DON'T FORCE IT. You could hurt yourself. Stay calm and try to figure out if it's a tension problem or not. If you need personal attention I do give private lessons.

[@MattMadgarr]

Dan Vuksanovich I can move them seperately but it's hard :p it's like I can't control them both differently at the same time

[@DanVuksanovich]

GuitarManMadgar Try doing some work away from the guitar on those two fingers. Again, don't push it, just get comfortable with moving them independently of each other.

[@MattMadgarr]

Will try, thanks for the tip!