The Physicality of Playing Guitar

[csguy0]

Moved from Off-Topic since I did not include any politics or insults!

A little back story - I'm in my late 30's and getting back into guitar after a long pause due to life, career, heartbreak, etc., etc... I played Sax all throughout grade school and into college - so I had a pretty solid foundation playing music in an ensemble format - which, surprise surprise, didn't transfer very well to guitar (although it did give me a healthy desire for an array of different music styles). My first brush with the guitar was sometime in high school where I listened to a lot of punk, Nu Metal, and basically anything they play on Lithium these days. My favorite guitarist I latched on to from those years was Tremonti (who I've had the opportunity to meet a few times!). I learned guitar from two teachers with very different approaches - one focused on Rhythm Jazz guitar, and another on scale-ish licks. I didn't stick with either one for very long (mostly for money reasons) and proceeded to kinda teach myself with tabs online. Then I took a break...

Back on topic - Now that I'm back into guitar, I'm hitting it head on - trying to make up for lost years if you will.

One thing I don't really see discussed in the guitar community is the physicality required to play. I'm talking fast strumming, gripping strings for multiple songs, acoustic guitar in general (high action, thick strings), ripping fast licks, etc etc.

Before, I really didn't appreciate the muscle development required to play guitar, or the toll it takes on your body.

I'm dealing with sore muscles in my right forearm (re-agitated my golfer's elbow), trigger finger in my pinky (most mornings I wake up I have to massage my finger to allow the tendon to release), and generally sore hands (especially when trying to practice legato). There's also the fact that about half of what I play sitting down, I can't play standing up with the guitar in a lower position.

I wonder if anyone has the same experiences and would care to share? I know there are a lot of heavy hitters on the forums here, so perhaps it is something you haven't dealt with in so long you've forgotten.

I sometimes think that I'm the only one that struggles with the physical aspects of guitar -Maybe, in general, the content I consume on forums or Youtube is so far beyond my level and most people got over these things early in their development.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

Please share your experiences and/or tips for the benefit of myself and others who share the same pain!

 

[Geo]

Pain is a warning sign. If you are experiencing pain, put it down for a bit.

Also, just like any other muscles in body, stretching and warming up are very important.

I always warm up running scales slowly, then picking up speed.

Don't be impatient, the physicality will improve as time goes on.

 

[VonBonfire]

I'll second all of what @Geo said. If you're hurting, put it down, period. The alternative is injuring yourself and having long term problems. I'm a blues player and use a lot of legato and bending so I'm well aware of the amount of physicality involved vs a horn (I've played a little sax and currently try to play trumpet).

A couple things to think about:

1. Start your first session each day going real easy (don't worry about slop). Get warm before going for more challenging stuff.

2. Focus on using only the pressure needed to fret the strings and no more. You don't want to build a habit of making a death grip as that will be very hard to get rid of later.

3. Learn to crank your amp louder and pick more lightly. There is a time for aggressive picking and maximizing dynamics but you want to build a right hand where the default is light picking. Aggressive picking as a default is a VERY difficult habit to unlearn (ask me how I know). Let the amp do the work. Otherwise you won't ever be able to build speed because you'll be wasting energy and motion attacking strings. You gotta learn to pick your spots.

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

Tldr. But get a high gain amp and a hand truck. The rest will fall into place

 

[Geo]

Tldr. But get a high gain amp and a hand truck. The rest will fall into place

 

[PDC]

Hot water is your friend. Rubber dishwashing gloves - to prevent scalding and over saturating your skin - and run hands under a stream of hot water. Focus on palm and fingers of fretting hand and wrist of picking hand. Gloves also help prevent the instant evaporative 'cooling' effect of pulling wet hands out from under warm/hot water. This is my 5 min routine before practicing or even just noodling around on the guitar in the evenings.

I read Satriani used to do this backstage before gigs - particularly in cold months / cold climate stops on the tour or overly air conditioned venues.

 

[311boogieman]

Pain is a warning sign. If you are experiencing pain, put it down for a bit.

Also, just like any other muscles in body, stretching and warming up are very important.

I always warm up running scales slowly, then picking up speed.

Don't be impatient, the physicality will improve as time goes on.

I'm still new to this but that's what I do. Check tuning - scales - easy stuff - harder stuff

Good thread

 

[311boogieman]

My problem, like most I think, is that I start practicing but always just play the same stuff. Outside of my scales (thx Techdeth).

So what I did was grab some tabs of some simple songs to branch out with. But damn, these in particular are harder than you'd think. From a physical perspective. For me. Alice in Chains - Would. VH - Aint Talkin Bout Love. Metallica - One.

 

[Geo]

My problem, like most I think, is that I start practicing but always just play the same stuff. Outside of my scales (thx Techdeth).

So what I did was grab some tabs of some simple songs to branch out with. But damn, these in particular are harder than you'd think. From a physical perspective. For me. Alice in Chains - Would. VH - Aint Talkin Bout Love. Metallica - One.

Following truly gifted players will improve your game.

May I suggest picking up a tab book to "Play; The Guitar" from Brad Paisly. That will introduce you to different styles.

 

[bennyslo]

I'll second all of what @Geo said. If you're hurting, put it down, period. The alternative is injuring yourself and having long term problems. I'm a blues player and use a lot of legato and bending so I'm well aware of the amount of physicality involved vs a horn (I've played a little sax and currently try to play trumpet).

A couple things to think about:

1. Start your first session each day going real easy (don't worry about slop). Get warm before going for more challenging stuff.

2. Focus on using only the pressure needed to fret the strings and no more. You don't want to build a habit of making a death grip as that will be very hard to get rid of later.

3. Learn to crank your amp louder and pick more lightly. There is a time for aggressive picking and maximizing dynamics but you want to build a right hand where the default is light picking. Aggressive picking as a default is a VERY difficult habit to unlearn (ask me how I know). Let the amp do the work. Otherwise you won't ever be able to build speed because you'll be wasting energy and motion attacking strings. You gotta learn to pick your spots.

VonBonfires suggestions here are bang on and exactly what you need to do. To go one further, you could also try out a scalloped fretboard if you want to go even further with learning to reduce fretting hand tension. I did exactly this and now my no.1 guitar has a warmoth scalloped strat neck, feels amazing!

 

[7704A]

Seconding that VB's advice is good in my opinion, based on some experience with both guitar and other physical activities.

Two things I'll add:

- Don't practice tensed up all the time. Ingrain the movement patterns instead at a comfortable speed so that you can later do it fast, relaxed, and automatic instead of trying to compensate by tightening everything. However, short bursts of doing things faster can help with the unconscious learning aspect of the movement if you are paying close attention to what's working and what's not and leaving space between each rep to process what happened. E.g., pick a three note burst, play it as fast as you can once, notice if it was good or bad and what you did, then try again, notice what's different and if it was better, wash rinse repeat for 5-10 minutes.

- At a much more general level, I've found strength training to make a big difference with physical activities. While I have not payed close attention to this with guitar, I'd figure that if you're deadlifting 300lb then playing guitar will be a much smaller stress in comparison. Also you might be able to get good deals on "heavy" les pauls.

 

[csguy0]

Everyone - thank you so much, this is all very helpful. I have the tendency to push to play faster and I don't focus enough on the tension in my right arm.

I find I really get tired quickly if I'm chugging or trying to play punk rhythm.

I guess I have to be patient and let the process takes its time instead of trying to power through like an athlete

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

Everyone - thank you so much, this is all very helpful. I have the tendency to push to play faster and I don't focus enough on the tension in my right arm.

I find I really get tired quickly if I'm chugging or trying to play punk rhythm.

I guess I have to be patient and let the process takes its time instead of trying to power through like an athlete

I treated guitar like a martial art when I started (also attended martial arts classes often back then, which taught me about disciprine), with lots of stretching before AND after going for it, and lots of extreme drills to failure, then rest, then drills to failure, rest, repeat, in the early years. And I learned early not to go straight into warp speed playing. Think of your body as a tube amp, it needs to be warmed up first. A lot of the Hetfield/other "downstrokes only" '80s Thrash songs are great to build endurance, NO CHEATING! I always start the day clean with some delay, working through arpeggios and chords at random all over the board, then a few scales/riffs at medium speed, and warp if I feel like it.

I still keep in very good overall shape via the gym/outdoor exercise (including plenty that use my own body weight against me or multiples of my own body weight for some exercises) and I stay full body flexible, which is important for all aspects of life. Likewise, I have a (mostly) healthy diet, including magnesium and glucosamine supplements. It makes whatever demands I place on my hands for guitar playing seem like no big deal, honestly. I've heard people say joint stiffness is "death in the body", and with that in mind, I chase it away every day! I've been playing a very long time now, and my speed/endurance/accuracy and chordal playing are unquestionably better than ever before in my yoof, and of course my knowledge has increased. I'm fortunate to have never had any health issues related to guitar over my lifetime (other than minor high frequency hearing loss....although guitar alone isn't to blame for that, EVERYTHING I like is LOUD! ).

 

[Techdeth]

Everyone - thank you so much, this is all very helpful. I have the tendency to push to play faster and I don't focus enough on the tension in my right arm.

I find I really get tired quickly if I'm chugging or trying to play punk rhythm.

I guess I have to be patient and let the process takes its time instead of trying to power through like an athlete

Pick hard and slower . Always . The left should look as if it never leaves the neck . More than a I/3 of an inch of the back is bad for complete control of speed . Science
Distance equals time . Then pick have should just barely move from your wrist
Then those moments remain unchanged when playing harder pieces . You only see my thumb is I bend . It should be on back always

 

[schnarf]

Maybe find a good physical therapist and go for a few sessions if you're having that much pain. There might be more to it than just guitar and there are likely some exercises you can do to help.

 

[csguy0]

I've been more conscious of my picking effort lately. I definitely notice an improvement of my speed and accuracy. This mostly comes down to focus on technique as well as practicing things that are different or outside of what I'd normally play. For example, if I work on 2 notes per string picking it seems to help me when I go back to three notes. I've also been listening to my body.

Also, I found that I got really good advice from a jazz bass player recently - I asked him how he worked through the tension as he was building up his chops. Instead of working through it (i.e. pushing harder) he would consciously stop himself when he felt tension and focus on relaxing. Then going back to the passage he was trying to learn and taking a relaxed approach.

I find when I'm really pushing myself the tension builds up to a point where I exhaust myself trying to push anymore - it seems counterintuitive to me since it is such a small motion with hardly any weight. I suppose piano players go through something similar as they're learning to build up speed and dexterity. I may try and do some cross research and see what I can find.

The trigger finger in my fretting hand pink has gone away. Now I'm dealing with a bit of a strain and some light pain in my right (picking hand) upper forearm. I mostly notice this in the day to day while gripping things or curling things up (i.e. groceries). I think I'll try and make an appointment with the PT and explain a bit about what I'm going through to see if there's some strengthening exercises I can do - such as curls with really light weights.

I appreciate all the feedback here and I look forward to more people chiming in on the topic!

 

[csguy0]

Pick hard and slower . Always . The left should look as if it never leaves the neck . More than a I/3 of an inch of the back is bad for complete control of speed . Science
Distance equals time . Then pick have should just barely move from your wrist
Then those moments remain unchanged when playing harder pieces . You only see my thumb is I bend . It should be on back always

Some interesting things here... Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're saying:

1. Pick Hard and Slow - I suppose this means being very deliberate with up and down strokes?
2. The left (hand) (fingers) should look as if it never leaves the neck - I've understood this to mean try to constrain finger movements to smaller less exaggerated movements to conserve energy (and motion)
3. The pick should just barely move from your wrist - I had a bad habit I was working through regarding this. Up until a few months ago, I was really bad with alternate picking generating motion with my thumb joints - essentially a thumb waggle. I wasn't moving my wrist at all except to change strings. I've now just about completely working this out of my picking, but I definitely took a speed hit at the start. Which is to say, sometimes you have to go backwards to move forwards.

 

[schnarf]

I've been more conscious of my picking effort lately. I definitely notice an improvement of my speed and accuracy. This mostly comes down to focus on technique as well as practicing things that are different or outside of what I'd normally play. For example, if I work on 2 notes per string picking it seems to help me when I go back to three notes. I've also been listening to my body.

Also, I found that I got really good advice from a jazz bass player recently - I asked him how he worked through the tension as he was building up his chops. Instead of working through it (i.e. pushing harder) he would consciously stop himself when he felt tension and focus on relaxing. Then going back to the passage he was trying to learn and taking a relaxed approach.

I find when I'm really pushing myself the tension builds up to a point where I exhaust myself trying to push anymore - it seems counterintuitive to me since it is such a small motion with hardly any weight. I suppose piano players go through something similar as they're learning to build up speed and dexterity. I may try and do some cross research and see what I can find.

The trigger finger in my fretting hand pink has gone away. Now I'm dealing with a bit of a strain and some light pain in my right (picking hand) upper forearm. I mostly notice this in the day to day while gripping things or curling things up (i.e. groceries). I think I'll try and make an appointment with the PT and explain a bit about what I'm going through to see if there's some strengthening exercises I can do - such as curls with really light weights.

I appreciate all the feedback here and I look forward to more people chiming in on the topic!

Cool! And it might not just be a matter of strengthening. Sometimes we've got an issue with mobility or pain in one part of our body that causes us to compensate somewhere else. Sometimes we've got to pattern in a new motion that doesn't cause pain. I had some recurring wrist pain that turned out to be caused by biceps tendonitis which was wild, and some mobility and strengthening exercises around my biceps helped with the wrist!