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.