WhyISuckAtGuitar.com - Reducing Fretting Hand Tension - Part 1
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- For more lessons please visit www.whyisuckatg....
A free video guitar lesson on reducing tension and increasing accuracy in the fretting hand. This is part one of a three part series.
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Just to chime in, I'm also a lefty but chose to learn guitar the right handed way because that's what most people use. It was a little strange at first, but with time, it becomes natural. Funny little side note- It's been only 3 years for me now, but even though I play all the time, I still happen to revert back to left handed when I play the air guitar :)
This series is great! Thanks. I've had a death grip on the neck, and body tension for years, and I've watched this series several times and now my whole body and mind are relaxed. I've been in bands for 50 years, and it's never too late to get better.
Great news! And you're right about it never being too late to get better.
Fredhaberman Robin Johnston
Thanks for the kind words, thebbplace. That's exactly my goal with these lessons. For years I searched for advice like this and could only find over-generalizations and exercises that weren't worth anything without instructions on HOW to do them.
This is really helpful! I wish more guitar teachers would focus on helping new students get rid of tension and use good form before moving to advanced things.
@flashaxl Thanks! There are a bunch of controls on this guitar... There's a push/pull on the volume knob for active/passive pickups. There are two knobs to control the EQ in active mode. There's a tone knob for passive mode. There's a pickup selector. There's a phase switcher. Finally there are switches that turn each pickup into a single coil (one for each pickup).
This must be one of the best beginner's lessons I've youtubed so far!
Glad you found the video helpful. As for your question, it's probably easier to explain this way: "inward" is rotating your forearm so your palm faces the ceiling. "Outward" is rotating your forearm so your palm faces the floor.
Thanks for the explanation!
Thank you. Nice explanation. I subscribed. Im stating to have joint pain in my index joint closest to the tip. your vid made sense and made realize that I was playing, pushing, pulling, and too hard and too tight. I was learning a much more difficult and intricate piece for weeks. I will have to lay off for a while and retrain my grips. thanks for the vid.
Great video, where the f$CK were you 15 years ago when my hands were still young?
I am all but convinced now that some us require a major transformation if we are wound tight people, which I am. Less coffee, more exercize, more meditation.
more meditation .......more meditation ........always very relaxed. .......always very relaxed.
I think that many of us share this problem with too much stress and tension in the entire body
I agree! Less coffe also
This video was brilliant, your such a good teacher! People need to talk about tension more its such a huge part of playing!
the thumb placement was a revelation! Cant wait to watch the rest of your vids.
Basically the only video that i could find that really helped
In general I'd say "put the guitar in the position it needs to be in so you don't have to contort your hand." If that means shortening up the strap, do that. If that means changing the way you stand when you solo up there (lots of guitarists point the neck more vertically when soloing up the fretboard) then do that.
I guess what I'm getting at is that you're assuming the problem is your thumb, and that might not be the case.
I wish I'd watched sooner; I thought it was for kids. This is terrific info, I have the exact same issues including a short little finger. Thanks very much. I hope you post more.
Finally someone who explains what to do and why to do it, not just "do the spider exercise till death"!
Yeah- I'm trying to put in a good effort and not over think....and fight the impatience! Thanks, Dan. I'll check out that video.
This seems to be an issue that plagues a lot of players. How come hardly anyone talks about this?? Thank you!!
Frankly it's a hard topic to address. I wanted to cover it (years ago) for exactly this reason. Thanks for watching and thanks for your comment.
FYI - I'm rebooting the channel and have added new content recently, with more to come.
Be patient with yourself, and there's no such thing as fingers that are too short. One of the best player's I've ever seen/heard was a tiny little Italian guy with hands literally half the size of mine.
Very good lesson.. I used to struggled with keeping my hands, arms, forearm and even shoulders relaxed. It is cool to know that are people like you out there helping us out to get better @ guitar. THX boss!!! Kick but instrument btw.
This was a really informative video, showed me exactly what I was doing wrong, and the tests were great at pointing out to me what I needed to fix up.
Already benefiting from this *strums bass*
@pockthehairy I had that same feeling for awhile but it'll go away once you start making real progress. That's where the fun is.
Good video, lots to think about. Im not sure ive heard anybody talk about breathing before. Makes perfect sense. Breathing effects everything. as well as tension. Concentrating on your breathing clears your/my head of chatter and in that way was very helpful ( I have add and often have multiple things going on). To the guy about shredding, 15 minutes of concentrating on breathing, and releasing and sensing tension I was shredding faster and more importantly more fluid and accurate. valuable info
Yup. Those PRS SE models are a great value. Hope you find one you like.
Au Contraire my friend, tight breathing is caused by tightening or being to tense in a very large muscle "the Diaphragm". Love the video thanks!
Thanks for the video. I have had problems learning to play faster/ scales because my pinky going to different chords seems to just lock my whole hand in place for like half a second. My pinky has always seemed in the way of my playing more than useful and find myself holding it underneath my fretboard.
@vbdude006 Thanks for watching. I've never stretched before playing the guitar, personally. That doesn't make it bad, and I certainly wouldn't tell anyone not to do it, but it's not really something I can talk about since I don't do it myself.
Thank you, this is very helpful. I have only just got my guitar and must admit I feel quite dispirited at the moment. I am sure my fingers are too short to be able to do this!
I noticed improvement almost immediately, but it was almost two years before I had completely changed my muscle memory and didn't have to think about it anymore. Check out my video on finger independence. That's a great way to warm up your left hand in an "anti-claw" manner.
Interesting thumb placement. Almost every other guide I've consulted shows thumb behind the middle finger
Thank you for a very good lesson! I have learned a lot from this lesson. I will let you know how I progress once I have employed the correct methods. Bernie :)
Some players do wrap their thumbs around the top of the neck. Some players also use their thumbs to fret notes on the sixth, and even fifth strings. Hendrix used to do that. There are no hard and fast rules for what your thumb is "supposed to be doing." Just don't let it be overly tense and create problems for the rest of your hand.
I had a guitar teacher tell me about "the claw", but I never knew what that meant. It sounded like he wanted me to uncurl my fingers in a way that made it physically impossible to place pressure on the frets.
I never had to worry about "the claw", but I have a major problem playing a guitar with jumbo frets. Notes go noticeably sharp. Everyone tells me I'm using too much pressure. *BUT* I've been playing this way for 30 years, and if I stick to low, vintage frets, I'm fine. *PLUS* I like the vibrato and bends I can get from being a ham-fisted lummox.
Jumbo frets are easy to apply too much pressure to. You're muscle memory over the years has adjusted to standard (assuming your first guitar wasn't jumbo frets) and most likely adjusted to nearly to much pressure but not enough to throw you out of tune
in short words to point it out...Go into a shop and try both. Take the one which will make you feel most comfortable. I wish you best of luck that it will be the right handed guitar...it makes things much easier... :)
Was looking for such video for a long time. Thank you so much!
Glad you found this helpful!
FYI - I'm rebooting the channel and have added new content recently, with more to come.
Excellent instruction. Most of this stuff is novel compared to the other videos I've seen on the subject.
Thanks! Glad you found it helpful.
FYI - I'm rebooting the channel and have added new content recently, with more to come.
I would say check out my "finger independence" video. This should help you to get the right feeling in your hand while doing these exercises.
You're a beginner, so honestly I wouldn't try to over-think things too much. My lessons are really intended for people who have been having problems getting better after several years of playing.
I don't want to turn you into some kind of guitar hypochondriac before you even get out of the starting gate.
still awesome video. helped me a lot!! thanks!
Everything is possible. It depends on what type of lefty you are. I write with left and eat like a left handed person. But the PC mice is in the right Hand. No Problems with XBox or PS controllers in righthand mode. I just never thought about that i am lefthanded and should try a left handed guitar. I just grabbed a normal guitar and have no problems. when i recognized it i tried a lefty and it felt incredibally awkward. Like when you want to write with the right hand. Big names play like this.
Really good instruction, thanks
Thanks!
FYI - I'm rebooting the channel and have added new content recently, with more to come.
The name of the website is weird. However, the lessons are great!
@pockthehairy Thanks for watching and glad I could help. I'm going to be adding a "Testimonials" page to my website soon... do you mind if I use some of what you wrote?
sweet invisibility shirt
Sorry to tell you, but shirt is a dark shade of red, while background is black. Sooo you got color blindness. No joke. Well or a really bad device display.
enchroma.com/test/instructions/
dark shirt, dark background and something called "wrong angle of view"
Woosh
Hi.
Just my two cents...
When you say that your breathing tension was an issue, you told that "breathing is not a muscle" (7.30)
If you feel that your breathing is tense, that's because your diaphragm muscle is tense, and sure, you can relax it too
Thanks for this great tutorial!
what can i do to eliminate and overactive pinky finger while doing scales from one string to the next. also when i fret a note with my index, middle and ring finger---my pink automatically moves in and wont stay in place
Playing barre chords including all 6 strings up the neck requires some point of leverage. Those who play "properly" get this leverage from the thumb on the back of the neck. Those who play improperly, like me, with their thumb over the fretboard, get leverage from the palm of the hand against the back of the neck. After 60 + years of playing this way I have tendinitis, and my palm hurts bad when I play barre chords. Any ideas?
This is a fretting hand question, but I think I might have some (NEW!) videos that can help. I just published a video on using minimum effort (th-cam.com/video/Dqkcpbr3pFA/w-d-xo.html) and using balance as the key to fretting hand improvement (th-cam.com/video/rZiGFdRTkFQ/w-d-xo.html). These should help point you in the right directioni.
And the thumb is not a leverage point. It's reference point. The weight of your arm is much more effective than squeezing the crap out of the neck for getting enough pressure on the strings for playing barre chords.
If you're comfortable and you can move your fingers freely then you don't have anything to worry about.
this video was pretty good when fretting a note the rest of your fingers should be able to move with ease if they cant ur doing it wrong
The problem I have is that when I use my pinky my third finger wants to collapse onto the fretboard, is there anyway of solving this, thanks for the great video
I have been a software engineer over 15 years now. I type pretty much without my pinkies in action. I bought a guitar recently, and now I notice how useless those pinkies have gone! They do not like to move.
Thanks, Harry!
The only thing I catch myself doing is sometimes my thumb is on the neck like I am trying to hitchhike but it is comfortable for me so I am not sure if its an issue
This is awesome, thank you for this info
Thanks!
th-cam.com/video/Dqkcpbr3pFA/w-d-xo.html
Ok one more question for you. So the thumb should NEVER be behind the first finger? I seem to be having trouble with this...
I don't understand what the thumb is suppost to be doing. I see some guitar player wrap the thumb around the back even hitting the 6th and 5th string sometimes. Help!
I have the same problem with my pinky and it cramps the wholes side of my hand (my pinky is crooked and simply refused to move in a straight line) im going to try what you did to fix if it sound like a great idea.
I'm currently struggling with, "the claw." A friend and fellow guitarist told me my fingers need to always be as close to 90 degrees perpendicular to the strings as possible, which results in my hand looking like the claw. Especially when I'm trying to fret at the low frets between 1 and five to accommodate the stretch. I see your answer is to rotate the forearm a bit, which angles your fingers. Is that ok?
I'm also struggling with keeping my wrist straight and relaxed during barre chords. What should I do?
There's really no such thing as NEVER when it comes to the left hand. The point of this lesson is to help you be aware of what being tense feels like and what not being tense feels like so you can stay away from unnecessary tension. Your left hand will often be compromising... putting up with a bit of tension to achieve a stretch for example.
Great lesson! I like how you focus on the muscle relaxation part of it, but I'm just wondering why you didn't talk about stretching? Even if you are relaxed, if you don't stretch your hands and arms can hurt and lock up as well. I mean I hear how important stretching (& massaging) is from a lot of guitar teachers and some great instructional videos such as John Petrucci's Rock Discipline. I mean I can really notice a difference, especially in endurance when my muscles are thoroughly stretched.
Very informative
My fingers are double jointed. When I move them they pop sometimes and get stiff. I'll try these routines out but does anyone else have the same problem???
My thumbs are double jointed and all of the proper ways you're supposed to position your fretting hand don't really work for me they are super uncomfortable or my thumb extends all the way back and I pressing softly won't help it's like it just automatically snaps into that position with no pressure at all. I have a 26.5" scale Schecter 7-string and it is killing my left hand no matter what I try and I've been playing for several years now I didn't think 26.5" could really make much difference but man was I wrong :/ Did you ever find a solution?
this made an immediate difference
Glad you found it helpful.
FYI - I'm rebooting the channel and have added new content recently, with more to come.
Thank you so much for these videos - truly awesome. You have such a great teaching style. Do you have any advice for fretting hand tension/thumb placement higher up the neck? Especially when playing faster stuff or shredding? I find anything above the 12th fret causes me to rotate and contort my wrist in ways I wouldn't do lower down the neck.
@ElusiveHermit especially if your inspector gadget
Hi Dan,
great lessons that you give here. You're one of the few who really knows what exactly is to do in order to get to the place you want to be.
Got a question though to this Video. You recommand to turn the forearm more outwards and to Keep the fingers in line.
My Problem then is, that i can't reach 4 frets with 4 fingers. (For ex.: only 5 to 7 at ease). So i would have to spread my fingers, which would cause more tension again. I really have Problems to spread my 1st finger independently, also the ringfinger is hard to move at all. I've been playing for about 6 years now, most of the time with massive pressure comin from my thumb. Somtimes I played more with pressing my thumb, than fretting with my 4 fingers.
Any tips for the "length prolem". I got really small hands, but long fingers by the way.
Thanks!
With "spreading" I mean "side pulling" as you mentioned about yourself in the video...
Really hard to say without seeing you play. You mention "massive pressure" from your thumb. This may be the problem. Try using the weight of your arm instead of pressure from your thumb to pull your fingers into the fretboard. You'll still need a bit of thumb, but all that thumb tension can really mess up everything else.
Damn the name of the youtube channel. I suck on guitar now im questioning my self the same question why do i suck at guitar haha LOL
If you figure it out you will get better!
@@Whyisuckatguitar i sure hope so brother
i MAY have posted 1 other comment on youtube. but to this guy i say...thanks.
And thank you for watching.
wow..everything that was my exact problem...thanx for vid..
People always tell me I move my mouth while playing. Is that the jaw tension you were talking about? And does it really form a problem? Thanks for the video, it was very helpful!
Let us know how it goes... Im a lefty too
Hey I have a LOT of problems of moving my ring finger and don't know what to do to release the tension in this finger. I already tried everything. Is there any exercise I could do? Tnx!
Check out the "Other Fingers Method" finger independence video. Trust me, you haven't tried everything.
Thanks man!
By the way..I am not trying to rush- I'm more concerned with making sure I have the right technique to start. I definitely do no want to develop tendonitis. I've played the drums for 18 years and never developed any pain (thankfully), so I really just want to do this right. Any help is appreciated!
Moving your mouth and clenching your jaw are not necessarily the same thing. Try to stay aware of it (not fight it) next time you play. Awareness of what your body is doing (sometimes without your permission) while you play is the best way to figure this stuff out.
ive been playing on & off for 6 years. 3 months ago i bought an electric and began learning a lot more chords and practising more than ever. my index finger strains when i fret more than one string, but i just played through it. then i started getting really bad pain in my index finger joints. it took 2 weeks to ago away at first, wasnt sure if it was the guitar so i played again. hurt it again, now its taking a month for the pain to go. any advice would b great. i hope this video helps!
Do you have any tips for short and round saussage-shaped fingers?
One one the best players I ever saw at the conservatory was five foot nothing and had tiny little hands.
All hand sizes and shapes have their advantages and disadvantages. You just have to figure out what your advantages are.
FYI - I'm rebooting the channel and have added new content recently, with more to come.
I just got tendinitis on top of my left forearm close to my wrist. I'm ceasing all activity with it til it feels better. it's kind of swollen. how long will it take to heal?
You need to see a doctor, Rusty.
WhyISuckAtGuitar.com I'm going to wait a few weeks first. That's most likely what a dr will have me do before doing something like a cortizone shot
This is Lame... No Pain, No Gain... Keep the Claw!
Honestly this explained & helped a lot. Thanks
Glad you found it helpful.
FYI - I'm rebooting the channel and have added new content recently, with more to come.
I have really long fingers and find it hard to find where to place my thumb. Most vids say to hold it vertical on back of guitar, but it feels better the way you hold yours, horizontal. my pinky has difficulty being independent but my fingers are so long, I can reach a extra fret,,are my fingers too long?
There's no such thing as fingers that are too long or too short. The goal is to make things as comfortable as possible so you can make the music you want to make. I also have long fingers, but not so much flexibility, so like you I choose to reach longways in some cases where others might spread their fingers apart.
I am a beginner (about a month in) on acoustic guitar. I have been working mostly with the caterpillar exercise, the chromatic scale, and just single isolated chords from a few "how to" books. My "simply Guitar" book says it should be a claw... Am I feeling tension because I'm still conditioning muscles, or could this be the bad claw you refer to in this video? Your method and his, I'm still have issues isolating my low E string (and not sliding into or just muting the A).
Great lesson! Nice guitar by the way, what those little switches do?
hahahaha shame on me?? c'mon I didn't know there were any prerequisites! Thanks for making this videos man, I've had 3 tendinitis in 2 years and I've really got to change something with my playing or else i'll have to quit, after good 7 years having fun with my guitar...
This isn't a lesson about shredding. It's a lesson about reducing unnecessary tension.
Check out my "Finger Independence" video. This will help you to work on moving one finger without influencing the others.
my left hand hurts alot while playing standing up, I have no idea why. do you guys have videos that might help?
This suggests that you might need to experiment with different strap lengths. Try your guitar higher or lower on your body until you find a position that is comfortable for your left hand.
WhyISuckAtGuitar.com thanks man!
I like flying Vs because it straddle between my legs perfectly...I just shift my leg in or out to tilt the neck up or down. (if Im sitting down)
Plus I use a high chair..it's almost as if Im standing up...The guitar just hangs as if Im standing up. Im all laid back as if Im driving my sports car.lmao.
Sometimes I use a foot stol even when I standing up..it helps tilt the neck up...
it's like Im playing a Chello...I don't look like a total dork with a Flying V.lmao
Plus there's no freaken horns to in my way.
Plus the action on my guitars are LOW...LOW. I actually play with a soft touch when doing classical type scales. My thumb is around the center of the neck...
When I play blues or do bends...my thumb goes over the neck....it shifts back and forth,,,Less strain on my hand.
I damaged my fretboard hand before...You don't want to do that..Take care of your hands...stretch lots before playing.
Hi Bartul - check out my video on finger independence. That's a really good place to start. There are also some articles on my site about problem solving and learning in general that will be helpful.
Love my Carvin. Wouldn't play anything else.
:)
At 70 I play for 30 minutes then my hand cramps up. I noticed Andy Aldort shaking his hand out and flexing his hand got me another 10 minutes so I can go 40 minutes each day.
SHAME ON ME for not watching the prerequisites? Hey, give me a break man, this is the first video that came up today...jerk...
My left wrist keeps still getting hurt when playing power chords even after trying this. I wonder what I'm doing wrong here.
It's possible that you're just plain injured. Have you seen a doctor?
WhyISuckAtGuitar.com I haven't. My wrist only gets hurt when playing certain chords (power chords, for example) for a little while, but it doesn't hurt all the time.
It never hurts at all when playing some casual acoustic guitar songs or fingerstyle stuff, even if I play fast and for a long time. I don't even know how that is possible.
***** - I do give private lessons via Skype if you feel like you need some individual attention on this topic.
WhyISuckAtGuitar.com I think I'll try seeing a doctor about it, to see if my wrist is injured, then have a little break from playing the guitar, but if it doesn't get better and I need skype lessons, I'll try to find you again. Thanks for the help anyway.
Would it be possible that my wrist needs exercise or that I need to stretch it more often or something? I am left handed but I play guitar like a right handed person would. Maybe exercising more or stretching my wrists could help?
***** - Sure, that's possible. I'm very wary of trying to diagnose anything having to do with pain, though, because a) I'm not a doctor and b) I haven't seen you play.
I have small hands and I have weak fretting hand, I am a good blues player but I want to play faster (shred), help! :(
My hands are tiny and fingers are short. I always hit the bottom string. It pisses me off. It's the main reasony why I've been on and off for almost 5 years now.
Great video! I'm struggling with tension in my jaw when I play, particularly when trying to pick every note at moderate to high tempos. What did you do to get rid of the tension in your jaw?
+Henrik Grevstad - It all comes back to awareness. You need to stay aware of your jaw while you practice. Pick at a tempo where your jaw starts to clench and then consciously move it (motion is the enemy of rigidity) to unclench. You'll need to do this on purpose for a while and then you'll start to notice that you're not clenching as much... then not at all.
+WhyISuckAtGuitar.com Thanks! I tried moving my jaw while playing, and my picking ability is already noticeably better. I'll contact you about lessons if and when I get stuck again.
+Henrik Grevstad Sounds good. Glad to hear things are improving.
Fretting is harder than strumming and there are no rules about whether you have to play a left handed or right handed guitar. I do a lot of things left handed myself, but I play guitar right handed. Try it out and see if it works for you.
I practice in front of a mirror that has a sign on it that reads "Slow is Smooth - Smooth is Fast"
*Dude. Hes talking about playing the guitar not playing slide-a-mo with your fun noodle!*
Im sorry man. You left yourself wide open for that. Im shocked someone didnt beat me to it.
@@thetruthchannel349 DUDE! ...well, we know what you do in front of a mirror.
"Im sorry man. You left yourself wide open for that. Im shocked someone didnt beat me to it." -Get your mind out of the gutter, ..."Dude"
@@Gakk13 Haha... I was just joking with ya man. No, I dont see any point in using a mirror myself. I was just messing you man.
Remember to use strap even while sitting kids!
since when did AVGN teach guitar? great lesson though!
I thought you had to keep your thumb behind your middle finger?
I used to be a "rule follower" as well. It's a road to nowhere. The only rule is find what works for you. Everything you hear, read, see, etc. is food for thought so you can construct your own approach to the instrument.
FYI - I'm rebooting the channel and have added new content recently, with more to come.
fuck this is awesome.
Good point, eddie50500. Thanks!