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Arm Pain
Hi all new here at TAC. Really enjoying it. I have a teacher that i take lessons from once a week but I needed more and I have been researching TAC for quite sometime and took the leap of faith. I have been at it for 2 years. I also sing when I play which helps in some ways and hurts in others. 2 specific things out of many is what I’m looking for answers. When I do the blues shuffle for instance I cant get my fingers to spread apart enough to go from the 2nd fret to the 4th. What do I do about that? Also when I play for sometime the top of my forearm begins to really hurt that I have to stop playing and rest. Is that normal?
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7 Replies
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Yes, that can be normal. In the skills courses Tony has a stretch course that has helped me get and stay more flexible. It also helped me realize the symptoms when I start over doing my practice with tension. I think @jumpinjeff is a big proponent of tension free playing. Let’s see if he chimes in. Welcome to TAC.
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@albert_d : spot on! Part of my process was learning to identify muscle fatigue vs. Ligament and tendon pain from inflammation. Like you stated, the answer is getting flexible through stretching combined with managing tension. I stretch everyday, every session, sometimes several times a session if I am not getting a result from multiple attempt with genuine effort. I also had to learn to strech body parts that are more bone and Ligament/tendon than muscle: the hands and fingers. I call it silly putty stretching. Do it slowly barely introducing tension as the tissue relaxes. I was always surprised at how much more range of motion I could get using this technique. Do it fast and it snaps and you are back to a previous level. Okay….it doesn’t really snap but it doesnt do anything either. It is very different than the stretching I learned for athletic purpose on my larger muscle groups. Ice is amazing therapy for sore fingers and hands. It is darn near free and it has no side effects. If you are getting sore tendons, ice and rethink your motion. This is where tension free playing comes in…..find the least amount of pressure necessary to make the sound you desire. You will save wear and tear on your joints. There is an accuracy/precision component to this and that is where consistency in the Daily Challenges provided what I needed. I learned to play through the discomfort of muscle f fatigue. If I start to feel pain (Joints), I have to address it either by technique change or position change or If it is a reaching challenge….flexiblity training…SILLY PUTTY style! Eventually over time you will be able to stretch your wrist elbow and shoulder just by stretching your thumb. Kinesthetic awareness is built on time and repetion. Keep us posted on your progress, @pfilippettibhaircraft-com .
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Hi Guys
I appreciate the quick response. I haven’t seen that part of the course yet. I guess that’s coming up. I’m doing the acoustic challenge right now. Can you tell me where to locate that?
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It is a couse in the “Skills” section. In my menu, the icon shows as music notes.
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Well regarding the arm pain, yes and no. You shouldn’t get pain while playing. Fatigue yes. Pain suggests something else possibly. The first thing I would look at is your guitar. Does it fit you well? Many factors can come into play. Neck shape, thickness, scale, body size and shape. When I first started I thought most guitars were the same. Started out with a large dreadnought with a chunky neck. It was hard to play, and did cause pain in my lower forearm. Fast forward to today, and I’ve found what neck shapes and sizes work for me. Apologies if you’ve already been down this road.
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No not all please. Glad you responded I think sometimes I feel the body of the guitar is big. And yes its more painful than fatigue. I have an Alvarez pretty big body.
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