cellardweller
New member
I'm hankerin' for a Sam Adams Oatmeal Stout....mmm...Cardioidpotent said:
Aaron Cheney
Favorite Chord: C 6/9
My wife owns an in-home hair salon/spa. One of the services she offers her clients is called a "parafin dip". It's for hands and feet, and basically you dip them into a bath of melted parafin, then wrap them in plastic, and let them sit for about 15 minutes until the parafin cools/solidifies. Then you peel it off.
I get a parafin treatment about once a month. It is the best thing ever for deeply relaxing the muscles in your hands. Oooohhh - la - la!
Of course... I get 'em for free.
Paying for them might get spendy! 
A
I get a parafin treatment about once a month. It is the best thing ever for deeply relaxing the muscles in your hands. Oooohhh - la - la!
Of course... I get 'em for free.
Paying for them might get spendy! A
A
astoebe
New member
hey, the pain in your shoulder thing kinda worries me.....cramps in the hand is pretty usual....but your whole arm and your shoulder? You can get some long term injuries from playing guitar alot ( i read an article recently) so maybe you should check into this more in depth?
D
donkeystyle
New member
cellardweller said:Tylenol beforehand, huh? What about ibuprofen, since it is an anti-inflammatory?
I've heard heroin is good for this also, and much more "rock n roll"
i would go with ibuprofen or aleve. those would probably help more than tylenol. you could try pulling the strap higher on your guitar. i have to do that when i record sometimes.
B
busyboy
New member
Is there any numbness or tingling in your fingers or is it just pain along the arm and shoulder? Is the skin on you forearm sensitive? If so, these could be signs of a pinched nerve. Everyone's aware of carpal tunnel syndrome, in which the nerve in your wrist (the carpal tunnel) gets compressed by swollen tendons. Fewer people realize that a pinched nerve in your neck can produce the kind of pain you are describing. This nerve can be compressede by the muscles surrounding it- particularly if you tense up or raise your shoulders when playing. If your really hurting, stop playing for a few days and see if it clears up. If it does, then be aware of your posture and tension while playing. You might want to play in front of a mirror or video camera so you can see what you're doing.
I had rough bout with both Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and a pinched nerve. I got through it with rest and then changing my playing position. Exercise is essential also. If you sit behind a desk all day (or computer or whatever) and then sit down to play guitar all night, you're gonna get hurt. At the risk of getting laughed out of here, I'm going to tell you to consider Tai Chi or Yoga. It's probably the best thing for aging musicians. And, unlike the Killians cure, you won't get arrested for DWI afterwards.
I had rough bout with both Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and a pinched nerve. I got through it with rest and then changing my playing position. Exercise is essential also. If you sit behind a desk all day (or computer or whatever) and then sit down to play guitar all night, you're gonna get hurt. At the risk of getting laughed out of here, I'm going to tell you to consider Tai Chi or Yoga. It's probably the best thing for aging musicians. And, unlike the Killians cure, you won't get arrested for DWI afterwards.
Purge
Traitorous Usurper
Hey CD, here's a few thoughts from another 7 fella:
1. I always sit when recording. 7 string necks are MASSIVE compared to what we've been used to over the years. Sitting down really helps to get my elbow under the neck so it doesn't fuck up my hand so much. You don't have to bend so hard at the wrist and by putting the neck of the guitar closer to your head, you're able to feel more like...(hmm...how to explain this?)...I guess like you're just able to play more the fretboard and not the whole damn chunk of wood. Does that make sense at all? (probably not! )
2. If your hand starts to hurt, PLEASE STOP. No matter how good the song you're recording is, it's not worth sacrificing the potential to record other songs in the future. The hand cramp thing is a warning that something is wrong. And we've all heard horrible shit that has happened to some great guitarists out there. So...here's whatcha do for that:
3. I watched a John Petrucci video that involved some great warmup stuff that he does, and it usually doesn't even involve a guitar. A few minutes of massaging your hands, fingers, and forearms will do wonders for the future tweaking of your fretting abilities, and it helps to greatly reduce the risk of "terminally fuckeditis". Just dig in there and move them hand muscles around. Do a lot of wrist bending as well, kind of a back and forth motion.
4. 7 strings just take some extra time to get used to. The first year after I bought mine, I instantly regressed to being a shitty guitarist again. If you can concentrate on the idea of figuring out a position to hold this guitar in a way that you might not be used to from your other guitars, then you've got a good head start. It's all about getting comfortable. Raise up that strap a little. I can't play these things slung down to my knees like a Les Paul.
5. Drop me a PM if you run into any snags. For all the trouble that these things are at first, I think they're completely worth it...especially the first time somebody walks up to you and says "gosh, I just wrote this cool song in B minor, but I'm trying to figure out how to make it heavier..." Ooooohhhh yeahhhhh.....
1. I always sit when recording. 7 string necks are MASSIVE compared to what we've been used to over the years. Sitting down really helps to get my elbow under the neck so it doesn't fuck up my hand so much. You don't have to bend so hard at the wrist and by putting the neck of the guitar closer to your head, you're able to feel more like...(hmm...how to explain this?)...I guess like you're just able to play more the fretboard and not the whole damn chunk of wood. Does that make sense at all? (probably not!
)2. If your hand starts to hurt, PLEASE STOP. No matter how good the song you're recording is, it's not worth sacrificing the potential to record other songs in the future. The hand cramp thing is a warning that something is wrong. And we've all heard horrible shit that has happened to some great guitarists out there. So...here's whatcha do for that:
3. I watched a John Petrucci video that involved some great warmup stuff that he does, and it usually doesn't even involve a guitar. A few minutes of massaging your hands, fingers, and forearms will do wonders for the future tweaking of your fretting abilities, and it helps to greatly reduce the risk of "terminally fuckeditis". Just dig in there and move them hand muscles around. Do a lot of wrist bending as well, kind of a back and forth motion.
4. 7 strings just take some extra time to get used to. The first year after I bought mine, I instantly regressed to being a shitty guitarist again. If you can concentrate on the idea of figuring out a position to hold this guitar in a way that you might not be used to from your other guitars, then you've got a good head start. It's all about getting comfortable. Raise up that strap a little. I can't play these things slung down to my knees like a Les Paul.
5. Drop me a PM if you run into any snags. For all the trouble that these things are at first, I think they're completely worth it...especially the first time somebody walks up to you and says "gosh, I just wrote this cool song in B minor, but I'm trying to figure out how to make it heavier..." Ooooohhhh yeahhhhh.....
IronFlippy
Dedicated To My Member
It sounds like you're tensing up a lot. This happens to me when I try to play fast palm mutes, or speed metal. I haven't really found a cure, I just sorta got used to it. I think the transition to a wider neck just needs some more time. Just keep practicing good technique and you'll get there eventually, hopefully. 
F
Flash
New member
Get a foot stool if your sitting down. I had an old guitar teacher, he always had a foot stool. Sit straight up...relax and have fun. How long have you been playing a six string? Did your hands ever cramp then? Do you still have the six? Try playing the song with that, can you make the full song? If so, I'd say if you start to cramp with the 7, then stop for a while. Practise more often like 10 min. at a time, 5 or 6 times a day, more if you can. Soon you shoud be O.K. if not see a doctor.
R
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
Busyboy has spoken some sooth. The symptom you describe sounds like a muscle spasm- or cramp, in layman's terms. It can hurt like a mother, come suddenly, and it can do real damage to a muscle by tearing it, especially if you are moving fast when the cramp comes. This symptom, and that's all it is, can be caused by lots of stuff, some benign, and some more serious. Believe it or not, the most common cause, by far, is hyponatremia, meaning you are short on Sodium, which means salt. So many people are on these low-salt cardiac diets, that they don't get enough. Sodium needs to be balanced with the right amount of potassium (big in bananas). If you are low tech- eat ham and bananas . If you are skinny, have some chips. Then eat a few bananas. Keep it up. If you are hi-tech, you can buy buffered salt tablets (with the potassium) in the drug store. Follow the directions and check your blood pressure. Then see a doctor, especially if it happens again, because if you have MS or other dire stuff, eating right won't do much for you. I'm betting you are salt deprived, and seven string guitars weren't meant for you. Accept your destiny.
Richie- R.N., and athletic trainer
Richie- R.N., and athletic trainer
capnkid
Optimus Prime
cellardweller said:
You're 74, you're dried out and used up, give it up old timer.
cellardweller
New member
I have experienced the sensitivity of the skin of my forearm, and had a slight tingling sensation in my fingers, but that's been a ways back, and it hasn't recurred in a long while.
I also know for a fact that I have damage to 3 discs in my neck (slayer concert mishap, a-hole stage dived on me from behind and drove my chin into my belly-button
).
Up until about 1.5 years ago, my job involved some physical labor, and I was always on my feet/moving around. Now I camp behind a computer, and the only exercise I get at work (really at all for that matter) is typing and walking. I DO quite a few 12 ounce curls, but I don't think that's helping! I've started a bit of exercising this weekend, and haven't picked up the guitar much. Also trying to get my pool back into shape, but it keeps raining and turning the water acidic, causing the friggin' algae to grow
Not an ounce of pain left in the shoulder area, but I still feel something not quite right in my neck...
Thanks for all the good replies and info.
I also know for a fact that I have damage to 3 discs in my neck (slayer concert mishap, a-hole stage dived on me from behind and drove my chin into my belly-button
). Up until about 1.5 years ago, my job involved some physical labor, and I was always on my feet/moving around. Now I camp behind a computer, and the only exercise I get at work (really at all for that matter) is typing and walking. I DO quite a few 12 ounce curls, but I don't think that's helping! I've started a bit of exercising this weekend, and haven't picked up the guitar much. Also trying to get my pool back into shape, but it keeps raining and turning the water acidic, causing the friggin' algae to grow
Not an ounce of pain left in the shoulder area, but I still feel something not quite right in my neck...
Thanks for all the good replies and info.
D
donkeystyle
New member
this post reminds me. i had some shoulder pain and it was popping too. it's not from playing guitar though. i went to the doctor and he said he thought it was tendonittus and gave me some anti inflammatory stuff. it helped and the pain and popping went away. about a week later i did some excercise on this weird excercise thing that my parents have...it's actually called a gazelle supra.......not that that helps you picture what it is.......anyway.....you have to pull with your arms back and forth a lot. almost immediatly after using it, i had some pain. it wasn't that bad, and i just took some ibuprofen for a couple days and it went away.
now at work i've injured it again. i work at a paint company and we were sandblasting and i was loading sand into the pot for like 3 days straight. and last night it was hurting like crazy.
oh and it mostly hurts when i lay down. i think i've pulled something out of place and i just keep reinjuring it.
just a story.
now at work i've injured it again. i work at a paint company and we were sandblasting and i was loading sand into the pot for like 3 days straight. and last night it was hurting like crazy.
oh and it mostly hurts when i lay down. i think i've pulled something out of place and i just keep reinjuring it.
just a story.
L
Larry Gude
New member
I'm 41...
...and playing more now than ever before. Two months ago, my index finger on my fret hand started getting cold. It wasn't the nerve or the feeling of cold, it was physically colder. Wierd.
For the last three weeks I've concentrated on technique; making sure my hand is square (perpendicular would be more accurate I suppose) to the fret board. I always played angled a bit in towards my body.
I have no idea as to the actual why of the circulation in my finger being reduced but working on technique is improving both touch and accuracy and the cold is gone. I can also play longer before tiring.
Proper is proper for many reasons.
It's just a suggestion.
...and playing more now than ever before. Two months ago, my index finger on my fret hand started getting cold. It wasn't the nerve or the feeling of cold, it was physically colder. Wierd.
For the last three weeks I've concentrated on technique; making sure my hand is square (perpendicular would be more accurate I suppose) to the fret board. I always played angled a bit in towards my body.
I have no idea as to the actual why of the circulation in my finger being reduced but working on technique is improving both touch and accuracy and the cold is gone. I can also play longer before tiring.
Proper is proper for many reasons.
It's just a suggestion.
Wireneck
New member
My guess is going to be that its a combination of things. The neck size of a 7 string is a pretty substantial jumb from a regular old 6 string. I record alot of 5 string bass tracks and I ran into the same types of problems when I first started playing on the 5 string.
One thing you may have to do is re-evaluate how high or low you have your guitar strap set. There should be a place where comfort as well as maneuvarabillity is maximized. I tend to play with the 5 string alot higher up than I do my 6 string guitar.
The last option is that you could just possibly be attempting something that your not capable of yet. When I try and do tons of extremely fast picking for long amounts of time I tend to cramp/experience some pain. If this is the case, then you may just need to work up speed and endurance by practicing the part slightly slower with a metronome and building back up to the real tempo. It usually works for me.
One thing you may have to do is re-evaluate how high or low you have your guitar strap set. There should be a place where comfort as well as maneuvarabillity is maximized. I tend to play with the 5 string alot higher up than I do my 6 string guitar.
The last option is that you could just possibly be attempting something that your not capable of yet. When I try and do tons of extremely fast picking for long amounts of time I tend to cramp/experience some pain. If this is the case, then you may just need to work up speed and endurance by practicing the part slightly slower with a metronome and building back up to the real tempo. It usually works for me.
Codmate
New member
See a doctor.
It's all very well for forum members to try and diagnose, but you need to see somebody in the flesh - and somebody qualified to diagnose you too.
Good luck.
It's all very well for forum members to try and diagnose, but you need to see somebody in the flesh - and somebody qualified to diagnose you too.
Good luck.
Lopp
New member
Wireneck said:
I'm surprised Richard didn't mention this.
Intense guitar playing is like any other intense physical endeavor, such as cross country, weightlifting, football, etc. In all of these endeavors you need to warm up before playing. No matter how experienced the athlete, all warm up before a competition or before attacking a challenge. Thus, at the beginning of any session, begin slowly with some warm up exercises. Then work up to the more challenging pieces once your muscles are warmed up. As a side benefit from avoiding pain, you usually find yourself playing cleaner and better.
Also, you need to work up to the challenge. For example, a beginner cross country runner isn't going to run a marathon without months or even years of practice. Likewise, when attacking your 7-string, take a few days or weeks working on easier stuff or taking the more challenging stuff slower.
Third...
Tear down your pool!
I used to have one and tore it down because it took away from my playing. Damn algae! I had to tend to the pool a few times a week. !#$% Rip out the damn thing!