Ok...Fretting Hand

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I'm glad some of you people admitted to fretting with your thumb...my fretting ability has progressed in spite of my stumpy fingers but I'm relieved to hear that I am not a big weirdo for playing like this.

I need someone to yell at me about my playing posture cause I wind up with a sore back after awhile.
 
charlie b said:

I need someone to yell at me about my playing posture cause I wind up with a sore back after awhile.
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Are you talking about sitting or standing? For me standing was just a matter of routine. At first it was a chore, but as with any stress on your body...time will strengthen those areas used. I played for 4 nights a week for years and it just became natural after a short period of..."arrr this is a pain". Don't slouch either. I also found that after practicing and playing for a long time with a heavier ax (I had a Ric 4001) and then go and gig with something much lighter...I felt like I had nothing on my shoulders. (like baseball batter's warming up!)

Conditioning your back and shoulders takes time....just like your fingers.

For sitting, I use a stool with some rungs to put one leg up. You can use a small footstool for this as well. It feels so much better with that leg up a bit.

But this is a preference thing. Good luck! :)
 
Yeah its the standing I get sore with. I've tried sitting and practising but I feel like the bass I've been using is kinda big and I can see what I'm doing better if I'm standing.

I'm sure my muscles will get used to it eventually but I find it a real bastardy thing right now cause it stops me from practising for longer. I've been trying to practise twice a day when I can to accomodate for the sore back and numb fingers :D
 
charlie b said:
I've been trying to practise twice a day when I can to accomodate for the sore back and numb fingers :D
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You got the right idea...you know what they say about practice! After awhile, the bass became a part of me...hell, I think I slept with it a few times!!! ;)
 
I can't imagine playing eletric giutar sitting down all the time. I guess it's what you are used to. Playing with shoes on can be weird.
 
charlie b said:
Yeah its the standing I get sore with. I've tried sitting and practising but I feel like the bass I've been using is kinda big and I can see what I'm doing better if I'm standing.

I'm sure my muscles will get used to it eventually but I find it a real bastardy thing right now cause it stops me from practising for longer. I've been trying to practise twice a day when I can to accomodate for the sore back and numb fingers :D
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NUMB fingers?!?? aaaaaaaah! Serious, if you have a numbing feel in your fingers, that is not just because your skin is being ripped of, go see a specialist. I'm not kidding. Numbing fingers means you are blocking a nerve somewhere. (As in: carpal tunnel syndrome?) I have a numb feel in my left ringfinger and pinky. Rather typical, I should have it looked at again. They can easily perform surgery for carpal tunnels....
 
carpal tunnel is the work of the devil

argh...carpal tunnel is evil. I seriously don't think I get to play often enough for it to be nerve damage as of yet though. It just kinda gets numb in the fleshy pad part of it from being mushed and dragged along the strings.

I'm just starting out so I'm still figuring out where all my bits go when I'm playing. Thanks for the tip though, if anything goes numb or falls off at any time I will seek medical advice immediately :D
 
When your fingers start to bleed, it's time for a break. But, not before!
 
i get pain and then cramps, not numbness-i'm guessing it's some other kind of RSI. i usually cramp up when pressing on the back of the neck with my thumb to complement the force of my fingers for barre or movable chord positions.

i use my thumb to fret low notes all the time, usually for 1st-position chords or similar (like throwing that F# up for a D chord). never had trouble. lots of great guitarists have done this, but depending on the size of your hands/playing style/genetic predisposition to various RSIs/etc, it may or may not work for you.
 
Doug H said:
I can't imagine playing eletric giutar sitting down all the time. I guess it's what you are used to. Playing with shoes on can be weird.
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Yeah, but then you check out Jeff "Skunk" Baxter or Steve Hackett and it's like, "Well, there must be something to it." :D I don't mind playing while seated, so long as I can get the proper height/level of my legs. Does that make sense? For example, the tall stools we use at church have rungs on the for your feet, but the low ones are too low and the high ones put my knees up by my forehead.

And it depends on what position you use to rest the guitar on your lap, too. I can't play with the guitar resting on my right leg; it has to be in the middle (kind of like the classical position, only not so formal). All in all, I'd rather be standing.

Oh, and the Shoeless Joe Jackson thing makes me think of David Gilmour on the Live at Pompeii video. He's sitting on the ground, barefoot, with the guitar lying out in front of him almost parallel to his body. He uses a steel slide and some sort of echo pedal to create some very cool and eerie sounds, all in his bare feet. ;)
 
I wrap my thumb and use it for fretting notes, bass lines, and muting. I don't care how incorrect it is... some of the fingerstyle stuff I do would be impossible otherwise. Plus, I have skinny, weakling fingers and need the leverage. If you really want to be cool, do the Jake E. Lee thing and put your thumb on the fretboard with the other fingers (fanning your hand across the fretoboard instead of having the thumb under or on the back of the neck)
 
zer0sig said:
i get pain and then cramps, not numbness-i'm guessing it's some other kind of RSI. i usually cramp up when pressing on the back of the neck with my thumb to complement the force of my fingers for barre or movable chord positions.
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To a certain extent, that's normal. You are using position that require strength of certain muscles that is still building up. If it's because you are trying to be fast, you're doing something wrong. Practice it slower, and gradually increase speed (using a metronome or something) untill you get at the speed you want it. Or even further. Whenever you feel the tension build up at a certain speed, go back, untill you can play it without building up (unnecessary!!) tension.

And, whenever you have cramps, don't force it trying to get it done anyway; let your muscles relax,(and! take a break every 15 minutes), and practice something else. The muscles will build up gradually, and someday you'll play it like you've never had to even practice it!
 
beaverbiscuit said:
Yeah, but then you check out Jeff "Skunk" Baxter or Steve Hackett and it's like, "Well, there must be something to it." :D I don't mind playing while seated, so long as I can get the proper height/level of my legs. Does that make sense?
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Actually, many classical guitarists use a collapsible footstool. I highly recommend it because it takes away all the posture adjustment problems and lets you focus on the music.

I havent seen them advertised, and knowing the music business they are probably way overpriced, so find something that will prop your feet up to the right position. I have a small drawer taken out of an antique dresser that I use as a footstool. It makes playing while sitting a hell of a lot more comfortable.

Cy
 
beaverbiscuit said:

Oh, and the Shoeless Joe Jackson thing makes me think of David Gilmour on the Live at Pompeii video. He's sitting on the ground, barefoot, with the guitar lying out in front of him almost parallel to his body. He uses a steel slide and some sort of echo pedal to create some very cool and eerie sounds, all in his bare feet. ;)
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And then there's the guy from Spinal Tap
 
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