Technique - Help mine

[JohnWaynesTeeth]

I've mostly played acoustic guitar and usually rhythm guitar at that. Sometimes I'll throw some runs or walkdown's in between chords or do some Dave Matthews type stuff. The last few years I've been working on blues scales and licks trying to increase my soloing speed and tone, and I've recently moved up to some bluegrass licks as well, but I fear that I have hit a speed plateau.

I know that my problem is mostly my left hand position, after about 10-15 minutes my wrist is killing me. I also know that my fingers are too high above the strings, I really hammer down on the acoustic (I am in the process of convincing the wife to let me trade in on a mex strat and a small tube amp from the LMS but that's for another day).

My question is, do any of you have any stories of how you broke through and found that comfortable left hand position that let you just flow through those long runs fluidly (I feel like I'm real choppy). And, do you have any links to websites about guitar technique that have actual pictures of hand position, etc, not just scales and exercises?

I'm sure there are others in the same boat as me.

Thanks for the help,
Pete

 

[eyeslikefire]

Here you go Pete.
http://www.cyberfret.com/first-fret/left-hand-position/index.php

Search though the site, it's very cool.

 

[guhlenn]

hand positions on paper don't help... you'll need to find a teacher...

there are two options;

either you have an RSI problem, or your muscles are cramping... depending on your age one of the two is most likely... If it is purely the wrist (you know, the bones) then be carefull man cuz if you push you can throw your guitar away cuz your wrist will be fucked up...
if you think it's the muscles; practise practise practise... playing fast is like running... pure effort...

be carefull!

take care Guhlenn

 

[JR#97]

practise practise practise... playing fast is like running... pure effort...

be carefull!

take care Guhlenn

I'll add to that is that you need practice practice practice CORRECTLY. Practicing bad technique only re-enforces bad technique... Take a lesson or two and have someone show you what proper technique looks and feels like. If there is some physical aspect that restricts your technique, than you might have to come up with something new. Maybe the way you hold your guitar, or the how high/low your guitar is.

For me, the break through was when I just stopped concentrating on speed and concentrated on the notes and the music. Back in the shred years (80's) I would alter the solos of the songs we were covering if I couldn't play as fast as the recording. For example, I'd tap instead of making a blistering 5 string run from bottom to top. Or I'd do pull-offs in triad positions. In other words, things that sound fast, but don't take blazing finger speed to play. Then as my technique improved and my ear for notes at high speed improved, I started to learn the actual speedster runs, etc. It takes time!

 

[Roel]

Just want to emphasize the wrist thing. I used to play up to 4 hours a day, and I was dreaming of classical guitar studies. Then I fucked up my wrist, and now -sigh- I play once every few months, and I'm planning musictheory studies. You got that? Be carefull with those wrists. There's no problem that can't be solved unless you had wristfractures before, but don't push it. I could still play, but I prefer to play piano now, btw. If you got an RSI problem, you gotta learn to live with it. Not learning to cope with pain, but learning to dose your playing, learning to play without unnecessary tension (what every musician should learn by the way), learning to play without any unnecessary effort, just enough to do what you need to do... etc...

Your wrist should be at rest in it's position. Just put your elbow in a 90 degrees angle, palm up, and relax your hand. Then put your guitar neck in your hand. That's the position to play. No more effort and tension than is needed. THAT is what you gotta learn. And a good teacher will help you with that.

 

[JohnWaynesTeeth]

Thanks for the replies, rest assured I don't have carpal tunnel syndrome. It's more of what Roel said, I don't feel like my hand is loose and at rest while I'm playing, and consequently after a little bit of playing the muscles are tense and strained.

That website is interesting, eyeslikefire. When I get home tonight I'll grab my guitar and see how my hand position compares. I've been trying to learn some mandolin lately and that has really magnified my poor technique .

Pete

 

[Tom Hicks]

Tremolo studies really help speed and the coordination between hands.That will especially help the mandolin technique.

 

[Dunder XIII]

Don't know if this is relevant compared to all other good replies but I bought 'speed mechanics for lead guitar' and the finger indepencance exercises really helped out my left hand position. Making sure to always hit the notes with the tip of the pad while soloing and trying to do so also in akward chord positions really helped my left hand strain problem. Now I hold the guitar and can feel almost no tension in my left hand and can press the strings very lightly and produce a tone. I'm still not a good player though, I don't practice enough. But when I practice, left hand strain is much less of a problem
I also shortened my guitar belt and hold it a little higher, not early 1960s high, but at a height were my left and right hand just feel 'in place'. This helped too

 

[eyeslikefire]

I'll add to that is that you need practice practice practice CORRECTLY. Practicing bad technique only re-enforces bad technique... Take a lesson or two and have someone show you what proper technique looks and feels like. If there is some physical aspect that restricts your technique, than you might have to come up with something new. Maybe the way you hold your guitar, or the how high/low your guitar is.

For me, the break through was when I just stopped concentrating on speed and concentrated on the notes and the music. Back in the shred years (80's) I would alter the solos of the songs we were covering if I couldn't play as fast as the recording. For example, I'd tap instead of making a blistering 5 string run from bottom to top. Or I'd do pull-offs in triad positions. In other words, things that sound fast, but don't take blazing finger speed to play. Then as my technique improved and my ear for notes at high speed improved, I started to learn the actual speedster runs, etc. It takes time!

Amen to that JR! Great post.

 

[jimini2001]

try playing the penatonic scale to a metronome.i started out playing one lick per beat at 110 beats per minute.iwhen i got to the end of my metronome i went back to 40 bpm and played six licks per beat.i use this to warm up now at 70 pbm plus some other warm ups.maybe this will let you concentrate on playing and timing and allow you to relax your hands a little. only press as hard as you need to get a clear tone.i use to clutch my ax like a ball bat and wound up with a small muscle tear that turned to a ganglon cyst.had to have it removed by a doctor,and feel lucky that it didn't screw up my playing forever.take care of your hands or you'll be playing kazoo.a good guitar does help and there are some low cots ones that do the job.some killer stuf has been recorded and sold using a fender squire.did all right by joe healey.good luck.

 

[toyL]

…there are at least two ways to attain “speed”—one relies on pure muscle, like that of a quarter-horse, while the other relies on finesse, like that of a sparrow (keep in mind that a quarter-horse is set out to pasture after only a few years) …try to play as light as a feather, with no wasted motion…ultra-light strings and a set-up with very low action might also help…after all, not everybody is al dimeola.

 

[JohnWaynesTeeth]

Hey thanks for the replies, you've given me some new ideas. After grabbing my guitar last night I don't think I should describe it as my wrist, it's really my forearm on the side where my pinky is. It's those muscles that just get cramped and tight. It's like my hand starts turning into a claw (obscure Seinfeld reference anyone?)

Also, I am playing a Taylor with medium strings and what I would describe as medium low action for an acoustic. Thus, I am not going for shredder type of speed but good bluegrass chops and a general blues/country/folk type of phrasing. I'm going for Chet Atkins not Yngwie Malmsteen . (although I wouldn't mind having a little better Hendrix and Clapton repertoire too).

I know that my problem is that I am not fretting the strings lightly enough, thus the muscles are straining, I just haven't figured out how to play lightly . Don't worry, no despair, I will continue to practice at it and seek guidance. Thanks again.

Pete