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SOOOOO, I think this is like the third time I've posted about this, but it's driving me crazy. Whenever I play, well, maybe like 90% of the time, my picking hand hurts, specifically my thumb. I've tried heavier/lighter strings and picks, stretching, playing sitting down and standing up, putting the guitar in a classical position, but nothing seems to be helping. The pain happens mostly when I'm trying to pick single notes quickly, trill any single strings, or trill across different strings (think black metal riffs). I really want to be able to play decently fast, but sometimes I can't even accurately pick at mid tempo speeds because my hand gets so tight and painful. Loosening it only makes my sloppier and then drop the pick.

Anyone have any ideas, websites, videos or resources that might help? I read somewhere that reading up on violin bow hand position might help with the tension issue, but I've found little so far.

It sounds like you're tensing a lot and not letting your wrist do the work for you.
I find that a lot of faster, metal players (loose term) will play really rigid in order to pick fast. Sometimes it looks damn painful!
Probably a case of wanting to play at a level outside of your current ability (which is fine, you have to keep aiming to improve!) but this can lead to improper practices, that can cause damage, just to play a few riffs faster than your body will let you at this point.

Take it slow, keep playing the riffs but maybe a little slower and build up with a speed trainer like on guitar pro.
If you take the time, speed training is a really awesome tool!

how is your general health and posture? it is manifesting as thumb/hand pain but may be related to whole arm/shoulder tension/angles

and when did it start? was there anything different, new guitar, playing a lot more of certain things, doing any new sports or heavy lifting, straining, injury

Doctor X wrote:how is your general health and posture? it is manifesting as thumb/hand pain but may be related to whole arm/shoulder tension/angles

and when did it start? was there anything different, new guitar, playing a lot more of certain things, doing any new sports or heavy lifting, straining, injury

It's been off and on for a few years. I'm pretty certain that it correlates with the gymnastic strength training I do (which is grip intensive) as well as all the drawing and painting. I try to space things out to give my hands rest, but there's only so much time in the day to do the things I enjoy

I've been ingesting a lot of stuff that's supposed to be good for inflammation like turmeric, omega 3s, and vitamin C.

beer

i have alot of muscle pain from work
also had what youd call tennis elbow
gets bad when i gotta hammer at weird angles
like above my head for long periods
also a knee that blows up in certain sitches
anyway someone gave me a bottle of topricin
http://www.topricin.com/catalog/partlis ... egoryID=54
normally id laugh at pain cream
and i laughrd at this at first especially cause of $$$
but i never dont have this stuff around now
works almost immediatelly on muscle pain
and helps with longer term issues as well
gave some to my father for his tennis elbpw
he didnt use it for almost a year
called me a few months ago says it works like a dream
you can get samples at the hardware stores before you get a huge one
im sure you can find a small one online somewhere too

......or beer........

gunslinger_burrito wrote:

Doctor X wrote:how is your general health and posture? it is manifesting as thumb/hand pain but may be related to whole arm/shoulder tension/angles

and when did it start? was there anything different, new guitar, playing a lot more of certain things, doing any new sports or heavy lifting, straining, injury

It's been off and on for a few years. I'm pretty certain that it correlates with the gymnastic strength training I do (which is grip intensive) as well as all the drawing and painting. I try to space things out to give my hands rest, but there's only so much time in the day to do the things I enjoy

I've been ingesting a lot of stuff that's supposed to be good for inflammation like turmeric, omega 3s, and vitamin C.

I deal with this too. It flared up recently when I decided to do some hardcore palm muting practice. Definitely don't try to push through the pain, it could turn into tendinitis.

Turmeric, omega3, and vitamin c are all awesome for me too. Try acupuncture!

wildebelor wrote:It sounds like you're tensing a lot and not letting your wrist do the work for you.

I agree with this right here. Every now and then I get the same problem you describe, pain in the thumb joint of my picking hand. But for me, I find that it pretty much only happens at gigs, never at practice, and its usually early in the gig. I usually assume it's because I'm either nervous or just hyped up and trying to pick the shit out of my bass as hard and loud as I can, and my picking hand is tensed up, gripping the pick too hard, and not letting my wrist do the work. I can usually get the pain to go away by loosening my grip, relaxing my wrist as much as possible, and playing lighter.

bigchiefbc wrote:

wildebelor wrote:It sounds like you're tensing a lot and not letting your wrist do the work for you.

I agree with this right here. Every now and then I get the same problem you describe, pain in the thumb joint of my picking hand. But for me, I find that it pretty much only happens at gigs, never at practice, and its usually early in the gig. I usually assume it's because I'm either nervous or just hyped up and trying to pick the shit out of my bass as hard and loud as I can, and my picking hand is tensed up, gripping the pick too hard, and not letting my wrist do the work. I can usually get the pain to go away by loosening my grip, relaxing my wrist as much as possible, and playing lighter.

Yeah, I notice that it eases up a little after a playing for a little while (maybe 20 minutes?) so maybe I just need to warn up more

Then again, some days it just feels shitty and stays shitty.

If it's something you find is happening on a regular basis now, it could also be because you have somewhat trained your muscle to strain itself like that.
If you have a guitar teacher in the area (a good, reputable one) call them up and tell them your problem.
Sometimes they have some ancient wisdom!

wildebelor wrote:If it's something you find is happening on a regular basis now, it could also be because you have somewhat trained your muscle to strain itself like that.
If you have a guitar teacher in the area (a good, reputable one) call them up and tell them your problem.
Sometimes they have some ancient wisdom!

I think I read on one of those violin bow pages about how tension way high up in your shoulder can make the rest of the arm tense, all the way down to the hand. Thinking about it, I noticed that when I play (especially sitting down) I feel "bunched up," and kind of hunched over, almost like I'm going into the fetal position. I also noticed that my picking wrist always bends back towards my forearm for some reason, so for the past hour and a half or so, I tried the opposite of what people normally say, I lowered my guitar, made the strap longer. Now that my picking arm is lengthened, it feels much less tense. We'll see how it goes, I'll try it out for a week or so.

Just always relax and ask yourself "Am I enjoying this?" or "Does this feel good/right?"
You'll know pretty quickly if you're honest with yourself!
Good luck and let us know how you go.

good advice in here. but yeah you need to be as relaxed as possible when you play. speed is all about efficiency and your muscles work best when they are relaxed. if your thumb hurts you're probably gripping the pick too tightly (i've had your problem too). you need to find the balance between getting a good sound and relaxing as much as possible when you play.

You're obviously not jerkin it enough.

futuresailors wrote:You're obviously not jerkin it enough.