genrall post on arms and stuff

[luke_hull]

Hey guys just thought id come on and tell you all about my condition well update and there just a point I want to get a cross. I recently got rsi and have just started to play again after every jam ive been putting ice on it as I sometimes get a burning sensation but im on the mend. But in any case my pc has been ****ed lately so I couldn’t reply but as I was saying ive only been playing about a year but since I took my break ive relised in so many ways how ive been playing wrong as when I play I tilt the guitar neck and body towards me meaning my hand is at a tilt which can be bad for you at this angle ur picking is made much slower so ive relised I need to have it tilted away a litel bit this has greatly improved my playing (the little ive been doing because of the rsi) and my accuracy. so would u all not agree if u have just stated in my opinion just stop playing and observe ur playing how u hold the guitar wrist and so on. Oh ps do any one have any idea when my rite picking arm aches when I sit and play my stratocaster
Chears people

[ProgBG]

Hey, Luke

I haven't played now for about three weeks and experienced about the same thing like you did. But i've been playing for three years now and haven't really realized what to do. But i think and hope to be more aware now of my body and it's signals of pain so i can avoid such tendon things. So when i beginn playing maybe next week or so I'll start to unlearn those wrong habbits. About your right hand you should maybe change the way you hold your guitar like the classical players or some shredders like Francesco fareri does http://www.francescofareri.com/main.htm. Or try to pick slow and then speed up and try to feel if the pain gets more while playing faster. Then you might just pick more slowly and then build up speed more gradualy. That's the same for me too ;) . But after this dissease you shouldn't start out with marathons but in play in little steps to your normal playing time. I think that this thread is really cool and may be some help and mental help for those who suffer or suffered form tendon things. And one question from my side too;) . How can i get my left hand more relaxed?

KAYA BG

[GuitarLausing]

. Oh ps do any one have any idea when my rite picking arm aches when I sit and play my stratocaster
Chears people
I have exactly the same problem sometimes. But thats when strumming rapidly, too powerful, and repeatedly. Try not striking the strings as powerful as you are used to, and use the wrist more. It gives kindof the same sound, but its more reliable, and this way you can accent some strums and make others more quiet. And you don't tire as easily.

Also, read the post "picking from the elbow", http://www.ibreathemusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4277


and, if your elbow is in a very arkward (sorry, can't spell) position when you strum (i get tired when muting from the saddle), try change it. And if you normally rest your picking hand on the saddle, don't. try to strike the strings in a position closer to the neck, but be careful you don't strum too powerful.

[luke_hull]

i find sitting back closing m eyes helps me relax my right arm hurts at the bicep becuse im sat on a dodgyy seet in my bedroom i need some where bigger to play but every now and the sit back and look

[SE ´em all]

I´ve got the same type of guitar like you ( even it is strat-copy ......) and I got the same problems, everytime I played my biceps started to hurt immediately. So I went to see my doctor, but he didn´t know exactly what I had. Now, I´m not playing since two weeks or longer ............ but I hope I´ll be able to play in a short period.
My question is :
Does anyone have some warm-up lessons for me ?? Especially some for the right hand ?? Because I don´t know how to warm-up the wright way, how long, and how many repeats of one exercise ..............

:confused:

[GuitarLausing]

Regular exercize, dude... Like Zakk says, "Eat some steak and lift some weights, and you wont have a problem"

[forgottenking2]

Sadly enough when you lift weights you're not building the muscles that you use when playing, ANY kind of exercise is better than none (if you think about it, a healthier heart and arteries mean better blood flow and that reduces the strain caused by tension... you know, hipoxia, then swelling and all that... kinda like having menstrual cramps in your forearm <funny thing but it does happen>) but it's better if you do stretches and excercises that pinpoint the muscles you're gonna work on (don't over do them though or you'll do more harm than good) and always, always stretch before and after playing... the first time I saw the video Rock Discipline I thought of it of a bit extreme, but later I realized how important it is, it's kinda like a runner, i you don't stretch you'll tear your hamstrings (believe me I did that... ouch!)\

Once you have stretched and have gotten some blood moving stuff start with the actual warm up. A lot of young players don't realize this but SLOW (yes painfully slow... like whole notes at 60 bpm <I am not exagerating>) are extremely effective warm ups, try doing your faithful 1234 exercise (chromatic, 4 fingers in a row on each one of the strings) but use a lot of presure (remember how you were doing the first time you were trying to get that C chord to ring out?) again don't overdo it and don't press too hard, just hard enough to feel it. Use supportive fingering. By the time you reach the first string you'll really feel it, and you're giving you finger flexors (the muscles that you use when playing) quite a work out and the risk of rsi are null.

Just like with every work out: you should NOT feel pain, if it hurts, you're doing something wrong and need to stop. Once you're done with the exercise give your wrists a gentle stretch and you should be ready to start your practice session.

I hope this helps.

Regards,