Wrist Pain - Please Help!

Harry-Dippo

After many long nights of practice and various books including Michael's and Stephane's, I felt I have finally got a grasp on the gypsy style of picking. Fast licks are no longer a problem and phrasing is much easier.

However...recently I have found that despite my relaxed wrist, the underside starts to ache/hurt after playing for an hour+. The problem I have is that I am trying to keep it very relaxed but when trying to pull off a quick run or a roll, my wrist naturally tenses up. After doing 3 or 4 of these within a song or jam and after a bit of playing, I feel a certain amount of stiffness and pain. At first I thought that, due to it being mild pain, it was just my muscles getting used to the movement, now I'm thinking very differently

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Is it a case of learning gypsy picking starting from scratch once again :?

I want to try and sort this out once and for all!

Thanks,
Harry

Bob Holo

You're might be tensing up and pulling your wrist hard into an angle when you get up to speed. That happens a lot. Video your right hand through a full session so you forget you're being taped for long enough to see your bad habits surface. Your wrist really shouldn't be more than a maximum of say... 40 or 45 degrees and it should stay loose as if it was a pendulum hanging from your wrist.

If you're having problems tensing your right hand - go to school on Jimmy Rosenberg's right hand. He keeps it so loose - just gently bent - his hand actually looks like a pendulum. A lot of guys with tense hands will make a fist when they play at speed but his hand is so loose he doesn't even tuck his fingers in - they just stick out & flop around even when he plays fast. Hell, I bet his fingers even lend inertia to his swinging hand. If so, it probably helps him play more evenly at speed... which he certainly does.

Here he is playing ridiculously fast with a lot of power... and yet he is still loose... stellar form. Figure out how to do that and I bet your wrist pain will go away.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1199799/j ... gia_brown/

Harry-Dippo

Thanks for the reply
I am a great fan of Jimmy's playing and will have a closer look at his picking technique as he is the master of fast picking! I like the videoing of my hand idea and may while give this a try in the next few days and post back the results. The pain is holding me back from moving on/practicing properly.

Could it also be the fact that I am playing for large amounts of time (intensely for 3 hours a day, often in a jam situation?)

Just a thought.

Jazzaferri

Try giving yourself a complete break to heal what damage has started. Then start in again but take time to build up to speed and use technique that doesn't re-injure whatever part is telling you it has a problem :shock:

I doubt it is relearning completely just a minor change. If you have to consciously think about relaxing while playing the moment you are thinking of something else you are likely not relaxed more often than you think

EmmettRay

It'e probably a combination of improper technique and too much practice. I had the same problem last summer after playing 18hrs a day at Django in June for a week and then Samois. It was my left wrist that hurt but I was also playing a very cheap Gitane with a super thin neck. You definitely need to rest your hands every so often. The right wrist should be loose though, and not tense at all. You have to learn to use gravity and let your hand fall and rest on the next string rather than force it. It takes years to develop proper picking technique, God knows I'm still trying. Keep studying youtube videos of the masters and you'll see how it's supposed to be done. Best of luck to you.

HotTinRoof

All excellent advice here. My two cents... Let it heal - stay away from the guitar for a few days then take a closer look at your right hand technique.

When I read a post like this I'm always curious if you guys are active outside of guitar playing? Do you go to the gym, enjoy sports, (tennis, throwing a ball, climbing, etc) I can see how this gypsy picking/strumming technique could be too much for a weak wrist/elbow/shoulder/back which don't get a workout (ie: strengthened) through other range of motions - like always running on perfectly flat pavement, the repetition is going to invite injury.

RKatz

This is tough advice:

STOP playing for a while, chill out, do something else, then slowly get back to playing slowly. If you have to stop playing for a week, a month, or two its better that developing chronic problems. You should also play new fast licks slowly for far longer than you might expect before you bring them up to speed, so be patient.

Good luck

Phil

Remember to stretch your wrist/hand and arm and neck muscles before each time you play or before doing any hand intensive or fine finger manipulation repetitive exercise; just like you would stretch out your calf muscle prior to running a race; the hand,arm and neck muscles are no exception and a good 10mins of warm up prior to playing yer guitar may help considerably.
good luck
cheers
Phil

Harry-Dippo

Well thanks everyone for some excellent advice, im starting slowly to play again taking more time to develop speed rather than rushing into it and I can feel it is better already. Its also helping my phrasing as I'm thinking and taking time before I rip through a song.
Regards,
Harry

Jazzaferri

Check out musicianshealth.com for some good guitar specific stretches

paynej49

What you are describing is known as "carpal tunnel" and if you don't take care of it, your wrist can become seriously damaged.
My guitarist friend developed carpal tunnel from overpracticing.
Now he uses a sort of a "sock" which he puts over his wrist when he plays.
I've even seen him do this at his concerts when he performs.
The sock I've seen for sale at the local drug store and even some musical outlets.
Best bet would be to check with a good chiropractor.