Why if doing some hurts, stop doing it

[Mycroft]

An interesting article on the wear and tear on the human body that playing music causes. Given the average age of AGFers, worth paying attention to.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/04/10605...r-hidden-costs

[Mr. Jelly]

I learned the hard way many years ago when my wrist cramped up in the middle of a song in the middle of a show that If I wanted to be able to keep on making music I would need to physically play guitar in a sustainable way, for me. That is my first rule. Playing correctly is down the list somewhere. Or the music stops.

[tbeltrans]

Interesting article and thanks for posting the link.

In the early '80s, I attended the first Fingerstyle Festival put on by John Stropes at the U of Wisconsin Milwaukee campus. Among the fingerstyle artists that taught and performed over the course of that week, was Leo Kottke. In his seminar he talked at length about the problems he was having with his hands and wrists and what he was doing to be able to continue his career. He talked about getting away from the use of fingerpicks and he was studying with Joe Pass to gain a deeper sense of harmony for his own compositions.

Back then, I was really into Kottke's music and had been learning some of his tunes off the recordings since we didn't have TAB or any such learning aids. I was wearing a thumb pick and three metal fingerpicks just like Kottke. I would attend his concerts and watch his hands with binoculars and then go back stage to talk to him about guitar. So when he told us about his physical issues and especially emphasizing how fingerpicks allowed him to do things that ultimately helped damage his tendons, I stopped using them too and started learning to play with bare fingers as he was then doing.

These days, when an acoustic guitar gets to be too much for my hands, I now have a Telecaster that plays effortlessly and allows me to continue playing. My Telecaster is a recent purchase, an American Showcase that has a 12" radius so it is a comfortable switch from the acoustic. My acoustic guitars use light gauge strings and action as low as possible without buzzing.

My technique is similar to that of a classical guitarist, which seems much easier on my hands and wrists than having the neck parallel to the floor and my fingers on my picking hand touch only the strings. The idea is to put the least amount of strain possible on my hands and wrists. I try to be careful with my hands, taking frequent practice breaks and switching to the Tele as needed.

Tony

[s2y]

Musicians seldom value proper technique until something hurts. I was very fortunate to take classical guitar lessons during college when I was also learning a lot about anatomy and physiology.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

An interesting article on the wear and tear on the human body that playing music causes. Given the average age of AGFers, worth paying attention to.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/04/10605...r-hidden-costs

Interesting article. I certainly know what it is to battle osteoarthritis.

- Glenn

[Rogerblair]

I recently unloaded two guitars that caused my left hand (thumb and first finger) joints to ache after playing a short time. As much as I liked the guitars and wanted to “play through the pain” I realized that it just wasn’t going to happen. Not worth it.

Roger

[tbeltrans]

One more thing I will add to the discussion...

In the late 1970s, I worked full time as a musician six nights a week and travelling to the next gig on the 7th day for about 2 years. We had to play every night of those nights and it didn't matter if we were sick or not. I played while having the flu and various maladies that most "normal" people might take a sick day or two for.

You had one or more agents booking you and contracts to fulfill. The last thing you wanted was to develop a reputation of being "flaky" and not showing up for the gig.

It is a very different life as compared to the "weekend warrior" who gigs occasionally but has a day job. Though I am glad to have the experience and the choice to do it or not, I am more than glad to have gotten out while young enough to build another career.

It always seemed a luxury to me, after that work experience, to have a "normal" job with benefits such as vacation and sick days.

Tony

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

... It always seemed a luxury to me, after that work experience, to have a "normal" job with benefits such as vacation and sick days.

Tony

Yep... I had a similar experience, and when my family and I got out of the music business, I really appreciated the option of making a living in a more normal way, where if you were sick, you could take a day off to recover.

- Glenn

[Silly Moustache]

I can remember many many years ago a late night early morning drinking and picking session with friends when we were discussing which, if any musical instrument didn't have "some" effect on your body.

whilst our instruments were designed (by us) for being played by humans, humans weren't designed for playing instruments.

Brass and woodwind instruments cause damage to mouths and hands and backs, Drums certainly caused me issues back n my teens/20s.

But then what activity doesn't ?

Sports? No way! They have now foud a link between early onset dementia in footballers who head the ball, and Rugby is now being reviewed as having similar issues.

Even just keeping fit takes its toll, although possibly less that being sedentary.

Physical work? Wears out arms legs, hips back etc (My stepson 51 - is going to have an operation on his shoulder next week - caused (?) by his work as a groundsman and local race tracks.

It occurred to me that there is some holy book that says we are given "three score and ten" (if we are lucky) and old guys like me are simply out of warranty!

[tbeltrans]

Thinking on this a bit further, I am coming around to believe that we humans were designed to lay about in a nice hammock between two trees on a nice warm beach. If we had come with a user guide, it would have told us that and saved us a lot of trouble.

Tony

[tommieboy]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

....I am coming around to believe that we humans were designed to lay about in a nice hammock between two trees on a nice warm beach....

Still, some of us manage to fall out of those and end up in the ER. Makes for a good "fail" on Youtube.



Tommy

[tommieboy]

The classical guitar position might be easier on the wrists, but it is not uncommon for classical guitar players to develop lower back and hip issues no matter how correct their posture is.

Tommy

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by tommieboy

The classical guitar position might be easier on the wrists, but it is not uncommon for classical guitar players to develop lower back and hip issues no matter how correct their posture is.

Tommy

This is certainly true, especially when using a footstool. I never could get on with any of those contraptions, so I simply use a guitar strap. I never have back problems nor the cramps I would get in my leg with a foot stool.

Also, I can always have my guitar in the same position whether sitting or standing, which is certainly good for muscle memory.

I got the idea from attending a seminar by Steven King:

https://www.guitarbystevenking.net/

He talked a lot about the guitar and body health, and strongly advised the use of a strap. Good advice.

Tony

[Jamolay]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

This is certainly true, especially when using a footstool. I never could get on with any of those contraptions, so I simply use a guitar strap. I never have back problems nor the cramps I would get in my leg with a foot stool.

Also, I can always have my guitar in the same position whether sitting or standing, which is certainly good for muscle memory.

I got the idea from attending a seminar by Steven King:

https://www.guitarbystevenking.net/

He talked a lot about the guitar and body health, and strongly advised the use of a strap. Good advice.

Tony

I think I will revisit the strap. Thanks! My feet go numb on my stool.

[Mycroft]

So not just me...

A couple of remembrances spring to mind.

I've fngerpicked with bae flesh for years, but I found when I tried using a thumbpick it caused me pain in the base of the thumb, so I generally did not use one. Until I tried someones thumbpick that they had alters by shortening the shovel dramatically so that it barely stuck out past the flesh of the thumb. I found that I could play it in the position that my hands were already use to, without pain.

A friend had a fairly pricey and expensive custom build done. Sounded wonderful. Played great. But I could only play it for about 4-5 minutes before it would start hurting my hand. My fried does not like skinny neck guitars, and asked for a full neck. The culprit was that they shoulders of the back of the neck was too full, particularly with the 1 13/16" neck. Ultimately my friend agreed, and had the builder shave the shoulders of the neck,

My biggest concern when trying out my '43 Gibson Banner LG-2 was the huge neck, given that many Banners did not have a metal truss rod (Mine does) I played the guitar for about 3 hours at Dusty Strings sorting that one out.

A woman who was professionally a chiropractor was what a customer at my friend's guitar store advised, when I was having shoulder problems, the not always hold the guitar in the same way. Use different chairs at different times. Shift between legs. Don't always use a footrest, or use it under different feet. Motion is your friend.