Does this happen to you?

[davidg3333]

I usually do most of my practicing at night so I won't be disturbed. I usually wrap up around 10:30 or 11:00 when I go to bed after about 30 to 50 minutes of practice. I've been finding that my left hand remains curved all night and sorta resembles a claw the next morning. This is the hand I use to fret the neck.

 

I don't recall this happening before. Does this happen to anyone else? Is part of old fart's disease?

[matiac]

Back when I was working on a scallop boat, we would have to sleep with the shucking knife in our hands, or else they would cramp up, and you couldn't open them for nothing. We called it "the grip", and it was all the tendons in your hand contracting to the point where it was painful to open your hand. After about a week out, your hand would relax enough to where you didn't have to sleep with the knife. I would suggest relaxing your hand a bit, and try not to strangle your guitar when your playing it.

[RobinTheHood]

Nope. I'm not quite and old fart yet. I did fracture my forearm a while back. It made playing for more than 10 minutes quite miserable. I could feel it all the way to my hand. I would wake up in the middle of the night in agonizing pain. I played for hours anyway...just in 10 or 15 minute intervals.

 

I'm no medical expert...actually I have no clue at all. But maybe some finger/hand stretches might help?

[matiac]

Dude, you have "the grip". It's just a really bad form of tendonitis, and it does hurt quite a bit from memory.

[stan 58]

Back when I was a teenager my hand got stuck in a banana position, ahh, never mind. Stan.

[RobinTheHood]

Back when I was working on a scallop boat' date=' we would have to sleep with the shucking knife in our hands, or else they would cramp up, and you couldn't open them for nothing. We called it "the grip", and it was all the tendons in your hand contracting to the point where it was painful to open your hand. After about a week out, your hand would relax enough to where you didn't have to sleep with the knife. I would suggest relaxing your hand a bit, and try not to strangle your guitar when your playing it.[/quote']

 

Oh yeah...The guitar death grip. I havent done that since I trained my thumb to stay on the back of the neck. Proper finger etiquette is key. I get that with my other hand now as I hold on to my pick for dear life!

[vincolo1]

Back when I was working on a scallop boat' date=' we would have to sleep with the shucking knife in our hands, or else they would cramp up, and you couldn't open them for nothing. We called it "the grip", and it was all the tendons in your hand contracting to the point where it was painful to open your hand. After about a week out, your hand would relax enough to where you didn't have to sleep with the knife. I would suggest relaxing your hand a bit, and try not to strangle your guitar when your playing it.[/quote']

 

good lord, never heard of that....hope you never had to scratch your balls while sleeping with a knife in your hand.

 

did have forearm cramps one time at band camp.....

[davidg3333]

I am hoping it isn't Dupuytrens contracture. Evidently two of my brothers have this. Three of us left to go...

 

I find I do more barre chords lately so perhaps that is contributing to 'the grip'. I usually have my thumb behind the neck rather than wrapped over it, a left over from classical guitar training. I wonder if this isn't contributing since it increases the vice effect. I also do a lot of hammers.

[matiac]

 

good lord' date=' never heard of that....hope you never had to scratch your balls while sleeping with a knife in your hand.

 

did have forearm cramps one time at band camp.....[/quote']

 

There's a lot of stuff you hope you don't have to do when you're stuck on a 90 foot boat for 3 1/2 weeks with the same 9 guys, yes I did kiss the dock every time upon arrival at port. I lasted 3 years on that skow, quite a few days walking out on deck saying to myself, "we're gonna die today."

[vincolo1]

 

There's a lot of stuff you hope you don't have to do when you're stuck on a 90 foot boat for 3 1/2 weeks with the same 9 guys' date=' yes I did kiss the dock every time upon arrival at port. I lasted 3 years on that skow, quite a few days walking out on deck saying to myself, "we're gonna die today." [/quote']

 

Glad for guys like you, I couldn't do it.

[RobinTheHood]

Barre chords can be very painful. I still suggest some finger stretches and possibly a doctors appointment.

[matiac]

The money was fantastic though. Making 4 and a half grand for 3 weeks work, emphasis on work. 8 hours on, 4 hours off, for a 3/4 share, which wasn't bad for a deck ape.

[Ron G]

Maybe you should try practicing not so close to bedtime, so your hand gets

a chance to relax before retiring.

[Suicidehummer]

 

Oh yeah...The guitar death grip. I havent done that since I trained my thumb to stay on the back of the neck. Proper finger etiquette is key. I get that with my other hand now as I hold on to my pick for dear life!

 

Sorry if this is going off topic a little, but does it really matter about the thumb? I've been told you're not supposed to, but I see Slash and Angus Young doing it. Why is this wrong?

[carverman]

 

Sorry if this is going off topic a little' date=' but does it really matter about the thumb? I've been told you're not supposed to, but I see Slash and Angus Young doing it. Why is this wrong?[/quote']

 

Well to answer your question, there are two schools of thought on this. Purists,

such as classical and jazz guitarists, generally as a rule, don't hook their thumb

over the neck in the "death grip fashion", as the hooked thumb will slow you down when

changing chord positions and make scale runs very difficult..try it and see what

I mean. Putting the thumb on the back of the neck around the middle of the neck or even

more towards the top of the neck, will release the other 4 fingers from the clench

position and allow the fingers to be free-er.

 

However, there are a lot of country style players that do like to hook the thumb

and if they not changing chords very much.. C/F/G7 etc, at the first to 3rd fret, then

it probably doesn't make too much difference in their style of playing, but they are

comfortable that way.

[Suicidehummer]

 

Well to answer your question' date=' there are two schools of thought on this. Purists,

such as classical and jazz guitarists, generally as a rule, don't hook their thumb

over the neck in the "death grip fashion", as the hooked thumb will slow you down when

changing chord positions and make scale runs very difficult..try it and see what

I mean. Putting the thumb on the back of the neck around the middle of the neck or even

more towards the top of the neck, will release the other 4 fingers from the clench

position and allow the fingers to be free-er.

 

However, there are a lot of country style players that do like to hook the thumb

and if they not changing chords very much.. C/F/G7 etc, at the first to 3rd fret, then

it probably doesn't make too much difference in their style of playing, but they are

comfortable that way. [/quote']

 

I only put my thumb behind when I'm not doing open chords (I don't know what those chords are called, "Closed"?).

 

I sometimes use my thumb to mute the lower strings when I'm playing an open D chord.

[RobinTheHood]

It frees up your hand to give you better mobility. Technically, your thumb is supposed to line up with your middle finger, I believe. Mine seems to line up more with my index finger. It also lightens your grip on the neck. Again, better mobility. It's not uncommon to wrap your thumb around the neck on open chords. I still do this if I'm not paying attention.

[Dave]

You get extended finger length as well as mobility when you drop the thumb behind the neck. I tend to move back and forth and usually stay on the upper half of the back of the neck. Sometime I use the choke hold.

 

Classical guitar players learn in a strange sitting position with the guitar on the left knee and the neck at a 45 degree angle. It's hard to dance around a stage with the thumb "properly" positioned on the neck. Heck, grabbing the neck in a choke hold is sometimes what keeps the guitar from hitting the floor. And, you can't do one of those "shake the neck and vibrato a note" things with your thumb on the center of the neck (grin).

[davidg3333]

Classical guitar players sit when they play. Having your foot propped up helps add a three point bracing to the guitar to keep it in a stable position. It also helps keep the hand and thumb properly positioned on the guitar's neck. Another advantage was keeping your arm away from your body. My foot would always fall asleep.

 

I don't want to take a hiatus from practicing but I may have to. Before doing that I will act on the suggestion of stopping my practice sessions earlier and then doing some stretching exercises.

[snookelputz]

Folk guitarist Richie Havens has such large hands he uses his thumb to play the lower strings up over the top of the fretboard. Never saw anything else like it - check this out.

 

[davidg3333]

Jimi used his thumb a lot when playing.

[Stevie Nazarenie]

jimi hendrix used his thumb for bassnotes on the 6th string as seen on the woodstock video. it wasn't long later he died. lets hope it's not a fatal affliction.