osteoarthritis

Any tips on how to practice developing a light touch on the strings?

easy. rest your finger lightly on the string. pick 8th notes with your right hand. gradually increase the pressure with your left hand finger until the note rings without buzzing. slowly release the pressure. rinse and repeat. you'll be amazed at how much pressure is actually required to make the note ring clean. when you play, check yourself occasionally to make sure you haven't slipped back into old habits.
 
Any tips on how to practice developing a light touch on the strings?
easy. rest your finger lightly on the string. pick 8th notes with your right hand. gradually increase the pressure with your left hand finger until the note rings without buzzing. slowly release the pressure. rinse and repeat. you'll be amazed at how much pressure is actually required to make the note ring clean. when you play, check yourself occasionally to make sure you haven't slipped back into old habits.

The hardest part for me was not changing my picking pressure when fretting softer. I also practice fretting and picking independently. I practice to a metronome or looped drum beat and do chromatic hammer-ons and pull-offs with as little pressure as possible without picking. I then mute the strings with my fretting hand to keep the strings quiet, and practice picking 1/4, 8th, triplet, 16th and 32nd notes up and down the strings with different picking pressures. I then practice with both hands keeping a consistent soft fretting pressure while increasing and decreasing my picking pressure, so I can still play dynamically while saving my fretting hand from pain.

It takes a lot of practice and gets frustrating but pays off and is something all guitarists should practice. I also practice a similar technique with drums to keep my hands relaxed while holding drumsticks but still controlling dynamics.
 
One thing that has help me a lot fit fretboard tension is legato. By legato I don't mean the Satriani kind of legato but the Tom Quayle, Holdsworth, Rick Graham, Marshall Harrison type of legato
 
When I was having a lot of neck/shoulder issues, I got turned on to a Feldenkrais practioner. It was like night and day for me. It's not like chiropractic at all. It's more like programming your body how to move correctly. Anyway, made a huge difference for me. I know it's hard to find people that do it in some parts of the country though.
 
Don't don't give up hope that you may not have hit the right combination of diet, supplements, treatments, lifestyle, etc.
We're in the lounge so it's OK if you want to talk about what you've done and to what extent.
 
I've had my hands swell up several times in the last few months so no longer able to play guitar trying things like acupuncture, supplements, diet, etc. just wondering what others in he forum may be doing to prolong their ability to play past 60...
I can't recommend going on a Keto diet enough. Getting rid of any form of grains has reduced inflammation in my joints to nothing. I am trimmer and fitter than I've been in the last 30 years and pain has left my body. I have to violate my basic edicts about not lifting anything heavy to get any back pain at all.
I was feeling pain in the joints in my hands and some tendonitis in my upper forearms. Gone. Just changing that diet.
 
I turn 43 next month too and was diagnosed with a herniated disc in my neck last year May 2019. I've been working in IT since 1999 and my doctors call my issue "Tech Neck" and have seen a lot more younger people with it because it's being caused by looking down at laptop and smartphone screens and probably in my case also from looking down at the fretboard. When my neck gets bad, it affects my arms and legs. My left arm usually goes numb first. I sometimes have to walk with a cane. I got a cane with a flash light and alarm sound, so I don't trip over dog toys and it scares our dogs and cats out of my way haha.

I now have to play guitars under 7lbs and play mostly Ibanez RG series guitars. I can no longer play any of my Les Paul style guitars or most of my bass guitars. :( I honestly really like Ibanez guitars now but used to hate them and thought they sounded lifeless. You can get a lot of different tones with the 5 way pickup selector and I really like the 4th position neck pickup in parallel mode. I had to re-learn how to use vibrato bc the Ibanez guitars are so light that the entire body moves along with my open hand wide vibrato technique and the reason I thought they sounded lifeless bc I couldn't get a wide vibrato. Heavier guitars stay put when I'd vibrato, so now I have to hold my thumb on top of the neck and only move the strings.

Here's a list of items that have really helped with my recovery. The Saunders Cervical Traction Device has helped the most and I bought a $5 Yoga mat to lay on when I use it. I use it at least once a day, especially if I start feeling pain and after 10 minutes set to 20lbs, I get all feeling back in my arms and legs and can start rockin out with my guitars and Axe-Fx out!

1. OTC Cervical Traction Kit, Neck Pain Relief, Vertebrae Disk Herniation, Complete Over Door Setup: Amazon product ASIN B000JNLT0I## This is cheaper and helps if you can't afford a Saunders Cervical Traction Device

2. Saunders Cervical Traction Device With Carrying Case: Amazon product ASIN B07XSTL6W3
3. urge medical Clever Cane with LED Light,Travel Adjustable Folding Walking Canes, Security Alarm, Two Cushion Handles: Amazon product ASIN B07LBJLL2S
4. Purple Hybrid 2" Mattress: https://purple.com/mattresses/hybrid

5. The Purple Pillow: https://purple.com/pillows/purple-pillow



I also had to do this and use Ernie Ball 2222 Nickel Hybrid Slinky Orange Electric Guitar Strings. If you decide to try these strings make sure you get the 2222 because there's another orange pack 2215 that has 10's on top and 11's on bottom. I accidently bought the 2215 once and really thought my guitar days were coming to an end until I realized my mistake haha.

You'll be amazed how much using less fretting pressure improves your playing and sound. It reduces fret buzz and intonation issues because the notes don't go sharp from fretting too hard.


Getting old sucks! :mad:

I have one of those door-hung cervical slings, and it does help.

I have to check out that pillow.
 
I can't recommend going on a Keto diet enough. Getting rid of any form of grains has reduced inflammation in my joints to nothing. I am trimmer and fitter than I've been in the last 30 years and pain has left my body. I have to violate my basic edicts about not lifting anything heavy to get any back pain at all.
I was feeling pain in the joints in my hands and some tendonitis in my upper forearms. Gone. Just changing that diet.
I appreciate your response, I have been reducing some items in my diet but perhaps I should go all in with something like this grains will be a huge next level for me.
 
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