Blog about common types of neck and back discomfort around the guitar, how to prevent them and how to deal with them.
Many guitarists suffer from neck and back pain when playing their guitars. This blog posts about common types of injuries, how to prevent them, and how to treat them.
Neck and back pain are common in guitar players. Music is a physically strenuous thing to play, and those who suffer from these ailments often don’t realize how easily the problems can be prevented.
There are so many problems associated with playing the guitar. Neck and back pain, stiffness and discomfort, numbness in hands and fingers, upper back pain and arm tension. All of these are caused by one thing—poor posture.
We have all seen guitarists and bassists with their guitars hoisted up to their chins. It may look cool, but it is a huge cause of discomfort. Guitars were designed to be played around waist level, not at chin level. The higher you hold the guitar, the more weight is placed on your spine which causes terrible strain in the long run. If you are experiencing neck or back pain while playing the guitar, try holding your instrument at waist level and see if that helps. If you can’t do that comfortably because you have a larger guitar (bass guitars), try a strap lock such as a Schaller straplock or an Ernie Ball Strap Lock System to lower the height of your instrument without having to deal with your strap slipping off.
I have personally experienced all of these issues before I learned how to play properly. Having your instrument too high will cause you to hunch over causing upper back pain, neck and shoulder discomfort, tension in your arms and wrists and sometimes even numbness from pinched
Hello. My name is Adam and I’m a guitar player and teacher. I’ve been playing for over 15 years now, and I still love the instrument today as much as the first day I picked it up.
Over the years, however, I’ve developed some neck pain that flares up from time to time. It’s not debilitating, but it is annoying. And it has also forced me to change my approach to practicing and playing, in order to avoid discomfort or injury.
That’s why I started this blog. To share what I’ve learned about how to stay healthy while playing the guitar! Here are some of the things you’ll find on my blog:
* Techniques for preventing neck stiffness and numbness in your left hand when fretting notes on the guitar neck (especially when using barre chords)
* How to play without pain even if you have arthritis or other back problems (or just don’t want them!)
* Tips on how best position yourself at the guitar so that you can play for longer periods without getting sore hands or wrists
If you’re interested in any of these topics then please read my blog posts below and subscribe via email – it’s free!
When you first start playing guitar, your fingers may get sore and the back of your neck might ache. There are ways to deal with that. But the pain can be a symptom of something more serious, and if it continues or gets worse you should see a doctor.
The most common cause of discomfort is poor posture. If you’re sitting up straight in a chair, as you should be, then your forearm should make a straight line from elbow to wrist to the bottom of the guitar neck (see Figure 1). If it doesn’t, then either your guitar is too big for you or (more likely) your thumb is in the wrong place.* Worse, some players curl their thumb over the top of the fingerboard — so that it points forward instead of toward the ceiling — which means they have to reach down to fret notes. That’s not only uncomfortable but also inefficient; it forces you to use your weaker pinkie finger more than necessary.
Playing while standing isn’t free of problems either. If your guitar is hanging by a strap, as it should be, then gravity will pull it down and away from you. That makes fretting harder (and causes some players to curve their thumb over the top of the neck). To compensate, you may find yourself
When it comes to guitar, we rarely consider the health of our neck. There are many reasons why we would want to take care of our necks. One, if our necks are not healthy, we will have a harder time playing and singing. Our necks carry a load of weight and stress when playing the guitar. If we do not take care of our necks, then there is more strain on the rest of our body, including our back, arms and head. Two, we should be taking care of our necks because they hold up one of the most important parts of our bodies: our heads.
The neck is a series of bones that connect and support your head. There are seven vertebrae in the neck (the cervical spine), which connect to and support your skull. The cervical spine has three curves (called lordosis): one in front and two at the side. These curves help your head balance properly on top of your shoulders. Neck pain is often caused by poor posture or injury.
Fretboard tutorials
So here are some links to some great fretboard tutorials. Some of these are ancient and still being used today, and others are new and developing.
The first link is to an excellent tutorial for beginners that starts with the simple basics and takes you to the advanced level. You can also see this tutorial on YouTube, or you can download it from my website or purchase it from Amazon.
I’ve included a few more great tutorials below, but I’ve listed them in no particular order. The last one is my personal favorite, but that’s just my opinion. Be sure to let me know if you find any of these videos helpful!
Another great resource for beginners is Paul Gilbert’s Essential Guitar Guide (PDF). This book was written by Paul himself and is highly recommended by many guitarists around the world. Paul has been teaching guitar since 1993, so he knows what he’s talking about!