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Weak Picking Hand Trouble

4K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  Taylord 
#1 ·
Hey guys, sorry if this comes off as kind of a dumb question, but it's something thats been bothering me for a while and I was curious to see if anyone had something to say about it.

I stopped playing live with my band earlier this year, and for a while I've just been writing and recording at home. I'm usually just playing in small increments as I'm recording instead of playing through full songs. And with trying to play all the way through something, my picking hand gets tired and starts tensing up. I'm not really playing very demanding music but still simple and moderate down picking riffs are really hard for me. When I was playing with my band, at the time I wasn't really aware of having any problems, and that was probably more demanding music. I've been trying to take notice of my posture when I'm sitting and playing, and trying to make sure I have my right hand sitting comfortably. I got a couple guitar lessons, and have been trying to practice rhythm playing slowly and building my way up, but I'm not feeling like it's getting any easier and improving.

So I'm unsure kind of what I've been doing wrong. I feel like it's hard to troubleshoot earlier on because I don't think i've ever been aware of tensing up or having any problems with playing. I also just over think and worry about stuff a lot, so I'm starting to wonder if talking to a doctor about it is something that I should look into. If you have any insight into the issue I would greatly appreciate it.
 
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#3 ·
Wirelessly posted :)dio:)

What gauge strings and picks do you use? I need heavy picks and some tension on the low strings to really feel comfortable. Fighting pick slop tires my hand out.
 
#6 ·
I had this problem a little bit a while back. I wondered why I couldn't play the songs I have known for years as easy as I could before and for me it was a case of readjusting the angle of my pick attack.

The more angled your pick is, the less effort it takes for the pick to slide over the string.

My picking has always been different to the usual technique. I angle the pick the opposite way to most players. Sort of like Marty Friedman and Shawn Lane but after a while the angle of my pick started to become more parallel with the string and taking much more effort to hit the string but it felt natural to me because of how long I went without realising what I was doing. Then one day I realised what I was doing and reverted back to my old technique and it was almost instantaneous with the difference it made to the weakness in my wrist.

I'm not saying this is it but it's worth having a look into it.
 
#7 ·
So I'm unsure kind of what I've been doing wrong. I feel like it's hard to troubleshoot earlier on because I don't think i've ever been aware of tensing up or having any problems with playing. I also just over think and worry about stuff a lot, so I'm starting to wonder if talking to a doctor about it is something that I should look into. If you have any insight into the issue I would greatly appreciate it.
As long as it's just fatigue and not pain, there's no need to talk to a doctor.

As you're learning, playing somewhat technical, fast, tight, accurately picked parts for long periods of time is tiring, and is something you need to practice. A lot. It won't feel like you're making progress at first, but keep doing it, keep your hand loose, and over time you'll be able to play for longer and longer. There's no magic fix - you just need to spend some time with a metronome.
 
#8 ·
As Drew said as long as it's just fatigue and not pain you are alright and do not need to see a doctor.

One question, Is it your hand or your arm that's getting tired. Are you having difficulty holding on to the pic or are you just fatigued from picking itself?

Really it sounds like you just need to build up some endurance. Try to push your practice times a little longer, even if it means picking softer. NEVER under any circumstances however push yourself to the point of being sore or that after 20 min rest you aren't back at 100%.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the replies guys. The fatigue I guess is coming from my arm, and I'll try practicing more diligently with the metronome. Before I started using the black ice, I was using bigger and slightly thicker dunlops, which I guess could attribute to me having to play harder since the pick gives more. Maybe experimenting with different picks could help a little too, but it seems like maybe I'm just out of shape in a sense haha.
 
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