My arm hurts

right, once again my right hand has let me down. A while ago i posted on my right hand technique and i eventually accepted that i must find my own technique and i did. Now i have another problem. Every time i am playing sitting or standing my right eventually becomes painful in the shoulder muslce area ( not near my neck , actually on my arm) It's like a tension/ pain. Can anyone help me or will i just smash my guitar off a wall?

guys, come on... i know your probably bored to death hearing about my right arm but im stuck. Man it's crappy replying to your own thread.

I don't know what to say just that the fingers on my fret hand aren't in the condition to play on the guitar right now :(

Plus there's like no one right now... I feel lonely

You're not the only one w/ a hurt arm. :(

Last week I managed to tear my bicep apart from my shoulder in my right arm. (Yep, it hurt!) Had surgery done on Friday to have it re-attached. I'll be off of work for 10 weeks. This has definitely put a cramp on my playing style! :o

I know that doesn't help ya much. If you're new to playing the guitar, it might be just a simple problem of training some of your muscles to do new things. Picking and strumming do involve using your right arm muscles in a manner that is very different from 'normal' usage. It'll probably get to feeling better with practice as time goes on.

Keep at it, and good luck! :)

Does the pain build gradually, perhaps as you build speed? or is it kinda sharp, like a small fire in your shoulder? Also, do you notice your right shoulder moving up toward you when you play, or your head leaning to the right?

Best idea I'd say is to go to a good guitar teacher, or an experienced player. Chances are that there is something slightly wrong with your body alignment and position when you play.

You could try to fix it yourself by feeling the pain, and then playing more slowly, being conscious of the pain and relaxing your shoulder until it subsides - it's probably general tension. A teacher or more experienced player could probably spot the problem straight away, but correcting a bad habit may take some time....

Good Luck.....

maybe you are right, i should see a teacher. It's just weird coz ive been playin for 4 years and this problem has never occured which makes me think that there is something wrong with my arm.

ok, let we think...
your arm hurts because of the muscles cant handle the stress, huh?
maybe you should work on your arm. weightlifting will make your muscles solid and tough...

so u can shorten your playing time, and work with weights till u feel stronger...

i will try that. My arm do resemble small sticks now that you mention it.

Originally Posted by: SpeckledJimi will try that. My arm do resemble small sticks now that you mention it.

some people thinkin "big arms are gettin slow and bulky"
but its nonsense, i work last year with weights, my hands r still sensitive as before but now i dont get tired easily...

and dont forget the nutrition in general. dont smoke when u playin, because u need oxygen for get rid off the lactic acids...
(they make pain in forced muscles...)
drink more water, so your joints and blood vessels gettin healty, and ready for playin long...

I'm only just above 'Spaghetti arms' in terms of physical size, and I don't have problems. I don't think being muscular would mean that you would play slower, but I do see it as largely irrelevant for guitar playing. I've done full days in studios and not had to stop... if you wanna be bigger, that's cool, but I'm not sure it'll make a difference to your problem.

If the problem is postural, lifting weights ain't going to help. Regardless of the weights decision, I'd still go get yourself checked out by an experienced player / doctor or whatever - otherwise you could be in for more pain... On the off chance that you've actually injured yourself, the weights could make it way worse (hopefully unlikely).

Originally Posted by: zreynoldsp Regardless of the weights decision, I'd still go get yourself checked out by an experienced player / doctor or whatever - otherwise you could be in for more pain... On the off chance that you've actually injured yourself, the weights could make it way worse (hopefully unlikely).

ur right man, it can be complicated. i just talkin from my xperiences...

I,ve been teaching for a couple of years now but I am seft taught. so you may want to take my advice with a grain of salt ( as I tell all my students)
What I feel is a major problem with guitar is that everyone is more concerned with looking cool classical style will releive alot of tension from your left arm
(assuming your right handed) and realizing that your wrist has more than enough range of motion to hit all six strings. If your waving your arm around let it be for show. I can play for ten hours (maybe stop for a piss and a smoke) and not feel any stran unless I'm standing up with a stap on and only then just my shoulder due to the uncommen weight of my favorite guitar.

I have had all kinds of arm/shoulder/wrist/neck problems. My experience is that regular exercise somehow makes the pain go away.

You don't have to go overboard, but doing something like weightlifting twice a week would be a big help. Keep it light. Your only goal in this kind of exercise is to be consistent about showing up every week. If you don't like weightlifting, yoga is good.

By the way, some of you know I had some real difficult carpal tunnel trouble recently. I found this split keyboard has made a huge difference:

http://www.safecomputing.com/goldtouch_split.html

Now I can play guitar for more than 10 minutes again!

Good luck, hope this info helps.

its probably to do with the position you're sitting in... so learn to sit better! :p

it might also be that the muscles in your arms aren't properly warmed up. try doing some stretches before you sit down and play. also, try shrugging your shoulders up and down a few times. its quite a good way to get your shoulder muscles moving (if i remember correctly)