Tips for new petite players?

Hi everyone, I have been playing guitar now for about 6 weeks and I'm loving every minute of it. I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for how to play safely and comfortably, especially with my left hand/wrist. I have a very small frame and and struggling to reach the 6th string sometimes without hurting my wrist and it has started to hurt recently, especially at the base of my thumb. My shoulder and elbow ache after a while too. I know that's probably to be expected but I don't want to pick up bad habits or create any problems for myself going forward.

Don't hurt yourself. It may be fun to play, but the idea is that you are working on a skill that has the potential to keep you amused for the rest of your life. It is hard to do that if you injure yourself in the process. In my experience, if it hurts, stop and wait until you don't feel the pain. The way you describe you symptoms makes it sound like an over use issue. Rember everything is conected to everthing else. If something is sore your body attempts to compensate for the hinderance by work in ways that are not efficent. This can cause cascading pain in diffrent parts of your body.

As to the pain... Ibuprofen and ice can be helpful. Stretching before you play is helpful. But most importantly listening to what your pain is saying is the real key.

Have you looked at smaller guitars (this could be a big diffrence)? Have you studied how to hold the guitar? Do you use a strap? Sitting or Standing. Electic or accoustic guitar? All of this stuff matters.

Maybe try slowing down on the physical practice and watching some more vidieo lessons on these topics when you have pain. Pain can actually be your friend as long as you listen to it when it starts and take it easy until what ever is causing the pain subsides. The trick is to listen closely to what you body is telling you. Guitar should not cause you the pain you describe.

I have seen people video themselves and send it in to one of the instructors. They are adept at teaching guitar and your complaints sound like that could be a productive approach.

Rember music is supposed to be fun.

Originally Posted by: emm9277

very small frame and and struggling to reach the 6th string sometimes without hurting my wrist and it has started to hurt recently, especially at the base of my thumb. My shoulder and elbow ache after a while too.

Not too much info provided, so here are a few general tips.

What's normal starting out.

[br](i) Going at the new activity hard in the excitement. You know the answer to that. [u]Measure[/u].

(ii) Sore fingertips. [u]Rest as required[/u].

(iii Fumble fingers. [u]Time, application, repetition[/u]

(iv) 'This is harder than I thought'. [u]Adjust attitude in alignment with reality[/u].

What's not.

(i) Sore anything else. [u]Review to deterine why[/u].

[br]A few things you should review with a discerning eye.

1. [u]Petite[/u] = [u]especially[/u] make sure your guitar fits. Body size, neck (profile) & other characteristics. If you're petite, you probably won't enjoy a Dreadnought or Grand Auditorium body, heavy gauge strings, or thick chunky C neck. Note how most of the time in her instructional videos Lisa using an acoustic it's a Concert cutaway slimline, Concert or Parlour body size?

2. [u]Posture[/u]. Pretty much self-revealing. If you feel uncomfortable, it's probably wrong. Depends which type of guitar you're playing too. Electric or acoustic (Classical is entirely another discipline about which perspective tends to dogmatic), most of us play and practice sitting most of the time, particularly in the early days. Ensure your guitar body and neck is at or close to a right angle with your bodyline rather than leaning at an angle so you can see the neck. If you've watched Lisa's lessons, you already know hand and thumb placement. Using a guitar strap for support when sitting (I don't generally) can assist with neck, back or shoulder pain associated with posture or compensate for discomfort issues for guitars which are 'neck wrestlers' due poor balance (CG) or just an otherwise bad fit (characteristically [u]too big[/u] IME) which tends to push the headstock and thus neck and first position frets further way which then feels either awkward and/or uncomfortable if you don't have arms the length of the average orangutan.

3, [u]Back, shoulder, neck, arm, hand and finger muscle flexibility and strength[/u]. If you haven't used those muscles in your hand and fingers, neck, shoulders and back much for exercise before, varying with individual build, they're possibly going to get tender with repeated intensive use and stretching. It's like any unaccustomed exercise. Stretches, warm up first, easy does it initially, short periods of moderate intensity to build up gradually strength and endurance over time.

Bottom line. Same as any exercise activity. Listen to your body. Some initial [u]discomfort[/u] when starting our playing acoustic guitar with its higher action and heavier gauge steel strings is pretty normal, but if it develops into [u]chronic or acute pain[/u], rest, investigate & triage the most probable cause in your individual case.