hands get numb and tired

Hi. My hands get very tired after playing an entire song. Any way to overcome this problem?

Tired is normal. Numbness, not so much. I would stop playing and give my hands a rest before they got numb. Check your posture and hand positions to see if that might be causing the numbness. Make sure your hands are warm. I like to run them under warm/hot water for a bit and do light stretching both before and after. Other than that I just think it's repetition i.e. exercise that will build up your strength.

Originally Posted by: teh.engshen

Hi. My hands get very tired after playing an entire song. Any way to overcome this problem?

A) It's very likely you are trying to grip the neck to tight. It does not take an enormous amount of grip to make a string ring out clearly. Literally practice playing a chord with as light of a grip as possible. By overgripping, you are fatiguing your hand, wrist and forearm muscle and also pushing the blood back towards your heart and less blood getting to your hand. Thus the numbness. Lighten up the grip. Many, many guitarists wrestle with the idea that you need a firm grip. Nothing is farther from the truth.

B) Go back over the ergonomics module in Fundementals 1. Make sure that you have proper placement of the instrument. If you don't already, practice with a strap. I've done this for decades. It allows you to have the guitar hang in an optimal placement for you and be the most comfortable.