Wrist pain

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Hi all 
Does anyone else suffer with wrist pain whilst playing barre chords, is there any thing I can do to get stop it from happening ??? 
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Comments

  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    Change the position of the guitar neck so that your wrist isn’t bent as much. Generally this means raising the neck. It also helps if you can bring it closer to your body, not stuck out in front like a Telecaster.

    Use thumb-over, especially at the bottom of the neck.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4158
    Apart from hand positioning I’d also check that you aren’t fretting too hard 
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  • I get this with slim necks - probably because I grip too hard when playing  :s
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  • Roland said:
    Change the position of the guitar neck so that your wrist isn’t bent as much. Generally this means raising the neck. It also helps if you can bring it closer to your body, not stuck out in front like a Telecaster.

    Use thumb-over, especially at the bottom of the neck.
    This.  Also, raising/lowering your elbow to facilitate a more comfortable position for the wrist.  A good exercise to see if you're squeezing too hard, and to see just how much/little pressure you really need to make a bar chord work is to make a bar chord like you usually do, then while slowly strumming it start relaxing your hand gradually until some of the notes start to mute.  Then apply pressure slowly until all the strings are ringing.  That's how much pressure you really need.  I used to substitute a moveable F in either a 4 string or 5 string configuration, leaving top one or two strings out for a verse or two to give my hand a rest, this can be an effective way to bring your volume down while someone else is taking a solo, or to add dynamics to a particular verse.

    “Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 733
    edited February 2020
    Try to keep the fretboard as vertical as possible, so there is less bend in the wrist.

    If you can't see the frets you are doing it right.



    From a Classical guitar player:

    "OK... while you're waiting... Here's the "bad news": When you are sitting correctly with no strain, you probably won't be able to SEE the front of the finger board! The face/front of the guitar should be aimed more toward the heads of your imaginary audience, not at the ceiling. (Try closing your eyes and letting your hands find the right angles) Once you make that huge leap of faith, to trust your hand(s), your wrist(s) will straighten out and the line from your fingers, through the back of your hand and straight through your elbow will be almost straight and very relaxed (as if you had a little weight hang from the tip of your elbow)... the weight of your relaxed forearm will help provide most of fretting "pressure" just by gravity. If you need to peek at your left hand, lean your head forward a bit, but try to keep the back of your hand/wrist relaxed and nearly straight when your are in a neutral fretting position. Obviously, your wrist will flex, bend, and rotate as you move to different chord positions and stretches, but the basic "neutral' position should feel very relaxed, with your shoulders relaxed. Also be sure to fret as close to the frets as possible instead of half way between the two frets... it takes a lot less pressure to get a clean sound."

    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 733
    Try to keep the wrist straight. like Classical guitarists.

    IMO, this is good:



    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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