soreness & bar chords

[everlastingvoid]

this is really embarrasing but i guess i have to admit it or else ill never correct it.

but ive been playing guitar for about two years now, and i STILL have a hard time playing bar chords!!! Im pretty good with what i can play and i can move fast, nail the positions and all BUT my damn hand and wrist just gets so tired and sore really quickly!
sometimes if a whole song is bar positions with no relief, i cant even make it through without feeling a great amount of pain or pressure. i dont hang my guitar real low. and in fact ive tried real high and lower than usual just to see.

can anyone help me out on this?

[Yorik]

I suffer from something similar. I got tendonitis from it, which resulted in me not being to play guitar for nearly a month, due to incredible pain.

I also have no idea how to stop this problem.

So I too would like to hear any advice.

[FuzzFan]

I used to have that, but I played through the pain!!!
You just need to strengthen your hands throgh more playing
Drinking before playing helps with pain too

[idm13]

Okay guys...try this. I am going to assume (I know...never assume), but I am going to assume that you are squeezing with your fretting hand. Squeezing is bad. You should not need to squeeze to make a chord. Chording should be more like a pulling motion.

An easy way to work on it is to start by chording without your thumb. No thumb...no squeeze. I know that this is an over exaggeration, and not useable live...but for training purposes try it. Go through songs you know so that you don't have to think to much.

If you are sitting...pull the guitar into your chest. With the feeling like if you were going to crack it in half. Your picking arm should also pull to counter the pulling of your fretting hand.

If you are standing...work with your strap so that the guitar is slung a little more in your body that way you have something to pull against.

Once you have worked without your thumb for a while, start playing with your thumb again. Remember your thumb is a guide. It is not something to squeeze against.

Remember for practice over exaggerate by not playing with your thumb. Your forearm muscles shouldn't really be used to chord. It shouldn't feel like you are wrenching the neck when you play. No tention from squeezing.

Give it a shot. That is the method I use with my students when we get to bar chords. You should actually see an improvement in your entire playing. Scales, riffs, licks...everything. No squeezing means no friction.

Good luck.

[idm13]

Oh yeah...one more thing. Pain is bad. There is a difference between pain and discomfort. Many a guitarist can not play any more because they hurt themselves because they played through the pain. Good posture...good fretting technique...good picking technique...these are not just ideas of speed and coolness...they are essential for good guitar health. We all want to be playing when we are old and crusty.

[VillageIdiot]

Wow, cheers dude.

I busted out the gat in the computer room, and its not as hard as it looks.

I'm gonna practice without a thumb all the time.

[mustangman]

it might not be your hand or wrist position, but the amount of pressure , youre applying

YOU DONT HAVE TO PRESS HARD TO GET CLEAN BARRE CHORD SOUNDS

considering the action on your guitar isnt an inch high, you should be able to play without the soreness with only minimal pressure