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estebanana -> RE: Posture woes (injured again) (Mar. 24 2016 1:18:48)
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How thick is the neck of your guitar? You might benefit from a thicker neck. Most people think that thiner necks are easier to play and it is a matter of personal preference. However an individuals hand mechanics play a part. If the neck is too thin for you you may be over reaching with the thumb.
For some players a girthyer neck means less clamping and reach with the thumb to pull the strings down. The thin neck thing comes out of electric playing, which is a different animal altogether and strings are not as hard to pull to the board. On a classical or flamenco, the thin neck might seem like the solution to difficult to handle string tension, but in fact the hand has more strength before the thumb is hyper extended to the fingers and palm. We have opposable thumbs, but we do not grab an apple by arching the thumb backwards, the most power in the grip comes from the thumb being bend inward at the joints and before the thumb touches the palm.
When we pull the strings to the guitar fingerboard we back arch the thumb a tiny bit, this is not how we power grip a stick, spear or apple. So thinner necks encourage a back arched thumb and if too thin force the thumb to extend towards the palm so far that it goes to the point of diminishing returns on hand strength. So thin necks appear easier to play, but some hands are better or stronger with a slightly thicker neck.
Something to perhaps investigate.
You can mock up a thing to increase neck thickness. A swath of cardboard corregated regular box cardboard 1/8" thick. Cut a piece 2" wide by 9" long ad use light tack masking tape to tape it to the back of the guitars neck where your thumb engages the neck. You know, like the lower 2/3rds of the neck.
Kind of mold it into a hollow D shaped thing with your fingers and tape it on. It will not be perfect, but usually about the thickness of cardboard will be enogh for you to feel a difference in thumb excursion, or the distance the thumb must travel to apply pressure. But remember there is squeezing and pulling, The hand/arm natural fall also bears down into the string.
If you put your arm out in front of you at shoulder height and then just let it drop to your side there is energy there in the drop. Imagine that energy and free fall pulling the string to the fingerboard.
Hold your right arm across your chest and touch the tip of the middle finger to your left collar bone. Reach for your right wrist with your left hand and engage it like it is the guitar neck. take a breathe, let it out and let the left arm and finger tips fall into the "neck" made by right wrist. This is pulling the strings to the fingerboard. Look Ma, no thumbs!
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You also might want to just try the Abel Carlevaro sitting position. And you kids might be into it too if they are tall or getting taller. The Carlevaro position is EXCELLENT for cellists who are tall and lanky. The same position for cellists is explained in Victor Sazer's book "New Directions in Cello Playing" you can find it in many public libraries. and the Abel Carlevaro sitting may not look very flamenco and uses a foot stool, but it might be something to try out. It is more dynamic than Paco sitting and better for your back. Sazer's book is for cellists, but how he examines balancing the instrument might give you some good ideas about solving you balance problem with guitar.
I am very pleased to hear your kids are studying the cello and that you can give that to them. That is wonderful. A bit disturbing to hear the teacher is not fully engaged in the analysis of hand tension issues!
Tell your children to breathe when they shift. Bringing the breath into the playing, that really helps over the long haul. BTW do you by chance hold your breath when you play?
Wow, if a teacher is not minding childeren's left hand tightness problems they might not be so wonderful. Just saying. Look up Irene Sharp and Margaret Rowells' ideas about teaching kids. Let me know by PM if you want more information about left hand problems and cello playing, I went through it. The problem began cause my first teacher allowed me to continue to play with a death grippy left hand for a long time. As an early teen, if I had met teacher who fixed the issue in a few minutes, I might have become a cellist. By the time I founder her I was already to old to continue in college as a cello major.
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