Guitar Bar Chords and Sore Hand Muscles

My books and DVDs focus on music theory for guitar but I frequently get emails from guitar players complaining about sore hands, especially when fretting barre chords. If you're experiencing muscle or joint pain while playing guitar, then I suggest that you find other ways to fret and play things so that your muscles are not being stressed the same way all the time.

For example, I sometimes play barre chords by wrapping my thumb around the neck (Jimi Hendrix style).


This puts my wrist and hand in a totally different position. I find it a relief especially after playing barre chords in the traditional manner for several minutes. When my hand tires I switch back. I couldn't make it through some songs without doing this.



Little tricks like this can help give some parts of your hand a break while you use other parts. Learning how to avoid situations where your hand endures pressure for too long in one place is critical to building your endurance and playing pain free.

Play Until Yer Fingers Bleed!
Mr. Desi Serna
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