Pain due to inadequate guitar or wrong technique?

Papablo_CP

Thank you everybody for your answers, I really appreciate it, I will record a video and I'll link it here as soon as I get WiFi (I recently moved) what angle should I place the camera on?

Jazzaferri wrote: »

Go here http://musicianshealth.com/ and learn about the stretches and warmups that will prevent RSI

Thank you for the info! Yes I was thinking that It might lack of preparation before playing as well, I'll try that too

NylonDave wrote: »

Playing through tension is what causes pain.

I know, however I was thinking that because of the structure of the guitar I might be applying unnecessary tension, I already know how to play relaxed with the fretting hand because of my classical education, and I thought it could be the picking technique plus the low guitar action, I tried what @Dennis said of extending my arm and let the wrist fall relaxed, but that position doesn't work on the guitar by the fact I don't get to reach the strings, so I'm breaking the angle more than that, I might have to try positioning my arm differently.

I'll definitely try the mirror thing! I've hears that one before and never tried it, Thank you! Everyone

Bones

Hey Pap, do you have any issues with your hands or arms not related to playing music? Like carpel tunnel from too much work at the keyboard? I have lots of issues already with my joints like tendinitis and arthritis but I never get any pain like you describe in my picking hand. I think you must be creating the problem with some other activity (physical work like construction or landscaping, sports, etc.) and it is manifesting in tension/stiffness in your picking hand??? Watch your other activities but if nothing there then maybe you just have a LOT of tension in your picking arm. It needs to be totally relaxed. Try practicing slowly and with good technique and stay loose and see if that clears it up.

Papablo_CP

Well @Bones I used to play the piano before getting into guitar, and my wrists used to hurt back then when I had been playing for hours.

Now, somehow everytime I lean on my hands, with the palm downwards (on the surface), and my arm is making a 90° Angle with the upper part of my hand, it hurts in my wrist, both wrists, I don't know what that could be or how did I get that, but it only hurts when do as I said, for the rest, I feel nothing out of normal, only when I lean on them.


EDIT: As a teenager I don't do anything else than studying and playing music lol so I don't think my pain could be from something else.

(Btw, my name is Pablo, "Papablo" was the nickname given by some of my friends xD)

pdg

You definitely should not play through the pain. You probably should have the pain diagnosed to see what is physically causing it, since that would help you learn what it is about your technique that is harmful. (E.g., if it's carpal tunnel syndrome, you're maybe bending your wrist too much.)
Digging in too much with your pick and playing with much force could be a problem. Maybe start with a rather large and thick pick, hold the pick loosely, thumb relaxed (no bend in thumb tip joint) and play quietly. Then gradually increase volume, maybe decrease pick size and thickness if you want. Try to get a little motion with the pick before each stroke, so that there is almost no muscle tension by the time the pick strikes the string -- i.e., "lob" your hand and the pick to each note, instead of pushing the pick through each note.

Buco

Papablo_CP wrote: »

Now, somehow everytime I lean on my hands, with the palm downwards (on the surface), and my arm is making a 90° Angle with the upper part of my hand, it hurts in my wrist, both wrists, I don't know what that could be or how did I get that, but it only hurts when do as I said, for the rest, I feel nothing out of normal, only when I lean on them.

To me that's sounding like something has been going on for a while that putting your wrist in Gypsy jazz picking position is aggravating but not causing.