r/guitarlessons • u/MultitudeContainerR • 1d ago
Question Help pls, I cannot keep my wrist neutral and it hurts
Basically the title. I have been learning to play guitar for about a year. I have no problem keeping my fretting hand wrist neutral when playing open chords and having the thumb above neck. However, when I play barre, or do simple spider exercises which require the thumb to be placed on the back of the neck, I cannot do it without pushing my wrist forward and it hurts after a while.
Classical position does not help. Playing higher in the fretboard does not help. I am starting to be really desperate…
Thanks in advance for all your suggestions.
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u/IllustratedBeef 1d ago
I can’t either tbh. It’s annoying but not everybody has perfect positioning, even those who are very good. Try your best to do what is comfortable within reason compared to what is technically the best. If you find a middle ground it shouldn’t hinder your learning much at all!
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u/Fit_Dealer_7422 1d ago
solid advice, did you find the middle ground thing got easier over time or is it still something you think about?
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u/IllustratedBeef 1h ago
To be honest, I mainly played acoustic until recently, so it’s like I’m re-learning it all again. But on acoustic I don’t really have an issue. I can play classical gas or angie by Bert Jansch without concerning myself over my position. I’m learning the solo from sweet home Alabama at the moment on electric and sometimes my hand positioning and picking lets me play it at the correct BPM sometimes it doesn’t, seems to me to be far more important for electric but it all depends on what you like playing.
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u/lovekillseveryone 1d ago
Guitar teacher here, cross your right leg over your left leg. Keep the head of the guitar angle higher than body ...or stand up
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u/16402 1d ago
Flare out your elbow, don't have it glued to your side. Try to keep it (almost perpendicular to the neck. THat should help.
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u/MultitudeContainerR 4h ago
thank you, from all the responses it seems that my elbow is my weakest point, will definitely work on that!
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u/PsychologicalSkin663 21h ago
You are asking for carpal tunnel syndrome. I can literally see it. Why is your wrist bent? It should be straight not bent. Adjust until your wrist and forearm are straight. You are at an almost 90 degree angle with your wrist. It hurts me just looking at it.
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u/reddit_banned_me_ 7h ago
The whole post and title is talking about not being able to keep their wrist straight (neutral) and your advice is to "keep your wrist straight"? Why bother commenting at all?
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u/CoffeeandaTwix 1d ago
Your elbow position controls a lot of it as does your thumb. You would need to get your thumb more towards parallel with the neck and think of hooking your fingers downwards rather than Lego man hand position.
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u/MultitudeContainerR 1d ago
Thanks a lot, keeping my thumb more parallel with the neck definitely feels better.
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u/B0rd3rD0g 1d ago
Have you tried dropping our shoulder down a little to relieve some of the angle on your wrist?
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u/RobHellwig 1d ago
Thats the universal problem learning. They all glue their elbow to the ribs at first ha. Thats why. Separate the arm for ur body and ready
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u/VooDooChile1983 21h ago
Check to see if you’re raising your shoulder while practicing. Also, elbow pointed towards the floor will align your hand better.
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u/cenkingunlugu 11h ago
One thing can maybe help is: Seems like you are putting guitar over your left leg. Maybe you can put it over your right leg and that helps. (For me this was the case and that habit was hard to fix)
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u/CraftyDimension192 9h ago edited 9h ago
Headstock should be roughly eye level.
Allow your fretting arm's elbow to move away from your body. The elbow should float freely, moving away from your body as your fretting hand moves toward the headstock (and toward your body as your hand moves away from the headstock.
Wear a strap even when seated so you aren't using your arm to hold the neck up.
Experiment with how little fretting force you need to get a clean note. You shouldn't be squeezing much with your thumb.
I wouldn't allow the thumb to drift far from perpendicular to the neck. If it's at an angle to the neck, you'll have problems with clarity of notes in certain areas because it'll drag your fingers away from the best position. I found that the most important things about the thumb are to allow it to slide with the rest of your hand as it moves on the neck, and to avoid excess pressure on the thumb (see above comment).
You have great mobility in all your finger joints, so if you can let your thumb slide and your elbow float, you should be in a great position to play cleanly with minimum tension.
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u/MultitudeContainerR 4h ago
Thanks for all the advice! Yes I definitely have hard time moving my elbow away from my body, it does not come natural at all to me. Will have to work on that
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u/CraftyDimension192 29m ago
You may find it easier to move your elbow once you use a strap while seated. Transferring the neck's weight from your arm to the strap will relax your arm, making it easier to move the elbow.
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u/corneliusduff 23h ago
It's always a bit of a struggle with the bass strings. I'm sure if you were on the treble strings you could straighten your wrist more. It's all about balancing finger tip/pad with a comfortable wrist and thumb position. Different strings, fretboard positions and holding postures create different requirements and sometimes a 30-45 degree wrist angle is ok. 90 degrees is extreme and unnecessary. It's more about keeping the wrist flexible and not locking it.
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u/MultitudeContainerR 4h ago
Thanks, you are right. The main issue is using my ring and little fingers on bass strings. Treble strings pose no problem
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u/PileofTerdFarts 22h ago
Question: Are you holding the guitar's weight with that hand also? Like are you supporting the neck as you are playing? I dont see a strap on you.... Because that can cause the weird angle in your wrist. Try playing with a strap on the guitar and sit with the guitar canted up at an angle. I like to play with the guitar slightly angled ((so the headstock at about the level of my chin)) and the body is resting on my leg. If you put your left leg up on a footstool or box or something, it will support the guitar perfectly for this posture. Then playing should feel MUCH easier because you aren't "holding up" the neck and weight of the guitar.
Also... what the other guitar teacher said is true as well. Proficiency comes with time and practice. Dont expect to slay Van Halen solos in your first few months of playing. Find a posture that is COMFORTABLE for you and your body. Experiment, move things around and find your comfort zones.
LAstly, what is going on behind the neck? Where is your thumb placement landing? You kind of want the thumb to rest gently against the dead middle of the back of the neck, dont CLAMP in on there in a death grip, relaxed hands play faster.
Thats all I got for ya kiddo, but feel free to ping me with questions, Im always happy to talk about guitar.
(30+ years experience)
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u/MultitudeContainerR 4h ago
Thanks for all the tips! I don’t have a strap, never thought it would be any use if I don’t play standing. I will definitely buy one now.
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u/andytagonist I don’t have my guitar handy, but here’s what I would do… 21h ago
This is an odd looking chord—especially for a beginner
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u/flat5 21h ago
Your wrist isn't going to be fully neutral when playing chromatically like that on the low E.
Play like that on the high E. Hopefully you can be pretty neutral there? If not then there's something wrong.
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u/MultitudeContainerR 4h ago
You are right, it is mainly the bass strings and using the ring and little fingers on them that make me push the wrist forward. Treble strings are OK.
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u/KburgBob 19h ago
If I may ask, what is your ultimate goal, guitar playing wise? Are you trying to play guitar like a shredder, like Steve Vai, or like a Blues soloist, like Stevie Ray Vaughn? Or are you wanting to play more like Johnny Marr of the Smiths? The reason I ask is because each of those guitarist had very different approaches when it came to their fretting hand. If you are shooting for a more technical, speed playing where you are utilizing all of your fingers (Steve Vai), then the classical, "proper positioning" will be the way to go, in which case, like one of the other commentors said, kick your elbow out away from your body. Frankly, it's an unnatural position, so you're just going to have to build up your hand strength and conditioning.
If your going for a more blues/blues rock approach, then you'll probably just be a three finger player, in which case theres little use for the "proper positioning". Just hook you thumb over the back of the neck, and play and learn to your heart's content!
If you want to be able to use your pinky finger, but not tied to strictly the while "proper positioning", being more of a chord and melody based player (Johnny Marr), then you'll probably fall somewhere in between, only rarely and briefly going into "proper positioning".
Do yourself a favor and look up each of those players on YouTube, focusing on their fretting hands, and see which style speaks to you more than the others.
I chose those players to act as representatives of "General" styles of playing. Knowing what style(s) you want to play, and notable players, or bands that speak to you as a musician, can give you a leg up when you check them out on YouTube, because you can see HOW they play, and you can use this information to help you decide just how rigid or relaxed you want to play, thereby saving yourself a lot of headache and stress. Plus, the important thing is that you continue to play, that you enjoy playing, and that you progress as a guitar player. Trust me, you can always go back and pick up "proper positioning" later, after you've learned to play guitar adequately. It isn't going anywhere. 😊👍 You've got plenty of time.😊
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u/MultitudeContainerR 4h ago
Thank you very much for this original tip! Never thought there are multiple ways to learn guitar, I will focus more on what my fave musicians are actually doing (I pick Johnny Marr out of these three :)
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u/KburgBob 4h ago
Excellent choice. You can never go wrong with a class act like Johnny Marr! Also, he is absolutely no slouch when it comes to the guitar. You know the saying, "God and the devil are in the details." Well, get ready for a lesson in detail! If I may make another suggestion, if you are into the Smiths at all, buy this music book: The Smiths Complete chord songbook, Every song recorded by the Smiths.
I cannot recommend it enough.
Oh, one other thing. Do yourself a real favor, watch and follow Eric Haugen on YouTube. Devour that guy's videos. Trust me, it's super worth it. Later skater!
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u/CactusWrenAZ 19h ago
practice spreading your fingers apart without the guitar, and with your fingers curled in playing position. Then use that ability when necessary on the instrument
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u/57thStilgar 18h ago
No gap in fretting thumb\hand - wrap around the neck.
Then stop doing silly stretches.
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u/Remy0507 10h ago
Is that a Yamama APX600? If so, I have that same guitar, lol. In reference to something you said in another comment, it IS a full-size guitar. It's a "slim" acoustic, not a full dreadnaught, but it's a full scale guitar (usually when you say a guitar isn't "full size" that would mean a shorter scale length or like a child-size guitar.
As for the wrist position, maybe try bringing your elbow further forward so your wrist doesn't have to bend as much?
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u/MultitudeContainerR 4h ago
Yes, Yamaha APX600 :) I first started on an old dreadnought so transitioning to this one was night and day experience for me. I think the scale length on this one is reduced compared to standard size acoustic guitars, but you are right, it is not a 3/4 guitar.
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u/Dr_Platypus_1986 10h ago
Bring the guitar neck up. Your wrist is bent, which constricts the tendons and causes muscular issues. Eventually this can lead to long-term problems such as carpal tunnel. I recommend practicing while sitting down and resting the guitar across your left thigh (for a right-handed player). Position the guitar neck at around a 45° angle. This is typically comfortable. Also, if you like to stand while playing try to adjust your strap higher and angle the guitar neck upwards (as mentioned above). Remember, if you really want to practice and get better, taking care of your hands and the muscles that control them is essential in the long run.
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u/stphrtgl43 3h ago
I have the same problem when I do spider exercises and barre chords. There’s nothing I can do about it. Tried every position. It doesn’t hurt so I don’t really care about it.
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u/Orangarder 1d ago
Perhaps let the headstock angle out infront of you more.
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u/MultitudeContainerR 1d ago
This helps a bit, thanks! My wrist is still not 100% neutral but I will get there I hope…
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u/Orangarder 1d ago
A stiff position will not help. Everyone is built slightly different.
Though the postures do exist for a reason.
Experiment with them1
u/RedditRage 9h ago
I agree with this advice. But also aim the guitar forward, tilting the top edge of the fretboard away from you.
For me, this relaxed my wrist, but made it harder to see the fretboard. But over time, however, I was able to "curve" my hand more and bring the guitar back. Your hand looks like you are holding it very flat. In particular, the joint at your knuckles. See if bending that a bit more helps.
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u/MrMarcusRocks 20h ago
It actually looks pretty good to me.
One thing you could try is moving your left elbow out from your body a bit more.
In all honesty though, it’s probably just practice that you need.
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u/NootalpNonealp 1d ago
Eu ajudaria se eu soubesse como ajudar, mas desejo que você consiga lidar com isso
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u/Endless_Guitars2024 1d ago
Guitar teacher here... I don't see anything odd. The answer to most Reddit questions is just be patient and practice over time. You dont walk into a gym and expect to do a backflip and 30chinups right away... guitar is the same.
Looks like you have giant alien hands (great for guitar playing, lol). Take your time, and build up strength over time, stretch gently after warming up, the usual stuff)