This video...particularly the "triangle" feels SO MUCH better than...trying to keep the guitar parallel to your body. My thumb really feels SO much better. Ty
Did you mean *perpendicular* to your body? Because I'm confused why would u ever have guitar "parallel " to your body? I just dont see how that would work. Nevertheless I'm glad to hear his techniques have helped your playing man! Keep jamming 🤘🤘🤘
Such an old Video Helped me miles better than recent ones ! iv had guys chatting about changing the frigging Chord voicings etc THAT WONT Fix my clamp issue and Fatigue This is the best example iv seen and i noticed an imediate improvment playing just by sitting different and not twisting my guitar to see the fret board
Hey mate! Till this time this is the cleanest and most detailed explanation in this category I've found on youtube! Thank you so much! You deserves much-much more views!
My left wrist and forearm were bothering me after practicing for a while. I made adjustments in the completely wrong direction and of course, it didn't help. Watched your video and made your recommended adjustments - no pain! Thank You so much.
wow! a real game changer for me, so many instructors say the guitar must be flat across the body, this gave me pain and cramping in the heel of my thumb and palm, this video has helped tremendously. Bravo!!
I cannot thank you enough for going in depth on the most simple thing, technique. We all need a mentor and technique is everything imo. I didn't have RUclips as a teen and this is great to know your experience is responsible for shaving off hardships. Many blessings to you brother
Thank you so very much for this video ! I’ve been playing for 50 years and this information you have provided is invaluable. I have already shared this video with my friends. Thank you again!
Great information. Been playing for 25 years and teaching for 11 years and de slouching is really becoming a problem. Always thought the pain was coming from my hands but its actually my posture.
DUDE! Finally. I literally spent hours trying to find a way that was comfortable to play but also 'correct'. Everything I found was cramping my fret hand. I just had to change the angle of the guitar father away from me and more up. Thanks!
I'll tell you after this video when I watched it over a year ago now pain free its true what you instructed I could not play no more I did not want surgery.after I watched and implemented this the instructions pain free. thank you now I'm a rocknroll star when I'm dreaming..Roland J Gutierrez from Magdalena New Mexico USA .
This was actually the 1st video I ever watched & I have had some of the things u have said hit me as I have been having these problems. But I am watching this one yet again too. This one was a help then & still is.
This is the most helpful video that I have found! Thank u so very much! I am suffering from that now. I made alot of mistakes & then learned them. Now I am experiencing pain & was about to quit. But thanks!!!! Now I don't have to
Thank you so so much for this video, my left wrist has been acting up recently and I couldn't get rid of the pain for days. Hopefully it will stop coming back once I switch to the right method!
Brilliant video. Will put into practice. Am currently suffering from thumb pain on the fretting side (am left-handed, so my right hand). Been playing for just over a year, but have fallen in love with this instrument and it's taken over my life! Haha. Anyway, really want to heal, am committed. I've had tendonitis, also in this thumb, so many times in my life, so it's nothing new unfortunately, but this is the current hurdle and challenge. Thanks. So far the best video I've seen on this by far!
Thanks! I hope it helps. I have more videos on my channel you may want to checkout, concerning ergonomics. One in particular is called Getting Control of Your Fretting Hand. As the name suggests, I go into more detail about how to use the fret hand so playing is less painful. Good luck!
So glad I found your video. I have been struggling with bending my wrist around the neck, but your guitar positioning explanations make perfect sense. Thanks
I practice and play standing up, though some of your tips still apply. I think it's equally important to mentally recognize, then purposely release tension; as playing difficult things makes the body (especially hands/wrists) over tighten muscles. Relaxing them continuously really helps me stay comfortable.
This approach immediately resolved major forearm/wrist tension for me. Many thanks! Rotating the neck of the guitar away from the body was a particularly useful insight.
I'll tell ya...this is such a good video that I have watched it more times than I can count since I found it. It's very very helpful...its my "go to" when I realize that I am back to my bad habits. Thank u K.O.!!!!!
Excellent video and channel; I just subscribed. I haven't watched the full video yet (I plan to, for sure!), so please excuse the premature comment. I do, in fact, have a severe hand issue - but it's in my picking hand. People may not expect this, but it has cut my chops down to about 50%- 60%. In my case, you have to factor in my age (69), and slowly developing arthritis. However, the most revealing piece of information I unearthed was my use of statins for the past 13 or 14 years. It's hard to know if they actually caused it, but they almost certainly pushed it over the edge. Good luck to you and all your viewers.
In the 60's when I started playing guitar, on into the 70's and even 80's nobody had hand problems from playing guitar ..... even from bad posture, and nobody had hand problems from typing on manual typewriters either. Only since computers have become mainstream and doctors started coining the term RSI 'repetitive stress injury' have I seen hand injuries in musicians become an epidemic. I was a studio musician in Los Angeles/Orange County, and have worked with MANY musicians over the years .. none who ever had RSI back then. The pioneering work of Dr. John Sarno M.D. of New York University Medical Center/Rusk institute of rehabilitation medicine, has written several books regarding his decades of clinical research regarding the mindbody connection and chronic pain conditions including those of so called 'RSI', and if you have come to this video because your hands hurt chronically from guitar playing, piano playing, etc., I highly recommend reading his books before giving in to defeat. Tension Myoneural Syndrome .. not your guitar playing .. may very well be the culprit, and there is a fix. P.S. Btw I'm not affiliated with them or any other doctors or rehab clinics, publishers, etc., just an aging musician who wants to help. Rock on 🎸
Literally just spent nearly two months healing from pinched nerve in my neck down into my arm from holding the guitar parallel to my body...been looking up videos for the last couple days as I prepare to start playing again and found this...game changer 👊🏾🎸🔥
Thanks man, I'm dealing with tendonitis right now, always had neck and back issues from playing guitar but this is the first injury I've had in my hand from playing, I'm going to do proper warm ups and take the advice you've given in this video in future.
Excellent! I’m a one week newbie playing. Two tips I enjoyed hearing. It’s not actually the finger tip, but the side of the finger tip. I was thinking I might be doing it wrong. The other tip I picked up- you are not pushing string into fret board, but into the fret itself. I think this will help me with finger positions. I have the D down, but the A is giving me fits! Thanks
Thank you! I started lessons three weeks ago but my instructor did not go over how to hold the guitar or pick and as a result developed pain in my left shoulder after the first week. Now I'm able to pick up the guitar once more and want to do it correctly. Great video
I hope this does the trick. I have a few more videos on this subject with more on the way so feel free to explore the channel. Keep an eye on that shoulder though. A lot of times the issue can be solved with ergonomics but if it persists, it could be something more serious.
Thanks Kevin. My problem is back of the fretting hand exhaustion after playing repetitive 12-bar rhythms and I think it is a mixture of bad posture and poor guitar position. I think I will start to think more about wearing a strap to keep the neck up and the guitar higher than just sitting on my lap. Your way of thinking that the guitar should fit our bodies not the other way around is a very positive attitude and I hope to at least improve my weariness in my fretting hand by doing some of our suggestions. Cheers
Hey Chris. I do hope this helps. 12-bar rhythms were always a problem for me too. Keep in mind that there may still be a conditioning period -- like marathon runners training for a while before they try to run the whole 26 miles -- it's OK if it still takes a while. However, with good technique, you should be able to see some improvement sooner rather than later. Good luck!
Hi Kevin. Thanks for the speedy reply. I think it might also be that I am getting on in age (60s) and it might just be an old age thing lol! Also, I read somewhere that my generation were suffering in old age from having used computer keyboards all our lives, which hasn't done the tendons in the lower arms any good. That said, I will take some of your good advice and try to improve my posture and guitar positioning and keep on practising. Thanks for the great video! Cheers. Chris
For the last couple of years I've been struggling with some overuse syndrom in my left forearm, especially with my thumb. Every professionnal I've seen was unable to tell me what was my problem and how to cure it. I feel that your lesson has some interresting effects on the force I need to apply on my guitar neck, I'll keep doing this for some months. I swear if this doesn't work on me I'll just ditch guitar forever.
This is the best video Ive seen about this!! Im at that 'learning all over again' stage.. I injured my left thumb really bad cause I used to push the back of the the neck 😩 Its been tough but actually worth it.. posture is everything, and def feels easier to play now
Thank you for the video. Best info I have found about correct sitting position. Hopefully this will sort the pain I get in the muscles at the back of my hand. Especially when playing power chord on the first fret using the low e string. Once again. Thanks.
yo. i was pulling the guitar flat to my belly, but now its taken a drastic Angus young unicorn position that is way more comfy. now for the tendinitis to subside so I actually can play again. thanx
Wow I don't think I've seen anyone showing how to hold a guitar at an angle! I see guitar videos with people who are sitting holding the guitar parallel across their body, but I've seen players curling their fingers which feels more natural anyway!
Where to begin! This is probably the most helpful well explained video on guitar technique I've seen in maybe my whole guitar playing career. I've looked at countless other videos trying to figure out why my palm was hurting so much. Changing the angle made every cord I was playing instantly easier and require less pressure from my palm or none at all to hold the chord. The awkward angle of holding the guitar parallel was forcing me to use my palm and very tips of my fingers like you explained. Now my fingers play the chords easier without resistance. On top of that I actually found my strumming hand to feel so much more natural giving me so much more accuracy with my picking. Thank you so much. This video needs so much more views. I've been playing guitar for ten years and no one's ever given me this pointer.
I hope it helps. Be sure to look at the other videos on my channel where I go more in depth about these subjects. Let me know if you have any questions and good luck!
Aside from needing to fix my posture, something that did help me a lot with thumb fatigue/pain was lowering string action a ton. My last guitar went almost a year without a truss rod, intonation, or action adjustment as I didn't know how to fix it, and it just went out of whack over time. Wasn't until I picked up my second guitar that I learned how to maintain it.
I believe that I have watched this AT LEAST 7x. You have an ability to teach this in a fashion thats so understandable & detailed. I find myself going back to the things that I did the 1st 2 years of playing though. Thats why I come back to this video ever so often. Thanks so much AGAIN for this video.
Very interesting video, thank you for sharing... I have been playing for 10 years and hit a rut with my physical ability a few years ago. Definitely seems like my posture and technique are the issue. Trying to play in the correct position, it feels great, but my goodness its almost like learning from the start all over again 😄
I am a beginner (about 2 months in) practicing an hour a day and my thumb has been in so much pain. I've watched several thumb/position videos and this was the one that helped me. Thank you!
Glad it helped. The other thing I might suggest since you're only two months in is to drop your practice time to about a half-hour for now. Make sure that you're not getting hit with muscle fatigue as well. If a half-hour is really easy and you have no pain, then play until it starts to hurt. Make a note of how long that was, back it off by 5 minutes and that's your new practice schedule. Keep at it and remember that almost every problem you encounter on the guitar will be mechanical and will have a solution. Good luck!
The first part of this video is just great advice for life!!! Thanks Kevin! Such a great explanation of why posture is important! Love it. Also, great video for posture with regards to guitar!
Best video I have seen on this often over looked issue. Been playing for two months and have bad posture and wrist pain. Will reset my style from today as this makes so much sense. Thank you!
Kevin O'Shaughnessy Thank you, that really helped, I was starting to worry about my hand, adjusting my guitar to fall on my hand was the trick, I need to work on my posture though, not easy when you are acostumed to slouch.
I just stumbled on this today. This REALLY helped me. I'm a beginner, 1 year and mostly practicing chords. The issue I have been struggling with is when playing a chord, I would be pulling the neck in slightly, when I would release to change chords, the neck would pop out causing me to grab it, pull it back in to play the next chord. This messed up everything: timing, muting the bottom string, forming the next chord shape, etc, etc. I think the issue is that I was holding the guitar parallel to my body rather than having the neck at the outward the angle discussed here. I tried the new posture today and it has already made a difference. So now it's time to unlearn old habits and make appropriate improvements and adjustments.
Hi David. Welcome to the community! I'm glad to hear this lesson has been helpful for you. I have plenty more on the channel--many of which focus on mechanical challenges we all have to deal with at some point or another. Feel free to have a look around and hit me up in the comments if you have any questions.
My biggest take-away from this video which I have found especially useful for bar cords: Push the strings into the metal of the fret (so at a bit of an angle) instead of pressing your index finger on the wood of the neck in a perpendicular fashion. Thanks for this lesson!
Very helpful Kevin! I have a lot of problems with a sore thumb of the fretting hand, because of pressing it much against the back of the guitar. Also I loose agility because of that. Have you a tip or an exercise to solve that problem for me please? Thanks for your great video and help here!
If you haven't done so already, I recommend you check out this video: ruclips.net/video/incUdhZigHA/видео.html. In it, I discuss the way the hand works and how you can work with that to make guitar playing more comfortable. It will take time but with consistent practice you should be able to relieve your sore thumb. Good luck!
that was pretty cool , thank you , i've been having these shit pains between my thumb and index finguer also the wrist , it sucks , now that you mentioned how to actually do it right and pick the right position with the right basics , i can understand it better. thank you.
Thanks. I'm glad you found it helpful. Any of the "pickslanting" videos focus on right hand technique. The terminology is borrowed from Troy Grady's show "Cracking the Code". His work is absolutely amazing in this field. My approach is to demonstrate how to adapt his observations to suit your own playing style. If you have specific questions, hit me up.
Hi Casey. I'm glad this is helping. If you haven't seen my video on left hand technique, start there. Here's the link: ruclips.net/video/incUdhZigHA/видео.html If that doesn't address your specific issues, leave a comment about it and I'll answer it in a new video. Barre chords do take time to develop so be patient. Good luck!
This video...particularly the "triangle" feels SO MUCH better than...trying to keep the guitar parallel to your body. My thumb really feels SO much better. Ty
Glad it's working for you!
Did you mean *perpendicular* to your body? Because I'm confused why would u ever have guitar "parallel " to your body? I just dont see how that would work.
Nevertheless I'm glad to hear his techniques have helped your playing man! Keep jamming 🤘🤘🤘
@@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar ur an amazing teacher im watching u now... I hope this helps.... Wish me luck🤞🤞🤞
So I get my wrist pain very quickly everytime I play because I always curl my wrist and hold the guitar too close to me. THANK YOU for this video!
Happy to help. Good luck!
I'm still having wrist pain.... Unable to rectify. Can you help?
Such an old Video Helped me miles better than recent ones ! iv had guys chatting about changing the frigging Chord voicings etc THAT WONT Fix my clamp issue and Fatigue This is the best example iv seen and i noticed an imediate improvment playing just by sitting different and not twisting my guitar to see the fret board
Hey mate! Till this time this is the cleanest and most detailed explanation in this category I've found on youtube! Thank you so much! You deserves much-much more views!
Thanks! I'm glad you like it. I hope it was helpful.
My left wrist and forearm were bothering me after practicing for a while. I made adjustments in the completely wrong direction and of course, it didn't help. Watched your video and made your recommended adjustments - no pain! Thank You so much.
wow! a real game changer for me, so many instructors say the guitar must be flat across the body, this gave me pain and cramping in the heel of my thumb and palm, this video has helped tremendously. Bravo!!
Glad it was helpful!
I cannot thank you enough for going in depth on the most simple thing, technique. We all need a mentor and technique is everything imo. I didn't have RUclips as a teen and this is great to know your experience is responsible for shaving off hardships. Many blessings to you brother
I'm glad you're finding it helpful.
Probably the only video that gave me clear instructions after watching hundreds of others.
Thank you so very much for this video ! I’ve been playing for 50 years and this information you have provided is invaluable. I have already shared this video with my friends. Thank you again!
Great information. Been playing for 25 years and teaching for 11 years and de slouching is really becoming a problem. Always thought the pain was coming from my hands but its actually my posture.
2021 . Still the best video !
Thanks buddy 🌻
DUDE! Finally. I literally spent hours trying to find a way that was comfortable to play but also 'correct'. Everything I found was cramping my fret hand. I just had to change the angle of the guitar father away from me and more up. Thanks!
Glad I could help! Be sure to check out my other videos where I go into more detail about the concepts I introduce here.
So helpful! elbow pain immediately reduced! thanks a bunch!
First day learning. Was cranking my wrist. Hurt instantly. This will help. Much appreciated.
Great - just coming to accoustic from classical guitar - a super tutorial - thanks again
Newbie player here. This video was very helpful to me. Thanks!
I'll tell you after this video when I watched it over a year ago now pain free its true what you instructed I could not play no more I did not want surgery.after I watched and implemented this the instructions pain free. thank you now I'm a rocknroll star when I'm dreaming..Roland J Gutierrez from Magdalena New Mexico USA
.
This was actually the 1st video I ever watched & I have had some of the things u have said hit me as I have been having these problems. But I am watching this one yet again too. This one was a help then & still is.
I'm so glad to hear it's helping.
This totally solved the problem in minutes!
incredibly helpful, my hand and myself appreciate you!
Great post! What works for me when I'm seated is the classical guitar style / foot stool method and classical posture including hand placement.
instant results man!!!....I could not fret quite amazingly but there has been huge improvement.... Thanks 😊
This is the most helpful video that I have found! Thank u so very much! I am suffering from that now. I made alot of mistakes & then learned them. Now I am experiencing pain & was about to quit. But thanks!!!! Now I don't have to
Best...video... ever....for explaining how to hold the guitar so you don’t hurt yourself!!! *hugs* THANK YOU
Thank you! Glad I could help.
Thanks so much, this was very helpful.
Thank you so so much for this video, my left wrist has been acting up recently and I couldn't get rid of the pain for days. Hopefully it will stop coming back once I switch to the right method!
Brilliant video. Will put into practice. Am currently suffering from thumb pain on the fretting side (am left-handed, so my right hand). Been playing for just over a year, but have fallen in love with this instrument and it's taken over my life! Haha. Anyway, really want to heal, am committed. I've had tendonitis, also in this thumb, so many times in my life, so it's nothing new unfortunately, but this is the current hurdle and challenge. Thanks. So far the best video I've seen on this by far!
Thanks! I hope it helps. I have more videos on my channel you may want to checkout, concerning ergonomics. One in particular is called Getting Control of Your Fretting Hand. As the name suggests, I go into more detail about how to use the fret hand so playing is less painful. Good luck!
So glad I found your video. I have been struggling with bending my wrist around the neck, but your guitar positioning explanations make perfect sense. Thanks
I practice and play standing up, though some of your tips still apply. I think it's equally important to mentally recognize, then purposely release tension; as playing difficult things makes the body (especially hands/wrists) over tighten muscles. Relaxing them continuously really helps me stay comfortable.
This approach immediately resolved major forearm/wrist tension for me. Many thanks! Rotating the neck of the guitar away from the body was a particularly useful insight.
Thankyou for helping me. Great detail in your explanation. Much appreciated as I was struggling.
ive been playing wrong for months, thank you so much
Yo Kevin Thank you so much ! I feel so relax now
I'll tell ya...this is such a good video that I have watched it more times than I can count since I found it. It's very very helpful...its my "go to" when I realize that I am back to my bad habits. Thank u K.O.!!!!!
This was so, so helpful. Thank you.
Excellent video and channel; I just subscribed. I haven't watched the full video yet (I plan to, for sure!), so please excuse the premature comment. I do, in fact, have a severe hand issue - but it's in my picking hand. People may not expect this, but it has cut my chops down to about 50%- 60%. In my case, you have to factor in my age (69), and slowly developing arthritis. However, the most revealing piece of information I unearthed was my use of statins for the past 13 or 14 years. It's hard to know if they actually caused it, but they almost certainly pushed it over the edge.
Good luck to you and all your viewers.
Thank you for this!
In the 60's when I started playing guitar, on into the 70's and even 80's nobody had hand problems from playing guitar ..... even from bad posture, and nobody had hand problems from typing on manual typewriters either. Only since computers have become mainstream and doctors started coining the term RSI 'repetitive stress injury' have I seen hand injuries in musicians become an epidemic. I was a studio musician in Los Angeles/Orange County, and have worked with MANY musicians over the years .. none who ever had RSI back then. The pioneering work of Dr. John Sarno M.D. of New York University Medical Center/Rusk institute of rehabilitation medicine, has written several books regarding his decades of clinical research regarding the mindbody connection and chronic pain conditions including those of so called 'RSI', and if you have come to this video because your hands hurt chronically from guitar playing, piano playing, etc., I highly recommend reading his books before giving in to defeat. Tension Myoneural Syndrome .. not your guitar playing .. may very well be the culprit, and there is a fix. P.S. Btw I'm not affiliated with them or any other doctors or rehab clinics, publishers, etc., just an aging musician who wants to help. Rock on 🎸
Sounds like an awesome resource. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for recommending it.
Literally just spent nearly two months healing from pinched nerve in my neck down into my arm from holding the guitar parallel to my body...been looking up videos for the last couple days as I prepare to start playing again and found this...game changer 👊🏾🎸🔥
I hope it helps. Feel free to drop any questions. Good luck!
Thank you
I must try your recommendations. I have a painful thumb joints.
Yeah, I hear that often. That probably comes from improper placement and too much pressure playing the notes. Hope this helps.
Thank Arceus for this video!
Holy crap tis is so simple I didn't even think about it. Bless you, man!
Don't feel bad. It took me 15 years of playing before I figured it out. :) I'm glad this is helpful.
Very helpful. thank you sir.
Thanks man, I'm dealing with tendonitis right now, always had neck and back issues from playing guitar but this is the first injury I've had in my hand from playing, I'm going to do proper warm ups and take the advice you've given in this video in future.
I’m in the same boat bro I hope it all worked out for you
Excellent! I’m a one week newbie playing. Two tips I enjoyed hearing. It’s not actually the finger tip, but the side of the finger tip. I was thinking I might be doing it wrong.
The other tip I picked up- you are not pushing string into fret board, but into the fret itself. I think this will help me with finger positions. I have the D down, but the A is giving me fits!
Thanks
Keep at it. You'll get there. Good luck!
Thanks it helps! It ease my wrist pain. Thank you very much
Glad it was helpful.
Thank You!!!
Thank you! I started lessons three weeks ago but my instructor did not go over how to hold the guitar or pick and as a result developed pain in my left shoulder after the first week. Now I'm able to pick up the guitar once more and want to do it correctly. Great video
I hope this does the trick. I have a few more videos on this subject with more on the way so feel free to explore the channel. Keep an eye on that shoulder though. A lot of times the issue can be solved with ergonomics but if it persists, it could be something more serious.
Using wrist grips...awesome gear!
Thanks Kevin. My problem is back of the fretting hand exhaustion after playing repetitive 12-bar rhythms and I think it is a mixture of bad posture and poor guitar position. I think I will start to think more about wearing a strap to keep the neck up and the guitar higher than just sitting on my lap. Your way of thinking that the guitar should fit our bodies not the other way around is a very positive attitude and I hope to at least improve my weariness in my fretting hand by doing some of our suggestions. Cheers
Hey Chris. I do hope this helps. 12-bar rhythms were always a problem for me too. Keep in mind that there may still be a conditioning period -- like marathon runners training for a while before they try to run the whole 26 miles -- it's OK if it still takes a while. However, with good technique, you should be able to see some improvement sooner rather than later. Good luck!
Hi Kevin. Thanks for the speedy reply. I think it might also be that I am getting on in age (60s) and it might just be an old age thing lol! Also, I read somewhere that my generation were suffering in old age from having used computer keyboards all our lives, which hasn't done the tendons in the lower arms any good. That said, I will take some of your good advice and try to improve my posture and guitar positioning and keep on practising. Thanks for the great video! Cheers. Chris
thanks. i ran across this video by accident, but it was exactly what i needed. 👍🏾
For the last couple of years I've been struggling with some overuse syndrom in my left forearm, especially with my thumb. Every professionnal I've seen was unable to tell me what was my problem and how to cure it. I feel that your lesson has some interresting effects on the force I need to apply on my guitar neck, I'll keep doing this for some months. I swear if this doesn't work on me I'll just ditch guitar forever.
You explained that so clearly and logically. Many Thanks!
My pleasure. :)
Great explanation! I'm going to work on my posture and guitar position to improve my playing and comfort.
Good luck!
this was so helpful!!!
This is the best video Ive seen about this!! Im at that 'learning all over again' stage.. I injured my left thumb really bad cause I used to push the back of the the neck 😩 Its been tough but actually worth it.. posture is everything, and def feels easier to play now
Glad I could help. Be sure to check out my other videos where I go more in-depth about the topics introduced here.
Extremely helpful
excellent tutorial,thanks kevin .peace
Very good information.
Thank you for the video. Best info I have found about correct sitting position. Hopefully this will sort the pain I get in the muscles at the back of my hand. Especially when playing power chord on the first fret using the low e string. Once again. Thanks.
Glad it's helpful. Feel free to watch the other videos on my channel where I go more in depth on the concepts introduced here.
Wow!! That was the most helpful guitar video, it has made my guitar playing so much easier, Thanks!!
Glad to hear it!
yo. i was pulling the guitar flat to my belly, but now its taken a drastic Angus young unicorn position that is way more comfy. now for the tendinitis to subside so I actually can play again. thanx
Best lesson on posture I’ve seen. Thank you!
My pleasure. I'm glad you found it useful Feel free to explore the channel. I have more videos on posture as well as other mechanical challenges.
Thank you.
Man, it's like you had in your mind every doubt I had while playing. Thank you so much for this video👍
Glad I could help. :)
outstanding u play just one note and teach a lesson for a lifetime of guitar playing
Thanks!
Wow I don't think I've seen anyone showing how to hold a guitar at an angle! I see guitar videos with people who are sitting holding the guitar parallel across their body, but I've seen players curling their fingers which feels more natural anyway!
Thank you--I very much appreciate the direction.
Awesome! Glad you found this useful.
Great reminders and explanations! Thank you.
My pleasure. Glad you find it helpful.
Velmi užitečné video.Děkujeme.
You're welcome.
This is very important knowledge O.O
Deep perspective
Where to begin! This is probably the most helpful well explained video on guitar technique I've seen in maybe my whole guitar playing career. I've looked at countless other videos trying to figure out why my palm was hurting so much. Changing the angle made every cord I was playing instantly easier and require less pressure from my palm or none at all to hold the chord. The awkward angle of holding the guitar parallel was forcing me to use my palm and very tips of my fingers like you explained. Now my fingers play the chords easier without resistance. On top of that I actually found my strumming hand to feel so much more natural giving me so much more accuracy with my picking. Thank you so much. This video needs so much more views. I've been playing guitar for ten years and no one's ever given me this pointer.
I'm so glad you found it helpful! Feel free to share it. And checkout my other videos where I go into more detail about the topics introduced here.
Thx for your Video! I will definitely try your Suggestions. My wrist always hurts while playing so far.
I hope it helps. Be sure to look at the other videos on my channel where I go more in depth about these subjects. Let me know if you have any questions and good luck!
Aside from needing to fix my posture, something that did help me a lot with thumb fatigue/pain was lowering string action a ton. My last guitar went almost a year without a truss rod, intonation, or action adjustment as I didn't know how to fix it, and it just went out of whack over time. Wasn't until I picked up my second guitar that I learned how to maintain it.
That's great that you got that fixed. Having the wrong action on your guitar can cause all sorts of problems.
Watching this i just realized for the past 3 months of learning i was actually doin it wrong 😅, thanks to u my man! God bless you!
Great lesson. Thanks, has really helped make playing more comfortable.
Awesome! Glad it was helpful.
What a great teacher you are! Really great stuff!
Thanks!
I believe that I have watched this AT LEAST 7x. You have an ability to teach this in a fashion thats so understandable & detailed. I find myself going back to the things that I did the 1st 2 years of playing though. Thats why I come back to this video ever so often. Thanks so much AGAIN for this video.
It takes time to break habits like that. Your dedication is awesome. Keep up the good work!
Very interesting video, thank you for sharing... I have been playing for 10 years and hit a rut with my physical ability a few years ago. Definitely seems like my posture and technique are the issue.
Trying to play in the correct position, it feels great, but my goodness its almost like learning from the start all over again 😄
It's really true. I went through the same feeling of starting over again. I found it didn't take as long as it did the first time though.
Awesome thanks very much … All the best bro
I am a beginner (about 2 months in) practicing an hour a day and my thumb has been in so much pain. I've watched several thumb/position videos and this was the one that helped me. Thank you!
Glad it helped. The other thing I might suggest since you're only two months in is to drop your practice time to about a half-hour for now. Make sure that you're not getting hit with muscle fatigue as well. If a half-hour is really easy and you have no pain, then play until it starts to hurt. Make a note of how long that was, back it off by 5 minutes and that's your new practice schedule. Keep at it and remember that almost every problem you encounter on the guitar will be mechanical and will have a solution. Good luck!
I'm in my first week and having thumb discomfort. So this is good news.
The first part of this video is just great advice for life!!! Thanks Kevin! Such a great explanation of why posture is important! Love it. Also, great video for posture with regards to guitar!
Thanks! I'm glad you got something out of it!
Have you found it helpful?
Best video I have seen on this often over looked issue. Been playing for two months and have bad posture and wrist pain. Will reset my style from today as this makes so much sense. Thank you!
It’s good to be reminded to break our bad daily habits...
After a long hiatus myself I’m playing again • thanks for tips! 🎸
Kevin O'Shaughnessy Thank you, that really helped, I was starting to worry about my hand, adjusting my guitar to fall on my hand was the trick, I need to work on my posture though, not easy when you are acostumed to slouch.
Kevin O'Shaughnessy excellent and useful tutorial Thank you!
Thanks much, this is needed info, I'm battling Carpal Tunnel from playing all wrong, with terrible posture and my wrist at extreme angles.
You’re a genius
Thx alot
You are very much underated bro
Thanks!
I just stumbled on this today. This REALLY helped me. I'm a beginner, 1 year and mostly practicing chords. The issue I have been struggling with is when playing a chord, I would be pulling the neck in slightly, when I would release to change chords, the neck would pop out causing me to grab it, pull it back in to play the next chord. This messed up everything: timing, muting the bottom string, forming the next chord shape, etc, etc. I think the issue is that I was holding the guitar parallel to my body rather than having the neck at the outward the angle discussed here. I tried the new posture today and it has already made a difference. So now it's time to unlearn old habits and make appropriate improvements and adjustments.
Hi David. Welcome to the community! I'm glad to hear this lesson has been helpful for you. I have plenty more on the channel--many of which focus on mechanical challenges we all have to deal with at some point or another. Feel free to have a look around and hit me up in the comments if you have any questions.
@@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar Thanks. I subscribed and already started to look at your posts. Thanks again.
My biggest take-away from this video which I have found especially useful for bar cords:
Push the strings into the metal of the fret (so at a bit of an angle) instead of pressing your index finger on the wood of the neck in a perpendicular fashion.
Thanks for this lesson!
Happy to do it!
Wow that’s helped a lot thank you for taking the time to demonstrate and explain.
My pleasure. I'm glad you found it helpful.
Well done.... straight to the point and nicely presented.... Bravo !!
Thanks! Glad you like it.
You saved my life thank you
@@mrkrabs2095 My pleasure. I’m glad this helps.
This is extremely helpful for me, a beginner. Thank you.
My pleasure.
That's awesome Thanks!
Very helpful Kevin! I have a lot of problems with a sore thumb of the fretting hand, because of pressing it much against the back of the guitar. Also I loose agility because of that. Have you a tip or an exercise to solve that problem for me please? Thanks for your great video and help here!
If you haven't done so already, I recommend you check out this video: ruclips.net/video/incUdhZigHA/видео.html. In it, I discuss the way the hand works and how you can work with that to make guitar playing more comfortable. It will take time but with consistent practice you should be able to relieve your sore thumb. Good luck!
@@KevinOShaughnessyGuitar Thank you for your quick answer! I will try it out.
that was pretty cool , thank you , i've been having these shit pains between my thumb and index finguer also the wrist , it sucks , now that you mentioned how to actually do it right and pick the right position with the right basics , i can understand it better.
thank you.
Very clear explanation! Thank you :)
My pleasure! I hope it helps.
Great and very helpful video. Thanks for that! I'm struggling with a bad posture myself. Do you have similar tips for the right hand?
Thanks. I'm glad you found it helpful. Any of the "pickslanting" videos focus on right hand technique. The terminology is borrowed from Troy Grady's show "Cracking the Code". His work is absolutely amazing in this field. My approach is to demonstrate how to adapt his observations to suit your own playing style. If you have specific questions, hit me up.
Outstanding Kevin...this is extremely helpful info. Any special considerations/suggestions for barre chords?
Hi Casey. I'm glad this is helping. If you haven't seen my video on left hand technique, start there.
Here's the link: ruclips.net/video/incUdhZigHA/видео.html
If that doesn't address your specific issues, leave a comment about it and I'll answer it in a new video.
Barre chords do take time to develop so be patient.
Good luck!