Great video. It's all muscle memory, and muscle memory doesn't discriminate. I used to suffer from severe pain in my picking hand and arm. By far the most effective tool for healing was rewiring my brain by forcing myself to practice slow and relaxed to a metronome. It was frustrating in the beginning because it felt like going backwards, but you have to unlearn bad habits. Regularly massaging my hands and arms was also a huge help, but that doesn't address the root cause.
I hope it is still working for you; kudos on your self help; it isn't easy to summon the patience needed to solve your own physical problems without the help of a professional; that level of patience and thoughtful analysis is a quality that will serve you well in everything you do!
Thanks for this. As a fairly new player I've learned to identify good lessons from bad lessons based on how much emphasis is placed on finding a physically comfortable and natural feeling way of having the guitar in your hands. For my fretting hand I personally have learned that the angle of my fingers in relation to the board changes depending on what I'm trying to do. If I feel tension or pain I know I'm doing it wrong, if it's loose and the notes ring clean or muted (as required) I'm doing it right.
Sounds like you're on the right track, doing what you need to do. However, I suggest a more open minded and less judgemental way to view what you call "good lessons from bad", especially keeping in mind that you said you're in the early part of your journey; try to remember to have a bit of humility. Instead of thinking you have it figured out, remember that you only know what you know, and the things you learn later might change the conclusions you came to from your own analysis using only the criteria of your own experience and how well a lesson suits your needs at present. I suggest that you view your criteria more as identifying lessons that you personally find helpful for where you are in your journey at the time you find them, and back away from the "bad" judgement about lessons that contain no mention of the ergonomics of guitar playing. I say this because there are great players and teachers who have perfectly good reasons for not focusing on that particular aspect of playing. Reasons you might find lessons not mentioning the ergonomics include: 1) Many of the great players aren't good at analysing body mechanics beyond very basic things; they often aren't even particularly aware of what they do. That doesn't mean their insights about the great variety of other subjects having to do with guitar playing and music should be considered "bad lessons". 2) People teach what they find interesting, and for an advanced player who simply never had great physical challenges to overcome in order to play well, the subject might be about as interesting as watching paint dry. 3) There are great players and teachers of guitar who don't have great ergonomics; they might need help themselves, like Jerry Reed, a greatly respected player whose song "The Claw", was a result of his tendonitis; a fellow player observed him and said "your right hand looks like a claw". 4) Ideally, you will find yourself an excellent set of skills that are unique to you early on. I think you're on the right track for that. So assuming that it goes well and you don't develop any damaging habits or injuries, this subject will disinterest you just as much after you are comfortable that you don't really need more tips on ergonomics. 5) The subject is a giant bore for people who aren't interested in the details of the physical act of playing, as long as they have enough technique to express their musical ideas. 6) Smart teachers don't teach what they know they aren't particularly suited to teach. A lot of them have probably seen videos like this or Troy Grady's that dig deep into ergonomics and realized that they have different things to contribute, and don't want to put out mediocre ergonomics opinion videos, when they really don't have a strong opinion or a detailed analysis that they feel sure of. 7) Most people who want to learn guitar, don't want to spend hours digging into the details of the ergonomics, perhaps they should, but people consume the lessons they want, not the ones others think they need. 8) They know that it is a dead end, because one you and others like you feel like you have it figured out, you will move on to other subjects and be bored to tears by learning the same ergonomics lessons over and over. Just a handful; music is big and we are small. We are bad judges of what is good and bad, especially when judging what a good or bad lesson is on a subject we are just beginners at. When you were a toddler, walking was fascination and took all your focus. Once you learned it, you never needed walking lessons (unless you have issues you need therapy for). By the same token, once you're really comfortable that you have a skill set that suits your body and your musical goals, you probably won't want to sit through too many more lessons about what you are doing wrong.
Good call, thanks! Yesterday i saw Kiko Loureiro in an interview with Rick Beato, he did the very same thing, the lightest of touches with both hands as practice. Cheers!
I told one of my students last week that air guitar players become good faster because they are doing the motions naturally without their instrument interfering. Chinese table tennis trainers train motion only no paddle till later. Cheers.
As an old geezer that has been playing for a long time, and never been able to attain speed, I'm going to give this a serious go! Thanks for the information Ben. At least now I know where I've been going wrong. Now, being an old git, the challenge will be to break the old habits. Would you suggest that there are times when you have to dig in though, for example with string bends with the fret hand and pinch tones from the picking hand? So moving from the speed mode you have demonstrated, to a more 'traditional' aggressive rock/blues style? In addition, I recently went from 10's to 8's and therefore I'm finding I'm applying less pressure, so this has had a beneficial effect; so I suppose this technique is an exageration of that effect - my thinking is that I just con my hand into thinking I'm playing zeros! LOL Aka the air guitar feel.
You are one of the few players whose technique doesn´t change when playing fast or slow. Even some of these virtuosos have a change of grip or position when kicking into super fast gear, the analogy they make sometimes is like the difference between walking and running, different activities. Any thoughts on this?. I for example, have good "slow" picking technique, without excess movement, controlled and relaxed, as soon as I speed up tensions arise and the hand wants to adjust to something else where speed happens, but control is lost and can´t keep up for long. Your opinion on this dynamic and how to practice to counter-act it would be greatly appreciated.
Having different techniques for slow and fast playing isn’t the end of the world as long as they are both controlled and relaxed. The issue is when someone brute forces the speed at the cost of everything else. I personally think in the case of guitar they should be pretty similar. Generally speaking picking technique (which I have several videos on) is impeded by pick depth and the angle of approach. I’ll do some more videos on it!
I you want to explore your idea to the fullest try practicing while looking at yourself in a mirror. While you are watching yourself be aware of where your tensions manifest themselves and learn to relax.
what your teaching is great, thank you very much. but I Must stress that handedness is crucial to the relaxed fast movements. try to play air guitar the other way. it is near impossible to maintain speed and attack for any sustained time e.g. if a lefty plays right hand guitar. Please if anyone is strongly left handed get left handed guitar ! Please, you must pick with your dominant hand or it will take decades to rewire own brain.
Buddy, you are moving your hand without any tention, then you are saying “I can do exactly the same playing a lick” and you are moving your whole arm. Please..
@@vubear if you wanna have universal technique you just can’t use two types of motion for two reasons: moving whole arm is really inefficient, slowing down your playing and destroying your stamina, and second reason, your accuracy just depends of luck in this case. It also proves that his picking motion is not allowing him to skip strings properly (his whole arm helps), so fact that he can move it loosely and with no limits means nothing in this case.
@@mikuchajster1994 rubbish. His picking mechanic is rotational, his tracking mechanic is arm, for the very reason he said about clock face tracking. It's the same tracking mechanic that guys like Govan and Lane have spoken about. No offense mate but you're talking rubbish. It's the same method my old teacher, the great Shaun Baxter, taught me. As for you thinking that using more than one motion is verboten it's been my observation that the best pickers all to some degree use a compound motion. Pretty much all human physical activity requires it.
@@vubear ruclips.net/video/VJpDj5mgiD0/видео.html This is the technically best guitar player in the world, also he worked with his father who was athlete trainer, and he has all scientific knowledge about guitar playing. He is able to play things that you cannot even imagine.
@@mikuchajster1994 dude he's clearly tracking with his arm, with a clock face and inside/outside picking and circle picking. It's a compound motion! Nothing you say negates the concept of maximum relaxation, which is all this video is talking about. It's not a video about motion mechanics
"Every RUclips guitarist is wrong" Uh? .. You do realize that you're a RUclips guitarist ? When "Everyone" is "Wrong" and you believe, You are the only one who is right. Is the problem really with "Everyone" else. Sounds a little "Professor Moriarty" 'ish to me. And besides that .. you're a Lefty... C'mon? left handed ? Really? Just say'n
Hyperbole makes a good title, you clicked it after all! In all seriousness, The number of videos on youtube correctly describing how to develop a relaxed and consistent technique can be counted on one hand - I think Ben Eller posted one very recently if memory serves. 'technique' in the guitar world is based around brainlessly chasing speed - something that attracts inexperienced amateurs but Is not a good methodology for professional musicians on any instrument. I'll be going into a lot more detail on these concepts shortly - stick around and tell me if you've seen anyone else talking about the same things.
@@Kerriben Evidently so does a massive ego with a superiority complex and delusions of grandeur. LOL Just kidding I'm not that much of a D!(k. Also you are correct, your "Hype" Got me to click. In fact I agree with you about; that the ability to relax, Is a extremely important component of advancing and/or playing guitar. So thanks for the reply (most don't). Peace Out and Good Luck with your Channel Oh I hope the "Like & Comment" Helps your RUclips Algorithm.
@@Kerriben Yup, I've seen only video why and tips on how to relax while playing. And indeed it was "Ben Eller. (I like and watch Uncle Ben a lot) Ye other than "thumb Placement" RUclips seems devoid, Of body technique when playing help videos. Most are play these notes and the chords that go along with those notes or visa versa. A light touch and relaxing is the key to happy playing. Kids? that choke hold death grip on the guitar neck? Is just pumping your advancement brakes. No matter hoe cool it looks LOL.
Great video. It's all muscle memory, and muscle memory doesn't discriminate. I used to suffer from severe pain in my picking hand and arm. By far the most effective tool for healing was rewiring my brain by forcing myself to practice slow and relaxed to a metronome. It was frustrating in the beginning because it felt like going backwards, but you have to unlearn bad habits. Regularly massaging my hands and arms was also a huge help, but that doesn't address the root cause.
I hope it is still working for you; kudos on your self help; it isn't easy to summon the patience needed to solve your own physical problems without the help of a professional; that level of patience and thoughtful analysis is a quality that will serve you well in everything you do!
Thanks for this. As a fairly new player I've learned to identify good lessons from bad lessons based on how much emphasis is placed on finding a physically comfortable and natural feeling way of having the guitar in your hands.
For my fretting hand I personally have learned that the angle of my fingers in relation to the board changes depending on what I'm trying to do. If I feel tension or pain I know I'm doing it wrong, if it's loose and the notes ring clean or muted (as required) I'm doing it right.
Sounds like you're on the right track, doing what you need to do. However, I suggest a more open minded and less judgemental way to view what you call "good lessons from bad", especially keeping in mind that you said you're in the early part of your journey; try to remember to have a bit of humility. Instead of thinking you have it figured out, remember that you only know what you know, and the things you learn later might change the conclusions you came to from your own analysis using only the criteria of your own experience and how well a lesson suits your needs at present.
I suggest that you view your criteria more as identifying lessons that you personally find helpful for where you are in your journey at the time you find them, and back away from the "bad" judgement about lessons that contain no mention of the ergonomics of guitar playing.
I say this because there are great players and teachers who have perfectly good reasons for not focusing on that particular aspect of playing.
Reasons you might find lessons not mentioning the ergonomics include:
1) Many of the great players aren't good at analysing body mechanics beyond very basic things; they often aren't even particularly aware of what they do. That doesn't mean their insights about the great variety of other subjects having to do with guitar playing and music should be considered "bad lessons".
2) People teach what they find interesting, and for an advanced player who simply never had great physical challenges to overcome in order to play well, the subject might be about as interesting as watching paint dry.
3) There are great players and teachers of guitar who don't have great ergonomics; they might need help themselves, like Jerry Reed, a greatly respected player whose song "The Claw", was a result of his tendonitis; a fellow player observed him and said "your right hand looks like a claw".
4) Ideally, you will find yourself an excellent set of skills that are unique to you early on. I think you're on the right track for that. So assuming that it goes well and you don't develop any damaging habits or injuries, this subject will disinterest you just as much after you are comfortable that you don't really need more tips on ergonomics.
5) The subject is a giant bore for people who aren't interested in the details of the physical act of playing, as long as they have enough technique to express their musical ideas.
6) Smart teachers don't teach what they know they aren't particularly suited to teach. A lot of them have probably seen videos like this or Troy Grady's that dig deep into ergonomics and realized that they have different things to contribute, and don't want to put out mediocre ergonomics opinion videos, when they really don't have a strong opinion or a detailed analysis that they feel sure of.
7) Most people who want to learn guitar, don't want to spend hours digging into the details of the ergonomics, perhaps they should, but people consume the lessons they want, not the ones others think they need.
8) They know that it is a dead end, because one you and others like you feel like you have it figured out, you will move on to other subjects and be bored to tears by learning the same ergonomics lessons over and over.
Just a handful; music is big and we are small. We are bad judges of what is good and bad, especially when judging what a good or bad lesson is on a subject we are just beginners at. When you were a toddler, walking was fascination and took all your focus. Once you learned it, you never needed walking lessons (unless you have issues you need therapy for). By the same token, once you're really comfortable that you have a skill set that suits your body and your musical goals, you probably won't want to sit through too many more lessons about what you are doing wrong.
Good call, thanks!
Yesterday i saw Kiko Loureiro in an interview with Rick Beato, he did the very same thing, the lightest of touches with both hands as practice.
Cheers!
I noticed that as well. It just makes sense.
Excellent advice on the relaxing the hands. its working for me already. Bravo!!
I need to send this video to people, finally someone who does this "RUclips" shit right. Thank you, Ben.
I told one of my students last week that air guitar players become good faster because they are doing the motions naturally without their instrument interfering. Chinese table tennis trainers train motion only no paddle till later. Cheers.
How am I just now finding this channel?
As an old geezer that has been playing for a long time, and never been able to attain speed, I'm going to give this a serious go! Thanks for the information Ben. At least now I know where I've been going wrong. Now, being an old git, the challenge will be to break the old habits.
Would you suggest that there are times when you have to dig in though, for example with string bends with the fret hand and pinch tones from the picking hand? So moving from the speed mode you have demonstrated, to a more 'traditional' aggressive rock/blues style?
In addition, I recently went from 10's to 8's and therefore I'm finding I'm applying less pressure, so this has had a beneficial effect; so I suppose this technique is an exageration of that effect - my thinking is that I just con my hand into thinking I'm playing zeros! LOL Aka the air guitar feel.
Excellent information. Thanks 👍💪
👏
You are one of the few players whose technique doesn´t change when playing fast or slow. Even some of these virtuosos have a change of grip or position when kicking into super fast gear, the analogy they make sometimes is like the difference between walking and running, different activities. Any thoughts on this?. I for example, have good "slow" picking technique, without excess movement, controlled and relaxed, as soon as I speed up tensions arise and the hand wants to adjust to something else where speed happens, but control is lost and can´t keep up for long. Your opinion on this dynamic and how to practice to counter-act it would be greatly appreciated.
Having different techniques for slow and fast playing isn’t the end of the world as long as they are both controlled and relaxed. The issue is when someone brute forces the speed at the cost of everything else.
I personally think in the case of guitar they should be pretty similar. Generally speaking picking technique (which I have several videos on) is impeded by pick depth and the angle of approach. I’ll do some more videos on it!
Great instruction. Thank you!
I you want to explore your idea to the fullest try practicing while looking at yourself in a mirror. While you are watching yourself be aware of where your tensions manifest themselves and learn to relax.
ty
Very Nice!
Have you seen tom hess? he talks about relaxing
Yea but he's 100x sloppier than this guy - gotta pay attention to how well they walk the walk
what your teaching is great, thank you very much. but I Must stress that handedness is crucial to the relaxed fast movements. try to play air guitar the other way. it is near impossible to maintain speed and attack for any sustained time e.g. if a lefty plays right hand guitar. Please if anyone is strongly left handed get left handed guitar ! Please, you must pick with your dominant hand or it will take decades to rewire own brain.
Thank you.
Language works the same way. Studies show that after age 10, it’s far more difficult to naturally/fluently learn a new language without an accent.
@4:33 That's Tool right there :)
So true.
Brilliant
Feathering frets seemsmgood
also....a good setup
I.... agree.
Tom quailey talks about this
All wrong. Play something serious fast, and then we'll see if this is true.
On a platform where Michael Angelo Batio is a registered poster titles like this automatically put you in the clown category.
On a platform where people only click thumbnails of their favourite youtuber sucking off a donkey, you expect me to take titles seriously. Noted!
@@Kerriben 🤡
@@Kerriben😂
Certified clown comment here
Buddy, you are moving your hand without any tention, then you are saying “I can do exactly the same playing a lick” and you are moving your whole arm. Please..
He’s using forearm tracking but the picking motion mechanic remains the same. Your comment is just plain wrong
@@vubear if you wanna have universal technique you just can’t use two types of motion for two reasons: moving whole arm is really inefficient, slowing down your playing and destroying your stamina, and second reason, your accuracy just depends of luck in this case. It also proves that his picking motion is not allowing him to skip strings properly (his whole arm helps), so fact that he can move it loosely and with no limits means nothing in this case.
@@mikuchajster1994 rubbish. His picking mechanic is rotational, his tracking mechanic is arm, for the very reason he said about clock face tracking. It's the same tracking mechanic that guys like Govan and Lane have spoken about. No offense mate but you're talking rubbish. It's the same method my old teacher, the great Shaun Baxter, taught me. As for you thinking that using more than one motion is verboten it's been my observation that the best pickers all to some degree use a compound motion. Pretty much all human physical activity requires it.
@@vubear ruclips.net/video/VJpDj5mgiD0/видео.html This is the technically best guitar player in the world, also he worked with his father who was athlete trainer, and he has all scientific knowledge about guitar playing. He is able to play things that you cannot even imagine.
@@mikuchajster1994 dude he's clearly tracking with his arm, with a clock face and inside/outside picking and circle picking. It's a compound motion! Nothing you say negates the concept of maximum relaxation, which is all this video is talking about. It's not a video about motion mechanics
"Every RUclips guitarist is wrong"
Uh? .. You do realize that you're a RUclips guitarist ?
When "Everyone" is "Wrong" and you believe,
You are the only one who is right.
Is the problem really with "Everyone" else.
Sounds a little "Professor Moriarty" 'ish to me.
And besides that ..
you're a Lefty...
C'mon? left handed ?
Really?
Just say'n
Hyperbole makes a good title, you clicked it after all!
In all seriousness, The number of videos on youtube correctly describing how to develop a relaxed and consistent technique can be counted on one hand - I think Ben Eller posted one very recently if memory serves. 'technique' in the guitar world is based around brainlessly chasing speed - something that attracts inexperienced amateurs but Is not a good methodology for professional musicians on any instrument. I'll be going into a lot more detail on these concepts shortly - stick around and tell me if you've seen anyone else talking about the same things.
@@Kerriben Evidently so does a massive ego with a superiority complex and delusions of grandeur.
LOL Just kidding I'm not that much of a D!(k.
Also you are correct, your "Hype" Got me to click.
In fact I agree with you about; that the ability to relax,
Is a extremely important component of advancing and/or playing guitar.
So thanks for the reply (most don't).
Peace Out and Good Luck with your Channel
Oh I hope the "Like & Comment" Helps your RUclips Algorithm.
@@Kerriben Yup, I've seen only video why and tips on how to relax while playing.
And indeed it was "Ben Eller. (I like and watch Uncle Ben a lot)
Ye other than "thumb Placement" RUclips seems devoid,
Of body technique when playing help videos.
Most are play these notes and the chords that go along with those notes or visa versa. A light touch and relaxing is the key to happy playing.
Kids? that choke hold death grip on the guitar neck? Is just pumping your advancement brakes. No matter hoe cool it looks LOL.
You can be a youtube guitarist like me and NOT use a PICK🤣🤣but yeah that's true I can't use a pick🥲