Whenever I play guitar for a period of time my left hand hurts

>whenever I play guitar for a period of time my left hand hurts
Is this bad? I've only been playing for 2 years so idk if it'll get better or if I'm fucked.

If your hand is still hurting after 2 years you're doing something seriously wrong.

What could it be though?

Are you building up callouses at all?

Yeah it's like pain inside my hand not on my fingers

>been playing for 2 years
Isn't your hand tired yet?

Possibly technique?

Head to your guitar store (vintage preferably since they know their shit) and show them your playing.

How comfortable is your hand on the neck? Maybe you need a thinner neck and/or it's just a problem with the way you are gripping the neck

This. Might help

Now that I look at it it might be that when I play I kinda death grip it with my thumb and that might lead to it

Your entire hand should be as comfortable as it can possibly be without being too loose. Once you find the perfect medium you should be fine.

Your hand should also be a a slight angle. Not straight with the neck

I usually scrunch up my thumb when playing high on the neck, if I just keep it straight much that help? Most of the pain in in the that area between my thumb and the first finger

Sometimes after a while of playing my left thumb hurts because I think I squeeze the guitar neck too much without realising. Is it something like that, OP? Apparently the trick is to raise your wrist. Feels fucking unnatural to me.

Many guitarists do that, look at Hendrix who even played barre chords with his thumb.

Maybe your practice sessions are just inconsistent and your hand/finger muscles aren't being given enough down time to develop properly.

If your hands at an angle it makes it easier to not scrunch your thumb up. Plus it helps your playing not sound stinted

not the same but i'm a drummer and when i play the bass drum too much my ass starts to hurt, is this caused by the angle of my legs? my stool is fucked and my knees are above my waist while i play.

What angle should I be at ideally?

That's just the pain of working out a muscle you otherwise wouldn't, probably at all. The exercise you do when playing the bass drum isn't too distant from a squat

ok, it only really sets in after ~45 minutes of hard playing, just was looking for another excuse to get a new throne, i also keep hitting my thighs/knees playing the snare, but that's just b/c i've got shit technique.

Like an 80 - 85 as opposed to 90 maybe even 75
It's just a slight angle but it makes all the difference

Inwards or outwards?

Try not burying the pedal.

sounds better too imo.

Like an obtuse angle but obviously not that far

>pedal

meant beater, obviously. I'm retarded

>being this butthurt

Not true. While it is more comfortable to play at a slight angle, some chords are simply not possible in this position. Most classical and jazz guitarists still play straight.

Yes, some chords. Obviously sometimes you WILL have to play straight but most of the time in between those types of chords it can't hurt to just angle your hand between the ones where you need to straighten them

There are some purists out there that will say that playing at an angle is an incorrect way of playing, but I don't really think either one is superior to the other. I do think it's best if you at least try to learn how to play it both ways however, just so you don't limit yourself when trying to play chords or difficult arpeggios.

Ye I'm trying it out and I literally cannot play a G open chord without going to straight, but I do like it for other chords

>some chords are simply not possible in this position

doesn't that also apply in reverse?

if you don't have long fingers, fingering and thumb muting pic related would be impossible without being angled

Yeah, both styles have limitations, and you should probably just learn both once you get comfortable with one style.

Yeah

I've got oestio arthritus in my left hand finger joints, I thought it was finger clubing but apparently not. Probably the amount I practice. I've also got over developed muscles in my right hand. My guitar teachers hands are weird as anything, his left hand in huge from practice for 60 years, but his right hand's quite small actually

I've been playing for 10 years and my hands still get sore. Not my fingers, my joints.


Stretch OP. Use a stressball.

What kinda guitar do you play?
Getting a strat changed my life.
Just the easiest guitar to play, strings bend like limp noodles, and the neck is pretty thin.

Maybe even a Mustang would be better, smaller scale right?